{"id":20767,"date":"2026-05-15T11:10:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/?p=20767"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:10:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:10:24","slug":"review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dopefoot<\/em> by Joshua Millican<\/strong><\/a>
\nMad Axe Media (June 2026)<\/strong>
\nReviewed by Abby Wolf<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dopefoot<\/em> by Joshua Millican (Teleportasm<\/em><\/a>, Deeper Than H\"Dopefootell<\/em>)<\/a> is a novel that felt feral in my hands, in the best ways. It resists polish and easy categorization. Instead, it <\/span>burrows into something raw and deeply human. What initially reads as pure chaos, in characters, in language, and in structure, reveals itself to be deliberate. I might go as far as saying it is precise in how it disorients the reader. <\/span>Dopefoot<\/em> wants you off-balance.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First, we meet a boy chasing an off-grid fantasy, seeking quick cash and escape while working on a remote and secluded cannabis farm. The cannabis farm isn’t just unsettling; it is a pressure cooker, ruled by unstable personalities and an unspoken code that feels equal parts survivalist and cult doctrine. Millican excels at atmosphere. The Green Cauldron pulses with menace. Its dense wilderness closes in as tensions bubbling between workers, smugglers, and other “presences” escalate. There is a constant sense of unease that never lets up, even before the nightmarish horror is fully revealed.<\/p>\n

At its core, Dopefoot<\/em> is about desperation and survival. Not just physical endurance, but the emotional and psychic contortions required to exist within the systems that grind people down. Our protagonist “Harmless” moves through this world with an almost painful naivety while the narrative is the exact opposite of naive. Dopefoot<\/em> knows where it’s taking us. Sentences can feel abrupt, shocking, even confrontational, creating a rhythm that refuses the reader comfort. Rather than smoothing out the characters’ experiences for readability, the prose insists the reader meet it on its own terms. No one in this story has had it easy. The result is immersive, but not in the traditionally lush or atmospheric sense. This immersion is claustrophobic and immediate, much like watching a good horror movie.<\/p>\n

One of Dopefoot<\/em>‘s great strengths is its voice. There is an urgency to it, a sense that the story is being told this way because it must be, not because it is neatly shaped for an audience. That urgency translates into a narrative that feels lived-in rather than constructed. The dialogue, in particular, carries a sharp authenticity. It crackles with tension, humor, and menace all in equal measure. The characters speak in ways that reveal who they are and the environments that shaped them, environments that are marred with violence and precarity, but also moments of unexpected tenderness.<\/p>\n

That tension, between brutality and vulnerability is where Millican does some of his most interesting work. The novel leans into depicting harsh realities, but it also resists reducing its characters to their circumstances. There are flashes of care and of a strange, flickering hope. These moments don’t feel particularly sentimental but they underscore how fragile and hard-won they are. In a landscape that feels incredibly hostile, even small gestures take on an immense weight.<\/p>\n

Structurally, Dopefoot<\/em> refuses to adhere to conventional storytelling. It is both its greatest strength and its most challenging aspect. The narrative doesn’t unfold in an easily digestible arc. It loops and occasionally withholds, asking the reader to piece things together. Like a puzzle that rewards your attention. Readers seeking clear resolutions or constant cohesion may feel a sense of alienation, but that is intentional. The moments of fragmentation are not arbitrary. They reflect the unstable, violent world depicted.<\/p>\n

Thematically, Millican engages with questions of identity and power without ever becoming didactic. He trusts the reader to sit in discomfort, draw connections, and grapple with ambiguity. There is a resistance to provide moral clarity, which feels integral to the book’s setting. Life, as represented in these pages, is incredibly messy, contradictory and way too often unjust. Dopefoot<\/em> honors that complexity rather than trying to tidy it up. It is messy and violent and festering with paranoia.<\/p>\n

The same elements that give Dopefoot<\/em> its distinctive voice can occasionally verge on opacity. There are moments where abrupt transitions can seemingly disrupt emotional continuity, pulling the reader out just as we settle into a scene. But this feels very intentional and a reminder that this story is not designed for passive consumption. The novel has a purpose and it will hold you in its clutches until it’s ready to let you go.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Dopefoot<\/em> is a read that demands you pay attention and it is rewarding. It asks for you to be willing to be unsettled. In return, it offers a narrative that feels uncompromising and it will not be wrapped up in a neat little bow. This is a novel that leaves a mark, jagged and undeniably vivid.<\/p>\n

Bigfoot aficionados will rejoice. Readers who enjoyed <\/span>Devolution<\/span><\/i> by Max Brooks should definitely pick this up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dopefoot by Joshua Millican Mad Axe Media (June 2026) Reviewed by Abby Wolf Dopefoot by Joshua Millican (Teleportasm, Deeper Than Hell) is a novel that felt feral in my hands, in the best ways. It resists polish and easy categorization. Instead, it burrows into something raw and deeply human. What initially reads as pure chaos, … Continue Reading! “Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[80],"tags":[3669,3679,3680,79],"class_list":["post-20767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-abby-wolf","tag-dopefoot","tag-joshua-millican","tag-reviews"],"yoast_head":"\nReview: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican - Cemetery Dance Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cemetery Dance Online\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Cemetery Dance Online\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/30439c850dbb0e44ac4d2ddd09fb2d61\"},\"headline\":\"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T15:10:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":791,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/dopefoot-228x350.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Abby Wolf\",\"Dopefoot\",\"Joshua Millican\",\"Reviews\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/\",\"name\":\"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican - Cemetery Dance Online\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/dopefoot-228x350.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T15:10:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/30439c850dbb0e44ac4d2ddd09fb2d61\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/dopefoot-228x350.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/dopefoot-228x350.webp\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reviews\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/reviews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cemetery Dance Online\",\"description\":\"Free Horror Reads, News, Interviews, Comics, and More!\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/30439c850dbb0e44ac4d2ddd09fb2d61\",\"name\":\"Cemetery Dance Online\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18103e6727693901d2722149c60f9ba733e3aed66126d844f9b43b26a6496345?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18103e6727693901d2722149c60f9ba733e3aed66126d844f9b43b26a6496345?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18103e6727693901d2722149c60f9ba733e3aed66126d844f9b43b26a6496345?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Cemetery Dance Online\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cemeterydance.com\\\/extras\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican - Cemetery Dance Online","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cemetery Dance Online","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/"},"author":{"name":"Cemetery Dance Online","@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/#\/schema\/person\/30439c850dbb0e44ac4d2ddd09fb2d61"},"headline":"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican","datePublished":"2026-05-15T15:10:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/"},"wordCount":791,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/dopefoot-228x350.webp","keywords":["Abby Wolf","Dopefoot","Joshua Millican","Reviews"],"articleSection":["Reviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/","name":"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican - Cemetery Dance Online","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/dopefoot-228x350.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-15T15:10:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/#\/schema\/person\/30439c850dbb0e44ac4d2ddd09fb2d61"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/dopefoot-228x350.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/dopefoot-228x350.webp"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-dopefoot-by-joshua-millican\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reviews","item":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/reviews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Review: Dopefoot by Joshua Millican"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/","name":"Cemetery Dance Online","description":"Free Horror Reads, News, Interviews, Comics, and More!","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/#\/schema\/person\/30439c850dbb0e44ac4d2ddd09fb2d61","name":"Cemetery Dance Online","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18103e6727693901d2722149c60f9ba733e3aed66126d844f9b43b26a6496345?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18103e6727693901d2722149c60f9ba733e3aed66126d844f9b43b26a6496345?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18103e6727693901d2722149c60f9ba733e3aed66126d844f9b43b26a6496345?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"Cemetery Dance Online"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/"]}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p81cXa-5oX","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20767"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20780,"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20767\/revisions\/20780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}