Cemetery Dance Online

Review: Lexie by F. Paul Wilson

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 16, 2024September 14, 2024ReviewsDave Simms, F. Paul Wilson, Lexie, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Lexie Lexie by F. Paul Wilson
Crossroad Press (September 2024)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Recommending an F. Paul Wilson novel is akin to saying oxygen might be good for you. Over the course of his career, there hasn’t been a bad book in his vast catalog. Lexie is no different — it’s the stunning second book of his duology that began last spring with The Upwelling and a fitting conclusion to a tale that holds all the tenets of a classic Wilson story. The characters are intriguing and fully fleshed out, the plot twists and turns yet plays fair with the reader, and the mythos he’s created is on full display.

What Screams May Come: Come Out & Play by Patrick Tumblety

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 13, 2024September 7, 2024What Screams May ComeColumns, Come Out and Play, Interviews, Patrick Tumblety, Rick Hipson, What Screams May ComeLeave a comment

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Come Out & Play by Patrick Tumblety
Uncomfortably Dark (September 2024)

The Synopsis

Scott has not left his house since causing the accident that killed his mother. To keep himself from harming his remaining loved ones, he repeats daily rituals and abides by superstitious, compulsive, and intrusive thoughts. He is successful in the endeavor until the night of his eighteenth birthday when something comes to tear him from the physical and mental walls he has built against the world.

Something that Scott fears has been sent by his mother to avenge her death.Continue Reading

Review: The Damage Done by Tony Tremblay

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 11, 2024September 7, 2024ReviewsDave Simms, Reviews, The Damage Done, Tony TremblayLeave a comment

cover of The Damage Done The Damage Done by Tony Tremblay
Haverhill House Publishing (July 2024)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Old-school horror. It’s a term that’s tossed around lightly these days but many are unfamiliar with that entails (save for those who lived through the first golden age of paperbacks). What it truly means to many is a solid scary story with real people — just full bore ahead without stopping for subtleties, which is refreshing if the reader craves pure entertainment. There’s enough deep tomes in the dark realm to rip hearts and morals apart. Sometimes, a good story is just a good story.

Tony Tremblay knows how to spin a good — and great — story. The Damage Done is 100% great storytelling that makes the reader strap in, thrill ride style, and produces a smile that doesn’t let up until long after the final page.

Review: Highway Thirteen by Fiona McFarlane

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 10, 2024September 9, 2024ReviewsBlu Gilliand, Fiona McFarlane, Highway Thirteen, ReviewsLeave a comment

Highway Thirteen by Fiona McFarlane
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (August 2024)
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

Is it really a serial killer book if the serial killer is absent from the book?

That’s the question I had in mind when I picked up Highway Thirteen to review. I’d been led to believe — by the jacket copy, by the press materials, and by a few advance reviews — that the focus was not on the killer, but instead on the victims, family members, acquaintances, and curious parties caught in his orbit. That was all true. It was my assumption that the killer was absent that was incorrect.Continue Reading

Review: Obscene Folklore by Mer Whinery

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 9, 2024September 7, 2024ReviewsMer Whinery, Obscene Folklore, Reviews, Rowan B. MinorLeave a comment

Obscene Folklore by Mer Whinery
Watertower Hill Publishing (July 2024)
Reviewed by Rowan B. Minor

Mer Whinery is a folk horror author who was born and resides in Oklahoma. He is the author of two collections of short fiction: The Little Dixie Horror Show (Literati Press, 2012) and Phantasmagoria Blues (Literati Press, 2015); as well as the weird western novel Trade Yer Coffin for a Gun (Muzzleland Press, 2018) and the coming-of-age horror novel The Country Girl’s Guide to Hexes and Haints (JournalStone, 2022). Several pieces of his short fiction have appeared in various anthologies, including the forthcoming Hospital of Haunts (Watertower Hill Publishing, 2024). Continue Reading

Exclusive Preview: Archie Comics Gets Dark with CURSED LIBRARY #2

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 4, 2024August 31, 2024The Comic VaultArchie Comics, Columns, Craig Cermak, Cursed Library, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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cover of Cursed Library #2 — Cover illustration by Craig Cermak

In recent years Archie Comics has dipped its toes into creating horror stories around the iconic characters. Cemetery Dance is getting an exclusive sneak peek at the next issue of Archie’s Cursed Library mini-series by Eliot Rahal and Magdalene Visaggio, including the public’s very first look at demonic Reggie.

Artist Craig Cermak said, “Drawing the monstrous versions of each character might be the most enjoyable part of working on Cursed Library! I can get weirder and more expressive, much more freeing than the standard versions, though they’re fun, too!”Continue Reading

Jeff P. Jones kicks off BLOODSHOT WORLD

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 3, 2024August 31, 2024The Comic VaultBloodshot World, Columns, Danica Davidson, Interviews, Jeff P. Jones, KickstarterLeave a comment

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image of a hand clutching a heart from Bloodshot World Writer Jeff P. Jones is coming out with a graphic story collection titled Bloodshot World. Markosia Books is publishing it for readers in the UK, and a current Kickstarter campaign aims to bring the book to American readers. Jones spoke to Cemetery Dance about working with international artists, how this book compares to his previous ones, and the unique stories in Bloodshot World.Continue Reading

Cullen Bunn Reigns Over THE AUTUMN KINGDOM

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 2, 2024August 31, 2024The Comic VaultColumns, Cullen Bunn, Danica Davidson, Interviews, The Autumn Kingdom, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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cover of The Autumn Kingdom #1 — Cover by Daniel Vega

After The Sixth Gun and Invasive, Cullen Bunn is back with another horror comic. This time around it’s The Autumn Kingdom, which mixes horror and fantasy. The first issue drops on September 4 thanks to Oni Press, and Bunn spoke to Cemetery Dance about his similarities with the author in the comic, his combination of horror and fantasy, and what he enjoyed most about writing it.Continue Reading

Review: Sarafina by Philip Fracassi

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 28, 2024August 25, 2024ReviewsDave Simms, Philip Fracassi, Reviews, SarafinaLeave a comment

Sarafina by Phillip Fracassi
Earthling Publications. (September 2024)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Phillip Fracassi has emerged as a force in horror over the past few years, as his Boys in the Valley rocked the genre, and rightfully so. After a pair of solid follow ups (Gothic and A Child Alone with Strangers), he’s hit another home run with Sarafina.

Review: A Glimpse of Fear: A Small Collection of Short Stories by B.S. Miller

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 26, 2024August 19, 2024ReviewsA Glimpse of Fear, B.S. Miller, Joshua Gage, ReviewsLeave a comment

A Glimpse of Fear: A Small Collection of Short Stories by B.S. Miller
Page Street Publishing (August 2024)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

B.S. Miller is a horror writer and teacher who lives with her husband and children in a somewhat secluded area south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, surrounded by critters, crows, and coyotes. Miller earned her MA in Literature from the University of New Orleans and is a member of the Horror Writers Association. Her newest collection is A Glimpse of Fear, a collection of short stories and two poems, currently available for less than a dollar on Kindle. Continue Reading

Night Time Logic with Douglas Ford

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 23, 2024August 18, 2024Night Time LogicColumns, Daniel Braum, Douglas Ford, Interviews, Night Time Logic, The Twilight ZoneLeave a comment

Night Time Logic with Daniel Braum

“The Twilight Zone. The Infection Party. And the Heart of Darkness.”

photo of author Douglas Ford — Douglas Ford

Night Time Logic is the part of a story that is felt but not consciously processed. It is also the name of this interview series here at Cemetery Dance online and over on my YouTube channel.

Through in-depth conversation with authors this column explores the night time part of stories, the strange and uncanny in horror and dark fiction, and more.

My short story collection with Cemetery Dance is titled The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales in homage to Aickman and his kind of stories that operate this way. It can be found here.

I spoke with Douglas (along with author Jeffrey Ford) in April 2024 about their recent work. Our conversation is here on YouTube.

My conversation with Douglas today begins with question about author Charles Beaumont…Continue Reading

Review: Hide: The Graphic Novel by Scott Peterson and Kiersten White

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 21, 2024August 18, 2024Reviews, The Comic VaultHide, Joshua Gage, Kiersten White, Reviews, Scott Peterson, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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cover of Hide: The Graphic Novel Hide: The Graphic Novel by Scott Peterson and Kiersten White
Ten Speed Graphic (September 2023)
240 pages; $24.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning, and critically acclaimed author of many books, including The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, the And I Darken trilogy, the Slayer series, the Camelot Rising trilogy, and her adult debut, Hide. Kiersten lives with her family in San Diego, where they obsessively care for their deeply ambivalent tortoise, Kimberly. Her novel, Hide, was recently adapted to graphic novel format by Scott Peterson. Continue Reading

Review: Through The Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 19, 2024August 18, 2024ReviewsHaley Newlin, Katrina Monroe, Reviews, Through the Midnight DoorLeave a comment

cover of Through the Midnight Door Through The Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe
Poisoned Pen Press (August 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Who doesn’t love a good jump scare? While some dismiss jump cares as a cheap element in horror, others know that those quick, intense scares can set the stage for complete emotional collapse when done well.

Remember the car scene from Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House? It was shocking, memorable, and effective. This scene opened the floodgates of the family’s shared trauma and revealed what the lack of communication has since conjured.

Katrina Monroe’s latest release, Through The Midnight Door, accomplishes this several times.Continue Reading

What Screams May Come: Red Inside by Bridgett Nelson

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 16, 2024August 16, 2024What Screams May ComeBridgett Nelson, Columns, Interviews, Rd Inside, Rick Hipson, What Screams May ComeLeave a comment

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photo of author Bridgett Nelson — Bridgett Nelson

Red Inside by Bridgett Nelson
Threat Pose Press (July 2024)

The Synopsis

From the morally corrupt, yet oddly sweet, mind of Bridgett Nelson, the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of A Bouquet of Viscera and What the Fuck Was That?, comes a brand new tale of blood-spattered horror.

Bethany can’t wait for the end of her hospital shift — four glorious days of relaxation await. Secretly, she’s most excited about the fun-filled nights reveling in an unexpected flirtation with her co-worker, Michelle. Thoughts of her long, cozy weekend vanish, however, when Francisco Delgado is admitted to her floor from the emergency room. Delgado, a man who came into contact with an unknown arachnid species in South America, and who now has something…squirming…beneath his skin.Continue Reading

Review: Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self-Destructions by Maxwell I. Gold

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 14, 2024August 11, 2024ReviewsJoshua Gage, Maxwell I. Gold, Reviews, Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self-DestructionsLeave a comment

cover of Tiny Oblivions Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self-Destructions by Maxwell I. Gold
Raw Dog Screaming Press (August 22, 2024)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Maxwell I. Gold is a Jewish-American cosmic horror poet and editor, with an extensive body of work comprising over 300 poems since 2017. His writings have earned a place alongside many literary luminaries in the speculative fiction genre. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies such as Spectral Realms, Weird Tales Magazine, Startling Stories, Space and Time Magazine, Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology, Chiral Mad 5, and many more. Maxwell’s work has been recognized with multiple nominations including the Eric Hoffer Award, Pushcart Prize, and Bram Stoker Awards. His newest collection of prose poetry is Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self-Destructions.Continue Reading

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