Revelations: Ray Bradbury

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012.

First period, 10th Grade Honors English. Roughly 9 a.m.

That’s when I heard the news.

Even today, as I write this, I feel a chill. Looking back, it was not only a surreal and an unbelievable experience…it also offered a moment of affirmation for me as a teacher that hasn’t been rivaled, since.Continue Reading

Review: Sharkwater Beach by Tim Meyer

Sharkwater Beach by Tim Meyer
(May 2017)
180 pages; $9.99 paperback; ebook $2.99
Reviewed by Peter Tomas

When a shark breaks out of a sketchy underwater research facility, the seas surrounding Sharkwater Beach suddenly grow ice-cold as the prehistoric predator begins her reign as “Queen of the Ocean.”

Our protagonist, a sarcastic and rather realistic woman by the name of Jill McCourty, finds herself stranded on Key Water Island, on which Sharkwater Beach resides, along with a small group of friends, strangers, and a particularly interesting trio of rough-around-the-edges men. Together, they must collaborate and fight for their lives against their massive oceanic captor until help arrives, but eventually they come to realize that, even on land, they aren’t safe.Continue Reading

Review: Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke

Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke
CreateSpace (September 2017)
80 pages; $6.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

I love the tagline on the cover of Kealan Patrick Burke’s new novella, Blanky: “The gift that keeps on living.”

And then there’s the opening, one that immediately draws the reader into the story:

You say you can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a child.

Let me make it easy for you.

It’s the beginning of the end of your world.

Continue Reading

Brian Keene’s History of Horror Fiction, Chapter Six: Elizabethan Evil

Last month, we explored how, after Rome’s Edict of Milan, Christianity spread throughout the world and began to influence supernatural fiction. But since our previous chapter focused primarily on twelfth century werewolf fiction, I want to begin this month by talking about another religious book that had a lasting impact on our genre. Continue Reading

Review: The Changeling by Victor LaValle

The Changeling by Victor LaValle
Spiegel & Grau (March 2018)
448 pages; $12.30 paperback; $10.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

There are relatively few new authors in the horror/speculative field today who can make a reader both disappear into a book and later sit back in awe of the pure storytelling and the ease in which the language flows in such an enthralling, dark manner. John Langan is one. Sarah Pinborough is another. Victor LaValle ranks near the top of the list.Continue Reading

END OF THE ROAD by Brian Keene: Brand New Signed Limited Edition Hardcover Coming This Summer!

We’re thrilled to announce our next new signed Limited Edition hardcover headed to the printer, End of the Road by Brian Keene!

About the Book:
“My name is Brian Keene. I’m a writer by trade and a road warrior by heart. Neither of these things are wise career or life choices. The tolls add up.

Over the last twenty years, things have changed. Book tours have changed, publishing has changed, bookselling has changed, conventions have changed, horror fiction—and the horror genre—have changed. I’ve changed, too.

The only things that haven’t changed are writing and the road. They stay the same. The words we type today are the past tomorrow. Everything is connected like the highways on a map are connected. This holds true for the history of our genre, as well.

I rode into town twenty years ago. Now I’m riding out. You’re all coming with me…”

So begins Brian Keene’s End of the Road—a memoir, travelogue, and post-Danse Macabre examination of modern horror fiction, the people who write it, and the world they live—and die—in. Exhilarating, emotional, heartfelt, and at times hilarious, End of the Road is a must-read for fans of the horror genre. Introduction by Gabino Iglesias.

There are no other editions planned at this time, so don’t wait to reserve your copy today!

SPECIAL BONUS ITEM WITH PURCHASE!
Every copy of this book purchased on CemeteryDance.com will include a FREE special bonus Limited Edition chapbook, On the Road with Brian Keene by John Urbancik. Just reserve End of the Road via our website and we’ll automatically send you the chapbook with your order!

End of the Road

Read more or place your order on our website!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (June 2017)
320 pages; $15.42 hardcover; $12.39 paperback; $11.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

This breakout novel has been hailed as the book of 2017. Karen Dionne decided to leave the high concept science thriller behind (the wonderful Freezing Point and Boiling Point) in favor of something much more organic and disturbing. The Marsh King’s Daughter succeeds on all levels because of what it sets out to do—simply tell a story without all the bells and whistles. Dionne’s writing features a songstress’ voice and rhythm, yet doesn’t overwhelm the reader with the love of language. It embraces the feel of the setting and story, pulling the reader deep into the marsh’s realm, only relenting when the final page is turned.Continue Reading

The Best of The Scream Factory: Already Rolling at the Printer and Shipping in June!

We’re pleased to report we’ve sent another very special new project to the printer and we expect it to sell VERY quickly due to the book’s exclusive nature and low print run!

From 1988 to 1997, The Scream Factory: The Magazine of Horrors Past, Present and Future provided an exhaustive and often irreverent overview of all aspects of horror–from fiction to film and beyond. It became a go-to reference for horror aficionados around the globe. Twenty years after the magazine ceased publication, editors Peter Enfantino, Robert Morrish, and John Scoleri have sifted through the contents of the magazine’s 20-issue run to assemble this epic collection.

In addition to the nearly 600-page selection of “greatest hits,” the editors have penned a brand new 25,000 word introduction, diving deep into the sordid history of the magazine as well as the books published (and even a few unpublished!) under the Deadline Press imprint.

THIS BOOK IS A MASSIVE DOORSTOP. We’ve posted a photo on the product page of the first finished approval copy from the printer, but even that doesn’t really show the sheer size of the book!

Limited to just 450 numbered copies and 52 lettered copies, there are NO plans for any other editions at this time, so this could end up being an extremely hard to find collectible in the future.

The Best of The Scream Factory

Read more or place your order while supplies last!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews edited by Sam Weller

Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews edited by Sam Weller
Hat and Beard Press (2018)
224 pages; $45 hardcover; $200 limited edition
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

I’ll speak more at length about this when I discuss the influence Ray Bradbury has had on me in a future edition of my column Revelations, but suffice to say: I discovered his work late in life. I’m sure I was assigned several of his short stories in junior high and high school—probably the oft-assigned “All Summer in a Day,” “Soft Rains Will Come” or maybe even “The Fun They Had”—but I never had a teacher really bring me to Ray Bradbury. This is probably why—as most of my former and present students will attest—I’ve made it my personal mission to ensure that all my students experience the work of Ray Brabdury while they’re in my class. Whether they love his work, are ambivalent toward it, or don’t like it, they’ll never be able to say they don’t know who Ray Bradbury is, or what his place is in American Literature. Continue Reading

Review: The Goat Parade by Peter Dudar

The Goat Parade by Peter Dudar
Grinning Skull Press (March 2018)
300 pages; $23.58 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Peter Dudar hit the scene hard with his Stoker finalist A Requiem For Dead Flies, offering a style that evoked the best of Bentley Little and Rick Hautula. He returns with The Goat Parade, a novel that hits the gas full throttle in a thrilling supernatural tale that might remind readers of some other guy from Maine.Continue Reading

Review: The Boulevard Monster by Jeremy Hepler

The Boulevard Monster by Jeremy Hepler
Bloodshot Books (April 2017)
300 pages; $14.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Chad Lutzke

Once in a while I’ll start a review with some poetic prose plucked from the pages to give the reader an idea of the skills the writer may possess.  The Boulevard Monster has none of that. Instead, it’s a straightforward, entertaining story with a thrilling Koontz-ish vibe…and the best book I’ve read so far this year. There’s good reason it was nominated for a Stoker award. Hepler’s no-filler prose is designed to simply tell a story with no literary glitter, which makes perfect sense considering the protagonist. Continue Reading

Review: The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy

The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy
Tor Books (August 2017)

130 pages, $10.39 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Anton Cancre

Brace yourself for this one, friendos, because it gets pretty weird here. I know. I know. Whodathunk a book about crustpunks that summon a demonic deer to protect their squat only to have the demondeer turn on them would be weird. Odd how that works.Continue Reading