Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: The Crows of After by Exsanguine Hart 
The Crows of After by Exsanguine Hart
Specimen SandWitch Press (October 2022)
86 pages; $17 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Exsanguine Hart is a scribbler with an obnoxiously pretentious pseudonym living somewhere in Canada with two cats, an assemblage of dolls and a number of dragons. Hart can be found online either doodling on instagram @exsanguine_hart
or lurking on exsanguinehart.com. Their newest collection of poems is The Crows of After.Continue Reading
Messengers of the Macabre by LindaAnn LoSchiavo and David Davies
Audience Askew (October 2022)
54 pages; $9.99 paperback; $2.99 ebook
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
LindaAnn LoSchiavo is a dramatist, writer, and poet. A native New Yorker, LoSchiavo has received nominations for the Pushcart Prize, Rhysling Award, Best of the Net, and Dwarf Stars. She is a member of Science Fiction Poetry Assoc., The British Fantasy Society, and The Dramatists Guild. David Davies left Wales under baleful circumstances for The Lone Star State. “Have sonnets, will travel,” announces his business card. His Pushcart- and Bram Stoker-nominated poems and stories have been known to appear in: Granfalloon, Green Lantern Press, MacroMicroCosm, Moon Shadow Sanctuary, Ripples in Space. Together, LoSchiavo and Davies have written the Halloween-themed collection Messengers of the Macabre. Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories Reviews1 Comment on Review: Close to Midnight edited by Mark Morris 
Close to Midnight edited by Mark Morris
Flame Tree Press (October 2022)
304 pages; $26.95 hardcover; $16.95 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand
Opening an anthology of horror stories is like opening your candy bag after a long night of trick-or-treating: you hope the chocolate treats and peanut butter cups outweigh the licorice and Circus Peanuts.
With Close to Midnight, out this month from Flame Tree Press, editor Mark Morris fills up readers’ bags with king-sized candy bars, proving his is the house to go to on Halloween night.Continue Reading
Splatterpunk #13 (10th Anniversary Issue) edited by Jack Bantry
Reviewed by David Niall Wilson
When I received this for review, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I’d never seen an issue, but I’d seen author’s names associated with it that I was familiar. When it arrived, and I pulled it out, it felt as if I’d stepped into a time capsule.
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Daphne by Josh Malerman 
Daphne by Josh Malerman
Del Rey (September 2022)
272 pages; $24.99 hardcover; $13.99 ebook
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
The small town of Samhattan has a secret. A thing everyone knows but nobody questions.
That is until high school baller Kit and her friends play a game of “Ask the Rim.” The rules are simple: ask the rim a question, you shoot the basketball, a swish is a yes, a miss a no.
And the rim never lies.
What was Kit thinking when she asked the rim about the local legend of a “freak” named Daphne?Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: New World Monsters by Chris Mcauley and Jeff Oliver 
New World Monsters by Chris Mcauley and Jeff Oliver
Hellbound Books (October 2022)
130 pages; $29.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Dr. Chris Mcauley is a writer of prose novels, magazine short stories, video and tabletop games and audio dramas. Chris has been given the Reggie Bannister award for excellence in Horror writing and is nominated for a similar award in science fiction. Jeff Oliver writes that he “began writing Dark Poetry at just 11 years old. Transferring darkness to paper at such a young age. There are thoughts about a troubled childhood, thoughts of love and imagination that never elude his pen. A poet by passion and a father of 8 beautiful children. Yes you read that right 8! His dedication to his family & his craft is second to none.” Their newest collaborative collection is New World Monsters, which is illustrated by Dan Verkys. Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates 
Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates
Poisoned Pen Press (September 2022)
384 pages; $12.99 paperback; $4.99 ebook
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
Deep in the hills of a small town, a cloud of birds explode into the sky. Their screeches disturbed as though their shelter surged jolts of pain into them.
It’s haunted. Well, some thought so. Others say Gallows Hill was cursed, laced with a poisonous vestige of murder and betrayal.Continue Reading
Not a Princess, but (Yes) There was a Pea, and Other Fairy Tales to Foment Revolution by Rebecca Buchanan
Jackanapes Press (September 2022)
170 pages; $15.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Rebecca Buchanan is the editor of the Pagan literary ezine Eternal Haunted Summer, and is also a regular contributor to ev0ke: witchcraft*paganism*lifestyle. She is also the editor-in-chief of Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the publishing arm of Neos Alexandria. Her newest collection of fairy tale poems is Not a Princess, but (Yes) There was a Pea, and Other Fairy Tales to Foment Revolution.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste 
Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste
Gallery/Saga Press (August 2022)
320 pages; $17.99 paperback; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms
This was unexpected. Then again, for those who have ever been treated to one of Kiste’s works, the unexpected is part of the gift she gives to her readers. Gorgeous prose wrapped around the darkest reaches of the human condition in plots that are anything but overdone.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories Reviews1 Comment on Review: Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy 
Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy
Tor Nightfire (July 2022)
416 pages; $19.79 paperback; $12.99 ebook
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
Nat Cassidy’s Mary: An Awakening of Terror opens with one of the most genuine author’s notes I’ve ever read. Cassidy details a close relationship with his mother, who, like many of us, was a Stephen King fan. Upon seeing the film poster of De Palma’s 1976 film adaptation of Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek, Cassidy was “messed up bad.” Continue Reading
Leech by Hiron Ennes
Tordotcom (September 27, 2022)
336 Pages; $27.99 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Damon Smith
While packed full of interesting prose and well thought-out worldbuilding, Hiron Ennes’ Leech is easily one of the more frustrating books I’ve read this year. From beginning to end, the experience is uneven, with the “slow burn” of the quieter moments beginning to drag the quality of the overall story down. It is a book full of potential, which makes its lack of impact all the more disappointing.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Southern Fried & Horrified by Ronald Kelly 
Southern Fried & Horrified by Ronald Kelly
Stygian Sky Media (September 2022)
245 pages; $70 limited edition hardcover; $15.95 paperback
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand
Veteran horror author Ronald Kelly has a new book out, and — as expected — it’s chock full of unusual and horrific elements like rats scratching in bedroom walls, and women with second sight having troublesome visions, and eerie encounters with sketchy clowns.
Things is, this book is nonfiction.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories Reviews, The Comic VaultLeave a comment on Review: Dreams Factory by Jérôme Hamon and Suheb Zako 
Dreams Factory written by Jérôme Hamon, art by Suheb Zako
Magnetic Press (September 13, 2022)
136 pages; $24.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Following his studies at an American university and at business school, French author Jérôme Hamon began his professional life in New York as a financial analyst. Convinced that the life he wanted was elsewhere, he left the field two years later to travel around the world. Back in France, Hamon strung together a number of jobs in the movies, video games, and television. In parallel, he began to write his first comic book and graphic novel scripts. In 2008, Hamon went to Angouleme to present his first completed scripts, and it was there that he met artist Marc Van Straceele. The two would go on to collaborate on Yokozuna, a graphic novel on sumo wrestling in Japan (Kana, 2013). Following that, Hamon worked with artist Antoine Carrion on Nils, a saga halfway between Nordic mythology and the works of Miyazaki (Soleil, 2016). His newest graphic novel, in collaboration with freelance artist Suheb Zako, is Dreams Factory, a dark steampunk tale about mines, kidnapped children, and mechanical beasts.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer 
Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer
G.P. Putnam Sons (August 2022)
336 pages; $15.30; $11.99 ebook
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
What’s a little demonic exorcism among friends?
Things are pretty good in a small Chicago suburb. The kids play together, parents help one another watch the kids, and the neighbors constantly hold potlucks and holiday cookouts.
Four friends, Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa, hold wine nights to break away from the pretentious PTA crowd and their long stories of kitchen renovations. Liz, the softie of the group, and the most “together” hostess, suggests the crew build a “She Shed.” Ever the go-getter, Liz begins construction immediately, and the women “christen” the site with pinot and chardonnay, unknowingly disturbing a restless entity.
And then the nightmare ensues. Continue Reading
Author Bev VincentPosted on Categories Reviews, Stephen King News from the Dead Zone2 Comments on Bev Vincent explores Fairy Tale by Stephen King 
“There are other worlds than these”
Traditionally, in stories modeled after the Hero’s Journey, the main character receives a call to action, which he or she initially resists. Take, for example, Bilbo Baggins, who is cajoled out of his comfortable, quiet life to go on an adventure by Gandalf. In Stephen King’s fantasy stories, the characters are self-motivated. No one has to urge Jack Sawyer to light out for the Territories—he has a good reason to embark on a perilous journey. Similarly, Roland Deschain chooses his mission to find and save the Dark Tower, even though it will take him on a wild journey for the rest of his natural days. No one conscripts him. (Although, to be fair, sometimes his characters are yanked into a quest without being given any choice in the matter.)
In Fairy Tale, Charlie McGee[1] Reade also decides for himself to go on a magical adventure although, when he sets out, he has no idea what dangers he will face and what will be asked of him while he attempts to achieve his goal.
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