Dave Simms Archives - Page 5 of 10 - Cemetery Dance Online

Review: Last Case at Baggage Auction by Eric J. Guignard

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 4, 2021January 3, 2021ReviewsDave Simms, Eric Guignard, Last Case at Baggage Auction, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of last case at baggage auction Last Case at Baggage Auction by Eric J. Guignard
Harper Day Books (August 2020)
156 pages; $24.95 hardcover; $9.95 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Eric Guignard has fast become one of the most reliable “new” writers in horror and other speculative genres in recent years. His Doorway to the Deadeye and a ultra-cool anthology Pop the Clutch cemented his reputation, not to mention his more academic studies of authors plus the 5 Senses of Horror study/anthology.

Last Case at Baggage Junction is a weird bird but a fine read that demands to be read carefully, although it can easily be devoured in one sitting. Part noir, part horror, it burrows deep into the reader’s psyche as it weaves a deceptive tale that lingers long after the final page.Continue Reading

Review: Dog Star by Keith Minnion

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 9, 2020December 8, 2020ReviewsDave Simms, Dog Star, Keith Minnion, Reviews, White Noise PressLeave a comment

Dog Star by Keith Minnion
White Noise Press (May 2020)
344 pages; $12.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Author and artist Keith Minnion has returned with a personal novel that’s part police procedural, part supernatural mystery. Alongside The Boneyard, one of the best horror novels of the past ten years, and the recent collection, Read Me, readers are treated to something new, although there are some tricky — and cool — connections to the aforementioned book.Continue Reading

Review: Red Hands by Christopher Golden

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 30, 2020November 30, 2020ReviewsChristopher Golden, Dave Simms, Red Hands, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Christopher Golden's novel Red Hands Red Hands by Christopher Golden
St. Martin’s Press (December 8, 2020)
320 pages; $27.99 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

“Weird shit.” That’s Ben Walker. The expert on weird shit from the previous two entries which are standalone novels, Ararat and The Pandora Room, one of which left a scar few horror novels ever manage to accomplish while the other dug deep into thriller territory in a deliciously fun manner. How does Chris Golden follow this up? Red Hands.Continue Reading

Review: Bone Chase by Weston Ochse

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 23, 2020November 16, 2020ReviewsBone Chase, Dave Simms, Reviews, Weston OchseLeave a comment

cover of Bone Chase by Weston Ochse Bone Chase by Weston Ochse
Gallery/Saga Press (December 1, 2020)
336 pages; $26 hardcover; $9.99 paperback
Reviewed by Dave Simms

A hunt for giants? Ties to the Bible? Rival factions that stretch back eons?

This is easily going to be one of the hottest thrillers of the year. Imagine if you will, Dan Brown writing with the pacing of Lee Child with the adventure factor of James Rollins. If that’s not enough to crack open this book, nothing will. Did I mention there are giants?Continue Reading

Review: WYRD and Other Derelictions by Adam L.G. Nevill

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 9, 2020November 8, 2020ReviewsAdam L.G. Nevill, Dave Simms, Reviews, Ritual Limited, WYRD and Other DerelictionsLeave a comment

cover of WYRD and Other Derelictions by Adam L.G. Nevill WYRD and Other Derelictions by Adam L.G. Nevill
Ritual Limited (October 2020)
106 pages; $7.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Adam Nevill has quietly transformed into one of the top writers in the past decade. His novels, ranging from Apartment 16 to last year’s The Reddening (easily this reviewer’s vote for most frightening novel of the year), have evolved into fiction that’s both accessible and surreal. The Netflix adaptation of The Ritual broke open the floodgates to new audiences everywhere. Hopefully, other films will follow.Continue Reading

Review: One Who Was With Me by Conrad Williams

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 28, 2020September 27, 2020ReviewsConrad Williams, Dave Simms, Earthling Publications, Halloween Series, One Who Was With Me, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of One Was With Me by Conrad Williams One Who Was With Me by Conrad Williams
Earthling Publications (October 2020)
$45 limited edition hardcover
Reviewed by Dave Simms

It’s that wonderful time of year again when Earthling Publications announces their Halloween series title for the upcoming holiday. When was the last time Paul Miller failed to publish a stellar tale for this press? Hint: I’m still waiting.

Conrad Williams returns to the series in fine form here, following up his award winning The Unblemished from fourteen years ago, with a novel that at the onset sounds familiar but trust me—it’s anything but. I don’t know if the author is a baseball fan but he appears to be a master of the screwball, curveball, and sinker.Continue Reading

Review: Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 8, 2020September 6, 2020ReviewsDave Simms, Reviews, Tim Waggoner, Writing in the DarkLeave a comment

cover of Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner
Raw Dog Screaming Press (September 16, 2020)
236 pages; $34.95 hardcover; $19.95 paperback
Reviewed by Dave Simms

This review is a bit different. I’m approaching it as an author instead of a reader. I was in the midst of editing one novel and completing another—both were forever altered by this book. I’m also hitting it from the viewpoint of a creative writing teacher. Both color my opinion of this writing book by the prolific Tim Waggoner. For those unfamiliar with the author who seems to churn out a new novel every few months, either in his own worlds or dipping his toes in that of Supernatural, Alien, or Grimm, he’s also well known as a professor.

Review: Signalz by F. Paul Wilson

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 6, 2020July 6, 2020ReviewsCrossroad Press, Dave Simms, F. Paul Wilson, Repairman Jack, Reviews, SignalzLeave a comment

cover of Signalz by F. Paul Wilson Signalz by F. Paul Wilson
Crossroad Press (July 7, 2020)
188 pages; $29.99 hardcover; $17.99 paperback; $5.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Nightworld. For F. Paul Wilson fans, it’s often in the top two or three novels by the legend, surpassed only by the first book in the Repairman Jack series, The Tomb. Nightworld signaled the end of civilizations as we know it (kinda fitting these days, isn’t it?) and was so popular, Wilson rewrote it to fit the series canon after the original Adversary sextet concluded. While that novel hit on all cylinders and checked every box that satisfied both thriller and horror fans across the globe, plenty of mysteries remained. Wilson has plugged some of those, most notably with last year’s Jack novel, The Last Christmas, and prior to that, Wardenclyffe.Continue Reading

Review: The Horror Writer: A Study of Craft and Identity in the Horror Genre edited by Joe Mynhardt

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 21, 2020May 20, 2020ReviewsDave Simms, Hellbound Books, Joe Mynhardt, Reviews, The Horror WriterLeave a comment

cover of The Horror Writer The Horror Writer: A Study of Craft and Identity in the Horror Genre edited by Joe Mynhardt
Hellbound Books (January 2020)
216 pages; $14.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Books on writing have been churned out by the dozens, and while many have been worthy reads, few have been standouts. In the horror genre, even fewer come to mind, although there are a few classics.

Joe Mynhardt has compiled a wonderful, useful, and frightening insight into the minds of some of the best dark minds writing today. It’s like someone tore straight into the souls of these authors and culled their best, and darkest secrets.Continue Reading

Review: Tales of the Lost Vol. 1: We All Lose Something! edited by Eugene Johnson and Steve Dillon

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 15, 2020ReviewsDave Simms, Reviews, Tales of the Lost, We All Lose SomethingLeave a comment

cover of Tales of the Lost We All Lose Something Tales of the Lost Vol. 1: We All Lose Something! edited by Eugene Johnson and Steve Dillon
Things in the Well (December 2019)
283 pages; $15 paperback; $3 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Horror anthologies seem to be emerging like gremlins dunked in fetid water these days. While some are stellar, others fill up the pages with reprints from the greats, and some just fall through the cracks because the authors within aren’t household names.Continue Reading

Review: The Best of Both Worlds by S. P. Miskowski

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 13, 2020May 13, 2020ReviewsDave Simms, JournalStone, Reviews, S.P. Miskowski, The Best of Both Worlds, Trepidatio PressLeave a comment

cover of The Best of Both Worlds The Best of Both Worlds by S.P. Miskowski
Trepidatio Publishing (May 2020)
80 pages; $9.95 paperback; $4.95 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Skillute is one of those towns that has quickly become one to remember in horror fiction. It’s creeping like a tainted tide, inspired by Oxrun Station from Charlie Grant and Cedar Hill from Gary Braunbeck. The land has been poisoned, seeping into the soil of a town that should be long forgotten, but things that refuse to die grasp hold of the frayed threads of reality in this Pacific Northwestern hell. Good people still reside there, and S.P. Miskowski has made them pawns in her playground, a setting that never can shed the shadows which infect everything that breathes within.Continue Reading

Review: The Faces by Douglas Clegg

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 15, 2020April 12, 2020ReviewsDave Simms, Douglas Clegg, Reviews, The FacesLeave a comment

The Faces by Douglas Clegg
Alkemara Press (November 2019)
106 pages; $11.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Doug Clegg has long been a fixture of superior horror fiction. The Faces is a perfect representation of what the novella form can be—powerful, succinct, and deep. Fans of The Twilight Zone and the best of Bentley Little with a touch of Harlan Ellison will devour this strong tale within hours.Continue Reading

Review: The Reddening by Adam Nevill

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 30, 2020March 29, 2020ReviewsAdam Nevill, Dave Simms, Reviews, The ReddeningLeave a comment

The Reddening by Adam Nevill
Ritual Limited (October 2019)
420 pages; $15.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Adam Nevill is a special writer. Those familiar with The Ritual, either the novel or the Netflix adaptation last year, know it’s a story that elevated horror in a way few authors can these days. Those who are fans of Banquet of the Damned, Last Days, and Apartment 16 realize the man writes with a smooth fury that evokes comparisons of Peter Straub, later-Robert McCammon, or Graham Joyce. Still, Nevill has a voice that’s all his own.Continue Reading

Review: The Boneyard by Keith Minnion

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 11, 2020March 13, 2020ReviewsCrossroad Press, Dave Simms, Keith Minnion, Reviews, The Boneyard1 Comment

The Boneyard by Keith Minnion
Crossroad Press (September 2014)
320 pages; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Keith Minnion has long been a force in the horror genre, both as an author and artist. He made his name as an illustrator for several magazines and publishers, most notably and recently for the Stephen King/Richard Chizmar novels Gwendy’s Button Box and Gwendy’s Magic Feather. His short stories have been making the rounds since 1979 and his two collections have garnered high praise.

His first novel The Boneyard, immensely readable and well-written, tears into ground that feels untrodden and fresh. Finding something new these days is tough; finding something that is both new and successful in execution is much tougher. This novel nails it on both counts.Continue Reading

Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 25, 2020February 25, 2020ReviewsAlma Katsu, Dave Simms, Reviews, The DeepLeave a comment

The Deep by Alma Katsu
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (March 10, 2020)
432 pages; $18.39 hardcover; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Those who devoured Alma Katsu’s The Hunger (which should have won awards across the board last year—pun intended) will want to take the plunge into The Deep, a beautifully disturbing cross-genre tale that might even top that previous novel. Whereas The Hunger mined the ill-fated travels of the pioneers who traversed the Donner Pass, this one dives into the mystique of the Titanic, yet with a twist. The ship had a sister—the Britannic. This ship was retrofitted to be a hospital to be used during the war.Continue Reading

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