The Year of Cemetery Dance 2018
- Thread starter Dana Jean
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Just got an email from Cem Dance saying that my order has been shipped. It's for a book that I ordered way back in............wait for it.........July of 2014!!!!! It's for the limited edition of 'Detours' edited by Brian James Freeman. If I remember correctly there's a King story in it?
Better late than never! Enjoy when it arrives.
My Owen King order is getting pretty old. I think that one was 2015. I read that it was in production, so it won't be too much longer. There probably has to be a certain number of orders before the book goes to the printer. Some get done pretty quick and some take a while.
My oldest order that I'm still waiting for is from 11/11/13 for the signed limited of Turn Down The Lights.
That's an old one. Is it appearing on the production updates page?
13. Thrillers 2
Edited by Robert Morrish
Authors:
Gemma Files
Tim Waggoner
R. Patrick Gates
Caitlín R. Kiernan
About the Book:
"This volume marks the long-overdue return of a dark fiction series that debuted in 1993. After a fourteen year hiatus, Thrillers is revived with a star-studded second volume.
Within these pages, you'll find terror, suspense, and mystery that range from quietly menacing to shockingly graphic, wildly fantastic to grimly realistic. It's all here, with one universal ingredient: a well-told story.
The formula for the Thrillers series is deceptively simple: we invite four of the genre's most popular authors to each contribute 20,000 words of original, never-before-been-published fiction. We add insightful Afterwords by each author, along with striking illustrations by a brilliant artist. The end result is a wonderful showcase for the finest of today's short fiction."
My Thoughts:
Since there are only 4 authors in the collection, I can speak about my feelings on each one. Lucky them.
One of my grandfathers was this amazingly brilliant scholar. I could throw out his credentials, but I'm not going to. Suffice to say, he was an "academic" type writer. But he was a consummate verbal story teller. He could sit down and tell these stories that would have you leaning in, listening closely -- funny, heartbreaking, scary, informative stories. My mom told him he needed to write these tales down for the family. And while my grandfather was a terrific writer, he was an academic writer. These stories lost all their charm when he tried to write them down. They lost his voice.
This was what happened with the one and only story in the collection by Gemma Files. I have no doubt that this woman is an intelligent person, but this story bored me beyond words. It's what hung me up for way too long as I just kept putting the book down. Her use of language was very academic, even in the moments where it wasn't called for. The story itself is based on a research experiment, so you would expect the cold preciseness of academia writing. But, that carried over into the every day characters and their lives and situations too. I wish I could have had a sampling of more of her work.
Tim Waggoner was next up. He was very refreshing and while I enjoyed all 3 of his entries, my favorite was Darker Than Water. I won't go into any details because I fear anything I say would take away from this little gem and someone's own discoveries. I will say, there are characters in here who are very much "Low Men in Yellow Coats."
K.D.s Wish ended up being the one that got me in R. Patrick Gates stories. A supernatural element with a message about what it means to be normal -- and whose definition of normal is more important and correct? His other two stories were odd, but interesting. He kept me going from point A to point B nicely.
Finally, the last author in the book, Caitlín R. Kiernan gave me my favorite story from the whole collection.
The Daughter of the Four of Pentacles pulled me right in, broken down into little vignettes within the story, each was magical and she used just the right tempo with her beautiful use of the language.
Her final story was also interesting and we learn, dead men do tell tales.
After each author's section of work, they included author's notes, which again I find just as fascinating as the stories themselves. Little afterwords about their author moments. Always a welcomed behind-the-scenes look.
The cover art and the art included in the book were done by J. Myroshnychenko. Nice job.
Edited by Robert Morrish
Authors:
Gemma Files
Tim Waggoner
R. Patrick Gates
Caitlín R. Kiernan
About the Book:
"This volume marks the long-overdue return of a dark fiction series that debuted in 1993. After a fourteen year hiatus, Thrillers is revived with a star-studded second volume.
Within these pages, you'll find terror, suspense, and mystery that range from quietly menacing to shockingly graphic, wildly fantastic to grimly realistic. It's all here, with one universal ingredient: a well-told story.
The formula for the Thrillers series is deceptively simple: we invite four of the genre's most popular authors to each contribute 20,000 words of original, never-before-been-published fiction. We add insightful Afterwords by each author, along with striking illustrations by a brilliant artist. The end result is a wonderful showcase for the finest of today's short fiction."
My Thoughts:
Since there are only 4 authors in the collection, I can speak about my feelings on each one. Lucky them.
One of my grandfathers was this amazingly brilliant scholar. I could throw out his credentials, but I'm not going to. Suffice to say, he was an "academic" type writer. But he was a consummate verbal story teller. He could sit down and tell these stories that would have you leaning in, listening closely -- funny, heartbreaking, scary, informative stories. My mom told him he needed to write these tales down for the family. And while my grandfather was a terrific writer, he was an academic writer. These stories lost all their charm when he tried to write them down. They lost his voice.
This was what happened with the one and only story in the collection by Gemma Files. I have no doubt that this woman is an intelligent person, but this story bored me beyond words. It's what hung me up for way too long as I just kept putting the book down. Her use of language was very academic, even in the moments where it wasn't called for. The story itself is based on a research experiment, so you would expect the cold preciseness of academia writing. But, that carried over into the every day characters and their lives and situations too. I wish I could have had a sampling of more of her work.
Tim Waggoner was next up. He was very refreshing and while I enjoyed all 3 of his entries, my favorite was Darker Than Water. I won't go into any details because I fear anything I say would take away from this little gem and someone's own discoveries. I will say, there are characters in here who are very much "Low Men in Yellow Coats."
K.D.s Wish ended up being the one that got me in R. Patrick Gates stories. A supernatural element with a message about what it means to be normal -- and whose definition of normal is more important and correct? His other two stories were odd, but interesting. He kept me going from point A to point B nicely.
Finally, the last author in the book, Caitlín R. Kiernan gave me my favorite story from the whole collection.
The Daughter of the Four of Pentacles pulled me right in, broken down into little vignettes within the story, each was magical and she used just the right tempo with her beautiful use of the language.
Her final story was also interesting and we learn, dead men do tell tales.
After each author's section of work, they included author's notes, which again I find just as fascinating as the stories themselves. Little afterwords about their author moments. Always a welcomed behind-the-scenes look.
The cover art and the art included in the book were done by J. Myroshnychenko. Nice job.
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14. TURNAROUND
By Craig Spector
About the Book:
"Eric Best's world is changing… not just a piece here or there, really changing.
His monotonous day job working for an Internet search engine company leaves him unfulfilled, so he starts writing an exciting screenplay.
His wife isn't happy with all of his time being monopolized, and their marriage is already a little rocky, but Eric is determined to finish what he started.
He's becoming more and more invested in his work. He's even having lucid dreams of his scripted universe... but more real.
Then he notices the changes.
Changes in his life that are impossible, wonderful, and even horrific..."
My Thoughts:
In his own version of "The Territories," Craig Spector does an excellent job moving back and forth between two similar but very different personal lives.
I was never taken out of the story because Mr. Spector knew what he was doing to keep his audience locked, loaded and engaged with the ever-changing worlds of Eric Best and Matt Black.
The author leaves us with some really valuable advice:
If you don't like your life story, rewrite it.
Control your fate; look for and grab onto your destiny, people.
Cover illustration by Peter Maihaichuk -- love that sepia-toned art and film strip frame.
By Craig Spector
About the Book:
"Eric Best's world is changing… not just a piece here or there, really changing.
His monotonous day job working for an Internet search engine company leaves him unfulfilled, so he starts writing an exciting screenplay.
His wife isn't happy with all of his time being monopolized, and their marriage is already a little rocky, but Eric is determined to finish what he started.
He's becoming more and more invested in his work. He's even having lucid dreams of his scripted universe... but more real.
Then he notices the changes.
Changes in his life that are impossible, wonderful, and even horrific..."
My Thoughts:
In his own version of "The Territories," Craig Spector does an excellent job moving back and forth between two similar but very different personal lives.
I was never taken out of the story because Mr. Spector knew what he was doing to keep his audience locked, loaded and engaged with the ever-changing worlds of Eric Best and Matt Black.
The author leaves us with some really valuable advice:
If you don't like your life story, rewrite it.
Control your fate; look for and grab onto your destiny, people.
Cover illustration by Peter Maihaichuk -- love that sepia-toned art and film strip frame.
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15. Wicked Things
by Thomas Tessier
"Private investigator Jack Carlson is traveling to the small, remote upstate city of Winship to look into a rash of suspicious insurance claims.
Like the farmer who accidentally blew himself up in a garnet mine, and the teenager who died in a peculiar car crash.
The Winship police and Medical Examiner appear cooperative but offer no real help.
Local insurance agent Joe Bellman is evasive and fearful.
And shortly after meeting Jack, both Bellman and his secretary Chris Innes turn up dead, an apparent case of murder-suicide.
Jack isn't buying any of it.
As he pokes behind the Norman Rockwell exterior of Winship, he finds a place smoldering with crime, corruption and bizarre religious fervor. He becomes involved with a club dancer named Kelly, who may know some of the secrets but who may also be a mortal threat to Jack.
The town of Winship is itself part of the puzzle, a place where unseen choirs can be heard, where the ground appears to glow, creating confusion and mental disorder in anyone nearby, where gangs of young thugs roam free to bully and beat people.
A friend of Kelly's disappears in an open meadow, as if swallowed up by the earth.
Behind it all may be a cherubic old priest, Father Jimmy.
And as Jack tries to unravel the growing number of mysteries — both criminal and mystical — he finds himself in a fight to save his own life, and sanity..."
My Thoughts
Thomas Tessier is a good writer and that shows in both the title story, Wicked Things and the bonus novella included in the book, Scramburg, U.S.A.
In regards to Wicked Things, this story had a nice flow, a noir type detective and I had great hopes for it. Unfortunately, it just fell short of what it was wanting to accomplish. Up above in the "about the book" section that I pulled from Cemetery Dance, it brings up questions about what is happening in the town of Winship and what is happening to its citizens. Absolutely nothing is fully realized in this story. Not one odd or interesting scenario is ever satisfyingly answered.
While many best selling, fantastic stories leave us guessing, this wasn't about that. There were so many situations and characters that were introduced -- intriguing shiny things dangled in front of our eyes -- it's like he forgot that he had to actually tell us a story. And I never ever got the Norman Rockwell feel that the press release touts.
Besides not really staying focused, there was one thing that irked the holy hell out of me. Jack Carlson, our middle-aged private investigator, picked up a couple of partners while in the town of Winship.
So, ho hum, we had to get through those scenes. BUT, one of our young girls rolling in the sheets with him kept calling him daddy. I swear to God, I was about ready to start my own hashtag: #MeTooNauseousToKeepReading.
If any of you call your man daddy, get over here so I can barf on you. And stop. Please.
The second story Scramburg, U.S.A was also well written. There is no doubt Mr. Tessier knows the mechanics and the formula for a good story. But, that doesn't necessarily translate into a satisfying story. This was better than the first entry in the book, but never felt fully fleshed out.
Both stories had elements left hanging like kite tails, just there for decoration.
Overall, disappointed, but I don't judge this author by this one book, he's written many so I would definitely give him a try on something else.
James Higgins Photography did the cover photo and it is a beautiful composition. But it doesn't go with either story at all.
The feel I get for the photograph is a beautiful European City, very cosmopolitan -- which Winship and Scramburg were not.
by Thomas Tessier
"Private investigator Jack Carlson is traveling to the small, remote upstate city of Winship to look into a rash of suspicious insurance claims.
Like the farmer who accidentally blew himself up in a garnet mine, and the teenager who died in a peculiar car crash.
The Winship police and Medical Examiner appear cooperative but offer no real help.
Local insurance agent Joe Bellman is evasive and fearful.
And shortly after meeting Jack, both Bellman and his secretary Chris Innes turn up dead, an apparent case of murder-suicide.
Jack isn't buying any of it.
As he pokes behind the Norman Rockwell exterior of Winship, he finds a place smoldering with crime, corruption and bizarre religious fervor. He becomes involved with a club dancer named Kelly, who may know some of the secrets but who may also be a mortal threat to Jack.
The town of Winship is itself part of the puzzle, a place where unseen choirs can be heard, where the ground appears to glow, creating confusion and mental disorder in anyone nearby, where gangs of young thugs roam free to bully and beat people.
A friend of Kelly's disappears in an open meadow, as if swallowed up by the earth.
Behind it all may be a cherubic old priest, Father Jimmy.
And as Jack tries to unravel the growing number of mysteries — both criminal and mystical — he finds himself in a fight to save his own life, and sanity..."
My Thoughts
Thomas Tessier is a good writer and that shows in both the title story, Wicked Things and the bonus novella included in the book, Scramburg, U.S.A.
In regards to Wicked Things, this story had a nice flow, a noir type detective and I had great hopes for it. Unfortunately, it just fell short of what it was wanting to accomplish. Up above in the "about the book" section that I pulled from Cemetery Dance, it brings up questions about what is happening in the town of Winship and what is happening to its citizens. Absolutely nothing is fully realized in this story. Not one odd or interesting scenario is ever satisfyingly answered.
While many best selling, fantastic stories leave us guessing, this wasn't about that. There were so many situations and characters that were introduced -- intriguing shiny things dangled in front of our eyes -- it's like he forgot that he had to actually tell us a story. And I never ever got the Norman Rockwell feel that the press release touts.
Besides not really staying focused, there was one thing that irked the holy hell out of me. Jack Carlson, our middle-aged private investigator, picked up a couple of partners while in the town of Winship.
So, ho hum, we had to get through those scenes. BUT, one of our young girls rolling in the sheets with him kept calling him daddy. I swear to God, I was about ready to start my own hashtag: #MeTooNauseousToKeepReading.
If any of you call your man daddy, get over here so I can barf on you. And stop. Please.
The second story Scramburg, U.S.A was also well written. There is no doubt Mr. Tessier knows the mechanics and the formula for a good story. But, that doesn't necessarily translate into a satisfying story. This was better than the first entry in the book, but never felt fully fleshed out.
Both stories had elements left hanging like kite tails, just there for decoration.
Overall, disappointed, but I don't judge this author by this one book, he's written many so I would definitely give him a try on something else.
James Higgins Photography did the cover photo and it is a beautiful composition. But it doesn't go with either story at all.
The feel I get for the photograph is a beautiful European City, very cosmopolitan -- which Winship and Scramburg were not.
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Neesy
#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
I almost went to my local library website to order this book after reading the description - it's too bad it did not live up to the hype.15. Wicked Things
by Thomas Tessier
"Private investigator Jack Carlson is traveling to the small, remote upstate city of Winship to look into a rash of suspicious insurance claims.
Like the farmer who accidentally blew himself up in a garnet mine, and the teenager who died in a peculiar car crash.
The Winship police and Medical Examiner appear cooperative but offer no real help.
Local insurance agent Joe Bellman is evasive and fearful.
And shortly after meeting Jack, both Bellman and his secretary Chris Innes turn up dead, an apparent case of murder-suicide.
Jack isn't buying any of it.
As he pokes behind the Norman Rockwell exterior of Winship, he finds a place smoldering with crime, corruption and bizarre religious fervor. He becomes involved with a club dancer named Kelly, who may know some of the secrets but who may also be a mortal threat to Jack.
The town of Winship is itself part of the puzzle, a place where unseen choirs can be heard, where the ground appears to glow, creating confusion and mental disorder in anyone nearby, where gangs of young thugs roam free to bully and beat people.
A friend of Kelly's disappears in an open meadow, as if swallowed up by the earth.
Behind it all may be a cherubic old priest, Father Jimmy.
And as Jack tries to unravel the growing number of mysteries — both criminal and mystical — he finds himself in a fight to save his own life, and sanity..."
My Thoughts
Thomas Tessier is a good writer and that shows in both the title story, Wicked Things and the bonus novella included in the book, Scramburg, U.S.A.
In regards to Wicked Things, this story had a nice flow, a noir type detective and I had great hopes for it. Unfortunately, it just fell short of what it was wanting to accomplish. Up above in the "about the book" section that I pulled from Cemetery Dance, it brings up questions about what is happening in the town of Winship and what is happening to its citizens. Absolutely nothing is fully realized in this story. Not one odd or interesting scenario is ever satisfyingly answered.
While many good stories leave us hanging, this wasn't about that. There were so many situations and characters that were introduced -- intriguing things left hanging -- it's like he forgot that he had to actually tell us a story.
Besides not really staying focused, there was one thing that irked the holy hell out of me. Jack Carlson, our middle-aged private investigator, picked up a couple of partners while in the town of Winship.
So, ho hum, we had to get through those scenes. BUT, one of our young girls rolling in the sheets with him kept calling him daddy. I swear to God, I was about ready to start my own hashtag: #MeTooNauseousToKeepReading.
If any of you call your man daddy, get over here so I can barf on you. And stop. Please.
The second story Scramburg, U.S.A was also well written. There is no doubt Mr. Tessier knows the mechanics and the formula for a good story. But, that doesn't necessarily translate into a satisfying story. This was better than the first entry in the book, but never felt fully fleshed out.
Overall, disappointed, but I don't judge this author by this one book, he's written many so I would definitely give him a try on something else.
James Higgins Photography did the cover photo and it is a beautiful composition. But it doesn't go with either story at all.
The feel I get for the photograph is a beautiful European City, very cosmopolitan -- which Winship and Scramburg were not.
This sounds a bit like a Stephen King book - I bet you he could take all these ideas and run with them! I'd love to hear his opinion of this one.
The writing was really good, and the ideas were intriguing.
Authors leave us to decide the outcome all the time, but this was throughout the whole book! And so many!
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16. Turn Down the Lights
edited by Richard Chizmar
About the Book:
"It was December 1988: George Bush had just defeated Michael Dukakis in the Presidential Election. Pitcher Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers had beaten the Oakland A's in five games to win the World Series. People were waiting in line at movie theaters to watch Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin and Anne Rice's The Queen of the Damned were atop the bestseller lists. The most acclaimed genre books of the year were Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs and Peter Straub's Koko.
And twenty-two year old college student Richard Chizmar had just published the premiere issue of a horror magazine named Cemetery Dance.
Twenty-five years later, there have been seventy issues of Cemetery Dance magazine. There have been more than 275 signed Limited Edition hardcovers in the Cemetery Dance book line. There have been awards including the World Fantasy Award, the International Horror Critics Guild Award, and the HWA Board of Trustees Excellence in Specialty Press Publishing Award, as well as nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the American Horror Award, and the Bram Stoker Award, just to name a few.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of that premiere issue of Cemetery Dance, we're proud to announce Turn Down the Lights, an anthology of authors who helped make the magazine what it is today. These original horror stories by Stephen King, Norman Partridge, Jack Ketchum, Brian James Freeman, Bentley Little, Ed Gorman, Ronald Kelly, Steve Rasnic Tem, Clive Barker, and Peter Straub capture the genuine love of the genre that pushes Cemetery Dance Publications forward year after year.
Now, turn down the lights, flip the page, take my hand, and start the dance…"
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this collection of fine writing and wonderful artwork.
Each story was different and well written. Not all are horror, but still unique and chilling in their own way. The styles and voices of each author offered a little bit of something for everyone.
Started with Stephen King -- I just love the way he tells a story. Simple but powerful.
My least favorite entry was by Peter Straub. I appreciate the creative style he took, but the story itself was just meh.
And Clive Barker's story? Holy mother of God.
I would definitely recommend reading it just to get a nice big taste of variety.
My book only had two pieces of visual art: The cover of the first Cemetery Dance Magazine done by Bill Caughron and the cover art by Alan M. Clark.
And for the record, the cover is very nice and that piece by Mr. Caughron is pretty good too.
edited by Richard Chizmar
About the Book:
"It was December 1988: George Bush had just defeated Michael Dukakis in the Presidential Election. Pitcher Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers had beaten the Oakland A's in five games to win the World Series. People were waiting in line at movie theaters to watch Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin and Anne Rice's The Queen of the Damned were atop the bestseller lists. The most acclaimed genre books of the year were Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs and Peter Straub's Koko.
And twenty-two year old college student Richard Chizmar had just published the premiere issue of a horror magazine named Cemetery Dance.
Twenty-five years later, there have been seventy issues of Cemetery Dance magazine. There have been more than 275 signed Limited Edition hardcovers in the Cemetery Dance book line. There have been awards including the World Fantasy Award, the International Horror Critics Guild Award, and the HWA Board of Trustees Excellence in Specialty Press Publishing Award, as well as nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the American Horror Award, and the Bram Stoker Award, just to name a few.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of that premiere issue of Cemetery Dance, we're proud to announce Turn Down the Lights, an anthology of authors who helped make the magazine what it is today. These original horror stories by Stephen King, Norman Partridge, Jack Ketchum, Brian James Freeman, Bentley Little, Ed Gorman, Ronald Kelly, Steve Rasnic Tem, Clive Barker, and Peter Straub capture the genuine love of the genre that pushes Cemetery Dance Publications forward year after year.
Now, turn down the lights, flip the page, take my hand, and start the dance…"
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this collection of fine writing and wonderful artwork.
Each story was different and well written. Not all are horror, but still unique and chilling in their own way. The styles and voices of each author offered a little bit of something for everyone.
Started with Stephen King -- I just love the way he tells a story. Simple but powerful.
My least favorite entry was by Peter Straub. I appreciate the creative style he took, but the story itself was just meh.
And Clive Barker's story? Holy mother of God.
I would definitely recommend reading it just to get a nice big taste of variety.
My book only had two pieces of visual art: The cover of the first Cemetery Dance Magazine done by Bill Caughron and the cover art by Alan M. Clark.
And for the record, the cover is very nice and that piece by Mr. Caughron is pretty good too.
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...agree with your assessment......overall, a solid read.......16. Turn Down the Lights
edited by Richard Chizmar
About the Book:
"It was December 1988: George Bush had just defeated Michael Dukakis in the Presidential Election. Pitcher Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers had beaten the Oakland A's in five games to win the World Series. People were waiting in line at movie theaters to watch Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin and Anne Rice's The Queen of the Damned were atop the bestseller lists. The most acclaimed genre books of the year were Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs and Peter Straub's Koko.
And twenty-two year old college student Richard Chizmar had just published the premiere issue of a horror magazine named Cemetery Dance.
Twenty-five years later, there have been seventy issues of Cemetery Dance magazine. There have been more than 275 signed Limited Edition hardcovers in the Cemetery Dance book line. There have been awards including the World Fantasy Award, the International Horror Critics Guild Award, and the HWA Board of Trustees Excellence in Specialty Press Publishing Award, as well as nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the American Horror Award, and the Bram Stoker Award, just to name a few.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of that premiere issue of Cemetery Dance, we're proud to announce Turn Down the Lights, an anthology of authors who helped make the magazine what it is today. These original horror stories by Stephen King, Norman Partridge, Jack Ketchum, Brian James Freeman, Bentley Little, Ed Gorman, Ronald Kelly, Steve Rasnic Tem, Clive Barker, and Peter Straub capture the genuine love of the genre that pushes Cemetery Dance Publications forward year after year.
Now, turn down the lights, flip the page, take my hand, and start the dance…"
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this collection of fine writing and wonderful artwork.
Each story was different and well written. Not all are horror, but still unique and chilling in their own way. The styles and voices of each author offered a little bit of something for everyone.
Started with Stephen King -- I just love the way he tells a story. Simple but powerful.
My least favorite entry was by Peter Straub. I appreciate the creative style he took, but the story itself was just meh.
I would definitely recommend reading it just to get a nice big taste of variety.
CORRECTION: My book only had two pieces of visual art: The cover of the first Cemetery Dance Magazine done by Bill Caughron and the cover art by Alan M. Clark. I had myself mixed up on books and wrote my thoughts without my book in hand thinking there were many artists -- my apologies on that.
And for the record, the cover is very nice and that piece by Mr. Caughron is pretty good too.
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This is another title (signed edition) that I've been waiting for since November of 2013. Ho hum......16. Turn Down the Lights
edited by Richard Chizmar
About the Book:
"It was December 1988: George Bush had just defeated Michael Dukakis in the Presidential Election. Pitcher Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers had beaten the Oakland A's in five games to win the World Series. People were waiting in line at movie theaters to watch Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin and Anne Rice's The Queen of the Damned were atop the bestseller lists. The most acclaimed genre books of the year were Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs and Peter Straub's Koko.
And twenty-two year old college student Richard Chizmar had just published the premiere issue of a horror magazine named Cemetery Dance.
Twenty-five years later, there have been seventy issues of Cemetery Dance magazine. There have been more than 275 signed Limited Edition hardcovers in the Cemetery Dance book line. There have been awards including the World Fantasy Award, the International Horror Critics Guild Award, and the HWA Board of Trustees Excellence in Specialty Press Publishing Award, as well as nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the American Horror Award, and the Bram Stoker Award, just to name a few.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of that premiere issue of Cemetery Dance, we're proud to announce Turn Down the Lights, an anthology of authors who helped make the magazine what it is today. These original horror stories by Stephen King, Norman Partridge, Jack Ketchum, Brian James Freeman, Bentley Little, Ed Gorman, Ronald Kelly, Steve Rasnic Tem, Clive Barker, and Peter Straub capture the genuine love of the genre that pushes Cemetery Dance Publications forward year after year.
Now, turn down the lights, flip the page, take my hand, and start the dance…"
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this collection of fine writing and wonderful artwork.
Each story was different and well written. Not all are horror, but still unique and chilling in their own way. The styles and voices of each author offered a little bit of something for everyone.
Started with Stephen King -- I just love the way he tells a story. Simple but powerful.
My least favorite entry was by Peter Straub. I appreciate the creative style he took, but the story itself was just meh.
I would definitely recommend reading it just to get a nice big taste of variety.
CORRECTION: My book only had two pieces of visual art: The cover of the first Cemetery Dance Magazine done by Bill Caughron and the cover art by Alan M. Clark. I had myself mixed up on books and wrote my thoughts without my book in hand thinking there were many artists -- my apologies on that.
And for the record, the cover is very nice and that piece by Mr. Caughron is pretty good too.
mine wasn't a signed edition so I've had mine for a while.This is another title (signed edition) that I've been waiting for since November of 2013. Ho hum......