Customer Reviews

The Best of Cemetery Dance, Volume 2

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cemetery Dance has become THE leading publisher of horror fiction. They put out great books by famed horror authors, but also a great magazine of short stories and articles from the leaders of the horror field. This collection of short stories reunites some of the best stories to have been featured in the Cemetery Dance magazine. And although the second tome is a little less interesting than the first one (which held 2 AMAZING Jack Ketchum stories, a good Stephen King yarn and one of the most amazing stories I've read in years by author Gary Raiser), The Best Of Cemetery Dance Volume 2 still offers some great, chilling and, at times, disturbing stories.

This tome is more concerned with detective stories/ serial killer stories. Plainclothes and The Pattern are two of the best. One of the most interesting stories in this volume is Barry Hoffman's Trial By Fire, a twisted tale of revenge. Matthew Costello's Vacation is one of the most terrifying and twisted tale I've read in a long time. And Dick Laymon's Desert Pickup is a good little story with a neat twist.

But I was disappointed that the story by Poppy Z. Brite is only the prologue to her novel Lost Souls. And Melanie Tem's contribution is very disappointing - she is able to do much better than this.

Overall, this is a great book that any horror fan should get. I am a devoted fan of Cemetery Dance and this book only reminds me of why.

I enjoyed the Cutty Black Sow more than any of the other tales. The rest of the book is largely a quick, forgettable read. There just isn't much kickin' these days worth mentioning in the world of horror.

I bought the paperback edition which comes in two volumes. This is one of the few collections where every story is good. I stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn't stop! I quickly went to the cemetry dance site and ordered a subscription to the magazine!! Turn down the lights, and turn off the tv.....an absolute must have!!

Cemetery Dance magazine has a long history of being one of, if not THE, best small press magazine publishing horror today. These stories are a good sampling of some of the best work from the magazine. The quality of the stories is uniformly high. Even the almost-always-revolting Edward Lee managed to dig his mind out of the midden heap long enough to write "Almost Never." I even enjoyed the interview with Dean Koontz, and I DO NOT like his work. My favorites were "Eater" by Peter Crowther, which is about exactly what the title says, "Mr. God" by the impressive Thomas Tessier, an insight into the life of an obsessed body builder, and "Shattered Silver" by James Kisner, about a guy who really, REALLY likes old Hollywood actresses. All in all, I have to say that you can't go wrong with this collection. My only complaint is that it is a bit expensive for its slim size, and it was originally published in one volume with the stories in "Best of Cemetery Dance, Volume 1." I would try to find that edition, if you can.

I immediately ordered Volume 1 after reading the first four stories in this collection. The stories were great and gave me the chills I look for when reading books of this nature. A few of my favorites include:

- "Eaters"
- "Vacation"
- "Mr. God"
- "Drive-in Date"
- "Easy's Last Stand"

....Oh, who am I kidding? I loved them all!!! Pick this one up!!!

This volume shows off the wonderful variety of tales that appear in Cemetery Dance - although some are slow burns and others are bloodbaths, all are visceral and thrilling. Also included is an interesting Dean Koontz interview; partnered with the stories in this book, it's an altogether satisfying package about the craft of horror. BOOYA

Coming from Cemetary Dance , I expected these to be truly scary and gory. I was quite dissapointed. Not splatterpunky enough for my taste. But some of the stories are quality, just not enought in sucession to keep my interest.

This is one of those collections that when it says "best of" it means it. The stories collected here are wonderful. There were very few of them that I didn't like. They all made an impression one way or another and they definitely warranted being put in this collection. As a compilation from the Cemetery Dance magazine, there really is no central theme uniting all the stories, but I've never really thought that you had to have one. Just collect a bunch of really good stories together, call it something and release it. And that is exactly what Chizmar has done here.

The only thing that I thought was weird and didn't quite fit was the last story, or more accurately interview. It's an interview of Dean Koontz from a few years back. While slightly dated (he hypes the then-unreleased movie Phantoms as well as Mr. Murder, Intensity, and Survivor), it does contain some interesting points and definitely gives a better idea of who Koontz is. It just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the stories. Although I hate to limit my favorites to just a few, I've picked some and listed them below.

"Tyrannosaurus" by Norman Partridge - A woman seeks out vengeance against her child abducting ex-husband.

"Desert Pickup" by Richard Laymon - The circle is completed for a hitch-hiker in the desert and the woman who picks him up.

"With The Wound Still Wet" by Wayne Allen Sallee - An author and a photographer just do their jobs.

"Almost Never" by Edward Lee - Two thugs try to repay the mob by kidnapping a little girl.

"The Winds Within" by Ronald Kelly - A murder at an apartment building has a grisly origin.

"Animal Rites" by Jay. R. Bonansinga - A clever twist to an otherwise normal killing.

"Easy's Last Stand" by Nancy A. Collins - Workers at a phone sex operation prove that they are survivors.

This is it, gang. BEST OF CEMETERY DANCE, when printed in hardcover, was the best anthology ever of short horror fiction, even outdoing DARK FORCES, DARK DESCENT, and even BEST OF WHISPERS and BEST OF SHADOWS. It's got everyone under the sun in horror. Unfortunately, it was such a big book that they had to split it into two volumes in paperback, of which this is the second. No matter -- both halves are absolutely essential, and nearly every story here is a winner. Reading this anthology is the best way to introduce yourself to the dozens of horror authors out there whom you're not currently reading.

Chizmar has done it again. Cemetery Dance is THE horror magazine to read, and his best-of anthologies showcase the remarkable talent that has graced the pages of the zine time and time again. Featuring modern horror masters, this book is a must-have.