The Best of Cemetery Dance (Volume 1)

Rating:
Summary: Short horror doesn't get any better than this!...
Review: As stated above, the short ficition here is as good as it gets!...

Here is just a sampling of some of the better short works here:

"Eater" by Peter Crowther

"Desert Pickup" by the late Richard Laymon

"Almost Never" by Edward Lee

"Vacation" by Matthew Costello

An excellent collection by the who's who of horror today. Kudos Mr Chizmar!...

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Horror Fiction
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: It Actually Deserves 4 1/2 Stars
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!!
Review: 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!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!!
Review: 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!!!

Rating:
Summary: 1/2 of the Best Horror Anthology Ever
Review: Reviewer: ripperboy from San Francisco, CA USA 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 first. 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.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary collection
Review: The Best Of Cemetery Dance Volume 1 contains THE MOST amazing horror stories to have been printed in the last few years. This is a collection of who's who in the horror field. There is not one other collection of short fiction which will suprass this volume. It is, simply put, amazing.

Anyone should buy this book for the two Jack Ketchum stories, The Box and The Rifle. Both stories are amazing, touching, terrifying and very affecting. They are Ketchum at his very best.

The book also contains a very good and funny story by Stephen King, Chattery Teeth. But the real reason to get this book is to read Gary Raisor's The Right Thing, which is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. That is one story I will not soon forget.

With other contributions from great writers like Bently Little, Lucy Taylor, Ed Gorman, Douglas Clegg and many others, this book is one that any horror fan should have on their shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Best Collection Ever (Honestly)
Review: 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 first. 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.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful collection of horror stories
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Top of the Heap!
Review: When it comes to horror anthologies, Dick Chizmar's "Best of Cemetery Dance" (both volumes) is right at the top of the heap. I devour these anthologies, good and bad, and this one has some of the most genuinely creepy stories out there. Douglas Clegg's story, "The Rendering Man," gave me chills that kept me wakeful for more than one night. This is definitely an anthology that the horror lover HAS to have on the bookshelf!