...that makes them stand out from other reviewer's work. In this months Cemetery Dance, Steve (as he has been in the past) is all over the mag; aside from his interview with Morrel, Steve has a bunch of opinion pieces in the review section in the back of the mag.

Steve's reviews are never overly intellectual, you don't have to read it twice to figure out what the hell he's getting at. And he doesn't make you read five paragraphs of the authors biography or bibliography before you get to the meat of the work. Steve's reviews are always easy to read and when your finished with them, you have a sense on the qualities of the novel.

Steve's reviews are usually to the point. He tells you what the story is about without giving too much away, he tells you what he likes about it, and is honest in his dislikes. If I have one complaint about his reviewing, is that when he reads a book he does not care for he tends to be rather nice when he's pointing out its flaws (but I wouldn't expect any different I guess from a fellow horror author).

With so many horror novels released every month from the small press as well as the major publishers, its difficult to pick and choose what to purchase and what to pass on. Even established authors who release novellas or novels on a small press can be hit or miss as to the quality. Since these releases are usually pricey and llimited to small runs, the only way to discover if the work is worth your time and money would be to read a review from a trusted reviewer.

In this month's C.D. Steve reviewed a number of books:

After Dark - A short story collection which he recommended but I will pass on only because I have enough short story collections in my TBR pile as it is.

By Moonlight Only - Another short story collection which he recommended highly but I will pass on for the same reason as above (plus its $55.00).

Dead City - A zombie novel about which Steve wrote" "I never really cared about any of the characters, never felt they were anything more than two legged ammunition delievery mechanisms." Even though Steve didn't recommend this novel, he presented his misgivings in a very kind and thoughtfull manner, one in which the author would have no trouble understanding where he would have to improve in future works.

Ek Chuah - Steve seemed to enjoy this novel very much and he recommended it to those who "like their horror wet and chewy." Because of Steve's review I am going to purchase this novel.

Horrorween - Steve recommended this novel with reservations saying you should read this book for flavoring rather than plotting. I have an entirely different opinion of this book and this is one of the few times I have disagreed with Steve, but if you read his review you will understand his "recommendation with reservations".

I love the review section in C.D. and its usually the first thing I read when it comes in (along with the Stephen King section). Another reviewer I enjoy reading in C.D. is Garrett Peck, and once in a while our old friend Bill Gagliani does a review or two in the mag, and he's got one in this months C.D. also.

So here's my recommendation: Buy Cemetery Dance magazine for the Steve Vernon reviews, everything else in it is just great bonus material.

Tt

sorry for the edit, my spelling needs improving.

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Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

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FLASH VIRUS: EPISODE ONE (always free)

FLASH VIRUS:EPISODE TWO ($1.99)

It's our pleasure....really!

Tt

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Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

I only got my notice on Steve's book from the Horror Mall yesterday too. I did not know that the book had been released already by other carriers!

Now you know how I felt when I waited almost two weeks beyond the rest of you to receive my copy of Hard Roads.

I thought about ordering Kill Whitey from the Horror Mall because they said their copies would be signed, but on his blog, Brian Keene said that amazon was selling it for, like, $16 or $17. I know where I'm going.

Thad