Product Description

Since his first novel, Moondeath, was published in 1980, Rick Hautala s novels and stories have entertained millions of readers around the world.

Now, as a companion volume to Bedbugs, his first career-spanning collection of short stories, Cemetery Dance is proud to present Occasional Demons.

And once again, like Bedbugs, award-winning artists and Cemetery Dance favorite Glenn Chadbourne has illustrated every one of the more than twenty-four stories, which include collaborations with Matthew Costello, Jim Connolly, his sons Jesse and Matti, and someone named A.J. Matthews.

In the midst of normal life, whether it s a tree house in a small Maine town, a fog-shrouded lighthouse, or a darkened tavern on a rain-swept night in October, there are demons. Some of them lurk in the darkest corners of a house. Some of them lurk in our hearts and minds. We might, on occasion, catch a glimpse of them, but all too often it s too late to save ourselves...

And they re all gathered here. In fact, within these pages, you ll find a demon for just about any occasion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8110044 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 496 pages

From Publishers Weekly
All the stories in Hautala's second horror collection (after 2000's Bedbugs) are competently told, though they lack the sense of discovery that accompanies great horror fiction. The mere jangle of a presumably nonexistent piano in "The Nephews" has the lobstermen at a Maine bar advising immediate flight. An insomniac, possibly a murderer, is unable to sleep without a newly committed act of horror in "Nightmare Transcript." A fussy bookstore employee who foolishly ordered a mysterious leather-covered book finds that it possesses vampirish tendencies that gradually consume a small rug, her cat, her lover and herself in "Non-returnable." Science fiction and horror mix a little uneasily in "The Man Who Looked Like Murphy," while "Toxic Shock" takes a distinctively unusual approach to the politics of abortion. Eight brief but potent Untcigahunk Indian stories and three collaborative efforts round out the volume. Glenn Chadbourne's illustrations perfectly complement the text. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Glenn Chadbourne's illustrations perfectly complement the text. --Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews

strong horror-fantasy anthology
This anthology consists of eighteen horror tales with some being straight genre entries, others psychological terror and finally a few shorts also include science fiction elements. The middle section contains eight "Untcigahunk Stories and Myths of the Little Brothers" that derive from the author's novel LITTLE BROTHERS (published in the 1980s); and finally three collaborations with family and friends and "maybe" a pseudonym.

All twenty-nine entries are well written and fun to read. The opening segment of eighteen and closing of three tales will entertain the audience as the stories especially those with a twist such as a spin on abortion that rounds out the right to life before you are born position in a surprising final demise of women's rights or the tale that acts more like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors. The eight Untcigahunk Indian entries are the best of a solid anthology with their dark horror fantasy feel to them. As with Rick Hautala's previous compilation BEDBUGS, readers will enjoy this fine collection.

Harriet Klausner