-In the section titled GIRLS, you'll learn "How Bria Died," and will also meet "The Sculptor" in the story that inspired Aronovitz's full-length serial killer novel of the same name.
-In the section featuring PSYCHOS, you'll feel the chill of the Anti-Christ in "Quest for Sadness," and fall prey to the most frightening circus creature on the face of the earth in "The Exterminator."
-In TOOLS & TECH, you'll find out the dark secret of "The Tool Shed," and will also experience the full-length ghost-novella, "Toll Booth."
-And finally, in MARTYRS & SACRIFICIAL LAMBS you'll experience hell on earth in "The Echo," and unwittingly release the darkest force of the forest in "The Falcon."
With Dancing with Tombstones, the author of Alice Walks and The Sculptor deliciously thrusts us down the twisted avenues deep inside the haunt of our most secret repressions.
"She Drags her jump rope on cement and calls you from the heating vent. Turn a promise to a lie and you will be the next to die."
Creepy right?
I had never read any Michael Aronovitz before. I'm rather shocked by that considering how much I love short horror stories. Somehow I missed out on these in previous publications. These stories are quite dark and deliciously creepy. Several feature children, and those were my favorites because you just never know what children might do. They may have frightening events befall them or they may be the cause of terror. That is why I love them in horror, they are so unpredictable. I'm also a fan of ghosts, and you will meet some here, after all the dead can't rest if they are dancing with tombstones. I enjoyed all of the stories but these are the ones I can't stop thinking about.
The very first story "How Bria Died" in which a teacher regrets telling his class a scary story was one of my favorites.
"The Girl Between The Slats" was sheer brilliance. It led me down a totally unexpected path that there is no way for me to describe without spoiling it for you. Check out your face in the mirror after you read it and see how surprised you look.
In "Puddles" poor Doris Watawitz is in germaphobe hell and I really felt for her. This story was just a lot of gross fun.
"Soul Text" takes a look at the technology of tomorrow that is nearly the horror of today. Maybe we were better off when a tablet was just a pad of paper.
"The Tool Shed" is where siblings discover a gruesome secret.
In "The Falcon" an unusual child is born, grows up, and gets revenge.
"The Soldier" was another of my favorites not because of being scary but because I cared about the characters and it nearly made me cry. I don't expect to care that much about characters in a short story because I only meet them for such a brief time.
Highly recommended to all who love horror and dark fiction.
5 out of 5 stars
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications.
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