Jr. S. Craig Renfroe

Issue 65 (December 2011) of the always enjoyable "Cemetery Dance" is a Graham Masterton special and in addition to a long interview with the author and a number of overviews / thought-pieces on his work, there are two new Masterson stories: "Anka" and "Saint Bronach's Shrift". Both are solid and enjoyable, despite the first revolving around child neglect and the second involving warring brothers and incest. In addition to the Masterton stories there is plenty of other fiction on offer. Maurice Broaddus appears in the "New Voices" section and an interview with him is followed by his neo-noir story "Rainfall". Next up is "Afterwords: The Second Book Depository Story" by Glen Hirshberg, which is a strange, affecting story about the power of books, their drug-like qualities and the "diseases" they can spread. "Manskin, Womanskin" by Lisa Tuttle is a brilliantly creepy and fascinating story about two "skins" found in a garden and impact they have on the couple who wear them. This is a great story about the importance of love; the secrets within us all and the information we're willing to share and perhaps, more importantly, not to share within a relationship. Tuttle's writing is elegant and subtle, but with plenty of sting when required. Finally "The Town Suicide" by S. Craig Renfroe, Jr. is a weird, haunting and ultimately unresolved story about the small town of Summerville where people begin to inexplicably commit suicide. It is an evocative, symbolic story of a town being passed by and slowly choked by a changed economy and changed circumstances. It offers little hope even after the narrator saves the life of his girlfriend. The magazine also has a number interviews including with the increasingly popular Michael Koryta, which is followed by an excerpt from his novel "The Cypress House". Ray Bradbury, interviewed shortly before his death, is surprisingly conservative about e-books and even more surprising (and shocking) is his contention that the United States has never censored or banned a book. The interview with legendary editor Ellen Datlow offers a fascinating insight into her approach to the editing and putting together of themed collections. Whitley Strieber comes across a touch terse in his interview (which has a postal or electronic feel) and it is clear that he views the publication of "Communion" as a career error. The issue is also jam-packed with columns and review pieces, some of which read better than others, all of which make for another great issue – the Lisa Tuttle story on its own would make this a first class purchase. The cover is by artist Vincent Chong.… (mere)