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becandbooks's review
The first five stories of this collection have a lot of variety, are well-written and are enjoyable during the moment. But I'm just not super drawn to picking this collection up to finish it. This may just be my overall growing disinterest in short story collections, however, and I have no reason not to recommend this book to readers looking for a good horror story collection.
Content Warnings
→ trigger warnings: (Story 1) physical assault, murder, alcohol consumption (Story 2) child death, grief, suicide (Story 3) stalking, slut-shaming, infertility, knife violence/stabbing, blood depiction, cannibalism, gun violence recounted, murder (Story 4) hallucinations, alcohol consumption, self-harm, suffocation (Story 5) death of father
evavroslin's review
5.0
*** Review copy received from the author in exchange for an honest review ***
Brad C. Hodson is one of the hidden gems of the horror genre. He has written long fiction and short fiction, and this new collection of his short stories is perfect timing for Halloween to hopefully introduce him to some new readers as well as to satisfy his established readership.
Trigger warnings: Before we get started, I feel it's necessary to include trigger warnings about: violence (especially against children), abuse, death of children, and other things that some readers may find too disturbing. Be advised that some of the stories contain this content, so keep that in mind before diving in. I've put a (T) beside those stories I feel might be too disturbing for some readers.
"Haunted" is the perfect way to start off the anthology, with a tale of a haunted house set in October. Two young brothers are talking to their grandfather telling them stories on the porch. They decide to venture to this haunted house with a "kit" and sometimes learn that grandfather's advice is a good thing to heed.
(T) I read "The Other Patrick" when it originally appeared in an anthology, I believe Horror for Good, and remember crying at how tragic and deeply moving it was. The story still holds up years later, is one of Brad's best, and I recommend it highly here.
"Il Donnaiolo" takes place in Italy near the Piazza Navona, as the title suggests, from the point of view of some young American tourists who are visiting. People have warned her about a figure, Giovanni, but she follows her curiosity. Let's just say he's up to no good and Amanda, the protagonist, is obsessed with the situation. On the way, some waiters invite her to have a drink with them. Without revealing any spoilers, all I can say is that this story proves very interesting (and bloody) with the notion of what we have inside of us, waiting to get out.
"The Perfect Jackson" starts off with the protagonist "meeting" a dead man, and it just gets more interesting from there while "Breathe" concerns a guy who notices an attractive woman... or does he? I can't divulge much else without spoiling the plot, but let's just say the protagonist has a fair amount of problems to deal with and questioning reality of what they've seen adds to that significantly.
"In the Halls and on the Stairs" deals with ghostly themes of what the protagonist believes to be a haunting, but not everyone else in the family is on the same page. After a family member's funeral, they're asked to take anything of theirs from an old house. It reinforces the theme that some things are better left untouched, including family secrets. Definitely ends with a gut punch.
"The Scottish Play," a reference to 'Macbeth' takes place, as one might expect, in the theatre world. I can't say much more about the group of actors who thinks their theatre is haunted without giving away the plot, but I enjoyed it.
"Almost" is an exercise in creepiness while "His Only Company. The Walls" involves the protagonist trying to get in touch with someone only to have their calls consistently go straight to voicemail and about memories and the impact it can have when people ruminate on the past for too long, particularly when people allow it to bleed into their present.
(T) "Picked Last" calls to mind that dreaded childhood and high school ritual of the kid who is always chosen last, because they have no choice and the teacher makes one team take them. It's a sad meditation on this topic with a character named Andy that the protagonist is reminiscing about. And then he gets into the concept of "next to last" and it becomes really tragic. Just when you think your sympathies are in the right place, Hodson turns the tide and makes you question everything. I hate stories of childhood bullying, having been a "picked last" myself, and with news stories of children who are facing fatal consequences to this, it makes me upset. It's a powerful story, but be warned that if it's a trigger for you, that I would skip it. The story has a Stand by Me energy and as I say, the impact is incredibly powerful, also ending with a knock-out punch to the reader.
Other stories I enjoyed include "Hester Cohen," which starts with one of the most brutal and visceral openings I've ever seen, "Biology," which is about an ill-fated story of young love that goes horribly awry, and of course the story the collection is named for, "Where Carrion Gods Dance," which is about a character who makes a gruesome discovery that haunts him throughout the tale.
Despite the heavier and more disturbing nature of some of the tales within, Where Carrion Gods Dance is an excellent horror short story collection of an exceptionally high quality. Hodson writes visceral, vivid tales that are incredibly memorable. If you haven't read his work as of yet, I suggest you rectify that as soon as you can, and this collection is a great place to start for the uninitiated.
Brad C. Hodson is one of the hidden gems of the horror genre. He has written long fiction and short fiction, and this new collection of his short stories is perfect timing for Halloween to hopefully introduce him to some new readers as well as to satisfy his established readership.
Trigger warnings: Before we get started, I feel it's necessary to include trigger warnings about: violence (especially against children), abuse, death of children, and other things that some readers may find too disturbing. Be advised that some of the stories contain this content, so keep that in mind before diving in. I've put a (T) beside those stories I feel might be too disturbing for some readers.
"Haunted" is the perfect way to start off the anthology, with a tale of a haunted house set in October. Two young brothers are talking to their grandfather telling them stories on the porch. They decide to venture to this haunted house with a "kit" and sometimes learn that grandfather's advice is a good thing to heed.
(T) I read "The Other Patrick" when it originally appeared in an anthology, I believe Horror for Good, and remember crying at how tragic and deeply moving it was. The story still holds up years later, is one of Brad's best, and I recommend it highly here.
"Il Donnaiolo" takes place in Italy near the Piazza Navona, as the title suggests, from the point of view of some young American tourists who are visiting. People have warned her about a figure, Giovanni, but she follows her curiosity. Let's just say he's up to no good and Amanda, the protagonist, is obsessed with the situation. On the way, some waiters invite her to have a drink with them. Without revealing any spoilers, all I can say is that this story proves very interesting (and bloody) with the notion of what we have inside of us, waiting to get out.
"The Perfect Jackson" starts off with the protagonist "meeting" a dead man, and it just gets more interesting from there while "Breathe" concerns a guy who notices an attractive woman... or does he? I can't divulge much else without spoiling the plot, but let's just say the protagonist has a fair amount of problems to deal with and questioning reality of what they've seen adds to that significantly.
"In the Halls and on the Stairs" deals with ghostly themes of what the protagonist believes to be a haunting, but not everyone else in the family is on the same page. After a family member's funeral, they're asked to take anything of theirs from an old house. It reinforces the theme that some things are better left untouched, including family secrets. Definitely ends with a gut punch.
"The Scottish Play," a reference to 'Macbeth' takes place, as one might expect, in the theatre world. I can't say much more about the group of actors who thinks their theatre is haunted without giving away the plot, but I enjoyed it.
"Almost" is an exercise in creepiness while "His Only Company. The Walls" involves the protagonist trying to get in touch with someone only to have their calls consistently go straight to voicemail and about memories and the impact it can have when people ruminate on the past for too long, particularly when people allow it to bleed into their present.
(T) "Picked Last" calls to mind that dreaded childhood and high school ritual of the kid who is always chosen last, because they have no choice and the teacher makes one team take them. It's a sad meditation on this topic with a character named Andy that the protagonist is reminiscing about. And then he gets into the concept of "next to last" and it becomes really tragic. Just when you think your sympathies are in the right place, Hodson turns the tide and makes you question everything. I hate stories of childhood bullying, having been a "picked last" myself, and with news stories of children who are facing fatal consequences to this, it makes me upset. It's a powerful story, but be warned that if it's a trigger for you, that I would skip it. The story has a Stand by Me energy and as I say, the impact is incredibly powerful, also ending with a knock-out punch to the reader.
Other stories I enjoyed include "Hester Cohen," which starts with one of the most brutal and visceral openings I've ever seen, "Biology," which is about an ill-fated story of young love that goes horribly awry, and of course the story the collection is named for, "Where Carrion Gods Dance," which is about a character who makes a gruesome discovery that haunts him throughout the tale.
Despite the heavier and more disturbing nature of some of the tales within, Where Carrion Gods Dance is an excellent horror short story collection of an exceptionally high quality. Hodson writes visceral, vivid tales that are incredibly memorable. If you haven't read his work as of yet, I suggest you rectify that as soon as you can, and this collection is a great place to start for the uninitiated.
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