debussy's review
medium-paced
2.0
I will do literally anything for more fiction based on Spiritualism, but this just wasn't it. The stories were unexpectedly mostly from a contemporary viewpoint, and they were just...not the quality I was hoping for. Put it down.
enchantressreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Transphobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Child death, and Car accident
inciminci's review
4.0
I was equally thrilled to see There Is No Death, There Are No Dead opening with Gemma Files’ eerie but friendly medium Carraclough Devize as I was to encounter horror’s favorite professional bad-ass final girl Jessica Maze (as written by Laid Barron) in the last story. Nice touch, there. If you’re not familiar with the two protagonists don’t worry, this is not a class reunion for indie horror lovers. It is a fresh anthology of sometimes classic scary, sometimes sad and sometimes quirky short stories revolving around people who can communicate with ghosts. And you can find them everywhere; in amusement parks, in morgues, traveling, going to work, writing newspaper articles, studying or being haunted themselves.
If you’re a fan of old school gothic hauntings, you can find plenty of séances, creepy kids, Ouija boards from the late 19th century here but the stories that I enjoyed most were the more unusual ones set in our times; “Mad Munk” by Gwendolyn Kiste where the ghost of Rasputin haunts a working class housing complex in the Chicago area; “Talitha Cumi” by Chesya Burke where pain is explored through the lens of the African-American experience and “The One Word I Can’t Say” by S.P. Miskowski – especially those who have an annoying sister who steals your stuff will enjoy the ghost of this annoying sister. With Michelle Belanger’s “The Shape of Her Soul” I have read my first piece of writing which acknowledges the COVID19-pandemic; here the face mask which bears an almost political symbolism in the USA is used in various ways, and that was the first time I read about the “new normal” in literature. Makes you feel weird. And finally, in “A Feather for Mrs. Edmond” by David Demchuk I found the most evil and creepiest kid ever, I don’t think I’ll ever want to meet that boy.
So, those were my highlights, but I also enjoyed any other story. There Is No Death, There Are No Dead is a very much recommended anthology for anyone who is a lover of ghosts, mediums and anything related.
If you’re a fan of old school gothic hauntings, you can find plenty of séances, creepy kids, Ouija boards from the late 19th century here but the stories that I enjoyed most were the more unusual ones set in our times; “Mad Munk” by Gwendolyn Kiste where the ghost of Rasputin haunts a working class housing complex in the Chicago area; “Talitha Cumi” by Chesya Burke where pain is explored through the lens of the African-American experience and “The One Word I Can’t Say” by S.P. Miskowski – especially those who have an annoying sister who steals your stuff will enjoy the ghost of this annoying sister. With Michelle Belanger’s “The Shape of Her Soul” I have read my first piece of writing which acknowledges the COVID19-pandemic; here the face mask which bears an almost political symbolism in the USA is used in various ways, and that was the first time I read about the “new normal” in literature. Makes you feel weird. And finally, in “A Feather for Mrs. Edmond” by David Demchuk I found the most evil and creepiest kid ever, I don’t think I’ll ever want to meet that boy.
So, those were my highlights, but I also enjoyed any other story. There Is No Death, There Are No Dead is a very much recommended anthology for anyone who is a lover of ghosts, mediums and anything related.
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