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Danse Macabre Paperback – November 9, 2016

by Laura M. Hughes (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 129 ratings
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The dead beckon and the little girl obeys. Night after night she answers the graveyard’s call, though she dreads her encounters with the creature that dwells there. But she’ll soon come to learn that memories are much more dangerous than monsters…
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  1. Print length
    120 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    November 9, 2016
  4. Dimensions
    5 x 0.3 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1519047290
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1519047298
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published; 2nd Print ed. edition (November 9, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 120 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1519047290
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1519047298
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.3 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 129 ratings

About the author

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Laura Hughes

Laura Hughes

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Laura M. Hughes was born and raised beneath the grey, pigeon-filled skies of northern England. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Lost Lore, Art of War, and the upcoming Heroes Wanted. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Fantasy Hive, and has also written numerous non-fiction articles for Fantasy-Faction and Tor.com.

Laura currently works as a freelance editor and proofreader. When she isn't writing or editing, you're most likely to find her playing Dungeons & Dragons, hoarding polyhedral dice, painting gaming miniatures, or trying to convince unsuspecting bystanders to read The Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Her first LitRPG novel, God of Gnomes (God Core #1), was released in September 2019 under the pen name Demi Harper.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
129 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Eric Fomley
5.0 out of 5 stars the graves of her loved ones, and the creature that waits for her ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2016
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As Posted on GrimdarkAlliance.com:

Danse Macabre is a dark fantasy novella, which perhaps slips over to the side of horror, set in a relatively modern world. The novella is stand-alone and does not utilize any characters or settings from any established book or series.

For lack of spoiler-y content, I’ll keep my description of the plot itself vague. The tale follows a young girl named Blue in a third person limited perspective. Blue is a tortured girl. She clings to dark memories which create both a hell within her own mind as well as propel her to take action. Each night she visits the cemetery, the graves of her loved ones, and the creature that waits for her there. But, as with all great short fiction, Blue isn’t quite who she appears to be and the ending presents a few fun twists that give the story a different angle when I thought back on it.

Laura’s writing is what surprised me most about this story and truly what propelled me to keep turning the pages. For an author whose only distinct (public) work is this novella, I was amazed at how brilliant it was. The writing is fluid, poetic, and the descriptions are vivid but not overdone. The tale was paced well with plenty of tension without lacking moments of calm and description. It was structured in an interesting way that worked well for me. I was already very pleased with the tale in the end, but Laura did a good job of adding more layers and depth by making the ending both satisfactory and adding twists that enriched the rest of the story.

Overall, I was very happy with Danse Macabre. It wasn’t a long read but the time I gave to the novella was well spent and has me hoping to read more from Laura Hughes in the future.
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The Casual Nerd
4.0 out of 5 stars Danse Macabre is a chilling tale that unfolds through the eyes of young Blue.
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017
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Danse Macabre is a chilling tale that unfolds through the eyes of young Blue. Having lost her family, she is haunted by what once was. Her days are consumed with her time spent hovering over their graves, alone and harrowed. Then he appears out of the shadows. A mysterious gentleman that arrives and informs Blue her loved ones are caught in purgatory. But Blue has a chance at to provide peace and final rest, as she strikes a bargain to save their souls. But there is a fine line between the truth, and she is caught in a world of uncertainty that will have her questioning even her own decisions.

“Blue never liked words much. She had met many people who had used words to trick, to hurt. To lie. But this one was different. This one didn’t just give her words. He gave her numbers too. And though Blue had never been skilled with either words or numbers, numbers had always seemed more honest to her. Numbers couldn’t lie.”

What unfolds is a dark and haunting novella that will have you examining what is truly evil. When does the line between faith and reality become blurred? Do the means justify the ends? Blue is tasked with meeting some very difficult demands that will result in an ultimate battle between her own conscience and her very heart.

The writing is superbly rich and elegant. The pace is smooth and consistent while the author cleverly inserts a small amount of symbolism seen in the form of a tiny snail and a dark crow that adequately play on the fact that this is the struggle of a child. The events that unfold are heinous and cruel. The constant reminder that Blue is still so young makes this story even more effective. It challenges our own perception of right and wrong in the most distressing yet beautiful manners. In just a mere 60 pages, Hughes has managed to provide a grisly yet thought provoking tale that continues to resonate long after the final page.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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Devann M.
3.0 out of 5 stars a decent short story
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2019
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"All angels are men, all men are crows, and all crows are liars. And never forget, girl: angels are no better than demons, and if there really is a Maker then he's surely the cruelest creature in the entire world."

This was an interesting enough story, but I did feel like it was deliberately vague in areas and I sometimes found myself getting a little bit lost. It doesn't necessarily NEED to be longer, but I feel like a little bit of extra room for explanation would have helped me personally. The story follows a little girl who meets an 'angel' in a graveyard and it tells her that she must punish ten sinners in order to save her dead family members from purgatory. The book has ten chapters to line up with the ten commandments, although a few chapters are literally only about a page long so once again I feel like it could have been a bit better organized. You can really see the ending coming about a mile away, but the writing is good and it's a very short read and decent enough for what it is.
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Top reviews from other countries

James Downe
5.0 out of 5 stars Eerie and beautiful
Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2017
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A subtle, and yet not so subtle, dark little tale. A touch of fantasy, and a touch of horror, and just enough of both to keep you wanting more. The author's ability to evoke both emotion and atmosphere is masterful. Read it once, and then read it again, you'll not be disappointed.
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Drew.
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding atmospheric and evocative novella
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2017
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This is a stunning read, in just 56 pages Hughes crafts a fully fledged story with a captivating main character in Blue and a fitting if somewhat tragic ending. Being a novella you know that words and space are to a premium and Hughes utilizes these perfectly, giving you a tale that keeps you intrigued, guessing and mesmerised. It's dark and ominous with an underlying tone of tragedy throughout.

In short, Blue is a young girl, tormented by memories, each night she visits the village cemetery and the graves of her lost loved ones. Each time, there is a man waiting for her there, Blue strikes a bargain with him and thus her tale of revenge and redemption is set.

Blue as I mentioned is a captivating character, the struggles she faces, the actions she must take and the consequences of those actions are all gripping. Even without a single line of dialogue she's a character that you really feel for. As the story progresses we see some flashbacks of Blue's, these help you as the reader feel drawn to her even more as you experience events that she has had to go through in her past.

Along with Blue there's also a few other characters, Snail and Crow are by Blue's side for her story, her sidekicks, offering advice and acting as her conscious. There's also the man who haunts Blue, he comes across as sinister and menacing and when his true intentions are revealed late on takes on a nightmarish aspect to.

The world building is also top quality, it's only a novella so we aren't given detailed and multi layered areas full of history and lore but what we are given works really well. While we don't actually know when or where the story takes place Hughes creates a vividly dark setting for her tale that fits the tone perfectly.

The book starts at chapter 10 and ends with chapter 1, this may seem strange at first, it did to me but it ties in well to the story and as you progress you will have an "ah" moment when you realise why the chapters are labelled in reverse.

Hughes writing is also praiseworthy, weaving together elements of fantasy, horror, ghost stories and thriller her style is dark and creepy yet she never goes overboard with the descriptions or gore for the horror elements, sometimes we don't need gallons of blood with viscera spraying everywhere and that old saying "less is more" is apt for Danse Macabre. Sometimes it's what you're not shown rather than what you are that allows you as the reader to imagine the scenes in your head as you read them. This means that those of you who would normally shy away from the genre can easily give this a go and treat yourself to this read.

Hughes has a way with words that borders on the poetic, she manages to create vivid imagery and emotion for her main character in Blue.

I don't read many novella's but this is the best one I have read, Danse Macabre outstanding, it is an atmospheric, haunting and evocative read that I highly recommend.
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Voges
5.0 out of 5 stars A mysterious and creepy story!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 11, 2016
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A short story which keep you guessing all the way through... It is a creepy story, and I really enjoyed it! It am looking forward to reading more by this author!
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AnnTe
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in Canada on October 31, 2018
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I read this on Halloween night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written, perfectly paced and full of surprises. I recommend it.
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Swords and Spectres
4.0 out of 5 stars A really good little read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2017
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Danse Macabre, other than being the title of one of my favourite pieces of music, is a darn good short little read. It took me in between one and two hours to finish. The basic premise is that of a young girl, Blue, who spends most of her time in the cemetery due to her mother, twin sister (Belle) and older sister (Sparrow) being buried there after their recent deaths.

Danse Macabre is a tale of good vs evil and, there are numerous elements throughout that add to this. The ominous character of ‘Him’ who claims Blue’s family is trapped in purgatory, destined to wander alone for eternity, demands Blue’s aid in claiming the souls of ten sinners. In exchange he offers, as an emissary of God, to save the wandering souls of her family. The addition of Snail and Crow also play towards the good vs evil side of things as they are Blue’s only friends and seem to appear only when Blue is going about her business claiming these souls, seemingly weighing in on her mission. They almost feel like the girl’s warring conscience to my eyes.

The short story is told in the rather strange way of chapter ten being the opening and chapter one being the finale. This, at first gave me pause for thought, but it becomes slightly more clear for the reason as the book progresses, although I am still unclear as to whether it was actually warranted. Either way, it was different. Another thing that was different, was the fact that the protagonist, Blue, did not have a single line of dialogue throughout. This, ordinarily, would seem a bit odd. But it worked strangely well.

I enjoyed the book, but, as ever, I do have a few drawbacks (nothing is perfect, after all). These range from simple to more annoying in my own mind. The simplest is the formatting. I was not a fan of the larger gaps between paragraphs and don’t think I could read a whole book with it formatted that way. But, as I said, that is simple and merely stylistic. Some readers may prefer it. A mid-range annoyance was that I really struggled to place what time period it was set in, as there seemed to be different elements from different times and cultures from around the world. A more annoying one was how a certain conflict was resolved at the end, but I shan’t go into that as talking about the end would be one heck of a spoiler. Speaking mildly of the end, I did have a little eureka moment part-way through, thinking I had guessed the ending. Technically I had only guessed half of it. The half I didn’t guess was totally unexpected and worked into the story throughout ever so well.

The negatives aside, I really enjoyed reading Danse Macabre. I was originally going to give it three/three and half stars out of five. But the bit at the end that I did not see coming bumped it up to a solid four.
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