51ehm7dquxlCarnival of Darkness
Lee Ryder
Ryder Publishing
April, 2016
Reviewed by Emily Weil

Lee Ryder’s latest book, Carnival of Darkness, is actually a group of interrelated stories and poems that revolve around the common theme of a carnival that arrives at midnight the night before Halloween, and the strange happenings and disappearances that follow in its wake.

In one of the most chilling stories in the book, “My Brother’s Keeper,” readers find out one of the many possible reasons for the disappearances that follow when the carnival arrives. Orphaned twin brothers attempt to save a waitress who made fun of one of the Freakshow’s stars, however one of the boys unwittingly takes her place after an unbelievably cruel and grotesque ritual goes awry. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Dancing in the Dark” is the saddest story in the book. It’s about a lonely rich girl and an innocent night of fun that may end up costing her the one thing she loves the most.

The poetry moves from the tragically beautiful poem, “Cattywumpus,” about a loveable, gentle clown wrongfully convicted of the murder of a young boy, who in death returns to seek his revenge by taking the souls of the little kids that come too near the carnival; to the morbidly funny poem, “Lady Matilda,” where the best explanation yet of the origins of any carnival’s Fat Lady is revealed.

Carnival of Darkness is a thoroughly exquisite and enjoyable collection that shines a spotlight on the darkness that lives behind the warm, bright lights of a carnival. You’ll definitely think twice before you enter another big top or laugh at the freaks and clowns.