Kindle Edition Category:  Horror Publisher: Dark Prints Press Pages: 60 Copyright: July 20, 2012 Price: $3.19 (eBook) Vaudeville is a coming-of-age horror tale, touching on themes of grief, loneliness and the darkest days of the American Civil War, from one of dark fiction's rising stars, Greg Chapman.  Young Anthony Moore is desperate to discover the truth about his father’s death. In Keaton Woods, the truth is waiting for him, held by vengeful demons. “The All-American Travelling Troubadours” have a dark story to perform – all they need is an audience of four young souls. Anthony is about to discover just what he is willing to sacrifice in order to seek answers. Vaudeville is a coming-of-age horror tale, touching on themes of grief, loneliness and the darkest days of the American Civil War, from one of dark fiction's rising stars, Greg Chapman.

Hellnotes
Vaudeville
Greg Chapman
Dark Prints Press, eBook
Review by Matthew Tait
2012 has been a fruitful year for Australia’s Greg Chapman. After cementing himself as a kind of polymath writer and artist in the wake of his successful graphic novel collaboration Witch Hunts, Dark Prints Press has seen fit to publish Mr. Chapman’s Vaudeville as part of their new novella series – latching onto an already bourgeoning eBook market and giving new voice to this timely and passionate author.
After the suicide of his father Dominic one year previous, young Anthony Moore returns to the mysterious woods on the outskirts of his home town Keaton where the baffling act took place – for closure, for revelation – for the off-chance that perhaps the forest will yield its secrets to the grieving family left behind. A doting father and a loyal husband to Anthony’s mother, Dominic’s decision on that fateful day left a wake of repercussions that not only scarred a family but left an entire town disconsolate. Keaton Woods, home to a history of violence, does more than reveal its secrets to Anthony … it exposes the malevolent spirits who dwell within the trees – a travelling troupe of performers caught between Hell itself and dying to give Anthony just one last performance.
Perhaps one the shortfalls of Greg’s first novella Torment was a distinct lack of metaphor within the composition – but here the author (much to my delight) piles it on thick. We can see the writer’s confidence emerging to create images that are vivid, asides that are incisive, and prose that is elegant. The greatest hook with Vaudeville is probably its cavalcade feel – that sense of carnival tied with innocence whose roots are to be found in tales like Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. The caravan of ghosts (whose names I will not reveal), are entertaining and wily – providing just enough sense of mischief and malevolence to keep them scary. What we have in the end is almost a coming-of-age tale that leads to a conjuring of Black verses the White – embodying the theme of an ancient evil who feeds on the souls of the living to survive.
Vaudeville is available now as an eBook from Australia’s Independent Dark Fiction Publisher Dark Prints Press.

Frank Michaels Errington's Book Report
Vaudeville - by Greg Chapman - Another horror triumph for this Aussie writer

5 of 5 Stars

In a short time, Greg Chapman has become a master of the horror novella. In the last two years, I've read the ghost story Torment, a wonderful tale of a demonic muse in The Noctuary, and now, his third novella Vaudeville. The later work published by Australia's Dark Prints Press. All three, wonderful examples of the genre.

I think the reason I like his work so much is that Chapman writes the TRUTH and writes it with passion. I know, this is horror fiction and fiction is made up, LIES by definition, but when I'm reading one of Greg's novellas, it doesn't read like something that's been made up. It reads like, well like the TRUTH, even when it's about ghosts, demonic muses or, in this case, a group of troubadours; performers, if you will. troubadours with with a dark, disturbing past.

I've always loved the evil carnival story, the best being Ray Bradbury's, Something Wicked This Way Comes, so when I saw the premise of Vaudeville I was eager too see what Chapman would come up with. Let me tell you now, he does not disappoint.

First there's the town of Keaton, home to just under 1,000 citizens. A town which reminded me a bit of Mayberry and there's young Anthony Moore, who seems a bit like Opie Taylor, but that's where the similarities end.

It was a year ago that Anthony's father was found hanging from an oak tree in the woods outside of town. It's at this very tree that Anthony meets these performers and things get interesting, so very interesting.

Vaudeville is a wonderful way to spend an evening in the dark, with just enough light to see the written word. Available now from Kobo and Amazon ; with the iBookstore (Apple) available very soon.


Thirteen O'Clock
“Vaudeville” by Greg Chapman.

Publisher: Dark Prints Press

eISBN: 9780987197641

“Vaudeville” by Greg Chapman is an e-novella published by Dark Prints Press. It’s the story of Anthony Moore, whose father committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree and no one really understands why. He was a great guy, loved by all, and the death is a mystery that has rocked the small town of Keaton and left Anthony and his mother broken and at odds with each other. Anthony’s mother drinks the pain away and Anthony is himself lost and friendless, searching for direction. Every day he goes into the woods, to stand and stare at the tree where his father hanged himself, and wonder why. And then, one day, four strange troubadours emerge from the trees, at once fascinating and frightening, and Anthony’s life takes a dramatic turn. “The All-American Travelling Troubadours” have a dark story to perform – all they need is an audience of four young souls.

The scene-setting, character development and story in this novella start well. We’re introduced to a situation that is both familiar enough to identify with and strange enough to keep us wondering what might be going on. Chapman often uses some choice turns of phrase and carries the story well, but for me there are places where the writing falls a bit flatter and has something of a first draft feel about it.

I was carried along well, however, and wanted to know what was behind the strange events. The Troubadours themselves are truly grim characters, quite nasty and well-conceived. As the story played out it was satisfying in places, but there some parts that left me a little confused. The connections between the Troubadours, Anthony’s father and the Civil War sargeant, for example, didn’t come too clear to me.

There are no great suprises in the story. As it unfolds you can see where it’s heading, but for the most part, Chapman does a good job in the telling. I think the whole thing could have used another one or two editorial passes to tighten it all up, trim some of the extraneous parts and smooth out some of the story. The ending was a bit trite and I really wish the story had stopped before the very final line. But of course, as with all reviewing, so much of this is subject to taste.

This is a straight-up horror story with some great supernatural Vaudevillian villains, and worth a look if that concept floats your boat. I’m also very glad to see publishers like Dark Prints Press embracing e-publication to bring us more novella-length fiction, so let’s see more of that, please!