The Dance of Rotten Sticks

by J.C. Vande Zande, Jeff Vande Zande

The Dance of Rotten Sticks tells the story of Isaac Fletcher, a recent widower struggling to raise three kids after losing his wife to a bizarre car accident. His mother-in-law, aware of Isaac’s drinking problem, threatens to take the kids. Hoping to become the father they need him to be, Isaac takes the family to their recently-purchased vacation property on Orphan Island. Strange incidents occur, culminating in their discovery of an abandoned orphanage that some say is haunted. Isaac’s youngest begins to hear voices. His eldest has horrific dreams of their dead mother. Only Emily seems to thrive, beguiling Isaac to the true danger that she faces from the island’s other inhabitants.

Jeff Vande Zande has dedicated his life to writing and the payoff has been an author who continues to grow as a writer, and his wonderful early short stories have grown into the novel The Dance of Rotten Sticks. Vande Zande’s voice has a thick Michigan accent, echoed in a novel that is in the shape of Michigan’s mitten, with the hand inside it being placed upon a foreboding Ouija board with “a lone beam of light” moving slowly across both.
— Ron Riekki, co-editor of The Many Lives of The Evil Essays on the Cult Film Franchise

More than just a riveting horror story, The Dance of Rotten Sticks is a harrowing dive into the terrifying depths of grief and alcohol addiction. Newfound widower Isaac Fletcher does his best to hide his self-medication from his family after planning a trip to a secluded and possibly haunted island. Isolated from everyday distractions, the journey exposes himself and his vices. While the trip validates his mother-in-law's concerns about the welfare of his children, Isaac finally takes the steps needed to fight his inner monsters so he can not only keep his family, but protect them from the external monsters on the island.
— Gina Tron, author of Suspect

Like the best horror and gothic writers, Vande Zande writes about real people, their loves, their losses, their dreams and nightmares. You feel these characters the way you feel the people around you, your mothers and your fathers and your lovers and friends. You want to know them and be with them. And you want to know how they will respond to the horrific
things that mark the great horror novels, novels by writers like Stephen King and Dean Koontz and Anne Rice. Like those great writers, Vande Zande answers your question in prose that is beautiful and frightening.
— John Guzlowski, author of Suitcase Charlie

Genres: Horror, Fiction

270 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2024

About the author

Also see Jeff Vande Zande.

Reviews

[Rhea Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic horror done well.
An alcoholic father. A secluded cabin. Supernatural Influences. It could be cliche, but instead it’s everything you want it to be.

This author really knows how to write characters, within a few pages I was in love with these people and already dreading the terrible things that were surely about to happen to them.
I also really respect the way the author writes women, and the way the men act around the women - they’re all equal people in this book, even Helen (who’s a bit of a thorn) is treated fairly and not villainised.

I loved this book, and I will definitely be recommending it to others, and eagerly awaiting more of the writers work.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dance of the Rotten Sticks creeps in quiet and mean, like something dead learning to dance again. J.C. Vande Zande’s first foray into horror is solid: not reinventing the genre, sure, but comfortably carving out its own little corner.

What works, works well. The horror is rooted in character: the extent of the protagonist’s alcoholism isn’t dumped on the reader but revealed slowly, the same way real life lets you ignore it until you can’t. The supernatural seeps in alongside it - a grim echo, never quite defined, but kind of pressing in from the edges.

That said, a few things kept it from landing harder. Some of the foreshadowing felt a bit on the nose; not enough to break the spell, but enough to feel like the book didn’t always trust the reader to catch on. The final act also hits fast, almost rushed, after such a slow burn and I found myself wishing for just a little more weight, more space to sink into the mythos. The bones of something fascinating are there, but they’re not fully exhumed.

Still, I rounded up to four stars. For a first horror effort, it’s confident, atmospheric, and worth the time. Not a book that breaks the genre open, but still one that respects it.

[Ashleigh Begres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down. If you like mystery/thriller with a slight touch of twisted suspense, this is for you. I love that it’s a local author (and faculty at Delta College!) and the book takes place in my home state of Michigan. Great read! When’s the next one?!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel a lot! The writing was smooth, and there were a couple of genuinely creepy moments. My only nitpick is that the ending felt a bit rushed, as most of the action took place in the last 10% of the book.

[M.E. Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “Dance of Rotten Sticks” is a lot more than a gothic horror story. In this finely crafted character study Jeff Vande Zande digs deep into the anguish of recently widowed Isaac. He struggles with alcohol, battles with a clear-eyed (and justifiably critical) teenage daughter, is at a loss with the girl’s two younger siblings who cope in their own special ways with their mother’s absence. Isaac is no heroic main character, his flaws are crippling, he’s at once selfish and overwhelmed. In short: painfully real. When the story slips into the fantastic, it feels like an escape of sorts. Isaac can now show his mettle, raise above himself and his inner demons to lock horns with a deadly manifestation of evil. I’d read Vande Zande’s short story collection “The Neighborhood Division” and enjoyed his clear and evocative style. In this book, he confirms how sharp he is in building characters. The horror flavor is like a black cherry on the cake.

[Ray Lacina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Early King

This was a terrific read — Vande Zande has created flawed, very human characters whose personal struggles make us care about them even as they face the supernatural monstrosity that shatters their lives. Isaac, the protagonist, isn’t always likable, but as we watch with frustration as he fails to cope with his wife’s sudden death, we can see ourselves in him. The same is true of each character in the novel - Vande Zande’s years writing literary fiction shine through in the delicate, complex characterization. The humanity of these characters makes the building tension of the novel and the final confrontation with even more powerful, since we have come to genuinely care for them. The tightness of the plot and setting, the core action taking place on an isolated island over the course of a few days, ratchets up that tension even further. While I love a doorstopper of a horror novel from time to time, the compressed narrative here creates a kind of pressure cooker, propels us through the novel. It’s also a novel of place, set in a Michigan that feels as genuine and particular as King’s Maine.

[Lanie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isaac Fletcher finds himself a widower, raising three children alone after a horrific car accident kills his wife Gwen and permanently ruins one of his legs. Caught up in his grief and his stress, he starts drinking heavily, which is affecting his ability to be a parent to his children. His children and his work have both found him passed out drunk in odd places, and if he's honest, he probably hasn't been sober once since Gwen's death. After a call from his mother in law Helen, that sounds like she wants to take his children from him. Isaac decides what the family needs a vacation. Since it's his daughter Emily's birthday, he decides that this is the perfect excuse to take the family to their remote cabin in Northern Michigan. Determined to prove to his mother in law that he hasn't the drunken failure she believes to be, he invites her and his brother along. Almost immediately upon stepping foot on the shores of Orphan Island strange things begin to occur in the family things that Isaac blows off as just normal childhood behaviors, but after his brother leaves unexpectedly after just a couple of days Isaac realizes that there is something very wrong on Orphan Island.

This was a solid horror. Genuinely just a classic tale, to be honest, it was so classic it was almost like a comfort read. You've read this story a million times, but with different characters and different horrors. And that is not a complaint. Far from it, it made it easy to get into and easy to read, and that was exactly what I was looking for tonight.

There are two things that shot this up to a five-star read for me (I know it's only four, I'll get there), the first being just how well he describes Northern Michigan. Now I am originally from MN not MI but the Northern parts of the state have much in common in terms of environment, and Vande Zande's descriptions of the lake and especially how cold it can be next to a deep one were so well done it made me *miss* home. And that does not happen very often.

The second was the consistent discussion of the Lamprey, which is an invasive species. We just don't see enough authors' period talking about invasive species, even books that lean into ecological territory. Which is a damn shame because they are absolutely an issue in terms of climate change.

And that brings me to why this is only four stars and why classic can be a double-edged sword...

The alcoholic (addict period really) parent who saves the day when it "matters most" (when everyone's gonna die and they are going to prove how much they care through murdering something doesn't necessarily have to be a supernatural entity) is a trope that I have never really gotten into. I can see the appeal, and obviously, I didn't hate it because I still gave the book four stars. In general that specific trope isn't my cup of tea.

So, other than that one thing though, this was a really well-done horror story. The pacing was spot on, the characters were likable, the family drama brought a reprieve from all the creepy stuff, and the big bad was unique. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick read with just enough eerieness that you can shut the lights off while reading it.

[Mimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dance of Rotten Sticks feels like a book that got 80% of the way there but was missing that last 20% for me.

The story follows a recently widowed father of 3, Isaac, who develops a drinking problem following the death of his wife. He decides to take his family to their vacation cabin for his daughter Emily’s birthday, but some sinister things begin to happen.

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: I enjoyed the characters a lot and felt like the story had great potential but was missing a few things to really push it over into a 5 star read for me. If you want to be scared, you will likely be disappointed as I didn’t find the horror elements particularly scary. I feel like the story would have benefited greatly from a few more chapters in a few key areas to really develop the fear factor and give the story room to breathe. Despite that, I still recommend the book and think it’s well worth the time invested!


SPOILER REVIEW:

The prose and dialogue are phenomenal. Everyone speaks exactly how people talk in the real world (except Carson, but I’ll get to that later) and I find Vande Zande’s prose to be very smooth and cleverly written. The story flows easily off the page and it was a very quick read for me.

The characters are really well developed and I found myself very endeared to this family. Isaac in particular has a really good journey from alcoholic in denial to father of the year, although it felt a little rushed. The story only takes place over a few days and I think it definitely would have been stronger if it could have followed the family longer. Adam and Helen are strong supporting characters and I found myself genuinely upset when Adam died. Despite being the naggy mother in law, Helen is a great character and I actually agreed with her about needing to take the kids for a while. You can definitely understand why Isaac doesn’t like her in the story, but she’s not an unlikeable character to read which is hard to pull off. The kids are honestly mostly just a plot device. Emily is the soft and fragile middle child that needs protected, Ashley is the strong but still petulant oldest child who takes care of the younger two since her dad is an alcoholic, and then Carson… Carson is… something. He’s the 5 year old but he very rarely speaks like a 5 year old. For much of the book, he’s either possessed by or listening to ghosts (unclear which, maybe both?) who are much older than him, so he often speaks in a way that’s well above his age. But I also found that when he’s not speaking as the ghosts, he still sounds very old for a 5 year old. It was kinda jarring sometimes. The villains are suuuuper underdeveloped. Because the story is told through Isaac’s perspective, you only really get a chance to see them once or twice before the Big Stuff happens and I think that’s a huge missed opportunity. Silas is creepy as hell and you could have easily made that more oppressive and present throughout the story. And Evelyn is a powerful witch that sucks the life out of young kids and the most I got to see of her was like one conversation on the beach. And instead we got a long ass description of how Isaac used some tools he shouldn’t even have to dig up some lampreys out of the river while the rest of his family met with her off screen. I don’t really understand that choice. Some more face time with Evelyn and giving her a chance to be creepy would have been way better and given the reader a chance to put together what was going on with her before the big reveal.

The supernatural element to this story was fine. Ghosts and magic are real but it seems that most people are unaware of them. I like the way the ghosts were incorporated but the magic element was pretty meh for me. It just felt tacked on to Silas’s character for an added spook factor that didn’t really land for me.

Finally, do not read the epilogue. Seriously. I actually wish I could erase it from my mind because it made the story worse. It felt so much like the set-up to a sequel or series and this book does not need a sequel.

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a slow burning gothic like folk horror novel and it does what good book like that should do... building tension, making you care about the characters, and giving creepy glimpses into what's coming.

Themes of grief and alcoholism are explored and these are always two things readers can relate to. In this case, a family has lost their mother and wife and our protagonist is dealing with suddenly being a single father raising three children. He's drinking way more than he should which is causing a rift with the kids. However, he's not a typical mean or abusive drunk. He loves his family and knows he's failing them because of his drinking.

When they take a trip to a cabin they own on an island, it might be a chance to bond and perhaps grieve their loss together.

But then, the creepy things begin to happen and it starts to affect them in different ways. A strange elderly woman lives on the island, our protagonist starts hallucinating, and his youngest boy starts saying some very unsettling things.

By the climax, all of these seemingly non related events will come together as something on that island wants one of the children for its own.

I like how this is set in Michigan, where I was born and raised, and the isolation of the island was a fantastic almost claustrophobic setting as any help wasn't quickly forthcoming.

You'll really like the characters as well. They're just a family going through something we've all experienced and it helps to quickly get on their side. Despite the father's flaws, he's trying to find a way out of his troubles to be a better father even if he doesn't really know what his children need. His brother and mother in law round out the cast and each one has their role to play in the terrors to come.

This is just a fantastic slow burning horror novel which you'll be happy you've read and I highly recommend it.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw an appeal from the author on Bluesky to give his book a try, so I did (it was $2.99 on Kindle). This was worth the read. It's somewhat reminiscent of early King (particularly the loving, flawed, alcoholic father). The alcohol and grief help explain why the main character, Isaac, underreacts to the several creepy (but mostly explainable!) occurrences sprinkled throughout the first 75% of the book. (Imo he *severely* underreacts but I kept reminding myself that the characters in horror don't know they're characters in horror.) The kids are a little flat but the tension between Isaac and his mother-in-law is well done; Helen is the perfect portrayal of someone who is grating but also correct (and thus even more grating). I wish we got more of the history of the orphanage and the lore around the other inhabitants of the island, past and present. I did think the descriptions of Isaac's job and bringing in some facts about the sea lamprey problem brought in some setting-specific realism as well as creep factor. This is a quick read but a relatively slow burn til the last roughly quarter of the book when things escalate dramatically. The epilogue is intriguing.

[Sipora Coffelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when tragedy strikes? In The Dance of Rotten Sticks, things fall apart when the main character loses his wife in an auto accident. Grief soon leads to more misery. Problems at work and alcohol abuse interfere with caring for his three motherless children. The solution? A vacation to an isolated island.

It’s then the horror begins as the tension builds.

Vande Zande gives us compelling characters struggling with a family loss, who then come face-to-face with monsters. If you want a well-written story that combines slow-burn pacing and believable characters in an atmospheric setting, this novel is for you.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dance of Rotten Sticks got under my skin in a way that few other horror novels I've read have done. The family's grief was palpable. The trepidation slowly builds until the horror cannot be ignored any longer. Yes, these are common motifs in horror novels, but J.C. Vande Zande handles them like a master, spinning out a web of grief, unsettledness, and fear that draws you in until you feel all of it down in your bones.

I finished it in one sitting, but it will be sticking with me for a long time. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

[Jason D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book reminded me of picking up my first Stephen King novel. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was not at all disappointed. The exposition, the build-up. All great. The characters feel like real people you’d know and that draws you further into the story. I truly loved the suspense and the horror elements. A great read by a great author!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read if you’re looking for Gothic chills. I enjoyed the different pieces of the story from family drama to the uneasy feeling wondering what was really going on beneath the surface. Definitely pays off with a wild ending that hints at more.

[Justin Pelham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and I could relate to the characters. A story of a man’s desperate attempt to connect with his children after tragedy leads to a wild story that goes beyond the words on the page. Bravo!

[S-L Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written and kept my interest all they way through. I had to sit with how I felt about it over all for some time but after much thought my conclusion is that this is a good book and is worth your time.

[Jennifer Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting characters and creepy Up North Michigan vibes!

[Liz Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book, but felt the ending was rushed and left more questions than answers.

[PaleJo8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by VandeZande!
A family torn apart by tragedy. A husband, Isaac, left behind turns to alcohol. He’s at risk of loosing his children and needs a reboot.
What should be the getaway they need turns in to a twisted, spooky, suspenseful journey that threatens to either kill them or bring them together. You’ll need to read it to find out their fate.
This sorry is more suspenseful and mysterious, than gory.