Stranger Danger

RIDER OF WRONGS by Alicia Walker is a short story about a teen who meets a young girl and her mother on a train. The three of them have more in common than they realize, but that is exactly the problem.

I expected a supernatural twist, but this is pretty close to real-life horror.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Intact Is An Understatement

FUSED by Jerry Gerold is definitely weird, but not sure I would label this as fantasy...definitely a nightmare for Jason. He's been pulled into a world  which he's only visited while sleeping. He doesn't realize his dream actions had consequences.

I disliked most of this story, but the ending is so absolutely horrifying, I wish Gerold had written more, just to see what the other women might have done to Jason.

As always,
AstraDaemon

What Was The Point?!

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT by Randy Norton is total crap. Some kids get together with a homemade ouija board to summon a spirit. When they make contact with something, it's like a fart in the wind. I couldn't believe it ended without anything happening.

I've now read three of Norton's stories, and I'm convinced The Shimmer Effect is the exception in his work. I'm done with this author.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Plague On A Personal Level

When the Black Death enters England through the port in Dorsetshire in June 1348, no one knows what manner of sickness it is—or how it spreads and kills so quickly. The Church cites God as the cause, and fear grips the people as they come to believe that the plague is a punishment for wickedness.

But Lady Anne of Develish has her own ideas. Educated by nuns, Anne is a rarity among women, being both literate and knowledgeable. With her brutal husband absent from the manor when news of this pestilence reaches her, she looks for more sensible ways to protect her people than daily confessions of sin. She decides to bring her serfs inside the safety of the moat that surrounds her manor house, then refuses entry to anyone else, even her husband.

Lady Anne makes an enemy of her daughter and her husband’s steward by doing so, but her resolve is strengthened by the support of her leading serfs...until food stocks run low. The nerves of all are tested by continued confinement and ignorance of what is happening in the world outside. The people of Develish are alive. But for how long? And what will they discover when the time comes for them to cross the moat again?

THE LAST HOURS by Minette Walters makes the plague a more personal experience by sharing the fate of a demesne through several different POVs. Usually I find the women in these period pieces a little unrealistic, but the author presents Lady Anne and her knowledge in a way which is very believable. Likewise, the elevated education of Thaddeus and the other serfs is also well-explained. I also enjoy the various personalities of all the characters. The survivors of Develish are a captivating group, especially with all the drama.

Walters offers several layers of suspense. Everything from discord among Lady Anne's household, family secrets, and the threat of plague and starvation. When the threat of outsiders is introduced, the story evolves from typical historical fiction to a thrilling tragedy. The action scenes are full of surprises.

The book ends with "to be continued," so I immediately purchased The Turn of Midnight. I can't wait to find out what happens to the demesne, Lady Anne, Thaddeus and Eleanor.

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Power of One Day

On the brink of a major, life changing event, Michael Holler is offered the advice to recall his best day. He then takes a trip through a childhood memory that shows the powerful effect one day can have on the trajectory of a person's entire life.



THE TROPHY by Scott Luper is a horrific human tragedy. This story is so much like real-life events, I cried several times while reading this.

The domestic violence might be a trigger for some, but this story definitely deserves an award.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sand Demons vs. Roman Honour

Former Roman Legion Legate Gaius Marcus Linneus is reduced in rank to Centurion and banished by Emperor Marcus Aurelius to Tripolitania in Northern Africa. He finds his new command, a Shadow Legion, a reduced century of dishonored legionnaires, as much punishment as his dishonor. Castra-Augustus, a small fort in the southern Sahara, is under attack by an unseen enemy who takes soldiers at night, leaving only shredded clothing.

Gaius discovers an ancient city carved from solid rock half-buried by shifting sands. When Rashid, who claims to be a Berber salt merchant, arrives just after two more legionnaires disappear, Gaius questions him and learns the name of the ancient city – Hamad Rus, home of the Kashites who once lived East of Eden. Their long-time enemies, the Inyosh, the undead Children of Lilith, had driven the Kashites west into Northern Africa millennia earlier. Casting a spell to destroy the Inyosh, the Kashites had instead changed them into formless wraiths that killed to obtain blood for their god, Nergal. Now, the Inyosh have awakened.

SHADOW LEGION by J.E. Gurley is a very intense novel. Based on the description, I did not think I would enjoy this book, but Gurley is one of my favorite authors, so I decided to give this story a chance. Unlike the author's previous action-packed zombie novels, the storyline moves at a very slow pace. The reader is inundated with Roman vocabulary and desert descriptions. Constant emphasis on the heat, the sand, and the punishment of Gaius. All of it made the first half of the novel an absolute struggle.

I have a policy of finishing any book I review, so I stuck with it, even though I felt as if I was being punished alongside Gaius. I'm glad I did. I soon realized Gurley took his time for good reason, moving everything into place for a spectacular battle between broken Legionnaires, demons and an ancient entity. The Romans needed to suffer throughout the book, so they'd accept the nature of their enemy, in order to make a final stand.

In a way, this is more the story of a dishonored soldier atoning for his past actions, while discovering what is truly honorable. For a man such as Gaius, this requires facing off with an enemy unlike any other he has ever fought. He must also learn to break free of the xenophobic mindset Rome has pounded into him. The war he wages in the desert will be lost if he cannot win the war waging in his soul.

On a side note, the supporting characters are just as impressive as Gaius, and they really brought the fire to the story, literally and figuratively. (The only change I would make is moving the vocabulary list to the beginning of the book.)

If you enjoy stories such as The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane) and Pompeii (Robert Harris) or period TV shows like Rome and Spartacus, give this novel a chance. The ending is worth the effort.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Mind Games

BROKEN RULE by Joshua Scribner is kind of weird. Mark, Mary, Tina and Robert must take refuge in an abandoned house after their car breaks down. The night feels wrong to them. Something dangerous lurks outside, but they remain safe in the house. Unfortunately, there is more than one way to get inside.

While a couple of scenes are a bit suspenseful, Mark's inner dialogue is yawn-worthy, and there's no real ending. Then again, readers are dropped into the story without much of a beginning.

I usually enjoy Scribner's flash fiction, but this time I wish he had written it as a short story instead.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Post-Apocalyptic MIL

ABED by Elizabeth Massie is a truly disturbing flash fiction piece. Megan is a young widow kept prisoner by her mother-in-law in a post-apocalypse situation. Since they live in a rural area, the walking dead numbers are easier to control than in the bigger cities. Everyone is a carrier & any death - accidental, natural or by suicide - will result in reanimation, but the walking dead appetites can be appeased temporarily with live animals, giving the illusion of zombies which can be controlled.

The undead also retain memories and remember how to perform basic tasks. However, the walking dead are not nearly as frightening as the crazy mother-in-law who still expects Megan to give her a grandchild. That MIL would give nightmares to The Devil's Rejects. I seriously thought I was going to throw up on my Kindle...Massie has real talent for delivering large amounts of terror with just a few choice descriptions.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Grade School Survival

CREEPERS by Tammy Sayler is told from the POV of a grade-schooler named Karin. This short story had me completely on edge, worried and disgusted with the treatment of the children, especially when the reference to Lord of the Flies is made as a threat.

The tension within the group reminded me of The Mist by Stephen King. Not much interaction with the zombies, but I could feel Karin's anxiety radiate off the pages. I just wish it had been longer.

As always,
AstraDaemon

What You Can't See Will Kill You

HORRORFROST by Edward Newton is definitely making my TOP 2020 list! A blizzard falls upon a resort town, some unseen force is tearing apart the buildings, and an unknown predator is hunting everyone in the neverending whiteness...not to mention the plummeting temperature. Even if they escape the monster, they will likely freeze to death, unless they can get off the mountain.

Some of the survivors look to their phones for answers. Online conspiracy theories suggest something from another world is feeding upon them. Not knowing anything specific, while random characters disappear into the air at every attack, Newton keeps his readers captive with a crippling fear. As the suspense increases with every failed attempt at escape, survival seems unlikely for anyone.

I used to fear the fog after reading The Mist by Stephen King. Now I fear the whiteouts...

As always,
AstraDaemon

Crossings and Choices

BROKEN by Christopher Motz is a well-written personal drama about a man who has suffered so much personal loss in his life, he finds himself drowning in the pain. Essa tries to show him a way to survive, but he isn't having it. He's so focused on his suffering, he's forgotten what is worth living for.

I wasn't expecting anything like this from Motz, but I'm impressed nonetheless. This is the perfect example of something I once wrote in a Facebook post in 2011:

"...many peeps involved in the horror industry are not in it just for gore, nor or they dark or depressing...they just have a unique view of social commentary & appreciate detailed realism, even in the surreal; most of them are caring peeps who do a lot for their communities, & because they work in the horror genre, they appreciate their blessings, since their imaginations have seen how easily we could lose it all."

I recommend this story to everyone.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Soap Opera In King's Court

THE POISON BED by Elizabeth Fremantle is a historical fiction novel set in the 1600s. Robert Carr and Frances Howard are accused of murder. Switching between the past and present, as well as the POV of both husband and wife, the author reveals the events leading up to the murder trial and outcome.

To be blunt, this novel is far more fiction than historical, and a quick google search would make the many inaccuracies quite obvious. However, I chose to read this story for the intrigue and drama, and Fremantle delivers both in a murder-mystery style. In some ways, this novel reminded me of Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory, as Robert falls in with Northampton, the way Tradescant falls in with Buckingham.

As for the story structure, it is off-putting. I didn't mind switching between Her and Him, but the back and forth in time is not always clear, and disrupts the flow of the overall story. (I don't understand why authors think jumping around in time builds suspense.) I did stay interested from beginning to end, and read this novel in one sitting.

If you're a fan of soap operas and crime dramas, you might enjoy Fremantle's fiction.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Hospitality From Hell

THE DEADLY GUEST by Matt Shaw is incredibly tame compared to Shaw's previous work. I prefer his more action-packed stories, such as his Full Moon series. Even though he states this is a stand-alone, I felt I should have read his How Much books to appreciate the characters more. As is, I enjoyed the horrors within the hotel.

I lost interest with the bonus story. However, I love the inclusion of the coffee drabbles at the end. Very clever flash fiction. I enjoyed Angela Miatt's drabble the most.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Bad Company

TORTURED SPIRIT by Joshua Scribner focuses on a young woman who finds herself in a surreal situation with several other women. I immediately suspected the psychological aspect of the outcome, but Scribner still surprised me with a supernatural element.

If you enjoy this story, I recommend Scribner's mini-series, DOCTOR WOLFSTONE'S CLINIC.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Intriguing Sins

SIN EATER by Megan Campisi (to be released in April 2020) is an alternate history novel centered on a young woman, named May, caught stealing bread. The setting is similar to England in the 1500s. She is then sentenced to become a sin eater: unseen and unheard. The reason for her sentence is not revealed until very near the end of her tale.

At first, I wondered if she has the mental capacity of a child, due to her simplistic nature and the strange way she reacts to situations. I even thought her troubled childhood may have limited her emotional growth, and I wondered how on earth she would manage as a sin eater. Luckily, another branded in the same manner becomes a mentor to May.

As May accompanies her elder companion to Recitations and Eatings, they are confronted by a deer heart placed on a coffin, although no sin had been confessed to warrant such an item. From here on, May's fate becomes entwined with the Queen's household, and the sin eater becomes privy to more than just deathbed confessions.

What really made this story interesting for me is the cast of characters the author brings into May's new life. In a way, they reflect different aspects of May, which she cannot express on her own. Rather than focusing on the end of life as she knows it, this transforms into May's coming-of-age story.

While I don't agree with the description ( "The Handmaid's Tale meets Alice in Wonderland"), I do think Campisi creates an entertaining way of looking at the social construct of politics and religion, and their effects on everyone ranging from the privileged to the underprivileged, using mystery and drama.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Bigfoot Love

A cryptozoologist searches for love.Dr. Eric Brownstone is a cryptozoologist who has discovered the location of the mythical bigfoot near Kerrville, Texas. But his quest to capture the fabled monster has more to do with his pursuit of ultimate love than scientific inquiry in this Bigfoot erotica title from San Antonio Best Author 2018 runner up.

GONZO BIGFOOT: A LOVE STORY by Bowie V. Ibarra cleverly mixes beastiality and cryptozoology to create a flash fiction erotic encounter between a scientist and a legend. Bigfoot is packing a 50-cal, and Dr. Brownstone is on the receiving end. Forget billionaire playboys and dinosaur trysts, this is the blizzard which will leave you feeling like a glazed donut. After this, Sasquatch will be renamed Bigdick.

Trapped In Virtual Reality

THE LAST DAYS OF MYTH-REAL by Eric S. Brown is nothing like his Bigfoot stories. The premise is straightforward: the crew of a space voyager are in stasis, while their minds are hooked into a virtual reality game. Unfortunately, the AI running it has changed the parameters, and the crew is now trapped inside.

I love the blend of genres within the game...kind of like World of Warcraft mixed with Fortnite and a touch of Westworld. The characters are diverse and completely awesome, and they provide some spectacular action within the battles. Even the dialogue is exciting. Long-time fans of Brown will also love the inclusion of Squatch.

I'd love a sequel to follow-up on the ship's original mission.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sins of Sisters

THE KILLING TYPE by Jane Corry is a short story about two sisters and their complicated relationship. When one of them marries a controlling jerk, their relationship takes a dark turn.

The switch in POVs kept things interesting, but the story felt rushed without more time to build up suspense. The ending seemed kind of cheesy.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Real-Life Monsters In History

THE MOST EVIL PEOPLE IN HISTORY by Bishop Weaver is a brief collection of real-life monsters. This volume contains Pol Pot, Hitler, Idi Amin, HH Holmes, Shiro Ishii, and Jane Toppan. While I expected this to be focused on serial killers, the main theme is mass genocide through political agendas.

I don't think horror fans will appreciate this as much as people just trying to figure out why this crap keeps happening throughout history.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Supernatural Mystery-Thriller

THE GHOSTS OF DAVID BROOK by Amy Cross is a fantastic ghost story. First of all, you have the urban legend of Catherine Bannister who takes one victim, every year on the same date. Then the author mixes it up with stories of the poor souls murdered by the hate-filled ghost. The switching POV makes it difficult to tell who is alive and who is dead, but this serves to increase the suspense.

Last but not least, you have the backstory of Catherine and the revelations made by two of her victims. I never knew what to expect, and the ending is completely awesome. Even though David is at the center of everything, Kaylee is my favorite character.

This would make a great horror film.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Switch

FAMILIAR FACES by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction story without much of a storyline. Eric seems to be having some kind of mental breakdown, until the weird visions begin speaking to him. Unfortunately, none of it makes much sense. This isn't mysterious or building suspense, it's just confusion. Even the ending is lame.

For a better Scribner tale, read UNIMAGINED or THE CIRCLE OF DEATH.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Serial Killer

LAST DANCE OF A BLACK WIDOW by Bradley Convissar is pretty straight-forward: an old woman reflects on the bad things she's done with her life, and has to accept the consequences of her choices.

Not much else to it. No suspense. No horror, aside from the fact she has killed more than once. Pretty bland.

I recommend reading Convissar's story BLINK instead.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Hatching Into Space

THE CRYSTAL SPHERES by David Brin is written with such a strange concept, I was about 3/4 through the story before I finally caught on to the mindset. While I love the exotic details the author weaves throughout this sci-fi short, I almost felt too stupid to enjoy Brin's tale of space exploration. Almost.

I am glad I kept reading because the ending has really changed the way I view the possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe, even though this is a work of fiction. This is a great example of why I love the imagination of writers.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Post-Apocalypse Orphan

A FEELING IN THE LIGHT by Mason Engel is very intriguing, but also confusing. Obviously, this is a post-apocalyptic story, and the survivors have adjusted to a new way of living in some type of underground bunker, and the "currents" are a fascinating concept.

Unfortunately, the author doesn't elaborate on much, and many details are wasted this way. I think Engle should consider developing this into a full-length novel, or a novella at the very least. I'd like to know why Nolan is so different (I had to assume he is on the autism spectrum to be able to finish this story). I feel the currents could have led to some great secret, but their true nature is never revealed. Last but not least, Oni deserves a backstory.

A short story format is simply the wrong choice for Engel's creation.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Post-War Alien Contact

THEY EAT THEIR OWN by Erik Lynd is a sci-fi short set in the future, after an extensive war with aliens. With no victory in sight for either side, a treaty was created, but some will never feel peace.

Jake just wants to be left alone with his dog Max, but one of the aliens crashes onto his land. This triggers a flashback of basic training, where the human soldiers are warned, "They eat their own." As a result, the surviving aliens become stronger, unless they are completely destroyed.

The ending is somewhat predictable, but the post-war setting is very intriguing. I wouldn't mind reading a full-length novel about the war itself.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Nightmare Or Dream?

SLEEPING BEAUTI by D.B. Green and A.K. Stein is a mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and more plausible than the backstory of the Matrix movies.

The coma is an excellent touch. I can't comment any further without risking spoilers, but the description doesn't do SLEEPING BEAUTI justice. I wouldn't call this a retelling at all. Green and Stein have created a very frightening dystopian future.

I recommend this short story to all readers.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Poor Baby Kitty

HUNGRY by Raven Oak is a sci-fi flash fiction story set in the future when pets have collars which translate their sounds into words.

I love the point the author is trying to make in the story: would we make different decisions regarding the care of our pets, if we could clearly understand them?

I just wish there had been more to the story.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Deception

VIOLET LIGHTS by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction story about a man who sees a weird shadow in his bedroom and feels a small entity lying next to him. His wife tries to explain it away by pointing out their recent move to a new place, but he's not having it.

The suspense is entertaining. The ending is horrifying.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Unusual Pets Discovered

YOUTH by Isaac Asimov is a great sci-fi short story. Aliens, an explorer and a merchant, arrange to meet with an astronomer and an industrialist on Earth, after the wars which changed life as we know it. Unfortunately, the aliens crash land and are found by two children with plans of their own.

The misunderstanding between the six characters is very entertaining, but the ending is a fantastic shock. Just one more reason to love Asimov's storytelling.

As always,
AstraDaemon