Jack the Ripper Falls In Love

SWORD AND SNAKES by Mark Lumby is nothing like his previous stories. I'm not impressed with the author's take on Jack the Ripper. Much of the story is a series of long-winded conversations, separated by drawn-out thought-monologues, with very little action. This novella lacks the creativity and suspense I've come to expect from Lumby.

If you want to know what the author is really capable of, I recommend THE DEBT or RATS IN THE LOFT.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Appetite For Destruction

If you had the chance to hit the reset button, would you?
If a stranger told you they could take away your cancer, would you let them?
If paradise was gifted to you, a new life, a house by the lake, more money than you could imagine, and a wife for whom you would eventually love, would you agree to take that deal?

There is only one condition. In 20 years you must give something back. You don’t know what that something is, and you never will until you need to give it. 

All debts need paying in the end.

Everything has its price.

The Debt by Mark Lumby (author of Most of Me, Lord of the Harvest, Rats in the Loft and Bag of Buttons) is a visceral story about a young man named Jack Monday. Jack owes $500,000 to a pair of loan sharks, and, in order to pay off his debt, he essentially sells his life (not his soul) to a rather perverse man who calls himself Francis Dupont. What level of perverse, you may ask? Think: family orgies, torture, slaughter...all manner of depravity.

The POV switches between characters, with the story belonging just as much to Francis and his family as it does to Jack and his family. There are many difficult choices to be made throughout the book, and it's maddening to guess what path each character will choose. Once again, Lumby has succeeded in writing one hell of an original storyline.

While The Debt works as a stand-alone, I sincerely hope Lumby will consider writing a sequel...I'd love to see a good battle between granddaughter and grandfather.

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Cost of Free Will

Three weeks after Daniel moved to Hampton Falls, his friend Jack mysteriously goes missing. The last place he was seen was outside Old Man Winters house on the outskirts of Town. Ten years have passed and Jack is still absent from their lives. 


A sequence of events guide Daniel towards this house again as if this brick and mortar wants to give up its secrets. What he discovers will unlock the truths to his past, present and future. He must gamble between the love of a family he knows and the family he never had. Choices have to be made, but who can he trust?


A relic stored within the bowels of the basement wants him. It’s a mirror, and it will steal away his soul until it can take no more. Daniel will be tested by the evils that reflect back at him; he will loath what he sees, but his heart will beat like a man sick in love. He will learn how to use the energy it emits, but with its abuse come dark prices.


Can Daniel control the darkness that pulses through the mirror? Or is it merely manipulating him? Whatever happens, he must never leave the mirror unattended, must guard the relic against the evils that want to pass through from the other side. 

Can Daniel trust the children?

Most of Me by Mark Lumby is a cautionary tale about free will and the consequences of choices. Daniel once again finds himself in front of the ominous house from his childhood. As a boy, he wisely chose to keep his distance, but, as an adult, he makes the unfortunate mistake of stepping through the red front door. In a similar manner to such movies as Insidious and Occulus, Lumby builds suspense by hinting at the real horror with key details cleverly scattered throughout the story.

Although I am a fan of Mark Lumby, I am a little disappointed with the quality of the novel. I don't usually get hung up on typos, but there are so many mistakes throughout the entire book, I have to address the sloppy editing. I am concerned readers new to the author's work will be turned off and not bother to finish the story. The ending is mind-blowing and completely shocking, but I know a lot of horror fans that won't bother to finish the book.

I really hope Lumby hires an editor to polish this novel. He has an excellent writing style, but all the errors weaken the delivery. I suggest readers begin with Lumby's short stories and, perhaps, they will be forgiving about the poor editing and enjoy the complicated storyline.

As always,
AstraDaemon

What's That Smell?

Rats in the Loft by Mark Lumby, author of Lord of the Harvest and Bag of Buttons, is such a descriptive story, I felt like I was in the attic with Peter...and I was terrified. The randoms sounds really creeped me out. When the mystery is finally unraveled, I was completely shocked. The final ending left me with mixed feelings. The entire story is a well-written tragedy.

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I'm very rarely frightened by horror movies of any kind, but there is something about written stories that crawl under my skin and infect my mind. Sometimes I find myself wishing I could back out of the story - make a retreat to safety, but I am unable to put down my Kindle. Obviously, the authors are responsible for such captivating nightmares, but I often wonder if the stories develop their own sinister energy, making it impossible for readers to look away.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Cornfields Have A Bad Reputation

Lord of the Harvest by Mark Lumby joins the sub-genre of cornfield stories in horror. Although the origin story of the corn creatures remains a mystery, the build-up of suspense is excellent. Nothing like telling someone not to do something to ensure they do exactly that. Unfortunately for Richard, the townsfolk think he's crazy and his son is too concerned with financial problems to see what's right in front of him...or behind him...or reaching for him.

While I enjoyed this story, I thought too much time is wasted on Richard arguing with Ewan. I wish the author had included the incident with the local priest, maybe even included his POV to reveal what happened prior to Ewan's argument with his father.

Regardless, I look forward to reading more of Lumby's stories.

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If someone tells us, "Stay away from such-and-such restaurant, the service is lousy," we're likely to avoid the place, but if someone says, "Stay away from such-and-such place, something evil lives there," we flock like idiots with our cameras, hoping to film a video that will go viral on YouTube.

I've always wondered if it's a case of disbelief and wanting to disprove any folklore, or if it's the opposite: believing and wanting everyone else to believe as well. If it's the latter, why in the hell would you want to make some horrific discovery?

I often think reading a lot of horror stories gives people an unhealthy amount of self-confidence, leading us to believe that we'd never be that guy. We believe we're prepared for all kinds of terrifying situations because we've read so many different stories - some of us have even survived real life horror. What if that thought process is exactly what leads us into our own personal cornfield?

As always,
AstraDaemon

Show And Tell

They belonged to Ella. Nobody else could see them. Her bag of secrets; her buttons.

All she wanted was a friend. Someone she could trust, talk to and play with. She found Peter. And eventually he would ask about her buttons too. They all wanted to see them, her little secrets.

They will all disappear in the end.

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Bag of Buttons by Mark Lumby is a short story about a disturbing young girl with serious psychological issues and then some. As sick as her fascination with the other children is, her interactions with Tom are somehow far more sinister. With each reveal of Ella's secrets, I became more fearful for anyone around her. I can't help but wonder what her parents are like. The ending left some loose ends, but when you travel into darkness, you can only see so far, for so long.

As always,
AstraDaemon