Weird Wednesday: Your Number's Up

From the author of the APPLEWOOD series comes a short story about a small town police chief with a vexing traffic problem. In his search for answers, he soon discovers that sometimes, not knowing is far better than knowing...

THE INTERSECTION by Brendan P. Myers doesn't seem very sinister in the beginning. Accidents happen, nothing supernatural about that. However, Chief Foley is approached by a man who has been studying all the misfortune taking place within the same area. He reveals a hidden historical event, which might explain why the area appears to be cursed. Foley wonders, what can he do about it?

This piece reads more like a prologue for a bigger story, but the suspense is entertaining and the ending is disturbing.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Vampires As Weapons

It's morning again in America . . . but not for Scott Dugan.

Three years have passed since young vampire Scott Dugan and his uncle found refuge in Mexico. They thought they had put their troubled pasts behind them, until the day a familiar face shows up to ensnare Dugan in a scheme that will transport him to the killing fields of war torn Central America and beyond. 

And when Dugan learns the truth about their mission, he must decide whether he owes his allegiance to the human race he was once a part of, or to his newfound self.

The Space of Life Between is the final book in the Applewood trilogy by Brendan P. Myers. I'm quite satisfied with the ending. HOWEVER, Myers could and should continue this series beyond three books. The author's writing becomes increasingly stronger with each installment, and, by the third book, Myers has transformed a coming of age vampire story into a political drama with several POVs and multiple layers of suspense. With so much effort put into this trilogy, I think Myers should consider giving Dugan an ongoing series.

I can't remember the last time I read this kind of story evolution. I am so damn impressed by Myers growth as an author, as well as the development of his characters and the details of the various settings. Whether Dugan finds himself in a small town, a circus or El Salvador, the reader is transported along with the young vampire through intense dialogue and mind-shattering action. I know I never expected a journey like this when I first read Applewood.

If your looking for some horror with serious depth, please treat yourself to this series!

As always,
AstraDaemon

Puberty With Fangs

Fourteen-year-old Scott Dugan is both desperate survivor and hunted casualty of a vampire outbreak that decimates his small Massachusetts town. His uncle believes science offers hope and takes the boy on the run from shadowy forces tasked with exterminating those like his nephew. 

But when the two separate, Scott embarks on an epic journey that takes him from cheap carnival sideshow act to comfortable refugee in the home of a wealthy and reclusive man with his own dark tale to tell. 

As the chase moves from the low deserts of Arizona to the high peaks of Colorado and into the White House itself, Scott must avoid becoming a pawn in someone else's deadly game. And when he learns that self-discovery for those like him is only found by embracing all he has become, he must weigh his longing to remember who he was and where he came from against the certainty that in doing so, he will never see the sun again.

Fledge by Brendan P. Myers is the sequel to the vampire novel, Applewood. The first book featured a group of young boys, not unlike Stand By Me, with a horror a bit like Phantasm, and blended two mysteries into one fantastic vampire story. This sequel reveals what happened to Scott Dugan during the time he was away, struggling with his affliction, taking place between the alternating timelines of the original outbreak story.

Through Dugan's POV and his personal transformation experience, readers learn the nature of vampires in Myer's creation. I'm happy to say the undead in this trilogy are a force to be reckoned with, drawing upon the classic vampiric themes. As a human, Dugan already possessed a couple of psychic abilities, which have only been strengthened, but he also has developed a few other new skills. While I am enthralled with the main character and his fight for survival, I keep wondering what the deal is with the sweet-tooth cravings.

When I began this series, I would have described Applewood as a coming of age with a supernatural twist. However, with the introduction of the government characters in Fledge, the author has transformed this series into a preternatural crime drama. I'm hoping Myers will reveal what became of Stephen Harris and give Dugan the justice he has earned through his horrifying journey.

Even if you're not normally into vampires, I strongly recommend this trilogy to readers who appreciate a good mystery-thriller.

As always,
AstraDaemon

An Apple A Day Keeps The Vampires Away

Applewood
by Brendan P. Myers
244 pages
$3.99 Kindle version

In a small Massachusetts town, Scott Dugan and his tightly bonded group of friends struggle with the same pains that plague millions of teens like them -- bullies, broken families, money problems, relationships. But the evil that revives to spread through their town confronts them with a far darker and more destructive adversary.

At first delighted by the disappearance of the town bullies, Dugan and his outcast friends soon realize they must do battle against a growing vampire army led by the town's long dead Civil War hero. Along the way, they'll find clues in the diary of a young boy not unlike themselves, and strength in their own unique bonds of friendship. But victory, if it's even possible, will come at a terrible cost. Some, like Dugan, will never be the same.

---

Brendan P. Myers has written a story that features a group of young boys, not unlike Stand By Me, with a horror a bit like Phantasm. Applewood has a slow beginning, but it didn't take long for me to get into the story. The novel begins with an unusual murder in present time, then flashes back to the childhood of the main characters, which draws readers into the heart of the story and surrounds them with drama, suspense and horror. Also, the background of the characters makes everything more emotional.

The writing style of Myers is excellent, blending two mysteries into one fantastic vampire story. There is a sequel, Fledge, which follows the character Scott, but Applewood easily functions as a stand-alone. Even if you aren't into vampires, I recommend this story to all horror fans, including readers of YA fiction.

As always,
AstraDaemon