Powerful Imagery and Emotions

A peaceful weekend for four college students at the lake ends when the country is thrown into war. A woman is visited in her kitchen by an invisible man. A man wakes up and finds he is the last person left on the planet – because of faith. 
29 short stories about tears and scares, about watching horror movies with yourself in the movie, burning down houses and getting a message from your dead child via cell phone. 29 short stories about darkness and light, about love and death, about everything you might find in the borderland between being awake and dreaming...

Dreams and Awakenings by Claus Holm begins with a lengthy introduction from the author and would've been better placed at the end of the anthology as an "author's note." Holm's writing is so well-crafted, I recommend just skipping straight to the stories and read the intro afterwards.

Many of the stories are relationship dramas with supernatural twists. Some of the stories are flat-out terrifying. A few are filled with dark humor. All of them are exceptional storytelling.

I've read at least three of Holm's collections, and this is my favorite...definitely making my Top 2018 list for anthologies. I would love to see the author write another volume of Dreams and Awakenings.

As always,
AstraDaemon

From Twilight Zone To Lifetime

Between Above and Below by Claus Holm is a collection of four stories:

THE BUNKER switches between the POVs of the people trapped inside of an old missile museum, which makes the intense situation more personal. The interaction between the characters is the most horrifying aspect of the story.

THE LADY AND THE LIONS is a surprisingly romantic coming of age story, with a tearful ending. This one has a Stand By Me feel to it, and I think it would make a good movie.

WENDIGO is an interesting twist on the popular Native American monster. The story-telling is nice touch, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two. This story lacked any character depth...just not enough information revealed to make me care who lived or not.

THE GUARDIANS is a rather unusual Lifetime type of story with a subtle reference to THE LADY AND THE LIONS, but the personal growth is not limited to one character...a very clever behind-the-scenes drama.

Claus Holm has a wonderful way of writing dramatic prose without the usual gimmicks or plot devices and readers don't have to be a fan of any particular genre to enjoy his work.

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Whenever I read something that doesn't necessarily fall into the horror category, I feel strangely refreshed. It's nice to read something cerebral without involving my adrenal glands. I especially enjoy the anthologies which provide diversity among the stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Surprise Endings

Introduction to Isolation
by Claus Holm
51 pages
$.99 Kindle version

Introduction to Isolation is a collection of four short stories with the common theme of being stuck somewhere. Perfect for readers that have less than an hour of free time.

Remember how boring it was to be stuck in a classroom all day? Imagine being held prisoner by soldiers, afraid to leave your desk. Afraid to fly? Some people have the same fears, but different reasons. What exactly inspires an author? Do you really want to know? If you were stuck on an alien planet, would you ask for help, or try to find fuel by yourself? Horror, sci-fi and general strangeness are all within these pages.

I enjoyed all four stories. The writing style of Claus Holm reminds me of Twilight Zone: you don't know where you're going until you get there...and every end is a surprise. My favorite is the last story, The Pilot. I had my suspicions about the direction of the story, but the ending was still a horrific surprise.

You don't have to be a fan of any particular sub-genre to appreciate the entertainment value of these four stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon