Sunday With Scribner: A Major Problem

THE HITCH by Joshua Scribner is more bizarro fiction than horror, and it is very bizarre indeed. Kite has followed Dozer his entire life, but he has finally reached the end of the path.

Kite must decide if he trusts himself more than his friend.

Pay attention to the details in this story.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Ascension

ARROW by Joshua Scribner is completely freaking awesome. The author has blended science fiction with the elements of a fable, and the result is an inspirational story of working together.

This piece has a mix of Carl Jung, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis in the writing style. I'm honestly surprised Scribner wrote something this wonderful so early in his career. While I mainly a fan of the author's horror shorts, this is one of my favorites Scribner stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Thieves in the Night

WISHING WELL by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece which is mostly setup and very little action. This is a terrible example of the author's talent, so it should be noted this story is one of Scribner's early pieces. His writing has vastly improved over the years. His best work has been the stories published in 2019.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Mind Blown

NESCATA by Joshua Scribner proved to be a difficult read for me. For at least half of the novel, I felt quite ignorant, as if I didn't have the IQ to grasp the plot. I'm still not sure I understand what in the hell takes place.

At first, I thought this might be an unusual take on time-travel, in which the consciousness is not bound in a linear fashion, but, by the end, I feel like maybe this is more about time-tampering by an ascended species...or I don't have clue about anything in this book.

Whatever Scribner is trying to get at, he could have gotten there with half the pages. The story is very disjointed, as if a schizophrenic wrote Jacob's POV. In fact, I don't even know if I can trust anything about Jacob's perception of events. For all I know, he could have been dying on the roof of his car, with his brain splattered across the back windshield, while his mind created everything as a justification for his suicide.

If anyone else attempts reading this novel, please share your thoughts with me.

As always,
AstraDaemon

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Kody Boye is the winner of an autographed copy of The Bell House. I'll announce the next contest as soon as I get the Monday review up, which will be delayed until some time on Tuesday, due to a personal emergency.

Scribner in September: Day 7 of 7

THE WORST SIN by Joshua Scribner is a family drama with a supernatural twist. Mitchell's daughter is in a coma, his wife is wasting away, his brother is being hunted by some bad men, and Mitchell is about to be charged with murder. A random old woman stops by his house, and tells him how he can make their worst sins go away.

Mitchell has the best intentions, but his attempts at helping his family, leads to yet another series of tragedies. However, Scribner ends the story with something quite unexpected. While I enjoyed the storyline, I wish more had been revealed about Mitchell's worst sin.

With that said, this is a clever take on redemption and paying it forward.

As always,
AstraDaemon

P.S. Make sure to come back to the Lair on October 1st, for the first book giveaway.

Scribner in September: Day 6 of 7

A NEW LEGEND by Joshua Scribner is centered on bar with a secret which has spanned generations. The story is very original, and the ending is entertaining. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of repetitiveness, which I will chalk up to this being an older Scribner piece.

If you like ghost stories, check this one out because the author definitely gets creative. Be sure to check out Scribner's 2019 short story releases, which are far superior to his previous work.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Scribner in September: Day 5 of 7

CURSED HIGHWAY by Joshua Scribner is a short story about a guy who is thinking about all the major changes in his life as he drives, when he begins to see two different kinds of entities. He assumes one must be good, and one must be bad, but towards the end, he realizes the truth is more complicated than black and white.

The story held my attention from the first page to the last page, but vague ending disappointed me. I don't care about the very last sentence, I just don't like the way the author teases readers with the nature of the curse.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Scribner in September: Day 4 of 7

THE CREEK AND THE RATTLESNAKE by Joshua Scribner is a short story about a boy named Trevor who is able to escape into his head. He is given a warning several times within his fantasies, but he ignores the red flags.

What happens to Trevor is so astounding, I wish Scribner would give the boy a sequel. I feel strangely confident Trevor could ultimately defeat Curtis.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Scribner in September: Day 3 of 7

LOUD ENOUGH TO WAKE THE DEAD by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction story about a young single mother, struggling to balance school and work. Her studies are constantly being interrupted by some punks with loud car stereos...then she begins to see a ghost.

Scribner is being modest by calling this a ghost story. He has added one hell of a twist via the spectral visitor. I love the outcome.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Scribner in September: Day 2 of 7

GRANDMA'S ECHO by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece about a young man anxious to stay on schedule for the day. His routine begins with a workout at the gym, but he keeps seeing accidents happening on his way.

Some words of wisdom from his deceased grandmother echo in his mind, causing him to question his priorities. The ending is a huge surprise, and this is now one of my favorite Scribner stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Scribner in September: Day 1 of 7

UNSELF REFLECTION by Joshua Scribner is a short story about an RN struggling with what she believes to be a hallucination. Anyone fooling around with mirrors in a dark room should know better.

Interesting, but somewhat predictable.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Evil Thoughts

TAKE ME WITH YOU by Joshua Scribner is a short story about a high school boy named Toby, who recently found out his girlfriend cheated on him. The guy, Bryce, humiliates Toby in a very disturbing way. No one does a damn thing to help him.

Toby later decides to go on a midnight walk, thinking some dark thoughts about revenge. Along the way, he has a supernatural experience. Toby's reaction pleasantly surprised me, and I enjoyed the ending. #TeamToby

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Windows To The Soul

GHOST EYES by Joshua Scribner is not a ghost story, but a waking nightmare. Kristy is switched to third shift, hears whispers, and has to deal with some very strange customers. Sounds like a typical night working at a convenience store, until she picks up a new habit.

The ending is disturbing. Very disturbing. The plot seems sloppy and rushed, even for a short story, but Scribner gets points for having a freakish imagination.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Cravings

SUCKED AWAY by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece about a woman struggling with a unique form of night terrors. At first, I thought Scribner worked in some science fiction, but the reality is far more disturbing. Not sure what to think about the morality of the ending.

I'm not crazy about this short, but Scribner still delivers an excellent twist.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Luck

FOREIGN OBJECTS by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece about a boy cruelly nicknamed, Joel the Troll, since he has an unfortunate appearance. I can't help but wonder if the size of his head is somehow linked to the life-changing objects.

There is something so damn intriguing about this character, I wish Scribner would consider writing a novella about Joel's adult life.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Redirection

EXTERNALIZE by Joshua Scribner is a supernatural tale about a girl's coming of age...sort of. Veronica is very hard on herself, and lacks the ability to stand up to the people making her life miserable. However, after a visit with the school counselor, Veronica learns to stop hating herself and focus her anger on those who mistreat her.

The twist is unusual, but set up well and explained perfectly. The ending is satisfying, knowing justice would be served.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Forming An Attack

MANTRIC SYLLABLE by Joshua Scribner gives me mixed feelings. Mark doesn't realize what Jay has put him up to, but he is not acting passively when he gives a "command."

Mark seems more likely to use energy as a defense, triggered only if he is attacked directly, not as a form of attack. Many details seem contradictory, and the ending is extremely rushed, even for a short story.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Don't Ignore Your Muse

COMPELLED by Joshua Scribner is a short story about a writer who comes into conflict with the animal kingdom during a night walk....taking the concept of a muse to a creepy level.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Metaphysical Monster

MISDIRECTED by Joshua Scribner is a very unusual twist on sleep paralysis and astral projection. While the setup is quite long for a short story, the ending makes up for the pace.

Scribner mixes the paranormal with a creature from folklore, and the result is an intriguing concept. Barret definitely deserves his own full-length novel. Even Travis is a scene stealer in more ways than one.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Cellar Or Grave?

STRANGE CONNECTIONS by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece about three friends who realize their random thoughts have similar connections. One of them puts the pieces together to form a map of sorts, but they have no idea where  or why they are being led to that particular location.

The ending is so unexpected, the entire story changes from a spooky house situation to something very supernatural and life-threatening. Anyone expecting an elaborate story will be disappointed.

One of Scribner's early stories; his storytelling has improved a great deal over the years.

As always,
AstraDaemon