Bushwhacked

When young lovers Nick and Maggie decide to escape the city to spend a romantic weekend camping deep in the idyllic countryside, the excursion begins well. However, it soon degenerates into a maelstrom of terror when one of them comes face-to-face with a centuries-old civil war soldier. The couple are forced to flee into the wilderness, where they become engaged in a mortal battle for survival against a group of long-dead Confederate bushwhackers.

DEAD OF NIGHT by C.M. Saunders starts out slowly, with the couple discussing Prince and reflecting on how they met, none of which is necessary. The story doesn't really kick off until Nick has to take a late night piss, which would have made a better starting point.

I didn't necessarily care about the survival of the couple, but I didn't want the bushwhackers to win, so I found myself rooting for the campers, after all. Picture Wrong Turn, but with undead soldiers, instead of inbred hillbillies, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

The ending is a bit of a surprise, and I'm kind of hoping Saunders will turn this into a mini-series. I'd love to know why the bushwhackers won't stay dead.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Dead, Afraid and Alone

When Jerry leaves his old life in London behind and travels to Beijing to take up a teaching position, at first he is enchanted by the brave new world he finds waiting for him. However, things soon take a turn for the worse. Upon his arrival he learns of the mysterious disappearance of his predecessor, and after he moves into his new apartment he is plagued by strange dreams in which he shares the dwelling, and his bed, with a ghostly entity. Then things start going bump in the night, and Jerry soon finds himself embroiled in the kind of supernatural drama that had previously been unthinkable to him. 

An encounter with a fortune teller with a difference proves the catalyst for a new wave of terror and eventually, he is forced into the accepting the realisation that something else was waiting for him on the other side of the world, and perhaps even in the next world. What's more, his time is quickly running out. 

This is a new edition, revised version by the author. 

Bonus content: 

Inside Apartment 14F (essay)
Little Dead Girl (short story)

Apartment 14F by C.M. Saunders is one of the best ghost stories I've ever read in my entire life, particularly because of the shocking ending. I wanted to know more about the history of the ghost and her agenda, but I'm just as happy to be left wanting more. I love the way the author built up the suspense by revealing the paranormal occurrences taking place in the apartment as Jerry waits in line to see a fortune teller.

The short story, Little Dead Girl, has a major discrepancy, which disrupted the flow of the story. One minute the main character, Jeff, mentions waking up to the ghost being in his apartment, the next minute he is stating she can't follow him into his apartment. (Which is it, Saunders?) The ending is bizarre, yet somehow predictable.

There is also an essay by the author between the two short stories, explaining how Apartment 14F came into existence. I didn't read all of it...after just a few paragraphs, the essay began sucking away the enjoyment the story gave me. The essay seemed better suited for the author's website, not an addition to the content. Not sure why Saunders felt the need to discuss the history of writing a short story, in any case.

If you're a fan of Asian horror, you definitely need to read Apartment 14F.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Ashes to Ashes

The stones uncovered by a young couple in the back garden of their new home seem harmless, even useful--until the nightmares start. Now they must look to the past for answers before a malevolent entity drives them away...or worse.

The Girl in the Stones by Sherry D. Ramsey captivated me from the moment the cat freaked out. From Gillian's nightmares to her grandfather's dementia, the author does a great job of building suspense and creating suspicion. After the mystery of the fires is revealed, I wondered how peace could ever be attained.

As much as I enjoyed this short story, I'm left with so many questions, I wish the author would consider writing another story about Alice.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Saying Goodbye To The Past

You can go home again, but sometimes you really, really shouldn't. 

Jessica Bates is a successful paranormal investigator with a new network TV deal, a boyfriend she loves, and no idea of the trouble she's about to find herself right smack in the middle of. 

Nobody told her the location of their latest episode and investigation site. Because they knew she'd never come with them if they did. Twenty years ago, Jessica's high school burned to the ground, killing all her friends while she watched. Now there are reports of strange noises and odd activity in the abandoned school, and the town has hired Jess's crew to figure out what is causing the disturbances. 

What they find is worse than they ever imagined. 

Reunion by John G. Hartness is the best ghost story I've read in a very long time...it has EVERYTHING! The setup has a steady pace, increasing the suspense as the backstory is revealed in pieces. When the paranormal activity kicked in, I was genuinely on edge, wondering if anyone would make it out alive. There is more than one twist in the plot, before the story ends. I wasn't able to predict any of it, and it's increasingly difficult for me to find stories which surprise me anymore.

Hartness writes with such a thrilling style, it's easy to visualize everything in the story...I think Reunion would make a fantastic horror movie.

As always,
AstraDaemon

When Memories Haunt You

You're Not Welcome Here by Jill Van Den Eng is a fantastic ghost story. I didn't think too much of it at first, but as soon as I reached the major plot twist, I sat straight up and rushed to see how it would end. Without giving anything away, this is so much more than a simple haunting. Having the story narrated by the dead mother/wife is the perfect choice. This might make my top ten list for 2018.

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I am one of those idiots that was warned repeatedly not to screw around with a Ouija board, but I did it anyway. During my college year, there was a night my curiosity got the best of me. It didn't help that I had a friend who was obsessed with the movie The Craft. To this day, I'm grateful we used the board at her place and not mine.

We attempted to contact any random spirit, but nothing happened. This is when I have another attack of stupid: I decided to try to use it myself...I felt the centerpiece pull away from me and screamed bloody murder. Adding to my horror, every book and movie my friend owned proceeded to spill forth from her living room shelves, surrounding us in chaos.

We fled from the room, running into her bedroom, jumping on the bed and holding onto each other like frightened little children. It remained quiet and uneventful for several minutes, so we ventured back into the living room, threw the board into the outside garbage and never spoke of it again.

Nothing more ever happened, but I've been fearful of those boards ever since.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Beware of Shortcuts

Warm Shelter: A Ghost Story by Rich Hawkins left me more confused than terrified. I'm not sure if something supernatural happened to Alex or if he just suffered from drug-fueled hallucinations. The descriptions are intense; I felt the cold, smelled the rot, but, if there is a point to this story, it remains lost on me. I don't think Alex deserved to have his life ruined because he took a shortcut in an attempt to get to work on time. I'm not convinced that any kindness would have made the slightest bit of difference to the vagrants. I think anyone who crossed paths with them were going to be screwed.

However, this would be the perfect story to read if you were fighting the flu and full of cold medicine...

As always,
AstraDaemon