Time Travel Through Hell

A fledgling blogger, Alexis goes with friends to a Victorian mansion in the mountains with the intention to "practice" her newly found craft. It isn't long before her brother Hadley is visited by a ghost from his past set on revenge. That revenge takes the shape of a demonic being with a large toothy eye that grinds its victims to mush and no one is safe.

EYE TEETH by Jerry Gerold is an unusual haunted house story. Alexis wants to explore an old house with her brother Hadley, boyfriend Gabriel, and a couple of friends. Crispin tries to explain the house is not haunted or abandoned, his aunt and uncle were just suffering from dementia. As soon as the group splits up, all hell breaks loose, literally and figuratively.

There are some terrifying scenes and the time warp is an interesting twist, but the story gets a little confusing towards the end. The author should have taken a little more time introducing the multiple timelines, and, with such emphasis placed on Hadley's teen romance, explain why the unborn baby became a demonic goat boy.

I think this is Gerold's best story since The Reclamation Project, but I really wish he'd hire an editor to polish his writing style.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Intact Is An Understatement

FUSED by Jerry Gerold is definitely weird, but not sure I would label this as fantasy...definitely a nightmare for Jason. He's been pulled into a world  which he's only visited while sleeping. He doesn't realize his dream actions had consequences.

I disliked most of this story, but the ending is so absolutely horrifying, I wish Gerold had written more, just to see what the other women might have done to Jason.

As always,
AstraDaemon

For The Love of a Woman

CRADDOCK by Jerry Gerold begins with a reluctant sacrifice to an ancient oak tree. The author increases the suspense with an abandoned town, a human-size husk of leaves and a frightened uncle rambling about something following his nephew.

I had no expectations for this story. I've always had mixed feelings about Gerold's stories, although readers can always count on him to provide unusual plot twists. In this case, a deadly family secret is unearthed.

Entertaining, but somewhat predictable.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Cursed Crap

When a mysterious box of gold doubloons shows up at his door, Garrett Unger has no idea that time and space will begin to distort, leading him to join forces with pirate Sullivan Cox against an ancient Aztec god.

FIRST GOLD by Jerry Gerold is the story of a family curse handed down from one generation to another. The writing style is very haphazard, leaving readers to question how much is happening inside Garrett's head, as opposed to reality.

The confusion could easily be meant to portray Garrett's frame of mind, but the suspense is lacking and the battle scene reminded me of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. I wouldn't call this horror at all...maybe a supernatural drama, at best.

I've read several of the author's stories, as well as the Reclamation series, and this is Gerold's worst work.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Coming of Age, Literally and Figuratively

Opopanax flowers are not supposed to turn your mother into a demon.

OPOPANAX LIGHTHOUSE by Jerry Gerold has very little to do with Connor's mother turning into a demon. The story seems more like an excuse to write a sex scene with young characters. They backstory with the flowers might have been interesting, if the author had bothered to invest more effort into telling the tale. Lot of potential, but Gerold lacks focus in this one.

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Hardest Part

Harrison Phelps never expected to see a ghost emerge from a pond and speak to him. Nor did he expect it to follow him to the Sullivan House, where he is forced to spend the night due to a blizzard. She haunts his dreams and seems to possess the eleven-year-old Elizabeth who lives in the house with her younger brother. It becomes apparent to Harrison that this girl, and perhaps the boy, have both been sexually molested by their father, who’s body was lost at sea. His spirit, however, is a different matter.

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU by Jerry Gerold is an interesting ghost story filled with family drama and murder. Although the storyline held my attention, the characters had zero depth to them, and failed to invoke any emotions from me.

While I enjoy reading the author's work because of his unusual plot twists, Gerold seems to struggle with maintaining a balance between the interaction of his characters and the action throughout his stories.

This is not his best work. However, I do recommend Gerold's Reclamation series. I'm looking forward to reading the fourth book, coming soon.

As always,
AstraDaemon

I'll Make You Fall For Me

In this short story placed in ancient Rome, Valerius, a self-styled investigator of wrong-doing currently undergoing a bout of amnesia, looks into the murder of a high-born woman whose body was found in his brothel.

THE KALENDS OF MARTIUS by Jerry Gerold is like an episode of Law & Order: SVU, set in Roman times, with a touch of Jerry Springer for good measure. Don't misunderstand me, it's an interesting short story, but the ending made me laugh. I'm not sure if the author intended to create the moment of dark humor or not.

Let's just say, Valerius should probably have learned to keep it in his robes.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Mother's Encouragement

There are two types of tree people: The Pure Ones and the Corrupted Ones. The Pure Ones take over the bodies of the recently deceased. The Corrupted Ones kill people and take them over. The two types are at war. Amelia, a Pure One, elicits the help of Momo and Tyler, survivors of Reclamation Project 1, to combat them and perhaps take care of them once and for all.

Adirondacks by Jerry Gerold is the third story in the Reclamation Project series. I was beyond excited to discover characters from both of the previous stories crossing paths and joining forces. After reading the first two stories and knowing what the Corrupted Ones are capable of, Adirondacks had me freaking out every time a struggle happened.

I think Gerold's writing style is much improved since he first began this series...a perfect balance of action and interaction between characters. I can't wait for Gerold to continue the series!

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Meaning To Tree Hugger

There are trees growing beneath the city streets, trees with human-sized pods growing from them. They need human bodies. Yours will do just fine.

Reclamation Project 2: Abandoned Subway by Jerry Gerold is part of a tree-people series by the author, but this installment functions as a stand-alone. While the story provides insight on the new species and the threat from the Corrupted Ones, it has nothing to do with the events in the first Reclamation Project with Momo.

In fact, Abandoned Subway is more like scifi-horror-erotica than the previous mystery-thriller, as the Corrupted Ones have a rather invasive way of spreading. The storyline is captivating, but I think having Amelia's POV, in addition to Duncan's POV, would have added some extra depth.

The series continues with Adirondacks...

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Wildlife is Really Wild

On their way to a cabin in the woods, Momo and her three friends are concerned that the nearby one-road town does not appear on GPS. If they're not careful, neither will they.

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Reclamation Project by Jerry Gerold is a truly creepy story deserving of a sequel. The set-up is a little slow and some of the interaction between the characters is unnecessary, but by the time the horror is revealed, Gerold has transformed the cabin-in-the-woods setting into a terrifying new experience. I was expecting deranged country folk or a hidden government experiment...I wasn't prepared for the sick twist Gerold delivers. It almost seems a shame to use such an original idea in a short story format. This could be an exciting new series...

As always,
AstraDaemon