Savage Beasties

PARK CLOSES AT DUSK by D.W. Nathan is the best short story I've read by the author. For some reason, I thought I would be reading a vampire story, but the creatures Nathan has created are much more terrifying.

This story is so action-packed, I wish the author had written a full-length novel instead. If you like Ghoul by Brian Keene, you're going to love the nightlife in this park.

As always,
AstraDaemon

A Halloween Feast

THE LEGEND OF JUDY ROSE by D.W. Nathan is a new release told as a flashback to an old man's childhood. Within the memory, an adult tells the young boy and his best friend about Judy Rose, a girl born wrong and sealed away from society.

One of the friends gets the idea to look for her bones. Unfortunately for the boys, Judy doesn't appear to be dead, but she does appear to be very hungry. While the confrontational scene doesn't last long, the imagery is horrifying.

Not only does Nathan deliver a tale of terror fit for any fireside, but the author promises readers a novel is on the way.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Confusing Abduction

In this short tale of horror, a trip to the supermarket turns into a nightmarish ordeal for a mother and her young son.

Lure by D.W. Nathan is a flash fiction piece about a child abduction, but the twist is easy to miss after slogging through the endless descriptions. I understand what the author tried to accomplish with describing the various shoppers, but it's sure to lose readers in one of the aisles.

I think the story might go over better, if Nathan just skips the shopping trip and skips to the last few scenes of panic.

It's always been hit or miss when I read a D.W. Nathan story...this one isn't a miss, but I've read better by the author. I recommend MUSE or INFESTED, instead of Lure.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sick in the Head

A sick man, frustrated with the homeless problem in New York City, decides to vent his issues on a cold Winter afternoon in the city.

Infested by D.W. Nathan is so unlike the stories I've come to expect from the author. However, it is one of the most disturbing pieces of flash fiction I've ever read. The main character is sick-minded and I wish a bus had run him over at the end.

Nathan does a great job of playing both sides of an issue I often see debated in social media, as well as using one or two other hot topics to highlight the story. Definitely food for thought, emphasizing the fact that real life monsters are often well-disguised.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Don't Get Me Wrong

After a mass murder, an obscure and mysterious horror movie, available only on VHS, becomes the stuff of urban legend.

Brainrot by D.W. Nathan isn't much of a written story as it is a long, dragged-out one-sided conversation with the narrator, who isn't very good at telling a story. I think it would've been better if the focus had stayed directly on the three boys, but the timeline jumps in years and the storyline becomes fragmented. The ending is a huge disappointment.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Story, New Style

In this short horror tale, an aspiring writer drives a hard bargain to achieve the bestseller he's been longing for.

Muse by D.W. Nathan is a flash fiction piece about an author and his muse, struggling to come to an agreement over a story idea. While captivating from beginning to end, I wish more had been revealed about the nature of the muse. The ending is shocking.

This is a story I would specifically recommend to other authors...and this is a thousand times better than Nathan's story, Cursed.

As always,
AstraDaemon