Supernatural Sex

THE DEMON GUARDIAN by Neil Davies begins with a man hearing voices and seeing shadows. Just when he thinks the situation can't get any worse, his wife, Swan, disappears. Around the same time, a couple of friends find a strange stone in the woods behind the haunted house. After contacting an expert, digging begins on the mysterious site. Eventually the separate storylines merge, and everyone soon learns the area is tied into a Norse myth, in more ways than one.

There's not much character development, aside from a little personal history here and there, mixed in among the interactions between the three groups of people. Most of the story comes across as supernatural erotica, rather than horror. For example, Swan's backseat tryst is described, but not her abduction. The author focuses on the lust rather than the destruction, which makes the suspense more trashy than terrifying.

I don't have a problem with sex in horror stories, but I would have preferred emphasis on the demon guardian, instead of the town orgy. I recommend Davies' Vampire Worms instead of this novella.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Waiting to Follow the Worms

When the first body appears drained of blood, Paul Walker automatically thinks the killer is a vampire. But vampires aren't real, or so he's been told by the local constabulary. But when he witnesses the murder of his sister by one of the vampires, he realizes the creatures are real; they're just different from what the books and movies have led him to believe. Now he only needs to convince the local police before the town is overrun. As he races back to town, though, he realizes he might be too late.

VAMPIRE WORMS by Neil Davies is another excellent creature feature in the Grave Marker series from Grinning Skull Press. The author balances the right amount of personal history with looming danger to present one of the most original and tragic vampire stories I've ever read.

If Davies ever felt inclined to write a sequel, I'd love to know what becomes of the survivors. I'd especially like to see a POV from the military, perhaps Lt. Colonel Draper. These monsters are just too damn gruesome to contain to one story.

As always,
AstraDaemon