Sunday With Scribner: Dragons

FALLING FROM THE SKY by Joshua Scribner is a 2020 release, and much longer than his flash fiction and short stories. This novella centers on a father and son trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world overwhelmed by what they call dragons.

I've read over 100 Scribner stories, and I still couldn't predict the direction the author would take with this story. I love the inclusion of survivors with special needs. I expected a horror story, but Scribner delivered a science fiction story filled with suspense.

I'm in tears over this one...a must-read for 2020.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Killer Crap

INTESTINAL FORTITUDE by Joshua Scribner is centered on someone who has spent his life being attacked, blacking out, and waking up to his assailants being killed, over and over. At the onset of each attack, he suffers severe abdominal pain, and when he wakes up, he finds he has crapped his pants.

As an adult, one of his attacks is finally caught on a security camera, and he discovers what has been happening after he blacks out. Scribner delivers one hell of an ending. I highly recommend this one.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Supernatural Sci-Fi

BLOOD AND TIME by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece with supernatural element. The story is told through a very brief conversation, but held my interest. The explanation for the visit from the young woman adds a touch of sci-fi.

Not the best story Scribner ever wrote, but still worth reading.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Insurance

THE PREMIUM by Joshua Scribner is centered on a man planning a trip with his wife and two young daughters. A telemarketer keeps calling to offer an insurance policy, but Sam refuses to hear him out. After three strange dreams, he finally realizes why it is so important to make an informed decision, rather than a decision based on fear.

The ending is a little abrupt, but the twist is awesome.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Supernatural Thriller

UNIMAGINED by Joshua Scribner is horrifying, especially if you're a parent. I've been stalked, and I'm a mother, so this story really freaked me out. The mom has an anxiety disorder, her daughter has an imaginary friend, and her ex-husband doesn't believe anything she says.

When Scribner reveals the supernatural twist, I was desperately hoping for a happy ending, or a not-so-bad ending, but Scribner takes this one to a really dark place. I'm shook.

As always,
AstraDaemon

A Brother's Wrath

FAVORED SON by Joshua Scribner is a story about loss, regret and revenge. The author could have skipped a lot of the mom's introspection and made this a flash fiction piece. The ending is great, and definitely worth the effort of reading through the slow setup.

On a more personal note, Heath is a total dick. I don't believe for one moment he ever felt any remorse.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Revenge

THE CIRCLE OF DEATH by Joshua Scribner is disturbing in the most unexpected way. If you've ever remembered something no one else seems to recall, you'll know what I mean. The chicken circle instantly reminded me of the viral turkey video, which no one could explain properly.

This is a great supernatural tale, and I hope Scribner stays with this writing style.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Scribner in November: Day 6 of 6

DIDN'T SEE YOU THERE by Joshua Scribner is a confusing flash fiction piece about an incident at a dollar store. Nothing suspenseful, just a strange ending. Not sure what the point is supposed to be.

This week of Scribner has been somewhat disappointing. My apologies.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Scribner in November: Day 5 of 6

IMPLANTS by Joshua Scribner is one of the most perverse stories I've ever read by the author, but I'm glad to see he's written something so unpredictable. Getting roofied is bad enough, but the reason behind it is absolutely horrific.

I think this one needs a sequel.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Scribner in November: Day 4 of 6

WILD BEAUTY by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece centered on a young man trying to score at a party. He meets the ultimate hot chick, but she's rather strange, and tells him to sniff her butt. Predictable, but the ending is a little funny in a dark way.

I'm a little concerned Scribner might be running out of ideas. His autumn new releases aren't as good as his spring stories published this year.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Scribner in November: Day 3 of 6

PRAYING FOR A BABY by Joshua Scribner is an original flash fiction piece, but this story is far below the level of storytelling the author is capable of. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Scribner lost a bet and was forced to publish this one.

If this is your first Scribner story, I recommend you start over with IT NEVER DIED, 3AM SMOKE or SYCOPHANTS, to get a better idea of Scribner's true talent.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Scribner in November: Day 2 of 6

TEARING HIM UP INSIDE by Joshua Scribner is an insane piece of flash fiction, but entertaining nonetheless. A daughter is trying to figure out how her father managed to get out of a life sentence for killing her mother, and his story is unbelievable.

Scribner has created something which reminds me of the Wishmaster movies from the 80s.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Scribner in November: Day 1 of 6

While I'm still trying to catch up on Scribner's old stories, written years ago, the author has released another batch of new delights. Since everyone is likely busy with Thanksgiving plans anyway, this week will be devoted to Scribner's new short stories...

A DIFFERENT GIRL EVERY NIGHT by Joshua Scribner is not what you think, so get your minds out of the gutter. Jessie is usually the one who brings the hot chicks home, but his roommate Bron has been the lucky one lately.

The ending is intriguing, and while some might appreciate the twist, it seems extremely petty to me. Some people should just move on with their lives.

As always,
AstraDaemon

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