One More For The Road

ALL THAT REMAINS by Joshua Scribner is more bizarro fiction than horror, even with a zombie scene. Pretty sure the main character has lost her mind, but she makes her crazy work for her.

The interesting aspect of this story is the setting. For some reason, I'm not convinced the post-apocalyptic tale takes place on Earth. In fact, this could very well have taken place on Mars, in the past. then again, maybe I'm losing my mind, and my dog will soon be speaking to me as well.

As of today, I've read over 120 Scribner stories, including flash fiction, anthologies and novels. With a few exceptions, I've read just about everything he's written, so here's hoping he writes more stories in 2020.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Stay At Home With Scribner: Day 7 of 7

CORYANNA by Joshua Scribner is full of suspense. A nurse named Lori begins seeing the ghost of a young girl hanging around the babies. She eventually comes to an understanding with the haunting spirit, but she takes a big risk. The ending is sweet.

Very different from Scribner's usual ghost stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Stay At Home With Scribner: Day 6 of 7

HELL AND BACK by Joshua Scribner is a mix of John Wick, The Suicide Theory and Haunter rolled into a cautionary tale about a career decision. I can't help if any of the story actually took place, or if the main character had a massive what-if moment.

Great example of "you reap what you sow."

As always,
AstraDaemon

Stay At Home With Scribner: Day 5 of 7

THE PAUSE GHOST by Joshua Scribner is the tale of two boys being raised to believe rock music is evil. Despite this, the dad buys them a boombox, with the mother vehemently disapproving.

Not long after they begin using the stereo at night, something keeps pushing the pause button. When one brother decides to unpause the stereo, all hell breaks loose.

---

This story is a trigger for me, and I don't care who thinks I'm crazy for writing this: I had a possessed stereo in college. Now, let me be clear, I am NOT blaming Rob Zombie, but I was playing a White Zombie CD when the disc was suddenly ejected. I took out the CD, and looked over the player, AFTER I TURNED IT OFF. Everything seemed fine. AND THEN IT TURNED ITSELF ON.

I unplugged it. There were no batteries inside of it. AND IT TURNED ITSELF BACK ON AGAIN. Understand, I am not one of those people who gets curious about supernatural events. I decided to give away the stereo.

No one believed me. My friends thought I was crazy for getting rid of a perfectly good CD player, until it began turning itself on, EVEN WHEN IT REMAINED UNPLUGGED. The portable stereo kept getting passed onto the next person, only to be immediately passed onto someone else because everyone decided the damn thing was possessed.

I have no idea what happened to the CD player. Maybe it crossed paths with Joshua Scribner and inspired this story.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Stay At Home With Scribner: Day 4 of 7

OKLAHOMA DUST by Joshua Scribner is a brief story about three people: one has lost a friend, one has lost a boyfriend, and the third has lost himself. Interesting, but somewhat haphazard.

No real explanation for the ghost in the field, other than opportunity. Very abrupt ending. While not as good as the author's more recent work, I don't think this story is a bad as other readers are making it out to be.

This is flash fiction, after all.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Stay At Home With Scribner: Day 3 of 7

SIDEWALKS by Joshua Scribner is a brief story about a young man transitioning from one stage of life to another. Mark purchases a bicycle to explore his new surroundings, excited about his decision to go to graduate school. His cousin David keeps calling him though, telling Mark he would like it better with him.

I thought maybe David had made a deal with the Devil in California. The ending is a huge surprise.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Stay At Home With Scribner: Day 2 of 7

REPLACED by Joshua Scribner is not what I expected. For some reason, I thought this flash fiction would have a touch of sci-fi, but the author surprised me with something supernatural instead.

As far as love stories go, this one is pretty complicated. The main character Greg asks a good question, "Could I love the woman who killed the woman I love?" The ending is perfect.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Stay At Home With Scribner: Day 1 of 7

This week we will be self-quarantining with Joshua Scribner and his short stories...a great way to get in the habit of reading every day.

PULSING by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece about man who exposed to something nasty at his workplace. Without realizing it, he becomes a carrier and infects the children in his apartment building. The ending is horrific.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Alien Probe

FRIGHT REACTION by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction story about a man grieving in an isolated cabin, while the rest of the world is invaded by aliens.

Not only does the author leave readers with many unanswered questions, but the ending is unbelievable. I try to suspend all disbelief when it comes to any fiction, but the number 50 is freaking ridiculous for its intended purpose.

This is one of Scribner's older stories. The shorts he's written in the last couple of years are much better.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Swimmer

THE SAFEST PLACE by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction piece of the bizarro subgenre...very different from most of the author's work. Strong symbolism, but weak plot.

This story is like an episode of Liquid Television on MTV. (Google it, if need be.)

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: 86'd

FANTOS by Joshua Scribner really stands out from his other stories. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, and I don't think I could have ever predicted the ending.

I love the mix of characters, and bringing the tribe and their beliefs into the story is a nice touch to the supernatural aspect.

I think this one would make a suspense-thriller film.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Mind Games

BROKEN RULE by Joshua Scribner is kind of weird. Mark, Mary, Tina and Robert must take refuge in an abandoned house after their car breaks down. The night feels wrong to them. Something dangerous lurks outside, but they remain safe in the house. Unfortunately, there is more than one way to get inside.

While a couple of scenes are a bit suspenseful, Mark's inner dialogue is yawn-worthy, and there's no real ending. Then again, readers are dropped into the story without much of a beginning.

I usually enjoy Scribner's flash fiction, but this time I wish he had written it as a short story instead.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Bad Company

TORTURED SPIRIT by Joshua Scribner focuses on a young woman who finds herself in a surreal situation with several other women. I immediately suspected the psychological aspect of the outcome, but Scribner still surprised me with a supernatural element.

If you enjoy this story, I recommend Scribner's mini-series, DOCTOR WOLFSTONE'S CLINIC.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Switch

FAMILIAR FACES by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction story without much of a storyline. Eric seems to be having some kind of mental breakdown, until the weird visions begin speaking to him. Unfortunately, none of it makes much sense. This isn't mysterious or building suspense, it's just confusion. Even the ending is lame.

For a better Scribner tale, read UNIMAGINED or THE CIRCLE OF DEATH.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Deception

VIOLET LIGHTS by Joshua Scribner is a flash fiction story about a man who sees a weird shadow in his bedroom and feels a small entity lying next to him. His wife tries to explain it away by pointing out their recent move to a new place, but he's not having it.

The suspense is entertaining. The ending is horrifying.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday With Scribner: Trifecta

3 POWERS by Joshua Scribner is a collection of three flash fiction pieces: Scent, Licked, and Onto the Next. The first caught me completely off-guard, and the second story is something of a surprise as well. The third story is the most horrifying.

While this is some of Scribner's older work, the writing style is exactly what I've enjoyed most about the author's storytelling.

As always,
AstraDaemon

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