Flash Fiction Fight

In the blink of eye, the city of New York was thrown into a battle for survival and it was every man and woman for themselves.

YEAR OF THE DEAD by Eric S. Brown is a flash fiction story about a guy who finds himself in the middle of a zombie outbreak on New Year's Eve. The author provides a lot of action in a just a few pages, but the ending left me wanting more.

As always,
AstraDaemon

A Bad Memory

NIGHT SHOPPING by Eric S Brown is the first story he published, featuring zombies instead of Sasquatch. This flash fiction piece centers on a group of teenagers who have had their drinking plans disrupted by an undead outbreak. The three young men decide to grab supplies from a store before the place is overrun, but everything goes wrong within minutes.

There's a six week jump in the story, which creates a lot of unanswered questions, specifically about Laura. Based on this story, I would never have guessed what kind of story-teller Brown would become. I am happy to say his more recent work is far better...but we all have to start somewhere.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Interdimensional Hellscape

THE CAVE by Eric S. Brown is an action-packed science fiction thriller, much like Starship Troopers and The Mist, mixed with the apocalyptic terror the author is well-known for. What begins with a camping trip, ends with bloodshed and destruction. Unable to escape his past childhood trauma, Nick must guide a military expedition into a cave full of nightmares.

The question isn't whether or not the group will survive, but how many creatures can each one kill before they take their last breath? Will it be enough? The ending is shocking...I didn't expect this to be part of a series, but I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

As always,
AstraDaemon

School's Out Forever

THE GUARD by Eric S. Brown is one of his most action-packed Bigfoot novellas. I love the different ways the townsfolk and the soldiers kill the monsters in this one, especially the efforts of Tim and Cato. While most characters aren't around long enough to reveal much of a personality, the survivors make an impression with the various ways they fight back.

If you enjoy this story, I recommend HUNTERS and RISE OF THE YETIS, both by Brown.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Trapped In Virtual Reality

THE LAST DAYS OF MYTH-REAL by Eric S. Brown is nothing like his Bigfoot stories. The premise is straightforward: the crew of a space voyager are in stasis, while their minds are hooked into a virtual reality game. Unfortunately, the AI running it has changed the parameters, and the crew is now trapped inside.

I love the blend of genres within the game...kind of like World of Warcraft mixed with Fortnite and a touch of Westworld. The characters are diverse and completely awesome, and they provide some spectacular action within the battles. Even the dialogue is exciting. Long-time fans of Brown will also love the inclusion of Squatch.

I'd love a sequel to follow-up on the ship's original mission.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Last One Standing

NIGHT OF THE SASQUATCH by Eric S. Brown has a slightly bigger setting than most of his Bigfoot battles, including a city fortress, an abandoned armory, and, of course, the woods. The author includes more variety among his characters. Between the two elements, Brown is able to create more suspense than usual, and keeps readers guessing.

As for my thoughts: Marcus is a walking turd, Chris really does give hope, Joe has more brawn than brains, and Karen is the one I respect from beginning to end. The soldiers didn't impress me much at all. Overall, one of my favorite Brown stories.

I'm still pushing for the author to include more supernatural opponents in future stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Ouija Revenge

STRAWS by James Baaack and Eric S. Brown is a revenge story, but not as predictable as one might think. The setup is a little on the long side, and there isn't much to the characters, but the ending is great. I do wish more time had been spent on Kathie and Billy's interactions, and I would have liked the two goth girls to have more scenes as well, but the death scenes are creative.

If you're expecting anything like Brown's Bigfoot stories, you'll be disappointed, as the style is more of Baaack's. This is kind of like an 80s horror movie condensed into a short story.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Hiking Into Hell

BIGFOOT TRAIL by Eric S Brown blends folklore and the supernatural into this brutal battle, setting this story apart from others in this crypto genre. The author immediately begins with the slaughter of some campers, following up with forest rangers, hikers and more, leaving readers to wonder if anyone will make it out of the woods alive.

If you're looking for deep characters or complicated storylines, move along. This is written for action fans who appreciate all the different ways Bigfoot can destroy anyone foolish enough to enter the forest of death.

I also recommend reading Brown's HUNTERS, as well.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sci-Fi Yeti Battle

RISE OF THE YETIS by Eric S. Brown takes place in a dystopian future, with severely limited resources and corporations controlling every detail of daily life. There is just enough sci-fi mixed to create a desolate crypto-nightmare which stands out from most of the author's previous stories.

Not only is there a lot of action, but the drama between the corporate scumbags and the working class is pretty intense. People either tow the company line or become instantly homeless and starve to death. In this case, workers are forced into a doomed mission to retrieve a creature for the big bosses on the mainland.

The ending is gut-wrenching, literally and figuratively.

As always,
AstraDaemon