Sunday Suspense Short Story

Jack Wrexall leaves his Heybridge home on a warm summer day - only to be embroiled in the sinister machinations of fungal antagonists.

Blackwater by Byron Black is a flash fiction nightmare centered around a young man named Jack. The story is similar in style to a Lovecraft tale, with the character's sanity slipping away in a countryside setting facing what appears to be a cult, as well as other mythos elements, but Black's idea of horror has limited interaction with the events presented within.

I think this story would be better in a longer format, with further character development and more intense action. However, Black does deliver the cosmicism.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday Suspense: A Morbid Tale

Trish and Henry mistakenly turn onto a dead-end street. The wrong street, at the wrong time of twilight, and find themselves in the grip of the Nightcomer. But in this cul-de-sac of horrors these two people, so busily caught up in their lives, will find that there can be only one kind of ending on a dead-end street.

The Nightcomer is the third story in the Morbid Tales series by Zachery Miller. This one is considerably more horrifying than the previous two. I only expected one monster, not the Home Owners Association from Hell. I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would leave the safety of their car, and wander around a strange neighborhood, especially if they think they're lost. The ending is brutal...wouldn't surprise me if Miller walks the streets at night with a bloody wheelbarrow.

This author doesn't do happy endings.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday Suspense: Lifted

I recently read Hoarder by Patti Larsen in May, and decided to read her story Lifted to see if she is consistent with her storytelling. No..not at all...Lifted is far superior to Hoarder. Jenny's shoplifting experience is so original and shocking, I would love to see Larsen do more with this particular storyline...maybe more short stories centered around the store, Curious, or a full-length novel about the store's owner.

This is the kind of story Stephen King himself would enjoy.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Samuel Brower Is Scary AF!!

Samuel Brower is an author that I stumbled upon a couple of years ago, and I became an instant fan. Here at the Lair, I've written about his work a couple of time in the past, Works of  Short Fiction and The Rail Yard Apparitions. I finally had time to look him up again to see what he's been writing...

There's Something In The Walls is a fantastic novella which needs to be made into a horror movie ASAP. Brower first draws the reader in with a humorous introduction to the tenants of the Perkins Building, during an earthquake evacuation. At least, I think it is meant to be a funny hook...I laughed so hard at David in his Ambien haze, I peed myself. Then Brower lets the terror flow, or, rather, ooze from one page to the next.

Something old and ancient has made its way into the walls. Nothing as complicated as Lovecraft's Cthulhu, but a reminder that mankind is not the top of the food chain. Pay attention to the discussions about the people who live in the building because, when everything goes to hell, you'll be devastated when you realize who never made it out.

It's less than 100 pages, so I strongly recommend horror fans add this story to their collections!

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sunday Suspense: The Hunter [Review]

Ben is a normal, hardworking guy. He loves ATVs, the outdoors, and most of all, hunting. While pursing his favorite activity, he shoots and wounds a bull elk. It runs away, and Ben chases deeper into the woods. Instead of the elk though, Ben finds something decidedly creepy, something that changes him forever.

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The Hunter by Zachariah Wahrer is great short story. The hook comes in the form of a lost hunter, and, by the time the main character realizes he is in trouble, it's too late for him to help himself. This story has a Cabin In The Woods feel to it towards the end. The Hunter is a story I wouldn't mind being turned into a full-length novel.

There is also another story included, the beginning of a new series, but I was only interested in The Hunter.

Wahrer shows some serious potantial in the suspense genre. He is an author I will be keeping my eyes on...

As always,
AstraDaemon