Go Through Hell For Charity

AT HELL'S GATES: BOUND BY BLOOD donates proceeds to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. This third volume focuses on the dark side of family:

LITTLE LOST LAMB by Patrick D'Orazio is a suspense story about a religious foster couple accepting a challenge.

THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT by C.T. Phipps is a post-apocalyptic tale about a diabetic father rescuing his wheelchair bound daughter from a cult.

MONSTERS by Sharon Stevenson recalls a father-son moment in an apocalypse.

THE RIDE by Sean T. Smith is a drama about breaking a vicious cycle of violence.

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEESAW by Stephen Kozeniewski is one of the freakiest zombie stories that I've ever read.

SPENCER FAMILY TRADITION by Stevie Kopas is the most disturbing family tradition EVER.

ROAD TRIP by Curran Geist is a fantastic sci-fi story filled with horror and is one of my favorites.

A MOTHER'S HEART by S.G. Lee is a twisted adoption story with a dramatic ending.

BEAUTIFUL SAVAGE by Devan Sagliani is an interesting perspective of a zombie outbreak.

PLANETOIDS, PRIVATEERS, AND OLDER THINGS by S.P. Durnin is a sci-fi story that would impress Lovecraft...with a touch of humor.

DAMAGED by Tim Marquitz is a story about domestic abuse with a supernatural twist.

THE MOTHER TONGUE by Terry Maggert is a vampire story with a religious theme.

THROUGH MOURNING by Brian W. Taylor is about a father missing his daughter.

NIGHTMARES DO COME TRUE by Suzanne Robb is a fantastic and horrific twist on werewolf lore.

LOVE THAT BINDS by Mikhail Lerma is a father-daughter moment in the apocalypse.

THE COFFIN IN THE REEDS by RJ Kennett warns that some things should be left unopen.

IN MINT CONDITION by David Sakmyster is a classic suspense story that is another favorite of mine.

ARM-RINGS AND HACK-SILVER by Christine Morgan is a tale about dysfunctional Norse family.

BLOOD TYPE by Paul Mannering takes the vampire genre to a new, scary place.

NEIGHBORS GOOD AND FAIR by Douglas Draa is a novella about a folklore nightmare.

FROM DARKNESS WE COME by Kerry Alan Denney is a frightening kidnapping.

DOMINIC by Shana Festa is a terrifying zombie short.

SACRIFICE by TM Caldwell is a great fantasy story about demonic possession.

A MATTER OF PERCEPTION by Lesa Kinney Anders is one of the best in the collection, with incredible narration from a young boy.

WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN by Sarah Lyons Fleming is a hellish homecoming.

THE MOTHER IN THE LAKE by Chris Philbrook has a Lovecraft element and is one of the most chilling stories in this anthology.

SUGAR AND SPICE AND SOMETHING NOT SO NICE by M. Lauryl Lewis shows how awful a dog bite can get.

NO MAN LEFT BEHIND by Timothy W. Long features a battle of epic proportions...great story to end on.

At Hell's Gates: Bound By Blood is an excellent assortment of both new and established horror authors who twist and distort several sub-genres to create numerous versions of Hell. This includes quality storytelling without the stereotypical genre gimmicks, and horror fans will enjoy this creative effort for a worthy cause.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Favorite Monster??

October is easily my most favorite month. The weather is cooling down, the insects are dying, and the Autumn colors come out. Of course, October also has my favorite holiday: Halloween. What better way to celebrate than to dive into the horror genre? This week we will begin with the monsters.

I remember a time when the most popular creatures were vampires, mummies and zombies. Over time, all three have evolved in so many different ways, there are no set rules, making many horror stories unpredictable in the most savage and entertaining ways. "Preternatural" has become its own subgenre, with cross-breeding between the various species, including fae (ex: BLOOD series by Ruth Miranda).

We have also witnessed the urban legends, such as Bigfoot, become one of the top killers of both humans and other predators. For example, HUNTERS by Eric S. Brown, which features a battle between two famous forest fiends. Another great twist on a legend is NIKOLIS COLE by Richard Black, centered on a headless horsemen who hunts down street thugs.

Many others have broken into horror from science fiction and crime drama, and twisted entire communities into a monster mash. K.B. Knight has put the town of Greenwood through hell in his series with aliens, hauntings and, coming soon, a serial killer. Lori Titus has created multiple nightmares within the town of Chrysalis. Other authors, such as Stephen A. North and Suzanne Robb, have abandoned the land and unleashed their monsters into the water.

Last but not least, are the stories which brought us new horror icons. Elias Witherow brought horror fans Tommy Taffy, who makes Freddy and Jason look like kittens. Kody Boye introduced readers to the Grays and their pets, and they aren't the kind you'll find in Area 51.

So, which monster is your favorite? Are you a fan of a classic creature or a new abomination?

As always,
AstraDaemon

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In order to win an autographed copy of Zombies Inside by Rebecca Besser and Courtney Rene (unfortunately, only signed by Besser), leave a comment on this post before October 5th. Tell us why you like a particular fiend. Someone will be randomly selected by horror author Ruth Miranda and the winner* will be announced on Sunday, October 6^th.

*giveaway is only open to those living in the U.S., Canada and the UK, due to shipping & handling costs

Z-Boat Finale

Ally Lane survived the sinking of the Betty Loo, escaped imprisonment, and averted an all-out war between the nations that would have destroyed the world.

Now she is faced with her greatest challenge. She must cross the country, avoiding hordes of the undead and groups of people willing to do anything to survive. 

While she travels with a rag tag group of survivors and new additions, the reality of their situation hits home. There are worse things out there than the zombies, and she can only think of one solution for them to live.

Z-End by Suzanne Robb begins a few months after Z-Topia ends. Ally is severely underappreciated, she is surrounded by people going insane, and the new zombie mutation has made the undead nearly impossible to kill. Despite everything that happened in the first two books, Ally has found a few people to care about, and she is determined to find a safe place for them. She just needs to stay alive long enough to see her plan through.

More details are revealed about the source of the outbreak, but Ally is more concerned with uncovering the reason for the downfall of several other survivor groups, before she loses what little she has left. It's looking like the end of the human race, once and for all.

Robb does an excellent job of mixing mystery and suspense into the horror of her zombie series!

As always,

AstraDaemon

Z-Boat Book Two

Ally Lane wakes up aboard a cargo ship dazed and confused. She has survived the explosion of the Betty Loo only to discover she's in more danger than ever. The captain has a hold full of zombies and the doctor on board is out for himself. The reality of what is happening hits her when she sees a map of the infected areas.

Armed with the truth, Ally must find a way to let as many people know what is really going on. She runs into a snag when the captain betrays her, turning her over to an enemy from a past she'd rather not remember.

Z-Topia by Suzanne Robb is the second book in the Z-Boat series. The post-apocalyptic future Robb created seems like a strong possibility - a frightening future. It reminds me of a quote that I recently read, "One day the only thing left for the poor to eat will be the rich."

Society has turned into a savage struggle for survival: food shortages, brown drinking water (if any water at all) and multiple families sharing one apartment...just to mention a few highlights of daily life. No more governments - just three major firms running the world, and the US is not one of them.

As if the self-induced apocalypse wasn't bad enough, a secondary apocalypse has unfolded in the form of a worldwide zombie outbreak (which spread through the limited water supply). While the main character, Ally (sole survivor from the events of the first book), sets out on a revenge mission, she realizes a third apocalyptic wave is unleashing a new nightmare in the form of stronger, more bullet-resistant zombies. Oh, and they're smart too.

Robb packs the pages with espionage, drama, brutality and character-intensive action. I can't wait for the third book!

As always,

AstraDaemon

Undead Underwater

Ally Lane is the pilot and navigator of the The Betty Loo, a search and rescue submarine. She took refuge from her demons on the sub a decade ago.

Brian Kingston, a captain with good intentions but a heavy drinking problem, jumps at the opportunity to make more money than he can imagine on a deep-sea dive aboard the search and rescue submarine, The Betty Loo. He quickly discovers just what he’s gotten himself, and his crew, into. The Betty Loo will be going to suicidal depths on a mission to rescue The Peacemaker, a sub once thought to be unsinkable. After receiving an anonymous threat on the day of departure, Brian is left with no choice but to continue on the mission. 

But the depths of the sea aren’t the only problems ahead. New crewmembers arrive, and seeds of distrust are sown within hours. And, upon arrival to The Peacemaker, he realizes that though not all the bodies are dead, there is no one to rescue. The crew members, both old and new, have to trust one another and fight for their lives against the adapting undead or join them in the floating graveyard that is The Peacemaker.

Z-Boat by Suzanne Robb is more mystery-thriller than a horror novel. While the first 1/4 is a painfully slow set-up of the characters and setting, it's obviously necessary. I know a lot of readers that would be tempted to give up, and, if they did, they would miss the fantastic writing in the rest of the book. Robb has a real flair for the dramatic, and knows how to reach in & twist your guts.

The prologue is a nice touch, but depressing as hell. The new world powers are Russia, Israel, and North Korea. Drinking water has to be mined from the Moon. On a mission to find a new sources of energy in the ocean, the crew of a submarine are being slaughtered by some unknown enemy, and send out an SOS. The chain of events in the prologue really sucked me into the book, but the pace of the story came to a crawl as the timeline jumped ahead six months to a rescue mission.

Robb does a thorough run-down of the characters' descriptions, including some brief personal background info, and switches the POV among them for the duration of the story...but it takes time to get everyone into place for the unfolding drama. It's like the characters of Deep Rising, in the setting of The Hunt for Red October, with some elements of Resident Evil, and some fabulous original writing by Robb.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Throwback Thursday: ZOMBIES

Zombie: The Other Fright Meat
edited by Matt Nord
195 pages
$2.99 Kindle version

Many of the best authors in the genre are in this anthology:

CICADA by Patrick D'Orazio features a timeline that moves with the 17yr life cycle of cicadas in a local area - fabulous hook! And an excellent start to the collection!

THE ZOMBIE PRINCE by James S Dorr is written like a fairytale of the undead. The Grimm Brothers would be disturbed.

FIDAY NIGHT AT THE CHA-CHA GRILL by Matthew R Davis has a unique description of zombies, and an unusual take on how the zombie virus spread.

GREED by Jeffrey A Angus is a great tale of what characters should NOT do...ever.

BRIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD by Thomas M Malafarina has a very different POV that I really enjoyed as a fan of the genre.

CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED by Monique Snyman has a real sweet touch with the vaccination angle in this story.

A GOOD FATHER by Suzanne Robb is extremely disturbing - the way horror is SUPPOSED to be.

NO TIME FOR POETS by William RD Wood is one of my favorites in this anthology; I loved how the author connected the past and present in a post-apocalyptic world. Nice job.

HOW TO DISAPPEAR INTO A ZOMBIE KILLING MACHINE AND NEVER BE FOUND AGAIN by David Perlmutter elicited zero sympathy from me; I really hated the character telling the story.

THE ONCE AND FUTURE AGENT DEAL: A.S.P.A.R.C. STORY by Jason T Countryman is THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE story in the collection.

SAFE by Matt Nord: shame on you, Nord, for teasing readers with such a short piece and not lasting longer!!

BEMOANED, INC. by TL Decay is a story that I could see happening, seriously. Be concerned. Be very concerned.

YOUTUBE: PUNCHING ZOMBIE by Candace Gleave is HILARIOUS! I feel bad about how much I liked this story.

LIEUTENANT JAVORSKY AND HIS ZOMBIE-COMMANDOS by Sean T Page would make a GREAT movie. Get on that, Page.

THE ZOMBIE ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET by Dale Elster actually gave me a nightmare!

DAY 96 by Matthew Shafeek is a nice bit of flash fiction.

SKELETOWN by Jason M Bloom is one of the most nightmarish, in a VERY perverse way.

FAITHFULLY by Steven McGuire is an entertaining revenge tale.

A NIGHT IN THE ATTIC by Robin Eduardo is told through a child's POV.

Overall, a fantastic collection of all the new directions that authors are taking the zombie genre!

As always,
AstraDaemon