Severe Consequences | AstraDaemon

THE JINXED JUNIPER TREE by Victor Vilestone has made me completely paranoid about planting my garden this year, without consulting some tinkers first. Pete ignores a warning about planting his juniper tree on the night of the full moon, ignores it, and his life falls apart within a week. When he finally accepts this is more than just bad luck, he discovers the way to break the curse is horrifically morbid.

I enjoy Vilestone's stories, but this is another one which makes think the author isn't pushing himself enough. The disgusting scene with Pete and Sally seems like a missed opportunity to introduce yet another curse. After all, he was supposed to follow the instructions exactly, and, well, he decided to get a little freaky for a few moments.

Some readers might be tempted to write off the author as predictable, but I feel this is the year Vilestone is going to catch us all off guard.

As always,

AstraDaemon