THE DEALER OF NEEDS adds a supernatural twist to a story of addiction.
OFFSPRING is a story of desperation with an extremely dark and shocking ending.
HOLOMORPH is more science fiction than the other stories and is a frightening look at the possible future of social media.
BEAST OF WINTER is flash fiction with a strong folklore element, but it's not nearly as good as the other stories.
CHASING THE DRAGON is reminiscent of cultural mythology, with a difficult lesson to learn for a modern man.
I enjoyed reading this collection so much, I wish there had been more than five stories.
Addiction is its own demon...thankfully, it's one I haven't had to deal with personally, but it is a struggle I have witnessed among friends. It's not always a substance addiction...sometimes it's an unhealthy relationship, sometimes it's a self-destructive behavior...hell, what addiction doesn't wreck the other aspects of an addict's life?
The idea that addiction could be made worse with a supernatural element is soul-crushing. It also present the chicken-and-egg question: which comes first? Would an addiction open one up to a demonic attack? Or would a demonic encounter drive a person into something they wouldn't normally do?
Gotta love these stories that find a way to make everything worse...
As always,
AstraDaemon
