Penzig Should Put People in the Basement More Often

Guy Wakes Up In A Basement by T.L. Penzig reminded me of another story I read earlier this year about a guy waking up with amnesia, Pursuit. However, this story is far better than the other. Penzig uses everything from setting to suspense to dark humor to bring readers into the mind of Arthur, the guy who wakes up in the basement. When Arthur receives additional injuries during his exploration, I swear my head hurt too.

The ending is outstanding. The dramatic identity reveal could have sufficed, but Penzig goes above and beyond with a sinister discovery about Arthur's predilections and his "so what" attitude, complete with smugness. This story would've made the Crypt Keeper proud.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Weird Wednesday: Pursuit

A man wakes up in a cell with his hands tied and no memory of who he is or what has happened. The cell is in the middle of a forest. As he makes his way out, he starts having flashes of memory. He also makes a few horrifying discoveries within the woods.

The author does a great job of making the reader feel the loss and confusion of the mystery man, but the flashbacks don't reveal much. The ending was unexpected, but, again, nothing much is revealed about what actually happened to the character in the first place.

Would have been better as a flash fiction piece.

As always,
AstraDaemon