30 Days of Creature Features: GOBLINS

They want the children!

Someone is taking children from their homes on Roanoke Island, and gruesomely slaughtering their families.

After a small, hideous-looking creature is discovered at one of the murder scenes, Chief of Police Marcus Hale realizes whatever is responsible for the killings isn’t even human. Hale suspects a bizarre link to the past, to the end of the 16th Century, when the island’s first settlers disappeared, leaving only the word Croatoan carved into a tree.

But something far more sinister than he ever imagined is at work. And if it isn’t stopped soon, the entire island’s population will perish. Just like it did so many centuries ago.

David Bernstein has been one of my favorite authors for years, so I dug around to see if I missed any of his books and found GOBLINS. The story flips between the POVs of the humans and the goblins, which is not something I expected from the author. Honestly, I wasn't sure this would be a good idea. I thought this might make the goblins cheesy instead of chilling.

At first, the characters seem stereotypical for this sub-genre of horror, but they are believable and not the usual close-minded small-town folk. They know something is slaughtering entire families and acknowledge this might not be a serial killer after all. Some of them are even willing to consider the folklore woven into their history is an attempt to warn and protect future generations.

While not as frightening as Bernstein's other stories, I still recommend this one to fans of 80s monster movies.

As always,

Astra Daemon

Cost of Doing Business | Horror Story Review | AstraDaemon

DEEP TERROR by Eric S. Brown is an action-packed mix of science fiction and horror. I can think of several movies and books with scientists disturbing something evil in an ocean trench, but Brown's creatures stand out from the rest...not at all what I expected.

The in-fighting among the crew is full of suspense, but didn't interest me as much as what happens outside of the research facility. I love the battle scenes with the Silt Stompers!

Anyone familiar with Brown's writing style won't be surprised by the ending, but I'm still hoping the author might give a us a sequel. I'd like to know more about the substance being harvested.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Cheeky Creature Feature | Horror Novella Review

BUNNY KONG by Matt Shaw is a cheeky creature feature based on a story told to the author as a child, with characters loosely based on Shaw's family. This novella is mostly character-driven, with good, clean terror, and a touch of dark humor. Proof of the author's talent for conjuring a captivating story from the most basic horror ingredients, without involving any bodily fluids besides blood.

This is one of Shaw's books I can recommend to all readers, unless you have leporiphobia...

As always,

AstraDaemon

Things Week | Unexpected Company | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

The following mss has been extracted and collated from the letters of David Marr Henderson, Chief Engineer, Imperial Lighthouse Service, written while in the employ of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service, Shanghai, 1879.

Henderson has been tasked with building a remote island lighthouse in a politically sensitive spot.

Time is of the essence but something fights his every move.

Something monstrous.

Something BELOW.

THE THING BELOW by William Meikle is a flash fiction creature feature of sorts, written in a series of letters, from Henderson to his wife. Two teams are building on an island, one installing a lighthouse, the other installing a cannon. During construction, a sinkhole opens up a terrifying discovery, and the contents suggest the island may have been home to a Kaiju.

Once the lighthouse is completed, the beam reveals the thing which has been watching and waiting...highly recommended.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Monster Week | Island of Death | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

13 MONSTERS by Eric S. Brown is an oceanic creature feature packed with action and death. Billionaire Matt Drake has built his own aquatic complex to house his collection of sea cryptids, but his security team severely underestimated the dangerous intelligence of the monsters within.

A naval rescue team is sent onto the island without adequate intel, and they pay for this mistake with their lives. In fact, this novella is series of bad decisions made by the characters, resulting in a brutal variety of slaughter scenes.

If you're looking for a horror story set at sea, without the typical threat of sharks, I recommend this latest massacre from Brown.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Vietnam Cryptid | AstraDaemon

PRIMAL FORCE by Eric S. Brown is one of the stories I've been hoping the author would write. Brown has written about so many different cryptids, I wondered if he would include the one rumored to exist in the jungles of Vietnam. There are numerous reports from veterans about the creatures, named after their common method of attack. One could call this novella, historical horror.

The story is full of action, and not as predictable as some of the author's previous creature features. The ending caught me off guard, and left me wondering if the whole thing had been a fever dream or a waking nightmare. I'm recommending this one to horror fans who enjoy monster vs. man.

As always,

AstraDaemon

A Mother's Wrath | AstraDaemon

Desron 22 was on standard shakedown maneuvers when the squadron discovered the Pleasure Bound. The massive cruise liner was adrift, everyone aboard her, dead except for a single survivor. The man’s wild tales of monsters from the deep were hard to believe until those very monsters came after the squadron itself. Now a desperate battle for survival rages on the waves as the firepower of the United States Navy goes head to head with unspeakable terrors no human was ever meant to see and live.

KRAKEN by Eric S. Brown is another brutal creature feature taking place in the middle of the ocean. True to the author's killing style, many of the characters don't last long enough to make much of an impression, but their individual reactions to the attacks kept me hooked. Some have given up all hope, others are willing to fight tooth and nail. As a result, the action scenes are thrilling...my favorite is the deck battle involving Diana and Fox.

If you enjoy movies such as Deep Rising or The Meg, I recommend reading this novella.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Loch, Stock and Two Bloody Storylines | AstraDaemon

 

LOCH NESS HORROR by Eric S. Brown is a novella which mixes Nessie folklore and undead horror with Psionic elements, creating a frightening apocalyptic encounter with a terrifying leviathan. Anyone expecting this to simply be another twist on the famous cryptid is obviously not familiar with the author's writing style. Brown once again reminds readers, a terrible situation can always be made worse, especially when there's more than one monster to battle for survival.

In this case, the nightmare unfolds through two storylines, exposing how a plan to save the world from a necro-virus has fallen apart. One group attempts to make contact with an ancient creature for a cure, while the other group is overrun in their fortress. When the two POVs finally merge, characters are slaughtered on every page.

I also recommend Brown's novella THE CAVE for another dystopian-thriller.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Blood Tax | AstraDaemon

Two fisherman hit the Chesapeake Bay in the midst of a season long crab shortage in order to save their business. If they don't bring in a haul and pay off their loan to Otis Bailey, the King of the Old Bay, they're as good as dead. Unfortunately for them, Otis is the least of their worries.

OLD BAY KING by Donnie Goodman is a flash fiction piece disguising a creature feature as a crime drama. A couple of business partners decide to go crab hunting in an area they were warned about, but their risk pays off in more ways than one. However, the tax on their find requires more than money...it will cost them a pound of flesh and more.

I'd like to see this one made into a SyFy movie, and I'll definitely be keeping this author on my radar.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Pirates, Megalodons and the Old Gods - Oh My! | AstraDaemon

MEGALODON APOCALYPSE by Eric S. Brown is a novella which would make a great dystopian action movie. Think Mad Max crazies battling The Meg in Waterworld, with a cameo from Lovecraft. Not much time to get attached to any of the characters, but they are just elaborate chum anyway. This is a conflict-driven story, complete with plenty of Michael Bay splosions. If you're looking for anything with deeper meaning, look elsewhere.

Brown did such a great job creating this terrifying future, I'd love to see another horror-thriller set in this world.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Not What You Might Think | AstraDaemon

Dr. Leia Carpenter arrives aboard Sonar Platform 1 as the biggest storm of the season is closing in on the top secret research facility. Her job to confirm or debunk the results of the experiments being conducted there quickly becomes a desperate battle for survival. Carpenter finds herself pitted against not only the raging storm and enemy agents but against a prehistoric creature that should not exist- a giant Megalodon with an equally large appetite and a burning desire for vengeance against those who have held it captive.

MEGALODON by Eric S. Brown is a novella centered on a military experiment involving the prehistoric sea creature. While somewhat similar to the movie Deep Blue Sea, the author takes this into a different direction with the naval warfare aspect. I thought this would be predictable, but Brown managed to surprise me several times.

I'm used to reading the author's Bigfoot stories, but I enjoyed his take on sharks much more. I'm looking forward to reading more of Brown's sea creature features. I also recommend Brown's PIRANHA, which features a mutation of the legendary killers.

As always,

AstraDaemon