Docufiction | AstraDaemon

DEVOLUTION by Max Brooks is a docufictional novel told through a series of journal entries and interviews, not unlike World War Z. When a small community is cut off from the rest of the world by a volcanic eruption, they soon find themselves at war with another group of survivors.

Strangely enough, I was more concerned with the relationsips within Greenloop than the outside threat. Not sure if the pandemic has made me more sensitive to the cooperation between others, or the lack thereof, but Kate and her group seemed doomed as soon as the lack of emergency backup plans became obvious.

Brooks has not lost his touch for constructing a terrifying alternate reality. However, I think the most frightening aspect for many horror fans will be how relatable many of the scenes are. By the time the cryptids enter the story, there will be no escape for the characters or the readers.

As always,

AstraDaemon

P.S. If Brooks agrees to make this a movie, let's hope the film actually follows the book.

Last One Standing

NIGHT OF THE SASQUATCH by Eric S. Brown has a slightly bigger setting than most of his Bigfoot battles, including a city fortress, an abandoned armory, and, of course, the woods. The author includes more variety among his characters. Between the two elements, Brown is able to create more suspense than usual, and keeps readers guessing.

As for my thoughts: Marcus is a walking turd, Chris really does give hope, Joe has more brawn than brains, and Karen is the one I respect from beginning to end. The soldiers didn't impress me much at all. Overall, one of my favorite Brown stories.

I'm still pushing for the author to include more supernatural opponents in future stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 5

There was no warning. No chance to escape. They came suddenly. Naked. Bloodthirsty. Sadistic. They descended upon the Pine Village Apartment Complex, relentlessly torturing and killing anyone they could find.

Fearing for their lives, the residents of the complex must band together. A young trans woman, a suicidal middle-aged writer, a lonely Vietnam vet, a newlywed couple, an elderly widow, a single mother and her son, two on-the-run criminals and the serial killer known as The Exit. Eleven strangers. The only thing they have in common is the unstoppable horde that wants to kill them. If they are to make it through the night, they must fight back.

The Complex by Brian Keene is told through various POVs of the apartment tenants, revealing backstories for each character, as well as referencing events and characters from the author's short stories included in Scratch and Jack's Magic Beans. I couldn't help but feel the tenants could be people I've crossed paths with in the past, giving the story a more personal feel and amping the horror of their battle for survival.

I urge readers to pay special attention to Javier's POV, as it offers some insight into the supernatural entities from Keene's stories, such as Halves. There are just so many great elements in this novella, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. As entertaining as the horror is, I am most impressed by the sociological aspects, particularly Stephanie's last words.

I would love, LOVE, a follow-up story strictly from Hannibal's POV. Better yet, have Hannibal and Javier team up in a story of their own.

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 4

April showers bring May flowers. But as the rain-swollen creeks recede, the residents of one rural Pennsylvania town learn that April showers bring something far worse than destructive floods and property damage. This year, the April showers have brought a crypto-zoological nightmare named Scratch, and only pain and terror follow in his wake.

This novella from award-winning, best-selling horror writer Brian Keene also includes a bonus short story - "Halves".

Scratch by Brian Keene is one of the few stories I've read which genuinely concerns me. I've encountered some mind-blowing oversized creatures lurking in the Missouri River in South Dakota, and I've read about bull sharks making their way into freshwater creeks, as well as other real-life examples of nature resembling the monsters in American folklore, so Keene's story about the nightmare living in a Pennsylvanian stream is just too damn believable for me. I will be keeping a close eye on the tree line in the flood zone behind my house during our next rain season, just in case. Once again, the author's talent for blending fact and fiction results in a rather frightening piece of horror.

Halves is a short story about the usefulness of an outdoor cat. Reminded me a bit of General from Cat's Eye, but the suspense is much more intense, and I enjoyed the POV of the parent.

I also appreciated the little nods within each tale to some of Keene's other stories.

Keep checking back for more Days of Keene! Reviews are being posted on a delay due to more than one family emergency this month.

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 3

It happens in a split-second. One moment, customers are happily shopping in the Save-A-Lot grocery store. The next instant, they are transformed into bloodthirsty psychotics, interested only in slaughtering one another and committing unimaginably atrocious and frenzied acts of violent depravity. Only Jack, Sammi, Angie and Marcel seem immune to the insanity that has infected the rest of the town. But can they stay alive long enough -- and trust each other long enough -- to unravel the secret of Jack's magic beans... Deadite Press is proud to bring one of Brian Keene's bleakest and most violent novellas back into print once more. This edition also includes four bonus short stories: "Without You", "I Am An Exit", "This Is Not An Exit", and "The King, in: YELLOW".

Jack's Magic Beans by Brian Keene opens with, "The lettuce started talking to Ben Mahoney halfway through his shift at Save-A-Lot," and, if you've ever worked in a grocery store, it's not that difficult to imagine the produce telling you to kill the customers. Although, I do have to admit, Keene's level of savagery between the customers and employees far exceeds any Black Friday rioting. I love how quickly the author throws the reader into the brutal action, from kicking and stabbing to running people down in the parking lot.

Without You is a morbid version of the saying, "Till death do us part."

I Am An Exit has a slightly predictable ending...not the usual shock and awe I've come to expect from Keene. However, this story features a character who connects many other stories together.

This Is Not An Exit is a sequel to the previous short story. This one is surprising.

The King, in: Yellow makes me think Keene channeled Lovecraft.

Not a bad mix, but I prefer Keene's longer stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 2

From Grandmaster of Horror, Brian Keene, comes a pandemic tale of survival and terror.

When a freak storm hits, time is the enemy as a government-created super virus gets loose and spreads through the quiet little town of Godfrey, Illinois. But the virus isn't the only threat. There are mysterious forces at play and disease is just one instrument of fear.

Previously out of print and never before available as a stand-alone, this new edition of WHITE FIRE has been revised and expanded, and is considered the Author's Preferred Version.

White Fire by Brian Keene has one of the most spectacular storm descriptions I've ever read, with the tornado being a rather extreme version of foreshadowing. The author hooked me with the unusual pairing of Captain Tom Collins and private contractor Phil McLeod, daring to break away from the stereotypical males usually found in the horror genre.

Having read Take the Long Way Home prior to this story, I'm under the impression Keene has developed a skill for weaving theology within horror, without being too obvious. Adding this extra element takes the author's terrifying tales beyond the realms of psychology and sociology, showing readers how a virus can devastate mankind physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.

You don't read a Keene story, you experience the nightmare. The only happy ending is being able to move on to his next story.

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 1

All across the world, people suddenly vanish in the blink of an eye. From their cars during the rush hour commute. From the shopping malls. Their homes. Their beds. Even from the arms of their loved ones. Airline pilots. World leaders. Teachers. Parents. Children. Gone. Steve, Charlie and Frank were just trying to get home when it happened. Now they find themselves left behind, and wishing they'd disappeared, too. Trapped in the ultimate traffic jam, they watch as civilization collapses, claiming the souls of those around them. God has called his faithful home, but the invitations for Steve, Charlie and Frank got lost. Now they must set off on foot through a nightmarish post-apocalyptic landscape in search of answers. In search of God. In search of their loved ones. And in search of home.

Take the Long Way Home by Brian Keene is a novella featuring a personal POV of the Rapture. The entire storyline takes place within one night, and those left behind, with a few exceptions, waste no time turning into absolute savages. The violence goes far beyond people exploiting the breakdown of society, into pure madness. Steven is one of the few who survives the first night, but what he witnesses will certainly inflict a special kind of pain and suffering of his soul.

While this novella has the quality storytelling I've come to expect from Keene, the subject matter is sure to offend some readers, regardless of their religious/spiritual beliefs or non-beliefs. For those who do take issue, I strongly recommend they read the author's note at the end. I think Keene is more than fair with his handling of the religious aspects, without using his characters to manipulate readers into any specific mindset.

With all that said, this is a very entertaining novella, which is sure to appeal to many horror fans.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Waking Up On The Wrong Side

When Daniel Miller wakes up one morning, something has gone terribly wrong. The power is out. The phones are dead. The house is silent. The street is shrouded in fog. Both his partner and their adopted daughter are missing. So are their neighbors. And so is everyone else in the world. Daniel Miller is the last person left on Earth... or is he?

Alone by Brian Keene is not the usual style of writing I've come to expect from the author, but, man, he nailed it. Keene kept me guessing. I had my suspicions, but the odd detail here and there continued to throw me off.

Even when Keene drops the bomb on readers, I still didn't know what to expect in the end. I felt Daniel's fear throughout the story. Nothing like uncertainty to to turn alone time into a nightmare.

As always,
AstraDaemon

A Kid's POV

Eight-year-old Alan doesn’t like going to school, but when a global pandemic leaves him orphaned, cold, starving, and lonely, he has no choice but to set out on a dangerous quest to return to his third-grade classroom. 

SCHOOL’S OUT, an all-new post-apocalyptic novella by Grandmaster Award winning author Brian Keene, was suggested to him by his son, marking their first official collaboration, and is suitable for all ages.

School's Out by Brian Keene is a horror novella that I can recommend to my friends AND their kids. The focus of the story is all about Alan's level of critical thinking during a pandemic, which has taken his parents away from him. He often references YouTube videos and his parents to make decisions.

During his time alone, Alan faces everything from caring for himself and his cat to stranger danger and feral dogs. Not to mention that Alan is also on the autism spectrum. Throughout the story, I felt the boy's feelings, thoughts, and actions were believable behavior from a grade-schooler facing multiple hardships.

My own son, at age 8, had grown up with a mom writing for horror websites, and a dad performing stunt choreography in dozens of horror movies. My son also acted in a zombie movie (his character even survives to the end), so the topic of "what if" in an apocalyptic situation is something my son grew up with.

It sounds extreme, as well as morbid, but planning for a worst-case scenario prepared my son for common emergencies. Additionally, the "what if" discussions made it easier to address the serious topics in the news headlines. I highly recommend this story as a way to have your own "what if" discussion with your kids. Their responses might delight and surprise you.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Do NOT Give Keene A TV Show

They came to the deserted island to compete on a popular reality television show. Each one hoped to be the last to leave. Now they're just hoping to stay alive, because the island isn't deserted after all. Contestants are disappearing, but they aren't being eliminated by the game. They're being taken by the monstrous, half-human creatures that live deep in the jungle. 

The men will be slaughtered. The women will be kept alive as captives. Night is falling, the creatures are coming, and rescue is so far away...

Castaways by Brian Keene is a savage story showcasing the very best and the very worst of human nature as participants in a reality show are forced to battle another species for survival. Originally, the game contestants were just supposed to compete with each other for a million dollar prize on a television show, but the island is inhabited by a long-lost tribe which followed a very different evolutionary path.

The characters and their personalities are revealed much the way contestants are portrayed on shows such as Survivor, which elicited a similar response. However, instead of cheering for someone to move on to the next round, or be eliminated, I found myself hoping certain characters would make it to the end of the novel, while wishing death on others.

If you are squeamish or merely dabble in the horror genre, do not read this...you won't be able to stomach the violence and gore. Seriously -- Brian Keene is the author I turned to when I thought Stephen King went soft. Keene is so hard, his fans are often left feeling destroyed at the end of his stories. If you do read this novel, and you survive Castaways, I highly recommend Keene's work. All of it.

As always,
AstraDaemon