Pass On This | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

HER NAME WAS AMBER by Matt Shaw begins with a note about domestic violence, which serves as an appropriate content warning. Seems ridiculous some readers need to be reminded this is a work of fiction and the characters are a creation of the author, not a reflection, but...at least they were warned.

While I'm not crazy about the back and forth on the timeline, Shaw does label the transitions, edging his readers on with his teasing writing style. Unfortunately, there's zero character development, which is something I look forward to with this author. Not sure what I expected him to do with the narrator, but the "nice guy" revenge persona is just a disgusting as Amber and her BS.

Shaw is usually much more creative than this...instead of this story, I recommend FROM THE FLAMES or BELOW DECK.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Tuesday Terror: Home Is Where The Heart Is

CAPTIVE HEARTS by Matt Shaw centers on the grief and anger of a man only known as The Doctor. He has lost his daughter in an accident, and Tony has something he wants. Stephanie is tasked with caring for Tony. The story switches between the three POVs. The horror lies within the hopelessness of their situation: none of them are going to get what they want from this situation.

Stephanie's broken spirit suggests she has been there a while, but there is some confusion about her living arrangement with The Doctor. There is a claustrophobic feel to the setting, and Shaw does such a great job describing the conditions Stephanie and Tony must live with, you can smell the human waste and taste the slimy, cold fish.

They do not live in a house. They live in Hell, with each room tailored to their suffering.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Lovecraft Mixed With Marquis De Sade

With mounting debt, and her career not going in the direction she'd hoped for, Jessica Ann took a modelling job at the Larsen's lavish party.

What should have been an easy evening soon takes a nightmarish turn when she finds herself embroiled in an insane plot to awaken The Old Great One...

OCTOPUS by Matt Shaw has been thoroughly ripped on for being torture porn. While the author has always been somewhat controversial, one has to remember horror comes in many forms. Also, when a story is described as "an extreme horror novel," readers should considered themselves warned. Just in case I'm not making myself clear, Shaw is for seasoned horror fans, not tourists of the genre.

With that said, while the story IS fiction, the most horrific part is knowing many of the events within the pages occur in the real world. Perhaps that is what makes people so uncomfortable with Shaw's storytelling: he reminds people of the ugliness and brutality of human nature. Throughout Octopus, Shaw mixes relationships, desperation and depravity in equal measure. The pace crawls in some places, becoming more frantic in other scenes, with the goal of luring readers into the mansion with Max and Helena.

The ending is not what I expected. Actually, I didn't know what to expect, aside from the level of terror only Shaw can deliver. If Lovecraft had a child with the Marquis De Sade, he'd probably be a lot like author Matt Shaw.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Given Decision to Live

Ten contestants were sent to a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean, where they'd be left to fend for themselves for a number of weeks, as part of a new reality television show. After a quick weekend learning basic survival skills, these people were dumped on the island's shoreline with basic rations, basic tools and equipment they could use to document their journey. Also tucked in the supplies were radios with which to communicate with the show's producers if they needed evacuation at any point. The purpose of the show was simple: See if modern man and woman still had the skills to survive away from the comforts every day life now provided them...

... But when things go wrong they quickly learn that they're very much alone and part of a much, much darker reality television program.

THE ISLAND by Matt Shaw is a great suspense-thriller, but it is considerably tamer than the stories Shaw is infamous for. To be brutally honest, the author scares the crap out of me with the stories spewed from his dark mind. I felt the need to ease into Shaw's violent creations, and this novella is a terrifying but safe way to get familiar with his writing style.

The plot reminds me a little of the movie, The Condemned, but the turn of events are not as predictable as you might think. I love the fast pace of the action and I'm glad the author didn't waste a lot of space on the character's thoughts and feelings. I knew it would be a mistake to get attached to any of the contestants.

The format of the story deserves a special round of props. Shaw did an amazing of job of creating the sensation of watching an actual television show, without being gimmicky about it. The very ending had me screaming bloody murder and downloading more of Shaw's stories.

I highly recommend Matt Shaw to horror fans, but only the serious ones. If you're just a casual visitor to the horror genre, stay far away from Shaw...no joke.

As always,
AstraDaemon