Wild | Science Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

Billions of years in the future, the Earth is but a distant myth. The sun had become a red giant at some point and had swallowed the inner planets, but even that was only a memory. Now it had shrunk again to a white dwarf. The civilization, which had moved to the outskirts of the solar system, was forced to capture the last bit of the precious radiation and moved closer again. There a surprise is waiting for them...

FACING THE CREATION by Sebastian Steffens is a wild sci-fi ride. The narrator is an intriguing character, and the reveal at the end left me wanting more.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Revisit When They Came Series | Science Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

THE LAST MOMENT by Kody Boye is a short story set in the WHEN THEY CAME series. The prequel, THAT FIRST HOUR is told through the eyes of Jason Parks, an eleven year old running from a waking nightmare, and introduces readers to an alien species that breaks away from the traditional black-eyed, grey creatures. The first book, WHEN THEY CAME, takes place six years after the initial invasion. The main character, Ana Mia, has decided to join the Midnight Guard, to protect Fort Hope. She takes an insane amount of abuse from the other human survivors throughout the trilogy. Ana Mia has accepted her way of life will always be fighting, which is exactly what she does...right to the very end.

Which brings us to this new addition to the series...another prequel revealing how Ana Mia came to be a resident of Fort Hope. The way her parents her react to the attack in their home explains her warrior spirit. As for the rest, I think there's enough to tempt new readers into this series, while giving a nod to those who loyally followed Ana Mia through her apocalyptic journey.

I'm recommending this story and the others to readers who love a good mix of horror and science fiction. These are not your parents' aliens...

As always,

AstraDaemon

BEST FICTION OF 2021 | End of Year Review | AstraDaemon

I decided to do something a little different with my end-of-year list, and categorize my favorite stories by theme. Four really stood out this past year, with most authors using houses, deaths, kids, or creatures. From there, I chose five titles for each theme, ranging from flash fiction to full-length novels. These are the ones which stayed with me, even though I read nearly 400 this year...

I present the BEST FICTION OF 2021 from the Lair, inlcuding horror, science fiction and supernatural suspense:

HOUSE THEME

THE HOUSE WHERE SHE DIED by Amy Cross is a very unique haunted house story with the narrator being the house itself. (novel)

HOUSE WITH ONE HUNDRED DOORS: AND OTHER DARK TALES by Travis Brown includes several house-themed horrors, but the one which gave me nightmares is THE WHISTLER. (anthology)

THE DOLLHOUSE by Bradley Poage tells the twisted tale of a house within a house. (short story)

THESE GHOSTS BLEED by Christy Aldridge is far more horrific than the revenge haunting of a dead wife.

BELOW DECK: HELL OR HIGH WATER by Matt Shaw technically takes place on a yacht, but is now home to a very depraved crew with a rather sick business venture. (novella)

DEATH THEME

A HOSTILE TAKEOVER by Christopher Motz first appears to be following the same formula as the movie, The Belko Experiment, but don't be fooled...this is far more brutal and sinister. (novel)

JUDGE DEE AND THE THREE DEATHS OF COUNT WERDENFELS by Lavie Tidhar centers on the vampire who serves as judge, jury, and executioner to make sure others of his kind are following their laws. (short story)

NAKED IN MY BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES and FOLLOW THE CROWS by Joshua Scribner are both told through the POVs of predators, with a supernatural element. (flash fiction)

THE REFLECTION by Dan DeLuise is my favorite of the Five-Minute Fright series. (flash fiction)

TOMB OF THE GODS by Brian Moreland is a terrifying mix of mythology, religion, horror and science fiction. (novel)

KIDS THEME

AUTUMN BLEEDS INTO WINTER by Jeff Strand is a coming of age story, under the most gruesome circumstances, and then some. (novel)

SCARY MOVIES by Stories From The Attic will definitely appeal to 80s horror movie fans. (short story)

HIDE AND SEEKER by Daka Hermon is a YA horror fiction novel centered on a group of friends who are marked by a demonic entity called the Seeker, after they break the rules of the game, Hide and Seek. (novel)

LORD OF PLAYGROUNDS by Brett O'Reilly is essentially cult versus cult, scam artists versus true believers. (novella)

OF MEN AND MONSTERS by Tom Deady follows a boy escaping an abusive father with his older brother and mother..he discovers his new sea pet is a vicious creature and finds out he's not the only one with a monster in his house. (novella)

CREATURE THEME

WITH TEETH by Brian Keene also includes two short stories, The Last Supper and Down Under. All three are great vampire stories. (novella)

TRAPPED by Armand Rosamilia centers on characters from his previous five Severed Press stories (OGROMNY, THE BEAST, FROZEN IN ICE, THE SEA WAS ANGRY and ABANDONED) snowed in at the same airport during a massive blizzard. (novella)

THE THING THAT CALLS by J.J. Mott is a collection of a dozen short stories by the author. My favorite is LITTLE ONES, and the specific reason this anthology made my list. (anthology)

THINGS UNDONE by Travis Liebert is a collection of 18 frightening tales, full of Lovecraftian nightmares. (anthology)

SEVERED by Joshua Marsella is an action-packed battle with an ancient demon in the jungle of Vietnam. (novella)

HONORABLE MENTION

THE NIGHT AIR by Kiran Revi is quite excellent...I'd love to see this one become a horror film. Revi has essentially mixed themes from the Twilight Zone's episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and the movie Escape Room, but added a terrifying element of demonic hell.

---

Perhaps these themes could be called the four horseman of 2021?

Annnywaaay...if you've never read any of these authors, you now have a list of great starting points.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Pandemic Casualty | Science Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

FIVE DIMENSIONAL DREAMS by John A Connor didn't entertain me as much as his previous collections. Unlike the others, which mix science fiction with horror, these stories are strictly sci-fi. They also lack the variety I've come to expect from the author. Instead, the common theme seems to be: humans are a disease.

I've always thought humans make the best monsters, so I don't have a problem with people being the bad guys in stories, but there's no character development within these shorts. They come across as very impersonal and apathetic. This is quite a departure from Connor's usual style...lacking his dark humor.

Instead of reading this, I highly recommend THE OCEAN OF SKY by John A Connor.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Another Version of Hell | Sci-Fi Book Review | AstraDaemon

Hired to investigate a violent, vampiric attack on a distant mining planet, Grayson and his fellow Vagabonds ship offworld to fulfill a desperate contract.

Regulated by glo, a super human substance injected into all Vagabonds, the team believes they are more than capable of handling the attack on their own.

Little do they know that what awaits them is beyond anything they've ever encountered, and the horror of their discovery takes them to places of unimaginable terror.

VAGABONDS by Elias Witherow claims to be the author's first science fiction novel, and, while this story is heavy with the sci-fi element, the author still delivers the nightmare landscape and hellish creatures fans have come to expect from him. In fact, if you've read THE LAST TOWER and THE FINAL SKY, you're going to love this one.

The characters have some rather dark backstories to them, and the alternating POV keeps the suspense steady from beginning to end. This is so much more than a simple invasion story, and "vampiric" doesn't even begin to describe the horrific nature of the off-worlders.

I'm quite happy with the ending as-is, but I would love a sequel focused more on the glo. Maddie tosses in an unexpected angle I'd like to see Witherow explore.

Even if you're not usually into sci-fi, I'm still recommending this one to horror fans.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Don't Be A Sore Loser | Science Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

FIRSTBORN by Brandon Sanderson is a science fiction piece centered on a young man who is expected to be a great military leader like his older brother. Unfortunately, while the elder has many planetary conquests, the younger one continues to lose every space battle.

For a large portion of this story, it would seem the author is using technology to explore aspects of human nature such as sibling rivalry and family expectations, but the ending reveals a surprisingly simple concept: accepting failure.

In a way, this is a coming-of-age for the main character.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Relativity | AstraDaemon

In 'Sixty second eternity' you'll find the same intriguing mix of thought-provoking stories from the world just around the corner. Everything from the unforeseen problems of dealing with extra-terrestrials to the dangers of loosening the bonds between reality and possibility; from the drawbacks to instantaneous travel to just what does happen if you head out of the universe...and keep going. Twenty-two tales for people who thought they didn't like science fiction and for people who know that they do.

SIXTY SECOND ETERNITY by John A Connor is a mix of short stories and flash fiction with elements of science fiction, horror and drama. Once again, with this collection, the author provides an assortment of thought-provoking entertainment.

INCOMING stood out among all the others...this story alone is worth buying this book. Connor continues to be one of my favorite sci-fi authors. If you enjoy the likes of Ray Bradbury and David Brin, be sure to read SIXTY SECOND ETERNITY.

As always,

AstraDaemon

The Great Wide Open | AstraDaemon

GO OUTSIDE by Adam Vine is a brief piece of science fiction centered on a man's journey into space with another species. Very descriptive and held my interest, but I would have preferred more physical interactions, or a secondary POV from the Hosts.

GENE CATCHER is still my favorite sci-fi Vine story.

As always,

AstraDaemon

No Rest for the Wicked | AstraDaemon

THE GREENWOOD SERIAL KILLER by K.B. Knight is the third book in this series. Jasmine has survived all kinds of unbelievable insanity in her little town, only to have more people die around her yet again. Many believe she purposefully brings the evil down onto herself and others. As if the transition from teen to adult isn't difficult enough, Jasmine must find her way with a trail of blood and corpses.

The author doesn't even try to be subtle with this one. Knight throws his readers into the arms of the killer early on, while slaughtering his characters as quickly as he creates them. If Jasmine had any sense, she'd find a way to wipe the town of the face of the earth instead of risking her life yet again.

Greenwood is very much like a gas-station restroom at this point: one hell of a mess. Can't wait to see what Knight does in the fourth book.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Frankenship | AstraDaemon

DAMAGE by David D. Levine is a mind-blowing piece of science fiction. This is so much more than just an AI story...the author should get major props for describing a war through the POV of a combat spaceship. The ship itself is cobbled together from the remains of two other ships damaged in battle, resulting in a form of PTSD in the consciousness of the ship.

I love all the characters, both human and inhuman, and the ending is absolutely fantastic. I would love to read more by Levine, and I highly recommend this short, even if you aren't normally a sci-fi fan.

As always,

AstraDaemon

TOP 2020 FICTION | AstraDaemon

The pandemic lockdowns gave me the perfect excuse to avoid other people and read hundreds of stories (780 Kindle titles, not counting paperbacks). I must say this year also brought out the best of many authors...I had a difficult time choosing which stories would make my Top Fiction list. I decided to include several categories, so I could include more variety.

In no particular order, I give you my TOP 2020 FICTION recommendations:

SHORT STORIES

SLEEPING BEAUTI by D.B. Green and A.K. Stein is a mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and more plausible than the backstory of the Matrix movies.

FEAR INCORPORATED by Hervey Copeland is a combination of The Belko Experiment, Escape Room and The Condemned, written with the flair of Stephen King and the intensity of Tom Clancy.

ELFRIC by S.O. Bailey is a mix fantasy and suspense to teach compassion for others, especially those who have suffered great loss.

BEST DAY OF SUMMER: THE KEEPER by Clark Roberts is an extremely terrifying short story, especially if you're a parent.

WAIT FOR NIGHT by Stephen Graham Jones is a fantastic twist on a popular legend.

NOVELS

THE GHOSTS OF DAVID BROOK by Amy Cross is a fantastic ghost story.

HORRORFROST by Edward Newton involves an unseen force hunting during a whiteout.

THE MONSTERS WITHIN by Kody Boye is a coming-of-age story with a Donnie Darko twist in a Dreamscape setting. 

SETH by Christy Aldridge introduces readers to an evil entity who wears a paper bag on his head.

THE CHILDREN OF RED PEAK by Craig DiLouie is an explanation of how the unraveling of the world can begin with just a small group of people.

NOVELLAS

TRANSFER by Terry M. West is frightening...The Slender Man and Sinister mixed together to form one hell of a creepypasta.

MELT by Christopher Motz is a mix of sci-fi and horror, and so much better than any version of The Blob movies.

ONE FOR THE ROAD by Wesley Southard is one of the few stories I've read which lives up to all the accolades. This really is a mix of Silent Hill, Jacob's Ladder and Lost Highway.

THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR by James Loscombe is the darkest story I've read by this author, thus far.

PIRANHA by Eric S. Brown is very much like a SyFy movie, but with the savage brutality the author regularly unleashes on his fans...not your daddy's piranha.

ANTHOLOGIES

NO REST by Joslyn Chase is a collection of fourteen short stories, ranging from crime drama to mystery-suspense, featuring the best and worst of human nature.

THE OCEAN OF SKY by John A Connor is a collection of twenty-three short stories and flash fiction pieces mixing sci-fi, horror and suspense.

LEADERS OF THE PACK is a fantastic collection of werewolf stories from twelve authors, such as Jeff Strand and Ray Garton.

BOOK SERIES

ROADS LESS TRAVELED is a five-book series by C. Dulaney. A young woman named Kasey actually has a "Z-plan" in place before the zombie outbreak in the story. While traveling, Kasey and her friends make some startling discoveries about the undead. The story arc is amazing and unlike any other end-of-the-world scenario I've ever read, but the evolution of the characters is what really stands out. Dulaney digs into her creations, tears them into pieces and scatters their remains across each novel.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

PAN by Christopher Ruz is a dark version of the Peter Pan story, mixing folklore and mythology from more than one source. I absolutely love all the sinister secrets revealed through the POV of a Lost Boy named Jimmy. Once the narrator's identity is revealed, this short story became one of my all-time favorites.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY by Naomi Kritzer is a flash fiction fantasy story, and I am BEGGING the author to write more. I love this story. I love all the details, the suspense, but the ending is too abrupt...the interaction is too fleeting.

---

There you have it...my list of must-read stories from 2020. Please share this list to give these authors the recognition they deserve. I sincerely hope 2021 is better for everyone. Stay safe and keep reading!

As always,

AstraDaemon

Fu Sheng Returns | AstraDaemon

BLOOD BONDS by Laura A. Ellison features the Chinese vampire, Fu Sheng, from the short story, A FOREIGN BODY. As with the short story, this novella is also a mix of crime drama, science fiction and preternatural characters, as well as multiple alien species.

An ancient vampire family makes their way to the New Galaxy (not an easy journey for vampires, who still have yet to make their species known to anyone), with news of in-fighting between the older and younger generations of vampires. The young ones are sick of hiding, but the older ones believe the humans will hunt them to extinction, even on other planets. The threat of exposure follows them to their new home. Unfortunately, the humans have spread throughout the known universe, much to the displeasure of the aliens.

You don't have to read the short story to enjoy this one, but I highly recommend reading A FOREIGN BODY first for context about the alien culture, as well as background about Fu Sheng and his few acquaintances.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Space Trash | AstraDaemon

UPDOWN by Simon Haynes is a sci-fi flash fiction piece about a visit from CPS to an abode which is no longer safe. After all, Daniel's dad fell through the floor, froze, and smashed like a plate.

The ending is horrific and shocking, and I love the setting so much, I wish Haynes would write a longer story about the planet.

I highly recommend this one.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Halloween Reading: Consumption Week | If Cthulhu Was A Pug | AstraDaemon

In an apocalyptic, depopulated city, a young man named Bhu struggles to feed his ailing dog, Lucy. Phan, the local pizza parlor owner, takes pity on Bhu and provides the meat Lucy needs so she can survive.

But what exactly is in the meat? And how far is Bhu willing to go to save his dog?

COSMIC CRUST by Alex Sherman is delightful, even with all the horrific imagery. Somehow the world dying doesn't seem so bad, knowing a guy loves his dog so much. Lucy is awesome. I'm strangely okay with this apocalypse scenario.

As always,
AstraDaemon

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the giveaway for this week's autographed paperback.

Powerful Thoughts | AstraDaemon

DOUBLE FEATURE by James Loscombe is a fantastic two-for-one:

MIND READER is told through the POV of a teacher who can read thoughts, and realizes something bad is going to happen among her students.

ALIEN VIRUS is another story about the power of minds, but not as entertaining as the first one.

In any case, the first story is an excellent reason to pick up this title.

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Human Equation

SKINNER BOX by Carole Johnstone is a great sci-fi story, but not getting the recognition it deserves. Evie is on a scientific mission, studying nanites, while trying to survive the physical abuse from her husband Don, who is also part of the mission. She takes comfort from her lover Mas, and they decide it's time to get rid of her tormentor, but Evie changes her mind at the last minute.

Her confrontation with Don in his lab exposes the true nature of the mission, and the author finally reveals Evie's personal history, which is nothing less than shocking and horrifying. As she reluctantly come to terms with her past and accepts what is expected from her in the future, she changes her plans yet again.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sci-Fi Nightmare

He came to the city for a better life. His parents came to find out what happened to him.

Harlan Potts has the answers but do they want to hear them? Harlan knows that what he has to tell them may break their hearts but they have paid him to do a job and he is a man of his word. No matter what the cost, he intends to tell them the truth.

THE FORGOTTEN by James Loscombe takes place in a dystopian future, in which people use cranial implants to connect to The Network. A young man leaves his off-the-grid commune to live in the tech-driven city. When he goes missing, Harlan is hired by the parents, who want to know what happened to their adult son. What the private investigator finds instead is the victim of a virus.

The POV switches between a Network feed, a handwritten journal, news bulletins, and Harlan's meeting with his clients. The similarities between Loscombe's sci-fi creation, and our current reality make this short story quite frightening.

I also recommend Loscombe's short story, VISITORS.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Worked to Death

Humanity has settled space and left Earth to its destruction. Connor and Ines have traveled back to Earth on a preservation project to find the human “jacks” that sacrificed their bodies to prop up the United States’s failing infrastructure. But the jacks hold a secret, one Connor would rather keep hidden than risk the truth being made public.

FOR EVERY JACK by R. K. Duncan is such a frightening concept, I wish this had been a full-length novel, with a detailed flashback to the Last Gasp. As is, the setting is very detailed, in an active way. The author doesn't waste a single page. Connor's POV, including his family history, adds several layers to this story. I'm really impressed with this flash fiction piece, and I recommend it to all readers, especially Ray Bradbury fans.

As always,
AstraDaemon

A Cold Day In Hell

FROZEN IN ICE by Armand Rosamilia is a mix of sci-fi and horror. During an experimental flight, a pilot crashes into an alien aircraft. A hand-picked team is sent to the secret base to find out what happened to the pilot and the military project.

Although background info is provided for each character, readers never really find out the specific reason those people are chosen for the search and rescue mission, instead of a special ops team. Some of the interactions between the characters leaves something to be desired, but the fight for survival is quite intense.

The ending caught me completely off-guard. Rosamilia's creation is almost like John Carpenter's Thing, retold from the alien's POV. Captivating to the very last sentence.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Fighting In Isolation

I'M NOT A ZOMBIE by Amy Cross is a horrifying survival story centered on a young researcher named Maggie Quinn. The setup is long and very slow-paced, and I began to regret choosing this novella. However, once the action begins, I had no idea what to expect from one page to the next.

Maggie is a very frustrating character. For someone working on a scientific theory, she seems to lack imagination on the most basic level. Also, readers never learn what she hopes to achieve with her study. I have reason to believe she was researching atmospheric refraction phenomena (google it), which is ironic, since she had convinced herself she was hallucinating.

I did enjoy the mix of crime drama and mystery-suspense. Each character comes with his own set of surprises, and the ending is truly unpredictable. While this isn't a true apocalypse story, fighting for one's life in isolation is a panic-inducing nightmare worth reading at least once.

If you like mystery-thrillers such as this one, as opposed to supernatural tales, I recommend LIGHTS OUT by Amy Cross.

As always,
AstraDaemon