Faulty Appliance | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

Going to be reviewing a lot of short stories and flash fiction this month...

---

THE FRIDGE by J.R. Rain is a nightmare with layers...not getting the product as described, being forced to endure someone else's will, and more. While captivating, I do wish the author had written more about the history of the fridge.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Kindle Challenge | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

Life is hard enough for a teenage girl in 1950s suburbia without having a mother who may—or may not—be a witch. A single mother at that. Sure, she fits in with her starched dresses, string of pearls, and floral aprons. Then there are the hushed and mystical consultations with neighborhood women in distress. The unsavory, mysterious plants in the flower beds. The divined warning to steer clear of a boyfriend whose fate is certainly doomed. But as the daughter of this bewitching homemaker comes of age and her mother’s claims become more and more outlandish, she begins to question everything she once took for granted.

MY EVIL MOTHER by Margaret Atwood isn't something I'd normally choose for myself, but I read it for the Kindle Campfire Challenge. I found the relationship between mother and daughter intriguing, but I'm not sure if I read a family drama, a supernatural tale or both. The ending is fantastic.

If you're into sci-fi and/or fantasy, approach this like a palette cleanser. Well-written, in any case.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Blah | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

SAFE AGAIN by Bradley Poage is one of the worst stories I've read by this author. No action, boring characters, very little suspense.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Trust Issue | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

COOKED ALIVE by Bradley Poage is a flash fiction story about revenge, but the ending is quite unexpected. Worth a read.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Lady of the Night | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

THE WHISPER by Bradley Poage is too predictable for my liking. The author usually has more suspense in his stories.

THE CREEK and THE DOLL are much better.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Monsters Within | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

HATCHLINGS by Bradley Poage is a mix of science fiction and horror. Reminded me a little of the movie Night of the Creeps.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Creepy Dummy | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

THE CURSE OF MILEY by Bradley Poage features a husband who appears to be controlled by a dummy from his childhood. Kind of has a Tales From the Darkside vibe.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Difficult Customer | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

PET PEEVES by Bradley Poage centers on a customer who prefers one particular cashier at a store, but the cashier can't stand him. Very believable with a dark ending.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Death Run | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

THROTTLE by Joe Hill and Stephen King is a thrilling short about bikers being run down by a semi truck. The bikers are returning from the scene of a brutal murder, and they are divided on what their next move will be.

As they continue on their journey, a familiar truck begins eliminating their numbers. As they struggle to stay ahead of certain death, father and son must overcome their differences to help one another.

Towards the end, the father discovers the reason the trucker went on his rampage, which leads to a final confrontation with his son.

Great action story.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Not Like Old Shaw | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

THE DOOR TO EVERYWHERE by Matt Shaw held my attention from beginning to end, but I'm not impressed in any way. No character development, no real action...jarring ending without resolution. Not really horror, and pretty bland compared to what the author usually writes.

Shaw's recent stories are not nearly as entertaining as his creations from previous years. I hope he's not burning out. I miss his cosmic horror filled with supernatural creatures.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Compromised | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

When special investigator Cort Davies accepts a deliver for a local biker gang, he sets into motion the dangerous conclusion to a long-term undercover assignment. Every moment of the following twenty-four hours has been planned and plotted to insure success, but all it takes is one command from the gang leader to unravel months of planning. A move that will put both Cort and the package–a woman bound and gagged in the trunk of the car–into a life or death fight they never planned on.

INFALLIBLE by Ruby Ransom is a decent crime drama, but seems more like a few chapters of a bigger story.

I hope the author will consider writing a full-length novel.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Difficult Navigation | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE REPORTER by Daniela Tomova begins as an unusual acceptance of a world filled with revenants, making use of them for entertainment, and ends as a wicked mind trip.

I'll admit the unfolding of events at the end of the race went right over my head. I didn't understand any of it. So, even though the story held my interest from beginning to end, I wasn't able to fully enjoy it...I'm not a fan of stories which make me feel stupid.

Good luck to anyone else who attempts to navigate the ending.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Family Time | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

PLOP by Samuel Small is a short story revealing the reason a man appears to be living in a haunted house. Pretty gruesome with satisfying ending.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Sci-Fi Twist | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

THE GUARDIAN by Bradley Poage is a flash fiction story with a mix of horror and sci-fi.

While this story is pretty good, I recommend THE CREEK and THE DOLLHOUSE, both by Poage.

As always,

AstraDaemon

A Murder | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

CROWS by Bradley Poage serves as warning not to mess with nature. Pretty straight-forward...I had hoped for a twist at the end.

As always,

AstraDaemon

All About You | Warhammer Horror Review | AstraDaemon

For many long years through the Age of Chaos, the lands of Ghyran suffered under the yoke of the servants of Nurgle. Disease wracked the lands, and life became an unending cycle of horror and misery. Then came light, in the form of the Stormcast Eternals, Sigmar's celestial heroes. Yet light cannot destroy darkness, as Bered Davan has learned. A witch hunter, he is no stranger to the vile things that lurk in the Mortal Realms, but as he hunts the source of a contagion, he will be tested as never before...

THE HUNT by David Annadale is told through second-person, and this ruined the story for me. I didn't feel any connection to Bered, so I didn't care what happened to him.

Annadale's story THE VINTAGE is a far better Warhammer short.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Slow Death | Warhammer Horror Review | AstraDaemon

Life in the wild places of Shyish is not as life elsewhere in the Mortal Realms. How could it be, when Shyish is the Realm of Death itself? For one inhabitant of that benighted land, the dream of life within death becomes a nightmare when dark invaders come to Shyish and takes their skull for the pleasure of a dark god. Yet even death isn't always permanent in Nagash's domain, and the sole warrior has the chance to fight again and avenge themselves on their foes…

SKULL THRONE by Jake Ozga is a great mix of suspense and horror. The POV offers a thrilling twist towards the end.

I recommend both this short and Ozga's story, ABERATION.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Sci-Fi Drama | Warhammer Horror Review | AstraDaemon

On the agri world of Ballard's Run, an invasive alien weed is killing the crops and blighting the farmers who have dedicated their lives to working the land. Kavel is one such labourer. A former member of the planet's militia, he lost his family fighting the orks a decade ago. Now the so-called 'warrior weed' threatens to take all that he has left. But fate has other plans for him… A chance encounter with a wounded woman sets him on a collision course with a group that plans to bring destruction to Ballard's Run – and nothing will stand in their way.

THE CHILD FORETOLD by Nicholas Kaufmann is a short sci-fi story with a couple of unexpected twists. Good balance of action and introspection.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Shocking | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

HAPPY NEW YEAR by Bradley Poage is an extreme horror short, and I was not prepared for the brutal ending. Consider yourself warned.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Lopez On My Radar | Zombie Horror Review | AstraDaemon

TIL DEATH DO US PART by A. Lopez Jr. is a terrifyingly tragic apocalypse story. After all hell breaks loose at their workplace, Alex and Ian are both desperate to make their way back to their families. The outbreak spreads so quickly, the news stations don't even have time to speculate about the sudden violence.

There is one detail which continues to drive me quite mad: when Alex speaks to his wife Kelly on the phone, what she describes and what he sees do not line up. I will always wonder if Kelly exaggerated events and overreacted to the situation.

In any case, I love this undead thriller, and I hope there's a sequel following Ian's POV.

As always,

AstraDaemon