Proceed With Caution | AstraDaemon

Shane Murphy is enjoying a canoe trip with a small group of family and friends when he is thrust into a nightmare more terrifying than anything he could have imagined.

THE HIM by Rocky Alexander makes Deliverance look like a fun vacation. This should come with multiple trigger warnings, as the violence is quite graphic. Although this short is well-written, the ending is anti-climactic, reducing this story to mere torture porn.

The one element which could have set this apart from the overdone sub-genre of killer rednecks is barely touched upon by the author. Disappointing.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Extreme Graphic Violence

July 2013, Manchester, UK. A murder investigation team, led by DCI Mark Gunn is assigned to probe into the brutal mutilations of four women found dead from various locations around the city centre. The evidence gathered from the scene of the crimes, and the extreme nature of the women's deaths indicate that the team are looking for a dangerous, deranged maniac. As the case unfolds, and the team finds itself buried deep within the seedy, sleazy underworld of the city, characteristics between the murders increase proportionally with the body count. The only thing that the team cannot find is motive.

BOUND by Andrew Lennon and Matt Hickman has extreme graphic violence, and I really wish this novella had come with a warning. I think some readers are going to struggle with the details, particularly in the first gruesome scene. This is not the first time I've read this type of story, but I feel too much emphasis is placed on the torture and not enough on the interactions between the investigative team. The dynamics seem severely off. The ending is abrupt and sloppy.

I've enjoyed Lennon's work in the past, but I've never heard of Hickman until I read this book, so I have no idea what the latter's writing style is usually like. However, this is definitely below Lennon's ability. I'm not sure if this is one author's influence over the other, or a poor collaboration between two authors, but this is not the quality writing I've come to expect from Andrew Lennon.

To be crystal clear, even if the violent scenes were less graphic or removed entirely, the crime drama aspect is not well-written. This is torture porn.

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

Pray Really Tight

Many people have secrets. When your husband leaves after you lie down to sleep, what do you think he gets up to?

DIVINE DEATH by R.P. Healy is just as violent and graphic as his other stories, but the editing has finally improved. I keep returning to Healy's work like a rubbernecker to an accident. I just can't believe what I'm seeing. I return because I can see the lost potential underneath the gore.

I think Healy could write a solid crime-thriller if the author would stop focusing so much on shocking the reader with torture porn. The ending of this story is as gut-wrenching as when the killer cuts open his victim. The big reveal is the most frightening aspect of the entire story.

I really don't think I can keep reading Healy...the author's writing style is too much like A Serbian Film.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Trigger Warning For Sexual Assault

It is everywhere, watching while you sleep, waiting while you lie in bed. Evil, without shape, yet with any shape, it takes its form. The Black is living and endless, malignant and eternal, and it takes what it wants.

The Black by R.P. Healy should come with a warning. There are two rape scenes, one being quite graphic. The violence could trigger some readers. However, the story reminds me of the movie, The Crossbreed, but set in modern times. Again, I have to stress, Healy needs to invest in an editor.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Healy Is My Nemesis

There's a new show on TV. There are more talents than just singing and dancing. Talents of the flesh, talents of death and dying.

The Dead Show by R.P. Healy is a mix of Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, Into The Mouth of Madness, and A Serbian Film, which is a slight step up from Healy's story, Backwood Babies. However, don't expect to find any quality writing. I imagine Healy either writes while high on meth or worshipping Cthulhu, or some such mess.

I have to admit there is some potential buried under all the sickness, but Healy really needs to invest in a professional editor.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Twisted Tuesday: Mother's Day

Mother's Day by Jack Buckner is a short story that features two characters who have issues with their mothers. I think the author had a good idea, but Buckner spent too much time with the thoughts of Julia and Guy, and glossed over the actual interactions, with the exceptions of the extreme perversion.

It's not as if I haven't read a story with a sickening scene or two, but it seem as if the author included the repulsive details just for shock value. Without a proper balance between suspense and terror, Mother's Day doesn't appear to be much more than a piece of torture porn.

As always,
AstraDaemon