Wanting More From Stories

Dark City Dark Night by Abe Evergreen is a fast-paced story about a man in a dystopian society trying to save a little girl from a deadly virus. Readers are only given a glimpse of his surroundings: an automated city, divided into sectors, populated by desperate and fearful people. Society has been ravaged by one virus strain after another and scientists are struggling to create new vaccines. Most people die from the various strains, but those who don't are extremely violent. Virtually nothing personal is revealed about the main character or his family. I would've like to find out why the man never wears a mask as everyone else does.

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I don't mind having unanswered questions about a story or a character. There's no rule stating readers need to know everything about a backstory. I think leaving the history of a setting unexplained helps keep the focus on the characters, and giving the characters secrets keeps us hooked in hopes we will find the answers we are seeking. Through this process, we are more likely to feel we experienced a story versus being told what happened.

As always,
AstraDaemon

UPDATE: This is the first story in a mini trilogy. Read my review of the second story here.

Motivated by the End of the World

Reserves by Jason Torfin is a post-apocalyptic tale told from a sheltered and bed-ridden young man. While not much physical action happens, the mystery of his father's vision, and the survival prepping that follows, is quite captivating. I wish there had been more interaction between the family members, but the lack of conversation emphasizes the isolation surrounding the narrator.

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The father in this story made me think of the father in the movie Take Shelter. Both had visions of a horrifying future event, but the character in the movie had limited financial means and everyone thought he was going crazy. However, both men are equally determined to save their families. One train of thought leads to another...

If we have a vision, suggesting the future has already been decided, what's the point of trying to change it? Greek mythology is full of people who try to change events, only to become the ones who cause the very thing they're trying to avoid. Is it possible to dream of an event that will take place, but with details which are yet to be determined?

As always,
AstraDaemon

Guessing The Author's Intentions

The Others: Fit For Duty by N.M. Sinclair is more like flash fiction, and far too brief. It felt as though I was reading a summary rather than an actual story. I think the author has a very intriguing hook with the silver-haired woman, but there are only a couple moments with the character and hardly any action at all. I have no idea what Sinclair had in mind when writing this, but, instead of picturing an alien race invading from another planet, I imagined a race of silver-haired fae attempting to reclaim the Earth from humans.

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Sometimes I wonder if I look too hard for a twist or if I read too much into an insignificant detail. I don't know if it's the result of the many different genres I read, or the multitude of stories I've read in the past forty years (been reading since I was 4 yrs old). I rarely accept a story at face-value. I'm often trying to guess how it will end.

I remember writing a poem about writer's block, and several people thought I had written a poem about murdering someone. I don't think I make that kind of stretch with any of the fiction I read, but sometimes my guesses are so far off, I have to reread a story to see where I went wrong.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Damn. Just...damn.

The Fire of Night by Brad Lenaway is an excellent short story and, if the author reads this, please consider making this a novel or even a series. The setting is in the future, after a war between the U.S. and North Korea. Although briefly mentioned, the political backstory is fascinating. I'm not sure I've ever read something so devastating and believable. This is a story I recommend to all readers, regardless of your genre preference.

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I really don't want to get into politics, especially on my blog, but considering the current political climate, this story is frightening in ways I don't want to dwell on. I'm old enough to remember the Cold War, so the threat of a nuclear attack has always been in the background of my life.

I am so used to picturing myself in the middle of an apocalyptic event, I'm not sure I've ever considered what it would be like to hear and see events unfold from a safe distance. I do remember how surreal it felt to watch the 9/11 attacks unfold on live TV, but the attacks were limited in targets and affected area.

If you were in space, would you even bother to complete the mission, knowing NASA probably didn't exist anymore?

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Babysitter Deserves A Raise

Silence by Meg Hendry reminds me a little of the movie, Boogeyman. I like this story, but it feels rushed in some places, and I think Hendry could turn this into an excellent horror novel if she wanted to. I also think Hendry could have included a detailed flashback of what happened to the other children in the house.

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This story reminded me of a family I babysat for during high school. The had a baby, a 3 yr old and a 4 yr old. As disgusting as it might sound, I didn't feel comfortable leaving the kids alone when I had to use the bathroom. Luckily, the bathroom had plenty of open space, so we weren't crowded. Anyway, I sure as hell wouldn't leave a little kid alone in a house that has something dark and sinister lurking in the freaking hallway.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Some Kids Suck

Reborn by Robert Atkins is an unusual coming of age story with a supernatural twist. I think it would've worked better as flash fiction, without the lengthy set-up...took quite a while to get to the action and, even then, one of the characters started monologuing just as things become somewhat interesting. Despite the backstory, I didn't feel anything for any of the characters, so I couldn't get into this story.

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This used to be my favorite sub-genre in the 1990s. After 9/11, zombies became my favorite monster, although the people in zombie stories are usually worse than the infected. The way my perspective changed from one decade to the next, I'm not surprised. Some monsters symbolized the inner struggle of the individual, while the rest represented society and the issues we have as a group, and I am more interested in how people interact with each other...especially characters tossed into apocalyptic situations.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Cutting Revenge

Reflection by Will Hunter is a short story, but would probably work better as flash fiction. Sabeth's life follows a self-destructive pattern, so many of the scenes are repetitive and unnecessary. However, the idea that one's reflection could have its own thoughts and feelings, including hatred and rage, is pretty damn scary. While underdeveloped, the psychological aspects of the story give an interesting depth to the frightening problem Sabeth has to face...in the mirror.

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Some people are afraid of clowns, ghosts...usually some sort of entity...I've always had a fear of mirrors and glass. I've never had an issue with my own reflection, but the idea that one day my mirror self might move out of sync is terrifying enough to prevent me from staring too long.

When I was in my early 20s, I had a recurring nightmare of little demons (kind of like the ones in The Gate) trying to pull me through a mirror. I became convinced, if they ever succeeded in the nightmare, I would never wake up. I was lucid enough to try and change events, such as offering the demons ice cream (a friend suggested that I try something ridiculous), but they only grew infuriated with my efforts to change the dreamscape.

I never did get rid of them on my own...another dream entity showed up, more frightening than the little demons...he scared them away. That particular entity haunted my dreams and nightmares for YEARS...but it's a story for another time...

As always,
AstraDaemon