Knocked Up | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

BRINGING THEM by Joshua Scribner is too much like one of his previous stories, WAKING UP TO IT, about a guy who has a guardian angel crushing his nuts. This time the character is constantly being interrupted by females who won't leave him alone.

I prefer when Scribner mixes reincarnation with the supernatural. This story is just too weird for me.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Trippin' Ballz | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

THIS WORLD IS FULL OF MONSTERS by Jeff VanderMeer is a difficult story to describe...imagine Rip Van Winkle mixed with Ash from Evil Dead, and throw in some shrooms, and I think you might have some idea what to expect.

The imagery is mind-blowing, and, unfortunately, overwhelming. The storyline proved difficult to follow for me. Told in first person, from a character who didn't understand what was happening to him...I couldn't make sense of it either.

Too confusing to be enjoyed.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Wham, Bam, Thank You Mam | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR by Mitchell Crowe is more suspense than horror...the suspense being the ridiculously long setup. By the time the "horror" is revealed the story is over.

I think this would work better as a prologue for a full-length novel. The main character is an enigma, his mind deserving to be explored further.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Two Enter, One Leaves | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

LOST IN THE FOREST by Joshua Scribner follows a couple camping out in the woods. The area has a history of suicide. The boyfriend argues the people who took their lives are responsible for creating the dark history, but the girlfriend believes there is something supernatural at work. Turns out, they're both wrong, and their assumptions will cost them dearly.

Not really the quality I've come to expect from Scribner, but better than a lot of other flash fiction.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Homecoming | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE by Cameron Chaney has a premise which hooked me immediately: a family with personal monsters. Everyone has their own demonic entity to follow them around, taunting and tormenting them, but each person can only see their own. (Marrying into the family guarantees you a monster, as well.)

At first, I thought the narrator was just being metaphorical, but, no, his family has apparently been cursed or something similar. The pace is a bit on the slow side, but I think it's necessary to get readers on the same level of desperation as the main character.

I wish more had been revealed about the woods behind the family home, but the ending is still satisfying. If you haven't read this one, I recommend checking it out.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Demonic Delicacy | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

It costs more than some people's houses to charter one of these super yachts. The guests expect nothing but the best: The best service, the best food, the best excursions and the best time. They expect the trip of a life-time and Captain Lee and his team will do anything they can to ensure they get it too.

When the guests leave, they do so with a big smile on their faces and a promise that - one day - they will return and charter the yacht again. Better yet, they leave a big tip for the captain and his team... At no stage do they realise that, for most of the meals they've been eating, they have been feasting upon the crew's favourite snack, human meat...

BELOW DECK: HELL OR HIGH WATER by Matt Shaw is my new favorite by this author. Instead of the cannibals being the typical inbred mutants with non-existent IQs, the crew are rather cunning about their new business venture. Switching back and forth on the timeline, past events are served up much like the meat: a piece at a time. This creates a fantastic build-up of suspense, leading to an extremely sinister dilemma amongst the crew.

I didn't know where Shaw would take this yacht of blood, and the ending is shocking, to say the least. I'm fine with this story as a stand-alone, but I would definitely enjoy a sequel...the characters are right up there with Shaw's werewolves, as far as his bad guys go.

Recommending this one to all horror fans!

As always,

AstraDaemon

Off the Mark | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

For the little girl, the terrors hidden in this gothic house are diverse, but also familiar. Until today. Every step, every heartbeat, and every breath, brings her closer and closer to having to face them. The clock in the living room strikes a new midnight—one where everything can change.

OUR NIGHT GAME by Lucas Pogrzebny makes no sense to me. Nothing happens. Also, the narrative voice of the "little girl" seems more like the thoughts of someone very old...not childlike in any way. Completely missing any horror, other than a child sleeping in a pantry.

As always,

AstraDaemon