Waking Up On The Wrong Side

When Daniel Miller wakes up one morning, something has gone terribly wrong. The power is out. The phones are dead. The house is silent. The street is shrouded in fog. Both his partner and their adopted daughter are missing. So are their neighbors. And so is everyone else in the world. Daniel Miller is the last person left on Earth... or is he?

Alone by Brian Keene is not the usual style of writing I've come to expect from the author, but, man, he nailed it. Keene kept me guessing. I had my suspicions, but the odd detail here and there continued to throw me off.

Even when Keene drops the bomb on readers, I still didn't know what to expect in the end. I felt Daniel's fear throughout the story. Nothing like uncertainty to to turn alone time into a nightmare.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Made For TV

Tracy Franks has never felt the need to find adventure. Aveline, her friend since childhood, lives for adventure. When Aveline convinces Tracy to go on one such adventure with her and her friends, Tracy is thrown into a nightmare she can't wake up from.

Deep Down by Meg Hendry tells the story of four people who decide to explore an abandoned mine. Not much action or dialogue, just telling. There really isn't much in the way of suspense either, being somewhat predictable.

I strongly recommend Hendry hire an editor to help transform the story into the adventure promised in the description. As is, the tale might make a good SyFy movie, but doesn't work well in printed form.

As always,
AstraDaemon

You Are What You Eat

Many tales have been told about the Wendigo, the man-eating monster of Algonquin legend. But how many times has the Wendigo ever spoken for himself?

I Am The Wendigo by Matthew W. Quinn is an interesting flash fiction story told from the POV of the Wendigo. There's just enough brutality to terrorize readers without being too graphic, but I wish the fight scene had been a little longer. The transition at the very end of the story is an entertaining touch.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Ice Ice Baby

Have you heard the one about the girl who woke up in a bathtub full of ice?

Ice by Magnolia Forsyth is a sinister twist on a popular story about kidney theft. This flash fiction piece could also serve as a cautionary tale about stranger danger and blind dates. In any case, Forsyth delivers both suspense and horror in just a few pages.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sick in the Head

A sick man, frustrated with the homeless problem in New York City, decides to vent his issues on a cold Winter afternoon in the city.

Infested by D.W. Nathan is so unlike the stories I've come to expect from the author. However, it is one of the most disturbing pieces of flash fiction I've ever read. The main character is sick-minded and I wish a bus had run him over at the end.

Nathan does a great job of playing both sides of an issue I often see debated in social media, as well as using one or two other hot topics to highlight the story. Definitely food for thought, emphasizing the fact that real life monsters are often well-disguised.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Nothing Lucid About It

Against The Wind by Ines Akinson takes place in France, during the year 1316. The narrator, Rainier of Lyon, talks at great length before beginning the tale itself...not the best way to delve into a short story. Rainier and his group are tasked with retrieving a well-known blacksmith to attend to the horses, which are behaving in an unusual manner.

A supernatural element is introduced, but the author's attempt at terror is lost within all the wordiness. The action scenes are disappointing, especially after being promised a story which would "take fear to another level." Too much emphasis on prose prevents any build-up of suspense.

Towards the very end, the year is referenced as 1312, creating some serious confusion. Just one of many editing issues. I can't recommend this story in its current version.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Bitter to the End

Rumors of the people who went missing from the large national forest at the heart of America didn’t keep its thousands of yearly visitors away. In fact, those privy to the Ozark legend were allured by it. 

Horrified and puzzled by the grizzly scene of a mutilated young man, a park ranger named Clyde Oaksdale and his boss Warren Jean were faced with an unsettling notion . . . the stories may be true, and reality is often times more hair-raising than rumors.

Bare Bones by S.O. Bailey is more of an action-thriller than a horror story, but it's absolutely captivating, nonetheless. I expected the monster to be a Big Foot or something similar, but Bailey created something much more sinister. Revenge and mental instability is a deadly combination. For Clyde, the key to his survival lies within his past. The Dragonfly guys are a nice touch.

As always,
AstraDaemon