Confusing Abduction

In this short tale of horror, a trip to the supermarket turns into a nightmarish ordeal for a mother and her young son.

Lure by D.W. Nathan is a flash fiction piece about a child abduction, but the twist is easy to miss after slogging through the endless descriptions. I understand what the author tried to accomplish with describing the various shoppers, but it's sure to lose readers in one of the aisles.

I think the story might go over better, if Nathan just skips the shopping trip and skips to the last few scenes of panic.

It's always been hit or miss when I read a D.W. Nathan story...this one isn't a miss, but I've read better by the author. I recommend MUSE or INFESTED, instead of Lure.

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Story, New Style

In this short horror tale, an aspiring writer drives a hard bargain to achieve the bestseller he's been longing for.

Muse by D.W. Nathan is a flash fiction piece about an author and his muse, struggling to come to an agreement over a story idea. While captivating from beginning to end, I wish more had been revealed about the nature of the muse. The ending is shocking.

This is a story I would specifically recommend to other authors...and this is a thousand times better than Nathan's story, Cursed.

As always,
AstraDaemon

TOP 2019 FICTION

Here is my end-of-year compilation of the stories which really impressed me in 2019, everything from short stories to stand-alone novels, book series and novellas:

TOP 2019 SHORT STORIES

INSULAR by Jamie Stewart presents the concept of being so wrapped up in our own heads that we miss something very wrong happening right in front of us, and made such an impact on me, I also recommend TRICK OR TREAT by the same author. You will definitely see Stewart in the Lair a third time in January 2020.

A GOOD PAIR OF EYES by Matthew Buza is a crime drama mixed with supernatural horror, and the story scared the crap out of me with the vivid descriptions. If you like movies such as The Grudge or Unfriended, you're going to love this short horror story.

THE CAT ON ALPINE ROAD by Keith Knapp is full of suspense, and the cat, Buckshot, is magnificent. If you love the cat, General, from the movie Cat's Eye, you'll enjoy Knapp's story.

PHILOPHOBIA by Sin Ribbon is a short story about a man attempting to resurrect his wife. I'm so intrigued with the town itself, Ribbons could probably create a few more stories with the townsfolk, particularly with Mrs. Becca's church and Lisa Common.

EASY.GONE. by Daniel J Ings is terrifying. I can't imagine what Mr. Yan was thinking, selling such a dangerous item as the pocket-sized Necronomicon to a kid with a huge chip on his shoulder.

I JUST WANT TO DIE by Nicholas Wolff mixes horror, sci-fi and drama to create one of the best apocalyptic outbreak scenarios I've ever read! Wolff has taken the plague subgenre to a new level.

I'M ALL ALONE AND IT'S GETTING DARK by Brandon Lee Hayes is a story told from a child's POV. He wakes up from a nightmare to pee and finds the babysitter missing. (This story made me think of the illustration of a toy bear using a sword to defend the sleeping child from a monster.) Roosevelt is the kind of bear I'd want my kid to have.

THE HIKE by Sarah Gribble is far better than I expected. I thought it would be a group of people getting attacked by a werewolf, but it's so much worse, and there's far more to the story.

PARK CLOSES AT DUSK by D.W. Nathan is the best short story I've read by the author. For some reason, I thought I would be reading a vampire story, but the creatures Nathan has created are much more terrifying. If you like Ghoul by Brian Keene, you're going to love the nightlife in this park.

THE TUNNELERS by Geoff Gander is one of the best stories I've read in 2019, even though this story was published in 2011. Halfway through reading, I googled legends of the First Nations to figure out which parts are historical and how much of the story is a creation of the author. What I found convinced me Gander is Lovecraft reincarnated.

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TOP 2019 NOVELS

ONE OF US by Craig DiLouie is a very emotional drama set in 1984. The horror element is the way the characters treat each other: deplorable. I've often commented in my reviews about the definition of a monster...DiLouie wrote an entire novel about the debate over what defines a monster.

TOOTH & CLAW by Dave Jeffery (author of A Quiet Apocalypse) is one of the best werewolf stories I've ever read. The author has blended folklore, crime drama and horror with an excellent balance of action and suspense to create one hell of a thriller!

EMILY ETERNAL by M.G. Wheaton is one of the best science fiction novels I've read in a long time, and one of the most creative stories I've read this year. This thriller is told from the POV of the artificial consciousness, a five-year science experiment attempting to save humanity. Basically, the author has combined a crime drama in an E.L.E. setting with a sci-fi coming-of-age battle for survival.

THE FOREST by Julia Blake centers on the villagers of Wyckenwode and the Forest, filled with secrets which have affected the lives of every generation. Blake has skillfully woven folklore, suspense, drama and romance together to create a detailed coming-of-age tapestry. I haven't been this moved by a fantasy novel since the last time I read Ursula K LeGuin.

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TOP 2019 SERIES

Grinning Skull Press has a GRAVE MARKER series, eighteen so far, and I recommend all of them. One in particular, THE MEMOIR OF DARIUS FISCHER by Ezekiel Kincaid mixes theology, mysticism, folklore and more with the precision of a master.

I AM THE NIGHT by Ruth Miranda is a companion story for her Blood trilogy, and narrated by Marcus. This installment offers fans of the series his perspective on events leading up to his confrontation with Caius, as well as the beginning of his relationship with Marianne.

THE BEAUTIFUL ONES series by Kody Boye follows the POV of a sixteen year old girl, Kelendra, chosen to keep up genetic standards for the Glittering City. The society Boye has crafted contains elements similar to the Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale, while retaining the author's skill in using personal drama to draw readers into his disturbing creation.

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TOP 2019 NOVELLAS

IT NEVER DIED by Joshua Scribner is the author's best story, of the 100+ stories I have read by Scribner. This isn't just a supernatural story, or a karma/revenge plot, this is the ultimate reincarnation tale!

A QUIET APOCALYPSE by Dave Jeffery (author of Tooth & Claw) is a very different kind of post-apocalyptic story. There are no zombies, nothing supernatural of any kind...only people enslaving other people. After an illness renders most people deaf, the hearing are hunted down to become servants for the newly hearing impaired. Those born deaf are given a much more terrifying treatment, as they are blamed for the virus which causes the loss of hearing.

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Special thanks to all of you who share my review and interview links and help get the word out about all the great indie authors and small presses! There are tons of great stories to read in horror, science fiction, fantasy and suspense, but many readers are afraid to try the unknown.

Have a safe New Year's Eve, and be sure to come back in 2020 for even more fantastic recommendations!

As always,
AstraDaemon

Savage Beasties

PARK CLOSES AT DUSK by D.W. Nathan is the best short story I've read by the author. For some reason, I thought I would be reading a vampire story, but the creatures Nathan has created are much more terrifying.

This story is so action-packed, I wish the author had written a full-length novel instead. If you like Ghoul by Brian Keene, you're going to love the nightlife in this park.

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

A Halloween Feast

THE LEGEND OF JUDY ROSE by D.W. Nathan is a new release told as a flashback to an old man's childhood. Within the memory, an adult tells the young boy and his best friend about Judy Rose, a girl born wrong and sealed away from society.

One of the friends gets the idea to look for her bones. Unfortunately for the boys, Judy doesn't appear to be dead, but she does appear to be very hungry. While the confrontational scene doesn't last long, the imagery is horrifying.

Not only does Nathan deliver a tale of terror fit for any fireside, but the author promises readers a novel is on the way.

As always,
AstraDaemon

First to Make the 2022 List | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

SCARE CREW by D.W. Nathan has a really intersting author's note at the beginning, discussing a summer relase for a book pertaining to the short story PARK CLOSES AT DUSK, which happens to be my favorite Nathan story of all-time.

As for this short, the author offers the undead's perspective of the evolution of zombie movies, how the films moved on from shamblers to runners. Eventually, the zombified narrator shares the harassment of an elderly neighbor by some young hoodlums, and he comes up with a scare-them-straight plan...only it doesn't quite work out the way he expects.

The ending is freaking spectacular...I love how readers are given more information about the other undead in addition to the narrator. Highly recommend!

As always,

AstraDaemon

Like Finding a Turd On Your Lawn

In this short tale of brutality, a teen, living in a world gone awry, contemplates his vicious lifestyle.

Cursed by D.W. Nathan is more of an enigma than anything. A group of boys are torturing another boy as they drag him off to be killed. The story is narrated by one of the cruel boys, but not much is revealed. Readers aren't told much about their "lifestyle." The setting is dystopian, but it's unclear why the kids seem to have the run of the place. There is a moment suggesting people have turned into cannibals to survive, but, again, the narrator focuses mostly on the state of the victim.

I think Terry could've provided a better ending than the narrator's half-assed epiphany. I even thought something supernatural might happen at the top of the hill, but, no, the author dragged readers up those rocks for a fart-in-the-wind ending.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Don't Get Me Wrong

After a mass murder, an obscure and mysterious horror movie, available only on VHS, becomes the stuff of urban legend.

Brainrot by D.W. Nathan isn't much of a written story as it is a long, dragged-out one-sided conversation with the narrator, who isn't very good at telling a story. I think it would've been better if the focus had stayed directly on the three boys, but the timeline jumps in years and the storyline becomes fragmented. The ending is a huge disappointment.

As always,
AstraDaemon