Mother's Encouragement

There are two types of tree people: The Pure Ones and the Corrupted Ones. The Pure Ones take over the bodies of the recently deceased. The Corrupted Ones kill people and take them over. The two types are at war. Amelia, a Pure One, elicits the help of Momo and Tyler, survivors of Reclamation Project 1, to combat them and perhaps take care of them once and for all.

Adirondacks by Jerry Gerold is the third story in the Reclamation Project series. I was beyond excited to discover characters from both of the previous stories crossing paths and joining forces. After reading the first two stories and knowing what the Corrupted Ones are capable of, Adirondacks had me freaking out every time a struggle happened.

I think Gerold's writing style is much improved since he first began this series...a perfect balance of action and interaction between characters. I can't wait for Gerold to continue the series!

As always,
AstraDaemon

New Meaning To Tree Hugger

There are trees growing beneath the city streets, trees with human-sized pods growing from them. They need human bodies. Yours will do just fine.

Reclamation Project 2: Abandoned Subway by Jerry Gerold is part of a tree-people series by the author, but this installment functions as a stand-alone. While the story provides insight on the new species and the threat from the Corrupted Ones, it has nothing to do with the events in the first Reclamation Project with Momo.

In fact, Abandoned Subway is more like scifi-horror-erotica than the previous mystery-thriller, as the Corrupted Ones have a rather invasive way of spreading. The storyline is captivating, but I think having Amelia's POV, in addition to Duncan's POV, would have added some extra depth.

The series continues with Adirondacks...

As always,
AstraDaemon

Time Travel Through Hell

A fledgling blogger, Alexis goes with friends to a Victorian mansion in the mountains with the intention to "practice" her newly found craft. It isn't long before her brother Hadley is visited by a ghost from his past set on revenge. That revenge takes the shape of a demonic being with a large toothy eye that grinds its victims to mush and no one is safe.

EYE TEETH by Jerry Gerold is an unusual haunted house story. Alexis wants to explore an old house with her brother Hadley, boyfriend Gabriel, and a couple of friends. Crispin tries to explain the house is not haunted or abandoned, his aunt and uncle were just suffering from dementia. As soon as the group splits up, all hell breaks loose, literally and figuratively.

There are some terrifying scenes and the time warp is an interesting twist, but the story gets a little confusing towards the end. The author should have taken a little more time introducing the multiple timelines, and, with such emphasis placed on Hadley's teen romance, explain why the unborn baby became a demonic goat boy.

I think this is Gerold's best story since The Reclamation Project, but I really wish he'd hire an editor to polish his writing style.

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Wildlife is Really Wild

On their way to a cabin in the woods, Momo and her three friends are concerned that the nearby one-road town does not appear on GPS. If they're not careful, neither will they.

---

Reclamation Project by Jerry Gerold is a truly creepy story deserving of a sequel. The set-up is a little slow and some of the interaction between the characters is unnecessary, but by the time the horror is revealed, Gerold has transformed the cabin-in-the-woods setting into a terrifying new experience. I was expecting deranged country folk or a hidden government experiment...I wasn't prepared for the sick twist Gerold delivers. It almost seems a shame to use such an original idea in a short story format. This could be an exciting new series...

As always,
AstraDaemon