Spyder's ridiculously short movie review: It Follows

Um ... did I really pay to see this? Shhhh .... don't tell anyone and I want a refund on my popcorn!

THE DARKNESS BEYOND THE VEIL - Darren Scothern

The Darkness Beyond the Veil boasts “Nine tales of the supernatural” from the author Scothern. True enough, I suppose. What caught my eye was the write up on “Faithless.” Further explorations show the author to be an atheist. No judgment here, to each their beliefs. But what is puzzling is, perhaps I need an education here, if an atheist is a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings – then why write about the existence of such being?

I suppose in the broader sense, there are those that write about pixies and fae but aren’t inclined to believe they exist – touché to me? Well, whatever, The Darkness Beyond the Veil offers some dark realism in the realm of the supernatural. Not a huge fan of Faithless, and I must confess rose my disappointment to heights of seemingly no return.

That said, I read on and was quite take in with ‘The Veil’ and the dark roller coaster ride it to me on. The atmosphere was quite pleasing and the brooding feel of the plot was enjoyable as well. Love can be a puzzling and sometimes frightening emotion. To further my pleasure, ’11:59’ was somewhat original but certainly captive. Tom did not excite me, however – who glazes three separate tales and takes them to some interesting places but overall nowhere memorable.

For the reader – if supernatural themes are your bag this might be worth a read. Overall, I harp in the $0.99, which for me makes them all worth a read but I sense disappointment here, as this work does not measure up to the other works of the author.

For the writer – nothing here to glean off of – decent writing, nice flow to the collection but no notable training or influence material here.

Midnight Rides (An Anthology of Intense Stories) - Shannon Mayer

Midnight Rides by Shannon Mayer is a self-authored anthology riddle with nasties and delights. By this, I mean, the anthology is a fantastically. Now those who follow this blog or happen to enjoy a review or two know how I operate. The one thing that kills me in reading works of an advertised genre is that so many of them are far from my idea of the genre.

So, comparatively, Midnight Rides is more fantastical and provides a clever feel for the genre. It is well written, perfectly placed frights and interesting twist and turns along the way. I found most every tale with something to offer enough to maintain my interest. I am a skimmer, of section jumper be the tale boring or I feel impatient while I read. I want action, substance ort descriptive voice that has me visualizing the scene the author is trying to present.

Mayer has an eye for description. One that is not to dense or to vacant – meaning, I can see what she is saying. Now, my inpretation may not be on target with the author’s but she delivers enough to allow me to peel her words off the screen and piece together the scene. Amazing, in a word.

Nocturnaphobia is enchanting in the fears it conjures. The mood is intense and dripping with mood. A wonderfully crafted tale that spoils many a short story from other less talented pen, than that of Mayer’s. Cursed is another story of particular attention, in that it delivers in the vein of traditional tales of fantasy. I was drawn in through Mayer’s distinct descriptive voice and the woven fantasy of her character development.

For the reader – I say this all the time, $0.99 is a drop in the bucket when it comes to book sales. Supporting such authors, really any Indie author for a scant $0.99 is well worth the donation. This of course isn’t the case as most are tight with that less than buck in their support of the genre or Indie authors. Here – you are getting a bargin, drop the buck and enjoy the talent before that buck becomes more traditional as Mayer won’t be a $0.99 author for long!

For the writer – Mayer has a way with descriptive voice, character development in short spaces and atmosphere. Read her and take note of this talent, cause it is truly a talent.