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Monday, 29 January 2024

HER HEART BEATS FOR ANCIENT BEASTS by Calvin Demmer

Ancient beings, merciless monsters, unearthly creatures, and other beasts roam these pages.

A short story collection.


When the author of this short story collection reached out, I was excited about reading his latest selection of short stories because I've enjoyed the other ones Calvin has released.

Here are my thoughts on each story...

HIGHWAY HUNGER: I really enjoyed this one. There's some great imagery and Dudley Ellington is a flawed but likeable main character.

NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: Reginald Barton is a retired cop facing a freaky case all over again. It's also my favourite story in this collection. LOVED how the creepy sense of dread is strong all the way through. Fantastic.

ANOTHER WARRIOR IN PARADISE: Senghor's story is all about blind faith and how sometimes it's best not to prove yourself.

HER HEART BEATS FOR ANCIENT BEASTS: Officer Rupert finds himself in the middle of a very strange situation that takes the reader into a bizarre mystery set in a vivid location. This is a great example of why I enjoy small-time horror so much.

THE RIVER RAN RED: Asani's story about rituals serves a purpose but doesn't hold many surprises. The descriptions were lovely, though.

KARMA: This is a clever cautionary tale about what we're doing to our precious planet told from Doctor Charles Carrington's POV after he crosses paths with a heavily injured woman. Some stunning imagery in this narrative. 

SHAPES IN THE WATER: A story about two brothers, a wormhole, a strange place, and a very freaky ending. Really liked that ending!

THE THRONE OF SPACE AND TIME: The format in this one is a little different. The tale unravels via a very interesting letter written by a historian called Phillip Murdoch.

FORBIDDEN FRUIT: All I'm going to say about Todd and Dan is that sometimes, you get what's coming to you. Lots of lovely imagery in this one too.

THE DESTROYER: A story of Egyptian mythology proportions.

Well, there you have it. This turned out to be quite an interesting collection of eclectic short stories and each tackles some kind of moral or commentary about our world and the way people relate, treat or act around their surroundings.

Every story featured many interesting characters. Some that I really liked, others not so much. I enjoyed some more than others, but every single story is well written.

You should definitely check out this short story collection with an awesome cover. Seriously, love that cover!




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