“In Damian Frederricks’s “Almost Dead”, the third book in the Cringe collection, enter into the world of vampires, zombies and alien abductions. A chilling horror fest that is sure to leave goosebumps. Don’t miss this one. You get…
You’re A Vampire
Sheila only wanted to go to a party, have some fun, meet some guys. She never thought the college boys would have any interest in her. When one of them invites her out to a private spot in the woods, it’s like a dream come true. A dream that slowly becomes a nightmare where death isn’t the end. It’s just the horrific beginning.
I Will Always Love Her
Old houses can be dangerous to play around in. What’s in them can be deadly. Things that get left behind in the cupboard of the creepy, dusty old home were probably left there for a good reason. A thrilling zombie story with a killer twist.
It Felt Good To Be Alive
Todd loves being out in nature. Camping. Fishing. Now that he’s in college and dating Karlee, he wants to share the fun with her. She’s a city girl, and only thinks of the woods as something to be avoided. Maybe she knows something he doesn’t. An alien abduction thriller not soon to be forgotten.
"This is probably going to appeal more to YA readers, as the stories are fairly standard for the horror or sci-fi genres."
Reviewer: Reader for Bookangel.
There are three stories in this collection, all with speculative fiction themes. I will say up front I disagree with the genre choice: featuring vampires, zombies etc. these stories are more sci-fi or horror than suspense thriller. Despite being called short stories these are closer to novellas in length and are divided into chapters.
The first story is in some ways the strongest. Invited for a night of fun with a group of college boys, Sheila finds herself fighting for her life. I love the ending. After reading hundreds of these victim short stories, it was so nice to have a lead character who reacts to the situation in a somewhat different way. I won't spoil it.
The next two stories, zombie and sci-fi themed, are similarly nicely written, well planned with no obvious loose ends, and competently presented. There are no glaring spelling or grammar errors, and each chapter starts on a new page - a touch which too many books forget.
The problem for me, which might not affect other readers, was that I found it hard to get into the stories or feel for the protagonists. For suspense and thrills you need to care about the characters. While I found myself sometimes wondering with academic interest what was going to happen to a character, I never found myself really caring one way or the other.
Given the ages of the protagonists, this is probably going to appeal more to YA readers, as the stories are fairly standard for the horror or sci-fi genres. I'd probably have to give this a three. It's good, but there's nothing to make it stand out, and although it wasn't a bad read, it isn't a book that I'd go back to.
