Jason Parent

The 19 short stories are:
- Agon
- Revenge Is a Dish
- Desert Shadows
- The Exchange
- Violet
- Complex
- Down in the Deep, Dark Places
- A Boy and His Dog (and Zombies)
- Just Lucky, I Guess
- Glimmer
- Dichotomy
- Akin
- Eleanor
- Lost World
- Starry Night
- More?
- The Only Good Lawyer
- A Providence Thing
- Scan for Life

These descriptive stories revolve around situations that are subjectively horrific, such as being in the sea at night and living among zombies. Some of the stories are written in the present tense so readers read the narrative in real-time. This is a personal pleasant way to read since nothing in the future can be foreseen and readers learn what happens at the same time as the characters. These short stories have the potential to be expanded on and develop further character arcs.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books and author.… (mere)

3.5 stars.

Clive is a coaster. He goes about his daily life with the minimum amount of effort and that’s enough for him. His job is a no brainer, his girlfriend is barely there. And then one day, while he’s out kayaking with his “girl” friend, they encounter a spider web, intricately constructed over years. When his girlfriend challenges him to go through it, he destroys the web with his paddle and promptly falls into the water. The “water” in his ear won’t come out however.

The story follows Clive through his series of mishaps. His friends, his family, his job, and the new parasite that takes up residence in his brain, which gives his life new dimension.

In the vein of Stephen King and The Night Gallery, this story is wonderfully creepy. An average Joe who finds himself suddenly anything but average. The beginning was somewhat confusing, but it’s worth sticking with this one. The first chapter is flashback, and the rest of the story returns you to how he got to that point, and beyond. The cast of characters is well developed and I found myself guessing on several points all the way to the end of the story. Like the spider’s web, the plot is intricately woven.
… (mere)

EIGHT CYLINDERS is a high-octane blast of adrenaline, guns, cars, and tentacles!

The story makes no pretenses about it's desire for fast-paced action, dropping you immediately into a gunfight in the opening scene. After losing his best friend to a bullet, Seb barely makes it out of the firefight alive, bleeding profusely as he speeds down the interstate in his Charger. Trusting his directions to a magic eight ball, he eventually passes out and awakes several days later in a barren desert surrounded by mountains on all sides. Seb can't understand why the motley crew living there would want to stay, but, in another near-death experience, he quickly learns that there is something living in the mountains and underground that doesn't want them to leave. Something tentacled and massive on a mind-bending scale.

Being a novella, and judging from the cover, I expected this story to move quickly. And boy does it! I would guess approximately 50% of the book is characters driving fast, shooting guns, and desperately trying to avoid the giant tentacles. It's a lot of fun and the story has a lot of interesting elements, but unfortunately many aren't fleshed out enough and raise more questions than answers (how did they get there, what is this place, where did the monster come from, what's going on with time, who the heck is the young/old scabbed up girl Mary, etc). And then it ends up a twist that, again, is intriguing but perplexing.

If a Lovecraftian/Mad Max mashup sounds good to you (as it did to me), then this is probably for you! I don't for writing that does into the weeds on technical details, and it started to do that a little with the cars and guns. Plus there's SO much more I want to know about this world that the author has created. Maybe there will be a sequel? Either way it's a fun ride and certainly worth the 100 pages and quick hour's read.… (mere)

4.5
Book source ~ Won in Goodreads giveaway

Something weird and dangerous is going on in the apartment building where Jaden Sanders lives. When the woman across the hall from him commits suicide Detective Royo is assigned the case with a rookie police officer. The scene doesn’t look right, but they can’t place their finger on what’s wrong. So the coroner rules it a suicide and they all move on with their lives. Until three guys break into Jaden’s apartment forcing him to defend himself. Jaden’s mental health, always precarious, takes a horrible turn for the worse and now he’s being tried for murder. Royo doesn’t believe Jaden did anything wrong defending himself, but he feels as if something else is going on. It bugs him. So he starts digging. And what he uncovers surprises him.

Wow. This is one hell of a book. Poor Jaden. This is a guy who just can’t catch a break. Just when he’s getting a handle on his mental health something comes along to derail him. His struggles seem very real. I was beginning to doubt what was going on. It’s like dropping down a rabbit hole. I really like the characters, especially Detective Royo and his rookie officer, Megan Costa, who don’t take the easy road when it’s offered to them. This whole book upset me, especially the ending. WTF?! It’s disturbing and horrifying and a totally awesome read. I highly recommend it.… (mere)