Nightmare“Oyili” by Nuzo Onoh
“Five Things That Go Through Your Mind After the Masked Killer Decapitates You with an Axe and Your Still-Living Head Has a Few Seconds of Consciousness Left to Gaze at Your Twitching Body” by Adam-Troy Castro
“The Girls That Follow” by J. Choe
Reviewed by László Szegedi
“Oyili” by Nuzo Onoh
This story is weird in the fiction subgenre meaning of the phrase. The protagonist’s unique connection to nature serves as the supernatural element, and the main plot revolves around his way of using this connection to address his familial and financial problems. Amidst the author’s skillful use of the frightening devices to captivate and keep the reader’s attention, she also shows a deeper layer: the real evil laying among ordinary human beings.
It is a well-crafted, captivating text I couldn’t put aside, and I devoured it in a single lunchtime.
“Five Things That Go Through Your Mind After the Masked Killer Decapitates You with an Axe and Your Still-Living Head Has a Few Seconds of Consciousness Left to Gaze at Your Twitching Body” by Adam-Troy Castro
I’ve seen my fair share of slasher movies and truth be told, got fed up with all the recurring clichés: the impeccably dressed ladies running in high heels, false jump scares and so on. I don’t think I can watch another one with a straight face. Fortunately, the author of this story sensed this rather general sentiment and wrote his story in the form of a list detailed in the title (which title is great, by the way!). It’s a total delight and fun experience and I was smiling as I was reading it all along. The author even managed to reflect on a writer’s life and struggles, making this story a fun read. It definitely made me look up Castro’s other stories.
“The Girls That Follow” by J. Choe
I’ve read too many weird stories in which the author uses only the supernatural as the main driving force of the story. Unfortunately, this is the case here as well. The descriptions made me thrill, but the story failed to bring any higher meaning or lesson to the table. There’s a glance into an unusual relationship with an enigmatic feeding ritual that doesn’t get further; neither the character’s relationship nor their way of living change. Maybe they were not meant to be changed but we don’t get enough details to completely embrace that.
László is an SF enthusiast living in middle Europe, who also writes songs in the attic.