Tag Archives: Fantasy

Otto’s Pet Shop, the Horror in the Dark

by VJ Miller, Sr.

Suspense in a Dark Room:

Pet Shop owner, Otto Dengler awoke slowly in the dark.  He sensed first the uncomfortable chill of the air, then the pasty taste of his mouth.  He reached for the blanket to cover his naked body but couldn’t find it.  Stiff and sore from the cold, the mattress felt unusually hard; in fact, he could swear he was laying on a bed full of crumbs.  He didn’t recall eating anything in bed; he never did that.

Rising to another level of consciousness he sat up.  His back prickled all over; his buttocks felt like he’d sat on crushed glass.  Startled, he flipped over to his hands and knees.  While his senses warmed up from their stupor he became aware he’d been laying on gravel.  A handful rubbed between the fingers was flung to the side. Continue reading Otto’s Pet Shop, the Horror in the Dark

THE BRANCHES OF TIME by Luca Rossi (review)

review by VJ Miller, Sr.

The Branches of TimeThe books started out with a bang; right in the middle of the conflict. I must admit that I am skeptical of time travel stories because they generally cause unexplained paradoxes, but I wanted to see this writers take on it.

The book relies on magic but does not explain how a mortal king can lock away a wizard who has some interesting powers.

The book spends too much time on the King and his sexual prowess; it’s far to gratuitous.
While the book does wander from one POV to another I held in to see how it would be explained.

There are also two young people who seem to be outside the timeline as if peering in on the world below.

The book ends abruptly with only that it will be continued in book two. A disservice to the reader. This story would have been better portrayed in a monthly magazine on a continuing basis.

I gave it 3 stars because the book is not that badly written but because it ends with no resolution and unanswered questions, I could not give it a higher rating.

Three Stars

©Copyright Realms Uncharted and VJ Miller, Sr. 2015