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Monica A Leyva's avatar

John, I enjoyed how this piece reframes familiar narratives by shifting the perspective. What begins as stories we think we know gradually becomes something stranger and more unsettling. There is a recurring theme of humanity confronting forces beyond its understanding and responding in ways that ultimately seal its fate.

The brevity works in its favor. You give the reader just enough detail to spark the imagination while allowing the implications to linger long after the final line. Well done. Monica

Richard Loader's avatar

My cosmic adled brain will have a go at one of these, though im on holiday so i cant yet say when i will 😄

T.F. Burke watcher of tv's avatar

I liked this!👏☺️

DW Davis's avatar

The superhero in the story is perhaps not the soulless one. Rather, he encountered a planet full of people who'd forsaken their souls.

John Watson - Horror Author's avatar

I did struggle with that title, although in the end, perhaps his soul was tainted by the negativity.

DW Davis's avatar

Could well be.

Fragments and the Dark's avatar

I loved Jonah very much! Such an awesome description how he survived! 🥰🖤 I liked that story already, though I was never raised religious, when I visited classes for my protestant confirmation. 😁 Old times! Actually it inspired me to write such a story myself! 🙂 Have to sit with that for a while!

John Watson - Horror Author's avatar

I am not religious at all either, but I always thought Jonah and the whale made for a great horror idea.

Fragments and the Dark's avatar

Absolutely! How crazy to be gullped down by a whale! 🤯 Theres a book by Daniel Kraus (Pullitzer-Winner 26) it is called Whalefall about a diver who gets eaten by a whale! 😁👍🏻

John Watson - Horror Author's avatar

I have that on my Kindle. I need to get to it at some point.

Fragments and the Dark's avatar

Loved it and can‘t wait for Angel Down that is the book he got the pullitzer for… but I guess this is much less horror. 🙂 No, not right… I just remembered, they said it is the first horror-novel to receive the pullitzer. So probably worth it from a horror-standpoint! 😉

Dan Gummer's avatar

These are great! Particularly like From Below, it reminds me a little bit of The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham 😊