Forbidden Fruit: Calvin Demmer
Reviewed By Steve Stred
- Print Length: 27 pages
- Publisher: Demnation Press (20 Jun. 2019)
I’ve been singing Demmer’s praises ever since I read ‘The Sea Was a Fair Master’ last year. He has a gift for short stories that’s really unique. Taking a few pages of space but filling it with novel lengths of story and feelings.
In his latest short story, Demmer has visited a plotline that I haven’t read very often – poachers.
We follow two big game hunters, on a trip to illegal kill Rhino. They’ve hired the area’s best guide, one who has a mythical history to him.
As things ramp up and the story takes off, Demmer makes use of the idea that the hunters should’ve listened to the one from that land.
As with any short story – it really is difficult to say very much without giving away the entire thing. I will say I loved the pacing, the characters were fun and as the story plays out you want to devour everything that comes with the twist. I’d love to see this part of the story expanded upon, or revisited in the future.
As it is now, Demmer has crafted such a solid short story that there simply aren’t any cracks. His previous short that I read ‘The Town That Feared Dusk,’ as well as his Halloween release ‘Trick or Death,’ had a few stunted parts that I found lacking a bit of detail, that doesn’t happen here at all.
Demmer delivers with an outstanding premise that sucked me in immediately and followed it up with an implemented middle and ending that was truly satisfying.
Demmer really needs to be high on your list of “Must Read” authors and he’s one of the few authors out there that’ll make me drop what I’m doing and read it ASAP.
Forbidden Fruit
A pair of big game hunters on an unsanctioned hunt through an African reserve learn too late the importance of following their guide’s directions.
You can buy Forbidden Fruit from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Steve Stred
Steve Stred writes dark, bleak horror fiction.
Steve is the author of the novels Invisible & The Stranger, the novellas The Girl Who Hid in the Trees, Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, and the dark poetry collection Dim the Sun.
On September 1st, 2019 his second collection of dark poetry and drabbles called The Night Crawls In will arrive. This release was specifically created to help fund the 1st Annual LOHF Writers Grant.
Steve is also a voracious reader, reviewing everything he reads and submitting the majority of his reviews to be featured on Kendall Reviews.
Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ.
You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred
You can visit Steve’s Official website here
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