Brandon R. LuffmanReseñas

For five nights in a row, Jake had seen the light, felt it calling him.

Tonight, he crossed into the forest.

It had called him and he was determined to solve the mystery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I knew something was coming just from the eerie cover. That was no bullet hole in that thar deer. And Dan. Poor Dan. That is when I was drawn in so deep, I had to know – what in the hell happened to him in the woods? I knew it was something bad just by the description of the gruesome, bloody and savage attack. Brandon Luffman did an excellent job of creating a feeling of impending doom in this horror novel of the creepiest kind.

There is an isidiuous evil worming its way through the people in town.

Have you ever approached something and balked at going through with it? A sense of something, intuition (?), saying it wasn’t right, that something was very wrong? That’s how Jake felt when he would approach the woods. His foot would not cross that barrier.

When the shit hit the fan, it did it with a vengeance. Every opening door, every creak of the floor, I thought something was going to jump out at me.

Jake and Eric are best friends. They are just regular Joes, nothing special about them. The evil they face will prove the lengths they will go to for each other.

I liked Nancy right off the bat. A no nonsense, do what must be done kind of gal. There wasn’t no monster gonna scare her away. She was strong and not a screamer. I hate those horror movies where all the women can do is cry and scream. Wendy is one of them. Will she step up when the time comes? Or Regina?

John Birdsong is a Shaman. He is Tsalagi, now known as the Cherokee. He is Frostwalker. As soon as John and his grandmother entered the story, I liked where it was heading even more, a twist that would make the story even deeper. I like the spiritual elements of the Native Indians sprinkled into the story.

The Grandmother is the the storyteller. The story she has to tell is almost beyond belief.

I always wonder how I would perform in such situations. I guess that means this is a good story, because it actually had me asking myself – what would I do?

Brandon did an excellent job in creating a tremendous amount of tension through anticipation. I knew it was coming, but he strung me out for so long, I couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief when we finally got there. And it wasn’t where I thought I was going. Great ending!

“Sounds like something’s gone bad wrong.” Boy was that an understatement.

‘I know I’m going to sound crazy, but they’re not just plain people any more, Sheriff.”

I received Frostwalker from Brandon Luffman in return for an honest and unbiased review.

This was a very well-written short story. I just wish there had been more of it! I would love to see this developed into a novel. If you are a horror or vampire fan, check this one out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. It was a can't-put-down kind of read that pulled me in and moved quickly. Like another of his short stories, Out After Dark, this story seemed like it could easly be fleshed out into a full novel. This author does have a novel out, Frostwalker, but I also hope to see more short stories from him soon!

“The Card” by Brandon R. Luffman is a short story that reads as a novel. Luffman develops the story in a slow and delicious dance with the reader. Building suspense. As with his longer piece, “Frostwalker,” Luffman’s character development is easy and relatable. You have three friends socializing when a card none of them have ever seen before turns up. It looks like all the rest. How could the same person have not made it? A need to know what comes next builds and Luffman does not disappoint. He gives us a direct story line with some deeply unexpected moves. Wonderfully written and suspenseful story.

Luffman presents the reader with an elaborate story that was overall a beautifully written piece. One of my favorite scenes involved Butchie. Butchie was a dog that is wandering the woods. He knows he’s a good dog because his alpha tells him that he is. Butchie’s internal dialogue reminded me of a non-fiction book I read and reviewed not long ago regarding working dogs. His story-line felt very authentic.

In contrast the internal dialogue of the other characters felt forced for the most part. I know that some readers will find Jake’s internal dialogue as it relates to Nancy endearing. I found his internal dialogue a little precious for a man his age. Danger and a sense of urgency forge quick connections and their relationship is believable without the sense of a scene overacted.

In contrast, Jake’s relationship with his best friend Eric seemed very natural. I worked hard not to hate Eric for using the word “Awesomesauce” and in the end they were regular guys. Eric’s relationship with his long-term girlfriend is very smoothly written. They are a natural team for what they will next face.

While it takes a long time for Luffman to get to the action, he wisely builds tension while the main characters go Christmas shopping, eat takeout food and experience obsessive dreams. Luffman does creepy very well. When we finally get an answer to what happened to the missing hunter the scene is so horrifying that I want to go back and read it over and over. Poor Rhonda.

For all the brilliance imbued in the story-line, the ending was too pat. The ending made sense and came together but was somewhat disappointing in light of what the main text led a reader to expect.

I would highly recommend this book to those readers who like paranormal stories. If you don’t like zombies, don’t think of this as a zombie novel. “Frostwalker” is a more original animal. Horrifyingly beautiful. If you live in a wooded area, as I do, you might want to leave the lights on for this one.