Cristian YoungMiller

This is the kind of book that makes you think about yourself. We all, or most of us, like to believe we are good people and want the best for all...or most...people. This book raises the idea that we all really do have a darker side, maybe buried deep, but it is there and in this book, Run From the Reaper, the Red Reaper follows us, forcing us to give in to these desires or die. What an amazing and scary concept! I loved the book, the original idea was a nice breath of fresh air as a change show more from the normal supernatural books on the market. It is a short read, I did wish it was longer, but only because I enjoyed it so much. And after some introspection, I have a few dark desires of my own...shh, don't tell anyone! show less

If you wish to raise a boy to feel minimum guilt and shame as he discovers and explores his body, then Everybody Masturbates by Cristian YoungMiller is book to read and share with pre-adolescent boys in your family. YoungMiller empowers a parent to discuss this delicate subject in a loving and honest manner through his choice of characters: a father and his eight-year son. Sensing something is wrong, the father helps his son voice his concerns, and then reassures him that none of the myths show more surrounding masturbation are true. He clearly relates the core message: everybody masturbates at some point in their lives, for a variety of reasons.

The father also emphasizes that masturbation is a private part of our sexual lives, to be done alone or perhaps shared only with a loving partner. For those who are uncomfortable that their child will share this revelation with their peers or in inappropriate circumstances such as Show & Tell in elementary school, YoungMiller has the father repeatedly stress that though everyone does it, no one discusses it with others.The author does this without making a child feel guilty or ashamed. It is a private thing just like going to the bathroom; this brilliant analogy is something almost every child past potty training understands. This subject has, at long last, found an author unafraid to tackle it. I salute the author in his attempt to remove generations of unease and misinformation and hope both his books on this subject (yes, there is a corresponding book for girls) find a wide audience amongst parents struggling to help their children understand and cope with their changing bodies and urges. show less

It was a combination of the book cover and the book title which drew me towards this novel both of which I thought were excellent. As you may have guessed it's about a reaper, although not the usual one associated with death, who forces its victims to live out their darkest fantasies. Should they resist those fantasies then, as associated with the usual reaper, they die. The main character in the story, Jon, does his best to avoid living out those fantasies and thus flees the Red Reaper and show more therein we have the premise for the story.

"It awakens… Summoned by the will of a powerful psychic, The Red Reaper forces its victims to live their darkest fantasies. If they resist, they die.
In a college town during a record cold winter break, Jon, a lonely professor, wonders the empty campus barely holding on to his sanity. Unable to stay awake during the daytime he sees a red hooded creature in the shadows at night; immediately after, his twisted desires come to life.
Searching for answers he finds Clay, a local psychic who is more than he seems, and Sarah, a gorgeous expert on the underworld who has depraved secrets of her own.
Chased by demons and with the Red Reaper at every turn, the three must face their fears, survive its relentless attacks, and find a way to escape from the Reaper."

I found the scenario put forth interesting but had some slight trepidation that it was going to turn out to be a 'Final Destination' clone with a slight twist. Perhaps the author was inspired by such movies but this book turned out to be a good read that stood on its own two feet regardless of where the inspiration for it came from.
So far I've avoided using the word "novel" as one of my biggest dislikes of 'Run From The Reaper' was its lack of length. Smashwords.com has the word count at a little over 36000 words although with the final 16% of the ebook being excerpts from some of the author's other works it surely works out a lot less than that. If the story had been fleshed out more I think the author may have been onto a real winner here as his characters are strong and the storytelling engrossing. The pacing of the story is excellent and as it progresses so does the action, suspense and horror and I found myself racing through page after page really wanting to know what would happen next. It didn't start out that way though...
I have to admit to finding the first chapter somewhat confusing. It made sense in hindsight, once the story got into its flow, but it didn't really grab me as I was left unsure as to what was going on. In that respect I think the first chapter was the one part of the book that needed condensing, editing and perhaps being used as a prologue rather than as a first chapter.
Even though there were no major grammar issues in this book there were some spelling mistakes and use of the wrong words here and there. For instance one part read "...it appeared to be a bit of brilliants..." when it should, of course, have been "brilliance". No big deal in the grand scheme of things but little errors like that do pull me out of a story and take away from the overall "polish" of a book.
As the story raced towards its conclusion I did have a few gripes as to how it played out. For one, Jon is accused of a very serious crime against a female student, Sarah, which she herself reported to the police. Yet within no time at all they are helping each other out and the issue is brushed aside. Perhaps with the Red Reaper pursuing you all logic goes out of the window but I would rather the story had been taken in a different direction altogether as to avoid that conflict of interest within the storyline. Also, at around the same point in the ebook Sarah was pinned to her bed by bats but there was never an explanation as to why? Sure, it made for an exciting point in the story but unless being attacked by bats was her darkest desire then it didn't really make sense for such a thing to be occurring. The same can be said for the fly incident that followed and while these incidents actually added to the story and made it more unique and horrific, when looking back upon what happened, they did appear to be lacking any logical basis in relation to the story. It could have been attributed to the Red Reaper's powers I suppose but then we're left with the problem of where do its powers begin and end? If it had already forced someone into their darkest desire shouldn't its job be done? So how can the Red Reaper continue victimizing that person? And why?
'Run From The Reaper' is definitely the kind of book that would make a fun horror movie but as a novel it needed more fleshing out. However, taken "as is" it was an enjoyable ebook and the build to the ending when we find out what Jon's ultimate desire was, and why he had been running from that desire, was well done. Certainly worth a read if you're looking for an entertaining story but not for those who require deeper reading with more explanation as to the hows and whys. show less

Jon, a college professor, is being chased by the Red Reaper. Not to be confused with his black cousin, the Red Reaper gives people what they truly want. Unfortunately, we don't always know what we want way down deep in our subconscious and there's a reason we tend to bury these desires - they are rarely as good in reality as they are in the imagination. In fact, they can be down right deadly as Jon is about to find out.

I enjoyed this novella. it's premise is very original and it's a fast and show more fun read. My only problem with it - it was too short - it was a pretty good novella but it could have been a damn good novel. Any way, I have no problem recommending it to people who enjoy a good horror story. show less