Enter Sandman

by Michael Edward

Every town has their history, their legends.

For Eric and his friends it is no different. Bored one cold winter night and without much thought, they decide to fill their time by going to 'the wall' and testing the town legend.

The legend of the Sandman:

Sign your name on the wall and the Sandman will come for you. You will have three choices: Sacrifice yourself...sacrifice a loved one...or he will take both.


Enter Sandman is a short story that is part One in a series titled The Wall.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

I am Michael Edward, a husband, a father of six, a friend, and a self-proclaimed storyteller. I say storyteller because to use the word writer would be a misrepresentation, it might imply that I can write. I have always felt that my imagination was my strength and I always see everything as a movie. A lot of times when I write, its like I am sitting in a movie theater watching it on screen and I just write down what I see with the words that I know.

I love to write screenplays and that bleeds into my writing style. Also, I have epilepsy, and my seizures have increased, so if they bleed into the writing I apologize. I just want to tell entertaining stories that give people a chance to escape reality for a bit. I mean no disrespect to writers.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story starts with Tommy Potts being attacked by a mysterious being named the Sandman. But what exactly is the Sandman? A bum, a monster or an alien? Definitely something supernatural, an urban legend. When a couple of teenagers write their name on a spooky wall the Sandman comes for them. Can he be prevented to kill them all (had to refer to Metallica here)? There are some good ingredients in this story (the Sandman character concept) and the atmosphere but overall the plot is implausible (sign on the wall, behaviour of the adults to name but few weak points) and repetitive (after a good beginning). I also missed any proper motif for the Sandman. Why does he kill all those people? What happened in that little town? In the end there are too many open questions and the reason is unclear why everything happens. It's an eerie character but the story is a bit substandard.

[Graham Downs · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know what? Spelling is important. Appropriate use of commas is important ("I have to coach" vs "I have to, coach" being an example that stuck in my head). Punctuation in general is important.

I know it's generally frowned upon to mention editing issues in reviews, but when they're as prolific as they are in this book, they really detract from what would otherwise be a good story.

And this is a decent story, if perhaps a little predictable. It was written like a movie, and I liked the idea of writing the narrative in present tense (although occasionally the author slipped into past tense there as well). The problem is that I think it made the very simple language stand out even more. There's a bit of a disconnect there, as the language used makes the book one that would be easily understood by a junior primary school kid, but the subject matter is in no way appropriate for children.

It's not the worst story I've ever read, but I've read plenty better. I don't think I'll be reading any more of this series.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Enter Sandman" is a short story that is part one in a series titled The Wall. Bored one night five friends decide to visit the "wall" and sign their names knowing there is a hunting story behind the signing. The legend of the signing is that if you sign your name to the wall then the Sandman will come after you and demand you give him a loved one or he will take you and the loved one.
The story is pretty basic and really does not have any surprises to it. I wish I could say that there is something unique or great about this book but I can't.

[Joshua Wiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat disappointing story. The writing was hackneyed and lacking in description. I would've liked descriptions of the characters. I would've felt more connected to the story and the characters. The dialogue was fairly amateurish, as well. With some editing and rewrites to add more description and improve the dialogue, this story could be great. As it is, it's just okay.

[Arielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a little more than a teen slasher type of book. The style of writing was also not conducive to letting go and "getting into" the story. I bet this author can do better, and I'll give him another read someday.

[Richard Gillispie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a different type of short story. Bored kids go against the rules and tempt faith. What happens next will make you never doubt legends again.

A good read that keeps you going, wanting to see what happens next.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good little horror story. Fast paced and kept me interested. Only complaint is that were some editorial errors (extra words here and there) on the Kindle version.

[Scot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice horror short. I enjoyed the quick pace and action. I don't think I would have the guts to write my name on the wall.

[Michele Whitecotton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have 2 words to describe this very short book; complete stupidity. I wish I could give it 0 stars. It was a horrible waste of time.

[Julie Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It read like a movie. A movie I would probably watch. Not sure I would like it but I would watch it.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good at all