Short Take: “Mirror Mirror,” Anthony M. Strong

Pros: Short and sweet
Cons: Nothing new here
Rating: 3 out of 5

Sometimes it’s nice to read a little horror novella in between longer reads. Mirror Mirror, by Anthony M. Strong, occupies that niche. It’s quick, it’s fun, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the show. Mostly you have to finish it just so you know which well-known pattern it’s going to fall under.

It’s a simple setup: Jamie goes dumpster-diving as the departing college students leave all sorts of useful things standing outside with the trash. This time, Jamie’s found an unusual-looking mirror. His girlfriend Cassie certainly doesn’t like the look of it, but he puts it up in his bedroom nonetheless.

From there I expect your imagination can fill in. Hauntings, maybe-spirits, weird injuries in the middle of the night, scrabbling sounds, the works. The ending doesn’t have a lot of punch; it would have taken more space to fix that.