This week's main review is something special for a couple of reasons. First of all, this is a collection of shorter stories. Two of them I would consider to be honest-to-god short stories. The other two read a little more like a novelette or novella. Generally, in most cases. I would review each short story on its own, in its own review. However, for Midnight Never Ends I am making a special exception. This book has some interesting over arching themes and ideas that tie each of these four stories of the macabre together. The most apparent of those ideas is the use of the narrator similar to Rod Sterling of the classic horror anthology television show Night Gallery. Being a fan of Twilight Zone and Night Gallery I find this to be a fascinating element that adds the true essence and spice that makes this book somewhat unique--in a 1970s horror sort of way.
The second reason I'm reviewing the collection as a whole is because the author, Thomas Amo, graciously agreed to an interview with A Slice of Horror. Therefore it only seemed fitting to review the book as a whole in connection with the author interview. That interview will be posted on the news page of this site in connection with this review of Amo's book. So for those who are interested in the mind behind the macabre world of Midnight Never Ends I strongly encourage you to check out that interview.
Alright, enough preliminaries! On to the review! For each story I will do a short synopsis and review. Each one is unique yet similar in their own right. Then, once I have given a short review of each story, I will give my overall thoughts of the book as a whole.
The second reason I'm reviewing the collection as a whole is because the author, Thomas Amo, graciously agreed to an interview with A Slice of Horror. Therefore it only seemed fitting to review the book as a whole in connection with the author interview. That interview will be posted on the news page of this site in connection with this review of Amo's book. So for those who are interested in the mind behind the macabre world of Midnight Never Ends I strongly encourage you to check out that interview.
Alright, enough preliminaries! On to the review! For each story I will do a short synopsis and review. Each one is unique yet similar in their own right. Then, once I have given a short review of each story, I will give my overall thoughts of the book as a whole.
Nobody Dies On The First Floor
It's hard to give a synopsis that does each story justice. There are many twists and turns in Amo's writing and I don't want to ruin the suspense or surprise for other readers. All I can give is a faint taste of what Amo provides in his book.
The first story follows a younger man named Tod Purvis. He has recently been hired to drive the van that picks up dead bodies after accidents and take them to the morgue. The story line spans Tod's first night on the job. At first Tod is fantasizing, even romanticizing, what his new job will be like. He thinks it will be quite the experience to have the authority to walk past the caution tape around accident sites and crime scenes. Little does Tod know that he is in for quite the surprise.
Soon, his supervisor and trainer arrives, a man named Tony Gnomes. Tony is looking to retire and he wastes no time throwing Tod into the heat of the job. Tony is planning this as his last evening on the job and is expecting Tod to simply take over. Right away Tod realizes that this job is more than he expected. Having to deal with naked, bloody bodies is something he never thought he would do. And picking up the bodies and getting them into the van is no easy task. And, according to Tony, the main thing to always remember is "No one dies on the first floor."
This story feels very much like a warm-up. It is almost as if Amo is prepping the reader with dainty appetizers and wine before giving them the main course. This story is entertaining and has a few memorable moments, but it just doesn't have some of the meat of the later stories. I liked the title and how it ties into the ending. There were subtle build-ups and hints to what was coming and it was well executed as far as writing is concerned. Yet, as a reader, I felt like there was still something missing at the very end of this one. Perhaps it is the simple fact that the other stories to come have stronger characterization and therefore I cared more at the end.
As an opener this story does a good job of showing potential that is to come throughout the book. It is the most mild as far as violence and gore is concerned in the entire novel. I felt like I was being eased into what was to come. This already gives the book the feel of an overarching idea or theme. If this were a novel with a continuous story then this section of the book would be the exposition and the build-up. I think where this story may lack is where Amo saw potential. He works a flow into the book and into the organization of the stories that you just don't see in other collections of short stories. And honestly, I really like how this works out. It makes it feel as if the collection is meant to be read in order, not picked through and read at random.
The first story follows a younger man named Tod Purvis. He has recently been hired to drive the van that picks up dead bodies after accidents and take them to the morgue. The story line spans Tod's first night on the job. At first Tod is fantasizing, even romanticizing, what his new job will be like. He thinks it will be quite the experience to have the authority to walk past the caution tape around accident sites and crime scenes. Little does Tod know that he is in for quite the surprise.
Soon, his supervisor and trainer arrives, a man named Tony Gnomes. Tony is looking to retire and he wastes no time throwing Tod into the heat of the job. Tony is planning this as his last evening on the job and is expecting Tod to simply take over. Right away Tod realizes that this job is more than he expected. Having to deal with naked, bloody bodies is something he never thought he would do. And picking up the bodies and getting them into the van is no easy task. And, according to Tony, the main thing to always remember is "No one dies on the first floor."
This story feels very much like a warm-up. It is almost as if Amo is prepping the reader with dainty appetizers and wine before giving them the main course. This story is entertaining and has a few memorable moments, but it just doesn't have some of the meat of the later stories. I liked the title and how it ties into the ending. There were subtle build-ups and hints to what was coming and it was well executed as far as writing is concerned. Yet, as a reader, I felt like there was still something missing at the very end of this one. Perhaps it is the simple fact that the other stories to come have stronger characterization and therefore I cared more at the end.
As an opener this story does a good job of showing potential that is to come throughout the book. It is the most mild as far as violence and gore is concerned in the entire novel. I felt like I was being eased into what was to come. This already gives the book the feel of an overarching idea or theme. If this were a novel with a continuous story then this section of the book would be the exposition and the build-up. I think where this story may lack is where Amo saw potential. He works a flow into the book and into the organization of the stories that you just don't see in other collections of short stories. And honestly, I really like how this works out. It makes it feel as if the collection is meant to be read in order, not picked through and read at random.
Along For The Ride
It is my personal opinion that "Along for the Ride" is the best story in the entire book by far. It deals with a down and out man named Tom Farrell. His life seems to be nothing but hardship after hardship. He works in a dead end town at a dead end job with a boss who is one of the most entitled self-righteous men in existence. Tom's boss, Clark Randall, is a rich man who runs a mortuary home. In any way he can manage, Clark will cut corners and rip off his customers. It is similarly no exception with Tom. As with most stories about class customer's and employees are nothing more than assets to Clark Randaolph. Tom does every bit of nitty-gritty dirty work for the mortuary while Clark sits up on his high throne in his office.
Tom's luck begin's to turn around when the beautiful Tammy Robinson (There has got to be some significance in that name. Women with the last name Robinson always bring bad luck.) comes to work for Clark as a secretary. Tom begins to hit it off with Tammy and finally gets up the courage to ask her out for new year's eve. Tammy happily agrees.
It seems like things are looking up for Tom until Clark finds out about the date. To spite Tom, Clark sends him on a errand to pick up a corpse in the next state over. Clark also forces Tom to take the most worn out beat up hearse which means Tom will have to take the long way around instead of chancing it on the mountain pass. The trip will take all weekend and Tom doesn't think he will be back in time for the date. Yet, after talking to Tammy, he thinks he can make it back if he simply drives fast enough.
It is from there that the story begins to get really interesting. Tom gets on the road and in his hate for Clark Randolph he somehow summons something, something evil, something from hell. To tell anymore would destroy the story for other readers.
This story has a great build up. Amo really takes time for us to get to know our characters intimately, and does a brilliant job of it at that. Instantly, I related to and felt sorry for Tom. I found myself getting tense, hoping that Tom would come out on top by the end. I also truly loathed and despised Clark Randolph as a human being. I found myself wishing for his damnation along with Tom throughout the story.
This story starts out slow, more like a drama than anything else, and then quickly gets sick and horrifying in all the good ways. The story starts out feeling like a 1970s chiller movie and then quickly becomes something more like a 1980s splatterfilm. It is sorta cheesy and entertaining, yet violent and sick all at the same time. Now, the violence is no where near what you might get with Edward Lee or Wrath James White. It is a milder and splatter. So readers who like a good amount of gore but don't feel like throwing up may really enjoy Amo's style. (And I love Lee's work. So, in my opinion, there is a place for both quiet, intermediate, and no bars horror)
This story is great in almost every way. The last quarter of the story does get a little fast paced and muddled at times but this is definitely the best story in the book. Most important is that the characters were real and human, and the plot was well written and structured. If you decide to read only one story from this book it should be "Along for the Ride." But you should really read the book in its entirety.
Tom's luck begin's to turn around when the beautiful Tammy Robinson (There has got to be some significance in that name. Women with the last name Robinson always bring bad luck.) comes to work for Clark as a secretary. Tom begins to hit it off with Tammy and finally gets up the courage to ask her out for new year's eve. Tammy happily agrees.
It seems like things are looking up for Tom until Clark finds out about the date. To spite Tom, Clark sends him on a errand to pick up a corpse in the next state over. Clark also forces Tom to take the most worn out beat up hearse which means Tom will have to take the long way around instead of chancing it on the mountain pass. The trip will take all weekend and Tom doesn't think he will be back in time for the date. Yet, after talking to Tammy, he thinks he can make it back if he simply drives fast enough.
It is from there that the story begins to get really interesting. Tom gets on the road and in his hate for Clark Randolph he somehow summons something, something evil, something from hell. To tell anymore would destroy the story for other readers.
This story has a great build up. Amo really takes time for us to get to know our characters intimately, and does a brilliant job of it at that. Instantly, I related to and felt sorry for Tom. I found myself getting tense, hoping that Tom would come out on top by the end. I also truly loathed and despised Clark Randolph as a human being. I found myself wishing for his damnation along with Tom throughout the story.
This story starts out slow, more like a drama than anything else, and then quickly gets sick and horrifying in all the good ways. The story starts out feeling like a 1970s chiller movie and then quickly becomes something more like a 1980s splatterfilm. It is sorta cheesy and entertaining, yet violent and sick all at the same time. Now, the violence is no where near what you might get with Edward Lee or Wrath James White. It is a milder and splatter. So readers who like a good amount of gore but don't feel like throwing up may really enjoy Amo's style. (And I love Lee's work. So, in my opinion, there is a place for both quiet, intermediate, and no bars horror)
This story is great in almost every way. The last quarter of the story does get a little fast paced and muddled at times but this is definitely the best story in the book. Most important is that the characters were real and human, and the plot was well written and structured. If you decide to read only one story from this book it should be "Along for the Ride." But you should really read the book in its entirety.
Far From the Garden
After finishing "Along for the Ride" I had a really hard time jumping into this next story. I feel like Amo meant this story as a breather because of its brevity. It is short and simple without anything too complicated or even supernatural going on. However, the characters feel somewhat shallow compared to the previous story. In one part I'd say that this is what Amo intended based on the theme. In another part I'd say that it is just a simple story, and trying to create deep characters would just muddle the plot.
The story plays out a little like a rape/revenge movie. It follows a group of middle-aged mothers. This group of women are shallow and upper middle class. They seem to have some pride and entitlement for life that is obviously unwarranted. The story begins to really turn when one of the mothers brings forward her daughter's journal. The journal claims that she, and all of her friends--the mother's daughters, have been having sex with the school's PE teachers. Instead of taking this news to the police--and in order to protect their daughters and keep their good name--they decide to kill the teachers.
And that is the basic plot. Of course, as Amo has shown in his previous stories, there are going to be twists and turns. So don't think the story is simply cut and dry revenge. There is more to it, but not much. This is the one story in the novel where I called the ending before it happened.
The story works well as a breather and isn't badly written. But it does have the most disturbing violence of the entire book. This story gets a closer to the hard core violence experienced in other horror novels. I was cringing throughout the entire murder scene. It was my least favorite in the book but that doesn't make it bad.
The story plays out a little like a rape/revenge movie. It follows a group of middle-aged mothers. This group of women are shallow and upper middle class. They seem to have some pride and entitlement for life that is obviously unwarranted. The story begins to really turn when one of the mothers brings forward her daughter's journal. The journal claims that she, and all of her friends--the mother's daughters, have been having sex with the school's PE teachers. Instead of taking this news to the police--and in order to protect their daughters and keep their good name--they decide to kill the teachers.
And that is the basic plot. Of course, as Amo has shown in his previous stories, there are going to be twists and turns. So don't think the story is simply cut and dry revenge. There is more to it, but not much. This is the one story in the novel where I called the ending before it happened.
The story works well as a breather and isn't badly written. But it does have the most disturbing violence of the entire book. This story gets a closer to the hard core violence experienced in other horror novels. I was cringing throughout the entire murder scene. It was my least favorite in the book but that doesn't make it bad.
If You Should Die Before I Wake
Amo finishes up the book with a compelling and satanic little yarn in the vein of Clive Barker's Hellraiser. In many ways "If You Should Die Before I Wake" came close to being just as good as "Along for the Ride." The two stories are very close in theme and mood. I just preferred "Along for the Ride" more.
Larry Sims is a man who loves his daughter, Matilda, very much. Unfortunately, his alcoholic ex-wife and her abusive boyfriend have custody of Matilda. Larry only gets to see his daughter on weekends and is forced to pay child support to his wife who mostly uses it for drugs and booze.
On one weekend, after a terrible fight with his ex-wife, he brings his daughter home with him. What Larry doesn't know is that his daughter has picked up a satanic spell book from his wife's house and has accidentally summoned a creature from hell. Now the demon demands Matilda's soul. Matilda, in her young and innocent faith in God, prays for the demon to leave. However, her prayer turns on itself and begins a gory killing spree that encompasses the remainder of the story.
Amo truly understands the meaning of the horror genre in this story. He takes something pure--an innocent girl and a well loved prayer--and turns them into something far more sinister. There are some truly disturbing elements in this tale and some Christian readers may take offense. But Amo's use of religion in all his stories is well played and specifically warranted. The descriptions of the demon's are top notch and make for some very morbid artwork in the mind. Amo's brand of hell is one to enjoyed.
Larry Sims is a man who loves his daughter, Matilda, very much. Unfortunately, his alcoholic ex-wife and her abusive boyfriend have custody of Matilda. Larry only gets to see his daughter on weekends and is forced to pay child support to his wife who mostly uses it for drugs and booze.
On one weekend, after a terrible fight with his ex-wife, he brings his daughter home with him. What Larry doesn't know is that his daughter has picked up a satanic spell book from his wife's house and has accidentally summoned a creature from hell. Now the demon demands Matilda's soul. Matilda, in her young and innocent faith in God, prays for the demon to leave. However, her prayer turns on itself and begins a gory killing spree that encompasses the remainder of the story.
Amo truly understands the meaning of the horror genre in this story. He takes something pure--an innocent girl and a well loved prayer--and turns them into something far more sinister. There are some truly disturbing elements in this tale and some Christian readers may take offense. But Amo's use of religion in all his stories is well played and specifically warranted. The descriptions of the demon's are top notch and make for some very morbid artwork in the mind. Amo's brand of hell is one to enjoyed.
Summing it Up
Overall, this is one fine work of horror fiction. Despite it being four separate stories, Amo manages to create a flow similar to reading a novel. He eases us into the more violent and intense stories and ends with the darkest of the four. His characterization is generally engrossing and pertinent to the storytelling. His mood of 1970s chiller meets 1980s splatter is one to be enjoyed. The book isn't without flaw. Sometimes the over use of names with all the same starting letter can get muddled feeling. Sometimes events or descriptions feel slightly contrived or don't fit quite as well as one may like into the overall story. And the "lore" behind his demons and monsters is occasionally hard to follow or feels inconsistent. But these are all small complaints against the delightfully macabre superstructure that Midnight Never Ends turns out to be. It is a quick and enjoyable read that deals with strong themes of religion, class, and human desire. This is definitely worth checking out.
Deaths: 15
Language: 5
Gore Factor: 5
Sex Factor: 4
Scare Factor: 4
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 4
Deaths: 15
Language: 5
Gore Factor: 5
Sex Factor: 4
Scare Factor: 4
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 4
To learn more about my rating system click here.