Home > Horror Book Covers > April’s Book Cover Spotlight: In the Midnight Museum

April’s Book Cover Spotlight: In the Midnight Museum

by The Undead Rat on April 28, 2010

This entry is part 4 in the series Monthly Book Cover Spotlight: 2010

This month’s Book Cover Spotlight illuminates one of the most powerful Cedar Hill stories by Ohio author Gary A. Braunbeck called In the Midnight Museum.

The painting used for this book was the first time I took notice of the artist’s name — although not the first time I fell under his spell. Caniglia paints some of the most disturbing horror art I’ve ever seen.

In the Midnight Museum is a powerful psychological horror novella by Gary A. Braunbeck

This is the cover for the Necessary Evil Press’ hardcover chapbook edition of Gary A. Braunbeck’s horror novella In the Midnight Museum.

The painting used for this horror chapbook is titled “Sole Morte Return of the Sun”.

Horror artist Caniglia has a website where you can view and purchase his work: (Click here to visit the Caniglia’s website and see more of his art work).

I strongly recommend In the Midnight Museum. You might be able to get an out-of-print copy published by Necessary Evil Press or you can score Tasmaniac Publications’ edition. Same great story in a different package with cover and interior art by Conny Valentina.

In the Midnight Museum is a powerful psychological horror novella by Gary A. Braunbeck

In the Midnight Museum

Author: Braunbeck, Gary A.
Book Cover: Caniglia
Format: Hardcover
Type: Horror Novella
Page Count: 182pp.
Pub. Date: April 2005
Publisher: Necessary Evil Press

In the Midnight Museum is a powerful psychological horror novella by Gary A. Braunbeck

In the Midnight Museum

Author: Braunbeck, Gary A.
Cover and Interior Art: Conny Valentina
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Horror Novella
Page Count: ???pp.
Pub. Date: 2007
Publisher: Tasmaniac Publications

Nominated for the 2005 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

Synopsis for the Necessary Evil Press edition:

Martin Tyler is a 44-year-old janitor whose life has come to a sputtering halt; he has no friends, no family, and no promise of better days ahead. In the grip of blackest depression, he attempts to take his own life, only to find himself waking up in a local mental health facility where he has been placed for observation.

But something more has happened to Martin than just a failed suicide attempt; certain doors of perception have been unlocked in his mind, allowing him to see fantastic creatures that lurk outside on the streets of Cedar Hill — creatures only he can perceive.

Over the next 48 hours, Martin will discover what these creatures are, who controls them, and why he must enter The Midnight Museum, a place with no doors or windows, but many entrances and exits; a place just outside the perception of everyday life; a place where Martin will discover how and why he inadvertently holds the fate of the world in his hands.

Synopsis for the Tasmaniac Publications edition:

Martin Tyler wants to end it all.

Alone and in despair over the death of his parents as well as the death of his youthful dreams and ambitions, he makes the decision to overdose on prescription drugs. Not wanting to bow out in his dingy apartment, and with the first ingestion of drugs beginning to take effect, he drives to downtown Cedar Hill in the hopes of finding a hotel room.

Along West Church Street there is a building he used to know as Devito’s Bookstore. Standing out front reminds him of times past; of the fond memories spent there and of a painting of that same building he still keeps — bought from an old street artist.

Striking up a conversation with his six-year old self and watching a strange creature pace along the building’s roof, Martin can feel the drugs taking the shine off reality — only now this IS his reality.

From a room in the Psychiatric facility near Cedar Hill Memorial Hospital, Martin becomes aware of these creatures, of the limits of even the most unbound imagination, and of events that may lead to the extinction of the world.

This is the land of Gash

Horror author Gary A. Braunbeck dropped by and added a comment which is worth reading as it explains what the two artists were striving for in their book covers for In the Midnight Museum. I found it interesting and immediately thought “yeah, that’s what I felt but I couldn’t articulate it.” –Thank you Gary!


Monthly Book Cover Spotlight: 2010
  1. January’s Book Cover Spotlight: Siren
  2. September’s Book Cover Spotlight: Pork Pie Hat
  3. February’s Book Cover Spotlight: A Choir of Ill Children
  4. March’s Book Cover Spotlight: Seldom Seen in August
  5. April’s Book Cover Spotlight: In the Midnight Museum
  6. May’s Book Cover Spotlight: Butterfly
  7. June’s Book Cover Spotlight: The Red Church
  8. July’s Book Cover Spotlight: Johnny Halloween
  9. August’s Book Cover Spotlight: The Condemned
  10. December’s Book Cover Spotlight: Spore
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Tagged as: Book Covers, Fun, Ohio Horror Author

{ 2 comments }

Gary Braunbeck April 29, 2010 at 7:05 pm

I’m a huge admirer of both artists’ interpretation of the book and the covers that resulted; Caniglia wanted to emphasize the gut-wrenching spiritual agony of the central character, whereas Connie saw the novella as being more of a dark fantasy cautionary tale — Charles de Lint mixed with a touch of Kobo Abe. Both covers have a decidedly different tone; one appeals to horror readers, the other to fantasy readers, and I liked that very much. I’ll be interested to see what comments you get from other folks. Until I received a Google alert about this, I never knew this site existed — and a terrific site it is.

Gary A. Braunbeck

The Undead Rat May 19, 2010 at 1:29 pm

Hello Gary,

Thanks for dropping by and talking about the covers. I felt what you wrote was important enough that I added an alert box at the bottom of the post telling any future readers about your comment. You summed up their merits better than I could have done.

–Greg

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