If you are interested in ordering this ebook, click the mouse on the book cover to order it from an online bookseller.
Hello.
You’re probably wondering who I am and what qualifies me to open this anthology. That’s usually the first thing I want to know when I read an introduction.
My name is Gregory Fisher, and my wife is the founder of Drollerie Press, but I’m better known on the Internet as The Undead Rat. I’m a librarian at the Cleveland Heights University Heights Public Library by day and by night I work on my website …With Intent to Commit Horror. There I write about horror fiction and create book lists for both horror authors and series. Want to know the names of all the books in Brian Keene’s The Rising series? I have them. Confused about the order of the 30 Days of Night graphic novel series? I can enlighten you. Basically I want to hook you up with the next book you’re going to love — and if it’s a horror novel, so much the better.
Today I’m here to hook you up with a handful of good horror stories. They’re all here. In this anthology.
The first thing you’ll notice is that this book is divided into three parts. Part one covers vampire stories, since vampires seem to be the most popular monster on the block. Part two holds the zombie stories. Zombies are becoming the new vampire, gaining in popularity in movies and now in print. Part three contains the ghosts. Ghost stories are always in fashion.
Each section contains strong stories representative of the theme and ends with a bang-up Tim Mulcahy story anchoring the section and propelling you into the next. Tim’s “Monday Night at the Vampire Lounge” was one of the first stories published by Drollerie. The other two stories herein, “Thursday Night at the Zombie Bordello” and “Wednesday Night at the Haunted Inn” are being published for the first time.
A word about the Tim Mulcahy stories. The cycle revolves around the protagonist of “Monday Night,” Paul, and the wacky . . . er . . . um . . . “people” he brings into his orbit. Each story is narrated by a different character with a different voice and point of view. Within these stories, Tim twists each archetypal monster into something interesting . . . something new . . . A stylistic trait he shares with every author in this anthology. That is, in fact, the over-arching theme of this anthology and every story published by Drollerie.
Transformation.
In talking about transformation, you need look no further than Connie Neil’s two stories. Connie is the only other author to have multiple, related stories in this anthology. “Shepherd to the Wolves” was another early story published by Drollerie. In her choice of characters, Connie transforms the vampire story into a tense meditation on redemption and damnation. The prequel, “Lydie” which follows a few stories after, is rightly placed in this collection. Reading “Lydie” after “Shepherd to the Wolves” transforms the character of Lydie as you know her. Reading the prequel first completely loses that effect.
Heather S. Ingemar also has two stories in this collection. Her stories are unrelated to each other except in that they transform the “monster” into the protagonist of the story. In “Accused,” she gives us the half-vampire, existing as part of human society until bigotry rears its ugly head. In “Dead Woman Walking” Clara awakens to her zombie condition and seeks knowledge. It is humanity that pushes her to revenge.
Joely Sue Burkhart deserves particular mention because her story. “Broken Angel, A Zombie Love Story” shares its history with the origin of this anthology. Drollerie throws a public chat every third Thursday of the month. In one of the early chats a challenge was thrown out for the Drollerie authors to write a zombie love story. “If you can create zombie love stories, I’ll make an anthology out of them,” Deena offered.
The authors who took up the challenge became part of this book. Heather S. Ingemar and Tim Mulcahy turned in stories that had hints of romance attached to their undead, but only Joely brazenly produced a love story starring a zombie. Those three stories were collected with others and Bump in the Night was born.
All of the authors present a gem of a story and are very much deserving of inclusion herein — transforming their vampire, zombie or ghost into something unique and interesting. Each story is a bright promise on the blasted landscape of horror fiction, and are all worthy of your time and attention.
Now, go forth and read.
Comments on this entry are closed.