More Than Midnight by Brian James Freeman, Michael Koryta (2012) Hardcover

by Brian James Freeman

This collection features five tales of horror by Brian James Freeman that deal with both real and supernatural terrors. It explores locations you would never think to look in because sometimes we find our darkest demons in the most unexpected places. In "What They Left Behind," a young man discovers something lurking in the basement of the old office building his father-in-law has purchased in a last ditch effort to save the family business. This thing in the basement is evil and it's very, very hungry. In "The Final Lesson" you'll meet Ronald, a mild-mannered high school teacher who has never lifted his hand in anger, but there is a darkness inside him, which has been building and boiling since his wife was brutally murdered... and he might not be able to control himself when he learns more about why she died. A family man discovers there are monsters taking over the world in "Among Us," but he also learns that a chosen few can fight back if they're willing to sacrifice everything they've ever known and loved. As "Pulled Into Darkness" opens, Edward is certain of only one thing in eventually his wife will find a way to kill him. Her previous failures won't stop her from trying again and again until she succeeds... and tonight one of them won't be leaving the house alive. Finally, a lonely young man's very unusual job is taking a heavy toll on him in "Answering the Call." He stays in the homes of the deceased during their funerals to answer the phone, receive deliveries, and deter thieves who might have seen the obituary in the newspaper. The young man has witnessed a lot of strange things over the years in the homes of the dead, and today his job will truly become a matter of life and death...These five stories showcase Freeman's dazzling virtuosity and imagination as his characters descend into the depths of madness. Find out why Richard Matheson has called his writing "spooky stuff" and why Stewart O'Nan has said his stories have "great velocity and impact." There is darkness all around us, and Freeman isn't afraid to shine a light onto the things that scare us the most.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Brian James Freeman sold his first short story when he was fourteen years old and now writes full-time thanks to the support of his patrons on Patreon. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, three kids, a German Shorthaired Pointer, and an English Pointer. More books are on the way.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eerie cover here but what about the five stories inside? "What They Left Behind" is about two young men looking in the basement of a derelict warehouse what caused the power failure. One of them comes out changed forever. "The Final Lesson" sees a teacher being confronted with the murderers of his wife. Will they get him too? Definitely my personal highlight here. "Among us" is about a man living in fear his mentally sick wife will murder him. Will she succeed in the end? Who was responsible for the death of their little daughter? "Pulled Into Darkness" tells the tale of a lawyer who should be made partner. Who are his bosses? Last and least we hear about "Answering the Call" a disturbing story about death and crime. The stories here were fast paced, quite sinister and had some jaw dropping killer twists and supernatural elements. Also the illustration to each story is to the point. Tales from the twilight zone of madness. Really recommended stuff that really is more than midnight!

[Robb Basham · Rating 4 out of 5]

[This review covers the trade paperback edition from Cemetery Dance that excludes "Pulled into Darkness" and the interior illustrations from the hardcover edition. These are replaced by two bonus stories: "Loving Roger" and "Pop-Pop".]

More Than Midnight is a story collection by Brian James Freeman that contains some fine modern horror storytelling. Each story carries its own weight and each packs a wallop.
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"Pop-Pop": Erin and Russ are two college-aged siblings who come to town to help their mother clear their grandmother's house and ready it for sale. The grandmother is in hospice and has been rapidly declining in health since her husband fell down the stairs and passed away. The first area the siblings decide to tackle is the attic. Within a loose floorboard they find a box containing IDs of missing women who all suspiciously look like Erin and her mom. What kinds of sinister secrets are lurking within the mind of their ailing Gram-Gram?
This story is an excellent way to kick off this collection and should be the selling point in grabbing the paperback reissue. It is quick, creepy and the twist is a classic twist delivered in a fresh way.
4.5/5
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"Answering the Call": In this tale, a mysterious man can exorcise the restless spirits of the recently deceased from their haunting grounds. He has a unique method of capturing the spirits. However, our protagonist is lonely and wishes for more in life than just this endless pursuit of otherworldly affairs.
This was a very fun and interesting story that is very ripe for further stories about this character. The audience may want more detailed exploits than what this story alludes to in its brevity. There is very fertile soil here for a collection all of his own.
4/5
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"The Final Lesson": A retired music teacher is living in a state of paranoia and fear. Since his wife was murdered at a grocery store, he has been feeling someone watching him. The paranoia hits closer to home when his neighbors are butchered in much the same way. Soon, his fears are confirmed when the perpetrators of the slayings approach him with sinister intent (after revealing they came for him because he failed them in school). He has a choice to make that could literally be life or death.
This is a visceral, brutal little tale of revenge. The author makes these two monsters especially heinous and makes the protagonist very sympathetic and likeable.
5/5
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"Loving Roger": A modern take on the "lover scorned" trope, this tale presents a mentally-ill woman who wants to win her husband back...no matter how many people have to die.
The "unreliable narrator" perspective is utilized well here and it makes the reader question which narrative is real.
4.5/5
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"Among Us": A Junior lawyer is summoned up to a meeting with the Partners, the Senior lawyers in the firm. He is one of several who is in attendance. This meeting, however, ends up being a way to turn the Juniors into unwitting monstrosities to begin the invasion of Earth. The main character doesn't turn and is revealed to be incorruptible, so he must be destroyed. Thus begins a harrowing cat-and-mouse pursuit with no sunny skies on the horizon.
This imaginative story hearkens back to the classic Sci-Fi pulp of the '50s (much like The Blob or Invasion of the Body Snatchers). It is tense and riveting, with no letting up at all!
5/5
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"Not Without Regrets": A woman and her daughter live in fear of her husband after a brutal attack he committed. It is storming heavily in her area and this causes a power outage, which allows her husband to escape the asylum where he resides. He comes to finish what he started.
This story definitely feels like a King or Laymon and it has such a horrifying twist that some will see coming but will nonetheless be dreading.
5/5
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"What They Left Behind": Two brothers are clearing out an old office building that was the site of a mass of accidental deaths. The building is flooded and has been ruined. The dead are stirring and waiting to unleash hell.
This final tale is quite the conclusion to this collection. It assaults the senses and sends shivers down your spine. The ending is yet another imaginative variation of the classics.
5/5
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This is a quick, furious collection that will be easy to consume in short order. These stories will haunt you long after you close the book.

I'm giving this one ☠️x4.75 (based on an aggregate rating of all the stories)!

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's cool having a book that's limited to only 750 copies. It's a hardcover, Smythe sewn, with artwork by Glenn Chadbourne tipped in.

This one's signed by the author, Brian James Freeman; the artist, Glenn Chadbourne; and Michael Koryta who wrote a nice introduction.

There are five short stories included in this collection. They all do a great job of lulling you in to a normal world, introducing the reader to characters who have a job to do, a life to live. In each, something slips the story into horror, into madness, and the characters will never be the same.

As short as the stories are, they still pack a pretty good gut punch. I enjoyed each and every one of them.

(In the story "Among Us" I noticed that the main character had to empty his pockets of his keys, his wallet, and his cell phone during a meeting which he abruptly fled. Later, he maxed out his credit cards and emptied his bank card. He couldn't have done that if he left his wallet in the board room...)

This is one of the pictures drawn by Glenn Chadbourne:

[Bekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were hit and miss for me, but that last one was one of the best horror stories I’ve read in a long while. Such an original concept, I wish it were an entire book. 3.5 stars, bordering on 4 just for the last story.

[Frank Errington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian James Freeman is the Managing Editor of Cemetery Dance magazine and publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has produced some very nice limited editions over the years, including a beautiful print edition of Stephen King's Riding the Bullet. In addition to his work as an editor and publisher, Freeman is also an accomplished writer. His most recent novel, The Painted Darkness, has been called a hauntingly beautiful tale exploring the thin line between fantasy and reality.

The 5 stories in Brian's new collection have appeared elsewhere over the years and I had already read a couple of them, but if you're new to Brian Freeman or are just looking for a few good stories, you could do much worse than More Than Midnight.

First up is What They left Behind. Scott's father has bought an abandoned property with a factory, warehouse and office building. While moving into the warehouse during a big storm, Scott and George head to the basement of the office building to see if they can get the generator working in case of a power outage.

Brian does a great job in building tension and in getting my heart racing when the lights do go out and the two are stuck in the basement and they are not alone...the past is there with them.

My favorite story in this collection is The Final Lesson. It's been two years since Ronald Hammerstein's wife was murdered outside the Stop-N-Go. The killers were never caught.

Another thing I like about Brian's stories is the way he can deliver the horror without telling you all the gory details. He has the skill to paint a picture with his words and leave rest to your imagination and for me it's just as effective, if not more so.

The story, Among Us, is a bit out there, but a lot of fun and I thought Glenn Chadbourne's illustration for this one was dead on.

Pulled Into Darkness is one of those stories that leaves you wondering if what you read was the truth or the ramblings of a deranged mind.

The last entry was Answering The Call. I found this to be just as disturbing as it was when I first read it in Borderlands 5, nearly a decade ago.

In all, a nice collection. And you really can't go wrong with a few stories from Brian James Freeman. Currently available only as a signed limited-edition hardcover from Cemetery Dance.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read Brian James Freeman's novella "The Painted Darkness," I was struck by the sense of humanity I felt at the heart of his writing. That is true of these five short stories as well. Brian reaches into your heart and soul and connects you to the inner being of the characters whose stories he tells. The deep and powerful emotions they experience are experiences all of us have had - fear, anxiety, worry, love, rage. The horror is, for the most part, in the inner-most parts of our being. He does not need to describe the violence and gore, though he is capable of doing that. What he describes are people like you and me coming face-to-face with that which strikes terror into their hearts.

[Adrianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled on this book at my local library and was very intrigued! I love short scary stories and this book is definitely a good one. It’s an easy read and entertaining. Each story is different and suspenseful but not as grotesque/horrifying as I initially expected. It’s more creepshow scary. Nonetheless I enjoyed this book for a good Sunday read, but I definitely wish the story ‘Pulled into darkness’ had more to it! It was probably the scariest story out of all of them and left me wanting to read more on Edward and his baby Nell.

[Michael Allen Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok group of stories but more like campfire tales. I didn't find any of them to be detailed and most of them left huge holes in the story. I understand that these are short stories and not meant to be memorable but as one of the reviewers above mentioned there were "what and where and who's" not stated or resolved. I just thought there could have been more thought put into the tales rather than just shooting for an ending that was supposed to be thought compelling but fell short.

[Dez Nemec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow....these were so good! There wasn't one I didn't like. I called my paternal grandfather Pop-Pop and he was the best ever (and I was never really fond of Grandma), so naturally Pop-Pop was a fave. Answering the Call was such an interesting and unique story. The Final Lesson was a nice little punch in the face. I loved it. What a great collection!

[Christy Myers]

Wonderful!

This has got to be just about my favorite horror story collection I have ever read. I love horror anthologies and read every one I can find. I loved the creepiness of these stories. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horror stories.

[David Thwaites · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were really good short stories, perfect for a short read before falling asleep.

[E.A. (P.) Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of horror story collections. And this, indeed, may in fact be my all-time favorite! You can bet I'll be reading more from him.

[Stathis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the words that make you shiver….

Five stories, five situations, five occurrences …. More than Midnight. After Painted Darkness Brian James Freeman – what do you mean you don’t know him?- returns with a stunning collection of short stories that will immerse you into your own self, when you sit alone and you mind wanders into forbidden paths, actions, images. The guilty violent ones, the rampant thoughts where you wonder whether you are capable of killing, being violent, avenging the less of someone dear… or that perennial question when frustration overtakes and you scream “Who are you”. And what of those moments when you are about to snap … the moment before reality (?) abandons your mind.
What They Left Behind
The Final Lesson
Among Us
Pulled Into Darkness
The Call
In More than Midnight you will enter these worlds through the tales above…and when you reach the end of the book – you will look into nothing for a while take a deep breath and simply return to page 1 and read again.
Enter the world of the wordweaver Brian James Freeman and it will be the best decision of your life…

[Robert Krone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of a few short stories. Perfect time to read this collection would definitely be late at night. While I had already read some stories previously it was a pleasure to read them again, especially since what I had read before was from his eBook collection and I highly prefer holding a physical book over reading a digital book. I am normally pretty bad about reading short story collections (Even ones that only have a small number of stories like this one) and will take months to finish getting through them because I get distracted by other things I start reading, but this collection was good enough that I read through this one without reading anything else in between stories.

[Dave Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Brian James Freeman for years, and his work continues to impress.

Short stories are slowly but surely becoming my favorite reading medium, and Freeman knows how to craft them with the seasoned hand of a true veteran author. The five tales in MORE THAN MIDNIGHT are at once suspenseful, horrific, beautiful, vengeful, frightening and vivid, and they all manage to invoke a sense of ambiguity and melancholy that leaves me wanting to see more, yet I'm satisfied by what he's willing to show me.

Brian James Freeman manages to tell abnormal tales that take place in the normal world--the lynchpin to good horror fiction.

{His short novel THE PAINTED DARKNESS and his full-length novel BLACK FIRE (written under James Kidman) are equally impressive.}

[Squire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this volume of 5 previously-published short stories by the light of my computer at 3am. The first story "What They Left Behind" sets the tone for the collection with a creepy, atmospheric tale of a business relocating to a new warehouse. The remaining 4 vary in effectiveness, but taken all at once, the whole thing is a nerve-jangling trip into Freeman's mind that will have you searching out more of his work. Heed the advice of Michael Koryta in the introduction and read this when you're alone and by a dim light.

[Andrew Reeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slim tome containing five short excursions into a mundane world of shifting horrors. The author has a quiet affinity for every day scenes of normalcy and the zone of terror created when the unthinkable suddenly manifests itself in this idyllic domain. Freeman's writing opens a small widow into this shifting world of perpetual crimson twilight, allowing us a glimpse of hidden atrocities half-imagined. We are never quite sure if what we saw was real or only imagined-- and this is as it should be.

[Rusty Lundgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this collection all in one sitting. They weren’t long stories, but were very imaginative. I’m not normally into reading short stories, but this one kept me interested all the way through. My favorite was “The Final Lesson”. I had thought the story was going one way, but then Brian took in a different and nasty direction! It made me smile to myself at the end, which is how I usually judge whether a horror book/story is good or not.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

In More Than Midnight Brian James Freeman brings us 5 tales that are sure to leave you wanting more. In the story "What They Left Behind," something lurks in the basement of the old office building and left me wanting to avoid all basements or dark abandoned spaces. The last story is most unusual and great, in "Answering the Call." a man has the job of guarding the homes of the recently deceased and has a surprise waiting for him. This book is worth the read for any fan of Freeman's work.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freeman's creative ability flows through these 5 stories of horror. These stories are very well constructed and make this book enjoyable to read. If you liked More Than Midnight, I recommend The Painted Darkness.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice short stories. made me want to check out his bigger works.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story creepfest. Great Chong cover and awesome interiors by Chadbourne. Highly recommended.