The Night Prophets

by Paul F. Olson

God's Hand Can Touch You Too!

The year is 1989, and in suburban Chicago, the worldwide religious movement known as Universal Ministries is carefully tending its flock. They come by the thousands, young people looking for happiness, searching for peace, drawn by a message of hope and the opportunity to change the world. They come from far and wide to follow their heroes – Reverend Steve, Reverend Bob, and the man they worship most of all, the powerful Reverend Arthur Bach.

But Curt Potter has come to Universal Ministries for another reason. He is on a quest for the truth about his life, about the past. But he could never have imagined what he would find. A place where the shadows come alive at night. A horrific secret at the heart of the church. An unspeakable evil more terrible than his darkest nightmares. Now, with the odds against him and time running out, Curt must convince his friends to join him, stand against the darkness, and fight for their lives, their souls, and their very salvation.

Genres: Horror, Vampires

422 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2013

About the author

Paul F. Olson has been a professional writer and editor for nearly forty years. The Night Prophets, originally released by New American Library in 1989, was his first published novel. He is also the author of the dark suspense novel Alexander's Song, plus many short stories, essays, reviews, interviews, and other works. In the late 1980s, he published and edited Horrorstruck: The World of Dark Fantasy, a trade magazine for horror fans and professionals. With the late David B. Silva, he co-edited the anthologies Post Mortem: New Tales of Ghostly Horror and Dead End: City Limits, and created the award-winning newsletter Hellnotes, which he and Silva edited together for five years. Following Silva's death, he teamed with Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman to produce the tribute anthology Better Weird. Some of his short fiction is available in the collection Whispered Echoes, which includes the World Fantasy Award-nominated novella "Bloodybones." After spending nearly two decades as a small-town newspaper editor, he returned to his roots with a full-time focus on fiction. He currently lives in Brimley, Michigan, not far from the shores of Lake Superior.

Reviews

[David Swisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started so promising. I loved the first half of this book, getting to know the characters and their stories, the build up and suspense...top notch. When it came time to cash that in with the action it fell flat. The way the climax played out was just so dry and stale. It needed a little more umph, a little more action, and less memos

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

NIGHT PROPHETS should be held up as one of the classic eighties novels of the horror genre. Painted on a broad canvas, this story about evil using the corporate corruption of "big business" religion to spread its influence is as timely as ever; with mega-churches across the country pastored by men with less than divine intentions. A modern take on classic vampires, full of substance, heart, and soul, this is a must read for horror fans and lovers of vampire fiction.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Night Prophets was first released back in 1989, being the debut of Paul F. Olson, and is the second of his novels to be re-released by Cemetery Dance, following the memorable Alexander's Song last year. This updated version is being marketed as an expanded “Ultimate Edition” which restores material cut from the original publication. This is also the author’s preferred version, which he comments upon in the forward. Original (or new) copies of this book are scant and incredibly expensive (almost $1,000 on Amazon!), neither does it have very many reviews on Goodreads or anywhere else, so I am presuming The Night Prophets will be a new reading experience to most horror fans.

You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Jensen McCorkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

A young man named infiltrates the Universal Ministries church, a charismatic religious movement, to find answers about his father. He soon finds something much darker and way more sinister then he bargained for. We have a religious cult, supernatural elements, a mystery and horror all rolled into one and I will be honest, I originally thought it might suffer because of all that but I was wrong and I can admit it. I appreciated the mix of horror, suspense, and supernatural dread that the author provided. The author does a good job of creating atmosphere. The author also does well with the character development which I am sure was tough since there are so many within the cult. Overall this was a solid read for me and I did enjoy it.

[Michelle Villmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Olson takes time to let you get to know his characters. A young man walks into a bar....and demands the tv be turned to the church service from Universal Ministries. A wayward youth finds himself being swept into an arson plot for insurance money, a young teen finds herself pregnant with her parents calling the shots. And suddenly circumstances find them thrown together at the epicenter of one of the world's largest churches where they can start rebuilding their lives. But there is something terribly unsettling at the compound and what initially seems too good to be true quickly proves it is. And there's nothing good about about it. In fact, it's extremely dark and sinister...

[Amber Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love The Night Prophets. I had such high hopes for the story. I loved the start of the book. it pulled me in super fast. The characters' back story and how the main group becomes friends were intriguing. however, it kind of droned on. This story could have been cut in half. It was so wordy. I also think the vampire aspect was oversold and underdelivered. it really needed more vampire and horror elements imo. It wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't something super memorable that I'd give extra thought to.

[John Nugent · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting tale built on character work that, unfortunately, suffers from some poor pacing in the final third. That, along with some strange decision making by the protagonists, brings this down a few pegs. All in all, worth reading, but you might find yourself scratching your head at a few points.

[Rita Rehak · Rating 1 out of 5]

It took until halfway through the book for anything to really happen. Several of the characters felt like throwaways and were not developed enough to make their names worth remembering, yet they were brought up enough to make it annoying when you do not know who is who.
The ending was anticlimactic and the epilogue was not very helpful.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried very hard but only read half. It was just so slow with very little happening. Also, it was written in the late 80’s and it is incredibly dated.

[Amy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.35
I read the stunning Twisted Retreat Special Edition.
I loved this book!