Night Brawlers

by C.A. Stampley, Kaitlin Inman (editor)

In the shadowy realm between dreams and reality, Makas awakens with no memory of his past. Thrust into a world he doesn’t understand, he’s told he has a divine to brawl against the nightmarish creatures born from human trauma.
Welcome to Moonshade, a mysterious bar where the Night Brawlers gather. These chosen few are tasked with venturing into the subconscious minds of troubled souls, confronting the monstrous manifestations of their deepest fears and darkest memories.
As our hero grapples with his own lost identity, he must learn to navigate this dangerous dreamscape, facing not only the horrors lurking in others’ minds but also the growing suspicions and mistrust that his own forgotten past imposes on him.
Will he embrace his calling as a Night Brawler and uncover the truth of his existence, or will the monsters of the mind consume him, leaving the world of dreams—and reality—in peril?

690 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2024

About the author

C.A. Stampley is Christan from a small town in Texas, where he lives with his amazing wife, four kids, and two dogs. For C.A., his faith is the most significant part of his life, and he loves spreading the good news of Jesus to anyone willing to listen. He loves hearing people's testimonies and telling his. C.A. loves all art forms, from music to movies, drawing, painting, and books. C.A. grew up with a wide range of music, his dad listening to rock and his mom listening to gospel, while his sister only jammed country. Then, as he grew, he fell in love with hip-hop, rap, emo/screamo, heavy metal, and alternative. And it wasn't much different with T.V. and movies, his parents loving westerns, his mom obsessed with soap operas and Hallmark movies, his sister willing to watch anything. He is a big fan of Anime and Manga; some favorites include Rurouni Kenshin, Yuyu Hakusho, and Blue Spring Ride, and he loves Japanese culture. He loves gaming and grew up playing video games his whole life, from the Super Nintendo to Gameboys to PlayStation. A few of his favorite games are Jak and Daxter, anything Pokemon, and Skyrim. All of this worked together to create the man he is today with a love for how diverse and different art can be even in the same areas.

C.A. Stampley loves character-driven stories with beautiful world-building and wants to produce this in his writing. He feels a character should be what drives the stories. The character's perspectives and emotions should draw us in and help us relate to the character and what is happening, which is why he is a big fan of fantasy and science-fiction novels. Some of his favorite authors are Brandon Sanderson, Neal Shusterman, Mary Higgins Clark, Katherine Applegate, and J.K. Rowling.

Reviews

[Sweetpea4me · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a whole escape room/scavenger hunt vibe, and I am here for it! It reminded me a lot of The Inheritance Games books, which is one of my top fav. On top of that, the people are fighting these nightmare monsters all while trying to gain memories of their own trauma and save the person having the nightmare.
Each task is a new assignment with different clues. These clues are answers to the creatures names, needed to defeat them. They get harder as the time goes on. Stampley really pulled out all the stops. I especially loves the Christian aspect throughout the whole book! Keep a lookout for the Oct.10 release of this unique book!

[Shelby DuCommun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful story! As someone with trauma it was interesting to see how others have processed their own. Makas is a very relatable character. If you like puzzles and seeing how overcoming our inner monsters, then this is the perfect book for you! Fantasy with no spice as well.

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent Christian fantasy novel. It’s clean with no spice but still full of action, suspense, betrayal, heartbreak, but also hope through the peace and support of God.

I loved the plot where there are Night Brawlers. These are good guys, true to the faith, ready to battle the evil influences. To do this they have to solve riddles, puzzles and get in and out of people’s minds. This is going on while they try to defeat the Night Dealer, a really bad dude.

The ending was wild and did not expect that outcome.

I want to thank the author for sending me a copy of his book. My review is voluntary.

[J. Reese Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with CA Stampley’s ALONE IN THE METAL (which I highly recommend) but this high fantasy goes to show that he is a versatile writer as well! I saw another comment that you can definitely tell the author is a Christian, and you can, but this is not a Diet Coke fantasy. The author is a skilled world builder, excellent at character development, and gifted a gifted storyteller in general. Highly recommended NIGHT BRAWLERS for fantasy lovers of all kinds!

[KyLee Zelfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unique storyline unlike anything I've read previously! Makas winds up in Moonshade with amnesia. He is tasked with training in order to defeat creatures within peoples nightmares while also going through his own struggles and overcoming his traumas. Each dream starts out like an escape room where you have to find clues to not only get out but subdue the vultures as well. If you like puzzles, it's a good read! Also enjoyed the trauma represented and seeing how everyone overcomes it.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so interesting on how the mind works when it comes to memories and trauma! It was like the ultimate game (and nightmares are no joke!) and sometimes I didn't even know if I wanted the "prize" because was it worth it? Fear and trauma are, to me, hard things to tackle and convey because of how both effect people differently. Sometimes one remembers too much and hyper fixates on it. Sometimes one remembers not enough, and the frustration of that elusiveness brings them repeatedly to the edge. Regardless both are haunting, and this story conveys that.

[Tina Texts and Tonics · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of Church Camp...in a good way. 


Night Brawlers reads as a YA Christian novel with fantasy themes. While having amnesia, Makas is tasked with entering dreams and fighting creatures that have manifested from the dreamers' traumas. Each dream is guarded with a series of puzzles similar to an escape room. With each dream and creature he encounters, Makas begins to remember more about his past self, leading to struggles of his own.  


This book would be great for church youth groups.  It's well paced, easy to read and would open the conversation up to deeper topics that are sometimes difficult to broach and navigate. 

[Gerald Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Christian Fantasy, escape rooms, solid world building and traditional good vs. evil tropes, this is the book for you. I personally found it too long, especially the interludes, and too many twists that seemed to come from nowhere. However, the world building, action and characters make it worthwhile.

[Macrinus · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like puzzles and mazes you will like this book. Makas is a character that you can relate to in this thrilling ride. Go find this book and enjoy

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing Christian Adventure

I definitely enjoyed this book. Makas wakes up and he is no idea where he is. The only thing he remembers about himself is his name. There is a letter for him in his room to go downstairs to meet with someone. He goes down to the bar where they said to meet. He finds out that there are puzzle rooms to solve which also give clues to help him remember things about himself. Also as part of the experience they are suppose to try and save people from being turned into vultures. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that they pray to God for help.

[Christin Calure · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very cool take on a story. I really love the idea behind this book and how its presented in the story. If you like mind games and interesting story, this book is for you.

[Abbie Riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night Brawlers is a unique book in so many ways! If you enjoy fantasy and Christian writing then this is a book for you. The MMC, Makas, is easy to relate to. The unique take on healing trauma is interesting. This is the type of book that you begin reading and realize that you cannot put it down - if you try to it just stays in your mind demanding to be finished. I honestly, love books that are like this. So, yes, I stayed up way too late reading. And yes, I waited to write a review because honestly I didn't know where to start.
The concept is unique. The story line is intriguing. The characters are amazing. There could be some triggering issues with some things for some people. This is a book that deals with trauma, and the spiritual realm behind continued pain from trauma. If you enjoy working out puzzles, figuring out things, this is the book for you.

Honestly, I can't say enough about this book. Unique. Very, very Unique.