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Waterloo Midnight
Have you met Karl? Would you admit it if you have?
Karl lives, if you can call it that, in Toronto, circa 2014, and life isn’t getting easier. He can’t stop panicking, can’t get ahead, and wants desperately to do better, but he’s starting to learn that self-improvement can be deadly.
Assigned a project celebrating the Absconditus family, one of the city’s wealthiest, weirdest, and most influential dynasties, Karl is drawn into something far stranger than ad agency office politics.
Waterloo Midnight is eerie, romantic, and darkly surreal, a feverish blend of horror, satire, and fantasy that asks how much of yourself must be surrendered just to feel like you barely exist at all.
Karl lives, if you can call it that, in Toronto, circa 2014, and life isn’t getting easier. He can’t stop panicking, can’t get ahead, and wants desperately to do better, but he’s starting to learn that self-improvement can be deadly.
Assigned a project celebrating the Absconditus family, one of the city’s wealthiest, weirdest, and most influential dynasties, Karl is drawn into something far stranger than ad agency office politics.
Waterloo Midnight is eerie, romantic, and darkly surreal, a feverish blend of horror, satire, and fantasy that asks how much of yourself must be surrendered just to feel like you barely exist at all.
482 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 21, 2026
Honestly, I pretty much went into this one blindly. I took one look at the cover, read the very first line of the blurb "Have you met Karl?and I was instantly sold.
What Kept Me Turning the Pages
-I’ll be real: I am usually a fast-paced thriller reader, and I typically hate third-person narratives. But against all odds, Karl’s story completely hooked me. Even though the book is a definite slow-burn, it piqued my curiosity so much that I couldn't stop turning the pages. Karl is such a deeply relatable character, and my heart broke for him. It feels like everyone around him is either constantly angry at him or mocking him. We’ve all felt like Karl at some point in our lives, and honestly, if I could step into the book, I’d just give him a massive hug and tell him he’s not alone.
The Funny & Relatable Moments
-For a horror/satire blend, this book has some incredibly witty and comically gold moments. I actually have to share this quote because the adult financial anxiety hit way too close to home: "He prepared himself for the experience of spending money, knowing what going through with a large purchase would do to his nervous system." Same, Karl. Same. 😭😂
Another absolute highlight was the scene where Karl goes to the library, gets caught red-handed stealing a newspaper, and invents random words on the spot to pretend he's a foreign student. I was laughing out loud. I also loved the character Gord! His commentary on "commercial art, fine art, and survival art" was brilliant, and his take on modern socialization, how we used to hate being stuck at home on a Saturday night, but now we actively avoid physical connection was so profoundly true. (Also, the random Justin Trudeau name-drop? Hilarious.)
To keep it completely transparent, the book does have a few pacing hiccups, especially in the first few chapters. There were moments where the momentum would completely drop during dialogues or narration. For example, the characters would exchange a line of dialogue, and then the focus would suddenly shift to a detailed description of what was happening in the surrounding environment for a bit before jumping back. It made me lose my train of thought a few times, but thankfully, this issue mostly disappears after the beginning of the book.
The lore in this book is fascinating. I became deeply invested in the backstory of the copper casque helmet and the history of Nikolai. Honestly, I am crossing my fingers that the author writes a spin-off or a prequel dedicated entirely to them!
Waterloo Midnight is eerie, darkly funny, and wonderfully surreal. If you love unique horror with sharp satire and characters you can't help but root for, definitely give this one a chance. It’s a slow-burn journey that is well worth taking!
What Kept Me Turning the Pages
-I’ll be real: I am usually a fast-paced thriller reader, and I typically hate third-person narratives. But against all odds, Karl’s story completely hooked me. Even though the book is a definite slow-burn, it piqued my curiosity so much that I couldn't stop turning the pages. Karl is such a deeply relatable character, and my heart broke for him. It feels like everyone around him is either constantly angry at him or mocking him. We’ve all felt like Karl at some point in our lives, and honestly, if I could step into the book, I’d just give him a massive hug and tell him he’s not alone.
The Funny & Relatable Moments
-For a horror/satire blend, this book has some incredibly witty and comically gold moments. I actually have to share this quote because the adult financial anxiety hit way too close to home: "He prepared himself for the experience of spending money, knowing what going through with a large purchase would do to his nervous system." Same, Karl. Same. 😭😂
Another absolute highlight was the scene where Karl goes to the library, gets caught red-handed stealing a newspaper, and invents random words on the spot to pretend he's a foreign student. I was laughing out loud. I also loved the character Gord! His commentary on "commercial art, fine art, and survival art" was brilliant, and his take on modern socialization, how we used to hate being stuck at home on a Saturday night, but now we actively avoid physical connection was so profoundly true. (Also, the random Justin Trudeau name-drop? Hilarious.)
To keep it completely transparent, the book does have a few pacing hiccups, especially in the first few chapters. There were moments where the momentum would completely drop during dialogues or narration. For example, the characters would exchange a line of dialogue, and then the focus would suddenly shift to a detailed description of what was happening in the surrounding environment for a bit before jumping back. It made me lose my train of thought a few times, but thankfully, this issue mostly disappears after the beginning of the book.
The lore in this book is fascinating. I became deeply invested in the backstory of the copper casque helmet and the history of Nikolai. Honestly, I am crossing my fingers that the author writes a spin-off or a prequel dedicated entirely to them!
Waterloo Midnight is eerie, darkly funny, and wonderfully surreal. If you love unique horror with sharp satire and characters you can't help but root for, definitely give this one a chance. It’s a slow-burn journey that is well worth taking!
June 23, 2026
Waterloo Midnight by Sherman Oaks is a strange, ambitious blend of horror, satire and fantasy. It releases June 8, 2026 from Monzogranite, and this is one of those books where you can tell pretty quickly that it's an out-of-the-ordinary-box. horror novel.
The story follows Karl, who is anxious, overwhelmed, and trying to survive modern, life when he gets pulled into a project involving the Absconditus family. Th is is where the book opens up into something much more dark and strange, with hidden power, old secrets, and buried crimes.
I liked the atmosphere and the overall concept. It's unique in a way that is anxious, grimy, surreal, and a little unhinged which really made it stand out. I also liked that it was willing to be odd and layered instead of being a straightforward horror plot.
This is definitely more of a slow-burn, genre-blending read than a fast horror book. Readers looking for quick scares or a tight thriller pace may struggle with it, but if you like strange literary horror, conspiracy energy, social satire, and books that feel like they are spiraling into something bigger and darker, this is worth checking out.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Author Note: Thank you to Monzogranite for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The story follows Karl, who is anxious, overwhelmed, and trying to survive modern, life when he gets pulled into a project involving the Absconditus family. Th is is where the book opens up into something much more dark and strange, with hidden power, old secrets, and buried crimes.
I liked the atmosphere and the overall concept. It's unique in a way that is anxious, grimy, surreal, and a little unhinged which really made it stand out. I also liked that it was willing to be odd and layered instead of being a straightforward horror plot.
This is definitely more of a slow-burn, genre-blending read than a fast horror book. Readers looking for quick scares or a tight thriller pace may struggle with it, but if you like strange literary horror, conspiracy energy, social satire, and books that feel like they are spiraling into something bigger and darker, this is worth checking out.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Author Note: Thank you to Monzogranite for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews