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Cage of Night
Book by Gorman, Edward
252 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1996
6 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
469 books121 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 28, 2014
No one writes like Ed Gorman, and this is one of his best. A masterwork of nail biting suspense and skin crawling creepiness.
Highest possible recommendation.
Highest possible recommendation.
April 29, 2022
This a very well written book with some excellent plotting. However, the subject matter is just a little bit too weird to really be enjoyable. Any real male that I know would have run screaming away from the girl in this book. Recommended only to Gorman fans (of which I am).
December 6, 2014
Another excellent thriller from the master. If you haven't read Gorman what are you waiting for??
December 7, 2014
Another book I read recently that had an unsuspected ending, yet in looking back I realize there were only a couple of ways it COULD end! Don't think I've read any Ed Gorman. This was good enough to make me try some more of his stuff.
September 29, 2016
This was indeed thrilling! Ed Gorman takes the reader on a delightful ride of suspense and psychological adventure - and will keep you guessing up until the end.
July 11, 2024
The storyline in this book provides strong hints of powerful dark forces capable of taking control of human minds and convincing the victim to kill others. Yet, those hints are countered by strong counter hints that it is just innate human nature being driven by an extremely powerful femme fatale. Throughout the book there are short tangential pages alluding to a man about to be executed for murder, yet until the end, there is more than one potential murderer.
Spence is a man that was just discharged from the American Army and is back in his hometown, a small place where everyone knows each other and most of their secrets. While it is the time of the Vietnam War, Spence never left the states. He was somewhat awkward before he left and that has not vanished due to his service. However, his brother Josh has lost his adolescent gawkiness and is now an attractive, popular high school student.
The femme fatale is Homecoming Queen Cindy Brasher. She is drop-dead stunning, and Spence falls for her hard, even though she is dating a star of the high school football team. She admits to having been treated for mental illness and Spence simply cannot keep her out of his mind. It becomes an obsession to the point of stalking.
In a secluded area out of town there is a shack with an old well that is the subject of old rumors. It is purported that a meteor landed in that area and it deposited space aliens capable of controlling human minds. Cindy is a believer in that rumor and at first convinces Spence. When the star of the football team commits a senseless murder and then is gunned down by a cop with a rapidly changing personality, there is fuel for the space alien hypothesis.
However, it takes several additional deaths and other unusual behaviors before the story ends. Unlike many other mysteries, this one does not end with the discovery and punishment of the perpetrators. The ending is very dark, and there is no resolution. There is plenty of fuel for a continuation of the tale of the insanity/dark forces destroying lives.
Spence is a man that was just discharged from the American Army and is back in his hometown, a small place where everyone knows each other and most of their secrets. While it is the time of the Vietnam War, Spence never left the states. He was somewhat awkward before he left and that has not vanished due to his service. However, his brother Josh has lost his adolescent gawkiness and is now an attractive, popular high school student.
The femme fatale is Homecoming Queen Cindy Brasher. She is drop-dead stunning, and Spence falls for her hard, even though she is dating a star of the high school football team. She admits to having been treated for mental illness and Spence simply cannot keep her out of his mind. It becomes an obsession to the point of stalking.
In a secluded area out of town there is a shack with an old well that is the subject of old rumors. It is purported that a meteor landed in that area and it deposited space aliens capable of controlling human minds. Cindy is a believer in that rumor and at first convinces Spence. When the star of the football team commits a senseless murder and then is gunned down by a cop with a rapidly changing personality, there is fuel for the space alien hypothesis.
However, it takes several additional deaths and other unusual behaviors before the story ends. Unlike many other mysteries, this one does not end with the discovery and punishment of the perpetrators. The ending is very dark, and there is no resolution. There is plenty of fuel for a continuation of the tale of the insanity/dark forces destroying lives.
June 7, 2017
CAGE OF NIGHT is a novel that is difficult to explain and describe. It doesn’t fit nicely into a category—it is horror, crime, fantasy and suspense rolled into one neat package, but yet not quite. It is different. The story is told in a deceptively simple style. There is not a word wasted, but the sub-text is complex and uncertain. The characters are deep and complicated without any over handed self-evaluation and the small town setting has a 1950s atmosphere playing against a 1990s culture.
The plot is seamless and stunning. Mr Gorman never does the expected—there are several twists that surprise—but the novels true power is its ambiguous, complex and dark voice. It is a working class voice that beats, “be careful what you wish for.” It is the type of story that can be read again and again and the reader will continue to find new elements and meaning in its complex simplicity.
CAGE OF NIGHT is a masterpiece. It is dedicated to Robert Bloch and you will see more than a few similarities between the work of Bloch, particularly Psycho. The similarities: the rough and real characters, the stark style, and the mastery of successfully straddling multiple genres. This similarity ends there however, because as much as it owes to the work of Robert Bloch, it is wholly that of Ed Gorman.
The plot is seamless and stunning. Mr Gorman never does the expected—there are several twists that surprise—but the novels true power is its ambiguous, complex and dark voice. It is a working class voice that beats, “be careful what you wish for.” It is the type of story that can be read again and again and the reader will continue to find new elements and meaning in its complex simplicity.
CAGE OF NIGHT is a masterpiece. It is dedicated to Robert Bloch and you will see more than a few similarities between the work of Bloch, particularly Psycho. The similarities: the rough and real characters, the stark style, and the mastery of successfully straddling multiple genres. This similarity ends there however, because as much as it owes to the work of Robert Bloch, it is wholly that of Ed Gorman.
January 25, 2023
Great Read from a modern day master
Ed Gorman wrote some of the best contemporary mysteries, westerns, horror stories of the past three decades. I wonder if he ever got frustrated by how many of his novels served as the basis for films. This one certainly did. Sure was a great read though. Kept ya guessing right to the end. A genre busting novel
Ed Gorman wrote some of the best contemporary mysteries, westerns, horror stories of the past three decades. I wonder if he ever got frustrated by how many of his novels served as the basis for films. This one certainly did. Sure was a great read though. Kept ya guessing right to the end. A genre busting novel
February 11, 2018
This is the first book by Ed Gorman that I’ve read. I didn’t expect much but ended up really liking it. He drew me in and kept me interested throughout. I will be checking out some of his other work for sure.
July 23, 2020
Enjoyed this novel. Well written and great plot.
August 3, 2009
CAGE OF NIGHT should be at the top of any horror / suspense readers list. It is a book that defies categorization, which is probably why it has not had the success it should. It has been released in two versions--a paperback edition published by White Wolf more than a few years ago and very recently in a limited edition hardcover from PS Publishing.
It is truly a classic of the macabre--part mystery, part suspense, and entirely chilling and haunting.
It is truly a classic of the macabre--part mystery, part suspense, and entirely chilling and haunting.
January 4, 2015
I really enjoyed this one. I like how part of the narrative is told through an interview between an attorney and her client on death row, but we don't know who the client is. The main story is told through flashback. As it unfolds, the reader has to decide what is real and what isn't. No simple answers are provided. Even at the end, when I had formed my conclusions, I remembered part of the story that made me rethink everything. A very cool read.
July 20, 2008
The author sent me an autographed copy through the mail at a reasonable price. A new copy at better prices than most of the used book sites.
It's a nice quick read, good story, something you can always count on Mr. Gorman delivering.
It's a nice quick read, good story, something you can always count on Mr. Gorman delivering.
July 28, 2016
Nick Morrow returns home from an army stint to become mesmerized by the beautiful Cindy Brasher and Nick wasnt the inly one obsessed. This is a tale of suspense, obsession and murder. Great writing I couldn't put it down.
October 6, 2015
One of the best Ed Gorman novels that I've read. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews