Midnight Hour: A Compilation of Short Horror Works

by Rachel M. Martens

Midnight Hour is a compilation of short horror fiction that explores different types of darkness with each tale coming to a darkness is a thread weaving throughout our lives that we cannot deny or escape. The book includes a shudder-inducing haunted house tale, "The Wrought Iron Gate", a classic Gothic tale, "The Long Black Dress", a glimpse of modern horror in the novella "So Broken", and more.

Genres: Horror

179 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2024

About the author

Rachel M. Martens is the writer of the "Poe" gothic thriller series, as well as the short horror collection "Midnight Hour"(2017), the YA paranormal romantic thriller "Metalhead"(2019), and the political thriller "Patriots' Dance"(2024). Martens resides in Wisconsin and travels extensively, taking inspiration from the locales she has visited and the books she has read along the way. Her favorite time to write is in the midnight hours with a storm as background music and a mug of tea close at hand.

Reviews

[Jasmine Banasik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't want to focus on the negative here, because Martens is a small (somewhat local) author and I don't want to bash on someone chasing their dreams. So, instead, I'll focus on what I liked.

Martens has some great ideas. Aside from one element (which I won't get into) "Silent Scream" is a fantastic super short story and it's the one I might suggest to someone because of the dawning realization of where the narrator is stuck. "Salem" has this fun concept of a future where the Salem Witch trials were born again and I would have loved to see more of that. I think if Martens worked on focusing in on these nuggets of creativity rather than getting stifled in rather stiff romances (and often problematic ones) and romanticizing self-harm and suicide (Martens, please stop), they could shine. There is so much potential here. Additionally, sometimes Martens beautifully encapsulates the horror in the mundane in descriptions and vibes. The last two stories in this collection are light on plot but have these impeccable auras to them nevertheless.