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Midnight Place
Death Cycle
Roz Jordan and her friends are intrigued by the mysterious motorcyclist that seems to follow them everywhere, until a classmate is hit and killed by the phantom rider, and Roz begins to suspect that she is being stalked. Original.
- GenresHorror
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 16, 2019
Roz Johnson and her friends are being taunted by a mysterious figure on a big motorcycle. Soon, it is outright attacking Roz's friend. When someone winds up dead, Roz and her friends must figure out if this motorcycle rider is a flesh and blood enemy, or something supernatural and much more frightening.
At times, this is quite the genuinely suspenseful and spooky YA horror tale. Lake (a pseudonym for horror writer Charles L. Grant) deftly describes some chilling scenes as the motorcycle sits there and the rider watches the teens. There's a nifty dream sequence (which is quite the feat, since I don't usually like dream sequences), and a couple of decent attack scenes. I was impressed with some of the spooky imagery!
At a scant 152 pages, this doesn't really get a chance to develops its ideas and its characters. There is the kernel of a good idea in how the motorcycle rider (called the Black Rider) came about, and how that relates to Roz, her confidence, and a past relationship she had. But not as clear is how Roz manages to defeat the menace; the mythology is too slim to go into enough detail. And even with the short length, the end feels very padded, with a trek through the woods that seems to go on forever, and ultimately doesn't even really need to be there. The climax is disappointingly flat compared to what had come before it.
But you could do worse! For about the first two thirds, this is fast-paced, spooky, suspenseful and fun! It would have been interesting to see what could have been in store if Bantam's attempt at a "Fear Street" style franchise had lasted beyond four books.
At times, this is quite the genuinely suspenseful and spooky YA horror tale. Lake (a pseudonym for horror writer Charles L. Grant) deftly describes some chilling scenes as the motorcycle sits there and the rider watches the teens. There's a nifty dream sequence (which is quite the feat, since I don't usually like dream sequences), and a couple of decent attack scenes. I was impressed with some of the spooky imagery!
At a scant 152 pages, this doesn't really get a chance to develops its ideas and its characters. There is the kernel of a good idea in how the motorcycle rider (called the Black Rider) came about, and how that relates to Roz, her confidence, and a past relationship she had. But not as clear is how Roz manages to defeat the menace; the mythology is too slim to go into enough detail. And even with the short length, the end feels very padded, with a trek through the woods that seems to go on forever, and ultimately doesn't even really need to be there. The climax is disappointingly flat compared to what had come before it.
But you could do worse! For about the first two thirds, this is fast-paced, spooky, suspenseful and fun! It would have been interesting to see what could have been in store if Bantam's attempt at a "Fear Street" style franchise had lasted beyond four books.
November 2, 2020
I finished this in a couple hours. Not horribly written a lot of extensive elaborate sentences explain things. But not bad. But it wasn’t thrilling either.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews