Into the Darkness

by Michael Thomas Ford

Lust, tenderness, devotion—and something a little darker too. All can be found in these two mesmerizing vampire novellas by Michael Thomas Ford, where those willing to pay the price can satisfy every hunger . . . STINGLibrarian Ben Hodge has abandoned New York for the sleepy Ozarks town of Downing, Arkansas. But it’s still not far enough to exorcize the pain of losing his lover. Among the handful of customers visiting the library is Titus Durham—a soft-spoken beekeeper who fascinates Ben. Yet there’s more to Titus, and to Downing, than Ben can guess—a sinister history that melds ancient Ozarks legends, timeless desire, and a thirst that will not be denied . . . CARNIVALJoe Flanagan has always felt more at home tinkering with machines than being among people. As chief mechanic for a carnival, he hides something else that sets him apart—his desire for other men. But when the carnival teams up with a traveling show of human “curiosities,” Joe finds unlikely friendship in Derry Stroud, a handsome young man with his own secrets. Compelled to help him, Joe is ready to risk the wrath of the freak show’s sinister owner, Mr. Star, unaware of how much he stands to lose—or gain. Praise for the Novels of Michael Thomas Ford “Impactful . . . real . . . Ford’s beautiful story makes it all seem possible and believable . . . these are rich characters, heartfelt descriptions and real-life happenings that resonate.”—The Lambda Book Report on Full Circle  “An insightful and entertaining read about what we seek, and what answers we find within and without.”—Booklist on Looking for It

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2019

About the author

Michael Thomas Ford is the author of more than 75 books in genres ranging from humor to horror, literary fiction to nonfiction. His work for adult readers includes the best-selling novels What We Remember, The Road Home, Changing Tides, Full Circle, Looking for It and Last Summer, and his five essay collections in the "Trials of My Queer Life" series. His novel Lily was a Tiptree Award Longlist title and a finalist for both the Lambda Literary Award and the Shirley Jackson Award. He is also the author of the Sickening Adventures series of books featuring popular contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race.

As a writer for young adults he is the author of the novels Suicide Notes, Z, and Love & Other Curses, and under the name Isobel Bird he wrote the popular "Circle of Three" series. His work has been nominated for 14 Lambda Literary Awards, twice winning for Best Humor Book, twice for Best Romance Novel, and once for Best Mystery. He was also nominated for a Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award (for his novel The Dollhouse That Time Forgot).

Reviews

[Nico · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is for the first and longer story in this book. TW for: heavy focus on suicide, several mentions of pedophilia/sexual assault, and one use of the "F word" slur (I fucking hate that word, but at least it was an Own Voices author, so calm down Nico and put away your pitchfork).

Yeah, this is a big nope from me. If this book wasn't under 200 pages I probably would've DNF-ed it. The plot was at times ridiculous, our main character was having sex with/sacrificing himself for someone he's known for like 2 weeks while simultaneously grieving his long-term partner's suicide, the writing in general was just not doing it for me, and I was skimming the sex scenes to get through it faster. The pacing was also off in my opinion, especially with how the mystery was conducted. I understand pacing is difficult in a novella, but I've seen it done well several times in other works and this did not measure up. Things really fell apart for me at the end; I felt at one point like putting down my e-reader and going "huh?!"

Too many things just didn't make any damn sense to say "fuck it, I'll just enjoy the romance". Honestly, that approach couldn't work anyway because the romance didn't do anything for me. The problem in part was that I believed Ben's grieving - that part was well written. The down side there was that it was so well done the romance felt so out of place. It didn't read as a "I'm lost and alone and I need somebody to hold me and make me not think" sort of thing, which maybe is what the author was going for? I couldn't flip flop between the two emotions of lust and mourning, which unfortunately led to me not fully appreciate either. It all just felt too fast, odd and honestly uncomfortable.

Ford's creative take on vampires was a light spot, as well as the many mentions of books and libraries (where my heart shall ever remain). The use of 'dreams or reality' kept me on my toes and added to the darker paranormal vibes. That said, none of this was enough to save this read for me. Onto the next.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The really enjoyed this book , it was way to read and had two different stories which I wasn’t expecting, I wish it was only one story so the ending could be written a bit more in-depth