Masters of Midnight: Erotic Tales of the Vampire

by William J. Mann, Michael Thomas Ford, Sean Wolfe

A darkly sensual collection, centering around the immortal dead, features Jeff Mann's Devoured, in which Derek Macliane, haunted by the death of his lover in Scotland, loses himself in New York's dark underworld where his hunger for vengeance is finally satisfied. Original. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Erotica, Anthologies, Romance, Fantasy, LGBT

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

William J. Mann is a New York Times bestselling author of The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando, for which he was granted access to Brando’s private estate archive, as well as Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn (named a Notable Book of the Year by the Times); Hello Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand (praised by USA Today for its “meticulous research and insightful analysis”); Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger, for which he worked closely with the Oscar-winning director; and The Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury America. His book Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood won the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Mann is a professor of film and popular culture at Central Connecticut State University.

source: Amazon

Also writes children's books under the pseudonym Geoffrey Huntington.

Reviews

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"His Hunger" by William J. Mann starts off this anthology of male/male vampiric goings-on. I enjoyed it for the atmosphere and it held my attention but it fizzled out in the end and felt unfinished. Pesky questions keep popping into my head that were left unanswered but then I've been told I ask too many questions and am too nosy.

I enjoyed "The Sting" much more than the previous tale. It's about a young guy who ditches his previous life after a painful loss to begin anew. He takes on a job as a librarian and begins to learn that there is something not quite right in his new town. I was anxious to turn the pages to learn more about Titus and the secretive young librarian and the secrets plaguing the town but then it fizzled out towards the end. I can't say why without spoiling things for others so I'll just say it had a lot to do with the "villain" of the piece and leave it at that.

"Braden's Bite" was readable but the dialogue in the beginning was so cartoonish and buffoonish I could barely get past it. It improved but my notes say "interesting but so melodramatic" and "sweetly romantic after a rough start". Yes, I need notes. The old brain isn't quite what it used to be.

"Devoured" was my favorite of the lot. Dark, deadly, sexy, edgy and poetic. Just the sort of story I most enjoy. The fact that the author incorporated wiccan sabbats throughout the story only made it all the more interesting. The relationship was nicely done too.

Overall a mixed bag of stories.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've finished reading the first offering in MofM; "His Hunger" by one of my favorite authors, William J Mann. I enjoyed the story very much; it held me in suspense the entire time that I was reading...yes, I felt some of the plot was a little mundane (been there, done that), but WJM has incredible writing skills and I could easily overlook some of the obvious. I"m glad I did - because the ending was well worth it. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!. A great, little story!

I've now finished "Sting" by another of my favorites, Michael Thomas Ford. I've got to say, it's not one of the better stories I've read by MTF. The writing is good, but the premise is a "little out there", even for vampires. Fans of MTF's other novels may well be disappointed.

[Ryan Brixton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Masters of Midnight several years ago when it first came out, though I keep coming back to two stories in particular: His Hunger and Bradon's Bite. While I was unhappy with the ending of Bradon's Bite, the story was altogether much better than Sting, which was a poor interpretation of the vampire genre. His Hunger was by far the best story in the collection, with a happy well-resolved ending that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Blaize · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as I had read reviews online -and being an "old goth" who adored the vampires of yore, as well as evolving into a more bearish being, I was interested in Jeff Manns entry. I was absolutely thrilled to read about characters that were bears; I'm not into the s&m scene, but the story was engaging and I hope he revisits these characters.

[Djrmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four novellas about gay vampires that are almost as much romance novels as they are erotica. The writers do come up with some original canon for their vampires, but in the end, each story is about the noble vampire willing to give it all up for the man they love.

[Vampire · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love a good vampire eroticia as much as the next guy, but sometimes these short stories felt a little long-winded.

'His Hunger' and 'Sting' were probably the two best in this collection. i loved the journeling style of His Hunger and as for Sting, who can resist a gay vampire who's a beekeeper tbh.

i'm pretty sure i lost interest in finishing the entire collection halfway through 'Brandon's Bite.' i dont know if it was the writing or the plot, but something felt boring about it.

chances of me going back to finish everything are slim, but it's possible.

[J'aime · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best I can say about this book is, "eh." Nothing special, and not terribly erotic either. In fact, I read this book and nearly started it a second time before realizing I had already read it! Not one of the four stories included is memorable, in either a good or bad way. If you have nothing else to do, and already took a nap...

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only skimmed the last two as "inherrited vampirism" and "Highlander" type stories bug me. "His Hunger" was a nice compact story but I have to feel sorry for Minter. "Sting" had a great set up but the ending was just out of character for Ben as he had been set up over the course of the story.

[Dilo Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one the best gay vampire books I've read. The four stories are extremely well written and all very different. I'm not much for writing reviews, so please look elsewhere to learn more about this delightful book. There are others in the series, which are also good.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the Michael Thomas Ford story because he's an author I like. It was fine, and not your typical vamp story (a refreshing change), but I can't say I'd recommend that you run out and buy it. Maybe for completists only?

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOT a book I have read or want to read; have NO idea how it ended up on my list!!!!