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Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan
From the winner of The British Fantasy Award
From the winner of The Bram Stoker Award
* A Lahori orphanage for girls is haunted by birds and eerie visions.
* Two lovers are set adrift amidst rising floodwaters in 1960s Old Lahore
* A woman chaperoning a school trip to the ruins of a pre-Islamic city in Sind faces ancient horrors as boys go missing and the fog rolls in.
With a meticulously designed cover and beautiful black-and-white illustrations by seven different Pakistani artists, Midnight Doorways is a unique community project highlighting the scope of speculative art and literature in Pakistan.
From the winner of The Bram Stoker Award
* A Lahori orphanage for girls is haunted by birds and eerie visions.
* Two lovers are set adrift amidst rising floodwaters in 1960s Old Lahore
* A woman chaperoning a school trip to the ruins of a pre-Islamic city in Sind faces ancient horrors as boys go missing and the fog rolls in.
With a meticulously designed cover and beautiful black-and-white illustrations by seven different Pakistani artists, Midnight Doorways is a unique community project highlighting the scope of speculative art and literature in Pakistan.
Hardcover
Published February 15, 2021
17 people are currently reading
1489 people want to read
About the author
Usman T. Malik
55 books109 followersUsman T. Malik is a Pakistani vagrant camped in Florida. He reads Sufi poetry, likes long walks, and occasionally strums naats on the guitar.
His fiction has won the Bram Stoker Award and been nominated for the Nebula. His stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, The Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Year’s Best Weird Fiction, Tor.com, The Apex Book of World SF, Nightmare, Strange Horizons, and Black Static among other venues. He is a graduate of Clarion West.
In Dec 2014, Usman led Pakistan’s first speculative fiction workshop in Lahore in conjunction with Desi Writers Lounge and Liberty Books.
His fiction has won the Bram Stoker Award and been nominated for the Nebula. His stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, The Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Year’s Best Weird Fiction, Tor.com, The Apex Book of World SF, Nightmare, Strange Horizons, and Black Static among other venues. He is a graduate of Clarion West.
In Dec 2014, Usman led Pakistan’s first speculative fiction workshop in Lahore in conjunction with Desi Writers Lounge and Liberty Books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 11, 2021
Usman T. Malik is a practicing rheumatologist with a deep-seated fascination for the macabre and the grotesque. That may dissuade some of us from visiting his clinic but rest assured that from all accounts he is a mild-mannered, skillful, attentive and compassionate doctor. His other side - his Mr Hyde so to speak - reveals the dark, enticing and wildly imaginative recesses of his vibrant mind. It is, therefore, no happenstance that he is a prolific and widely published writer of speculative fiction and indeed a recipient of considerable attention, praise and awards. Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan is his first anthology presenting to the reading world some of his most acclaimed stories. Published by the Pakistani publisher Kitab - and it is a slick and polished job - happily for enthusiasts of illustrated books like myself, it carries wonderful artwork from the Pakistani artists Rohama Malik, Saniya Kamal, Omar Gilani, Komal Ashfaq, Romaisa Fawad, Kehkashan Khalid, Samya Arif, Emil Hasnain and Mushba Said. Anyone familiar with Gustave Doré's illustrations for Dante's The Divine Comedy, or Harry Clarke's drawings for Edgar Alan Poe's stories, or indeed the works of the many brilliant illustrators of Arabian Nights (René Bull, Edmund Dulac, Maxfield Parrish, Charles Folkard, to name a few), the brilliant and all but forgotten Raymond Sheppard who enhanced manifold the pleasure of reading Jim Corbett, and I could go on, would very well appreciate the inextricable link between the written and the visual and how the two splendidly augment each other. This is indeed a very praiseworthy endeavor to extend the same tradition and dare I say a successful one.
It is hard to classify Malik's writing in any sub-genre - his energetically straddles many horses and jumps from one to the other, mid-gallop, with the facility of a rider of the Golden Horde merrily darting across the Steppe. He also doesn't require a hive mind; he is pretty much fully self-reliant, always abuzz and brimming with ideas and plots, and rearing to find the uninterrupted hours to pen yet another story. He has been prolific despite his strenuous day job and it is that irrepressible zeal, enthusiasm and restlessness to express that imbues all his stories. Combining American idiom with typically Lahori terms, H.P. Lovecraft-esque sense of the weird with the meandering story-telling features of the dastan, and western and local supernatural myth, lore and urban legends with his anatomical expertise as a doctor, he constructs unique stories, making them undergo his own particular alchemy. At the same time, while the essential underlying themes are those of horror, the paranormal and the supernatural, he often also incorporates social commentary and critique. One could argue that at times the mix may be too rich, the menu of ingredients and flavorings too vast, and hence, inadvertently, unrealistic coincidences may emerge or the thrust and flow of a very strong idea and narrative may occasionally get somewhat side-tracked or diffused. However, a counter-point could be that weaving the abnormal with the normal, the fantastical with the mundane, and the factual with the apocryphal, is deliberate because it characterizes the very raison d'être for Malik's writing. In other words, he has set himself the task of providing doorways between these realms - Midnight Doorways, to be more precise. This makes for longer and deeper conversations about authorial choices, tropes, politics, use and co-option of imagery and lore, etc., which it would be fascinating to have with Malik given how widely he reads and how intensely he ponders over what he reads and writes.
I am not one of those reviewers who paraphrase stories and plots. It is simply scandalous I feel to deprive readers of the thrill and surprise of discovering for themselves; it also makes them lazy and dull if you don't make them do the necessary work. This is particularly true for tiered, complexly unraveling, and cross-referencing tales that Malik writes, or 'fables' as he aptly describes them. There is tremendous variety on offer in Midnight Doorways in terms of inventive and exciting new takes on some of the most popular themes in the various sub-genres Malik traverses between. These are, however, written in a manner and with detailing that makes them uniquely South Asian as well.
Therefore, I shall only list briefly here those primary aspects of these stories, amongst others, that really struck me. For the rest you ought to order and read the book. So here goes: The sense of the sinister in the description of the old, winding, narrow and mysterious lanes of the Walled City of Lahore and the frightening sense of pursuit experienced by the main characters making their way through the deluge in 'Ishq'; the feeling of wonder and otherworldliness exuded by the entranced floating metropolis, looming over another metropolis, and the mystique of its origins as well as its purpose in 'The Wandering City'; the very palpable, grotesque and yet electrifying surgical details of the revival of what no longer breathes in 'Resurrection Points' - very Mary Shellesque in some ways; a sensation of what 'The Conference of the Birds' would look like in The Twilight Zone in 'The Fortune of Sparrows'; exploration of the horrors and the terror (as well as local myths pertaining to the same) that only the reptilian world can trigger in 'Dead Lovers on each blade hung'; the intense and frenzied co-mingling and contestation of the physical and the metaphysical in 'The vaporization enthalpy of a peculiar Pakistani family'; and, the sense of mystery built around physical space as well as the skillful development of suspense followed by sheer dread in 'In the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro.' Needless to say, these stories and their symbolism are open to multiple other interpretations and different facets will attract others. That indeed to me is the most fascinating characteristic of the written word, and even more so, of speculative fiction, when done well. It can open so many additional vistas of thought and contemplation as well as such a wide range of sensory experiences.
The publication of this volume is very welcome at several levels - for speculative fiction from non-western perspectives in general, for speculative fiction from and now made available in Pakistan, for works that highlight and promote illustrations and visual art, for works that combine the speculative with the political and the wondrous with the sociological, and indeed for publication of well produced and aesthetically imagined books. I am sure it will find many keen readers and fans.
It is hard to classify Malik's writing in any sub-genre - his energetically straddles many horses and jumps from one to the other, mid-gallop, with the facility of a rider of the Golden Horde merrily darting across the Steppe. He also doesn't require a hive mind; he is pretty much fully self-reliant, always abuzz and brimming with ideas and plots, and rearing to find the uninterrupted hours to pen yet another story. He has been prolific despite his strenuous day job and it is that irrepressible zeal, enthusiasm and restlessness to express that imbues all his stories. Combining American idiom with typically Lahori terms, H.P. Lovecraft-esque sense of the weird with the meandering story-telling features of the dastan, and western and local supernatural myth, lore and urban legends with his anatomical expertise as a doctor, he constructs unique stories, making them undergo his own particular alchemy. At the same time, while the essential underlying themes are those of horror, the paranormal and the supernatural, he often also incorporates social commentary and critique. One could argue that at times the mix may be too rich, the menu of ingredients and flavorings too vast, and hence, inadvertently, unrealistic coincidences may emerge or the thrust and flow of a very strong idea and narrative may occasionally get somewhat side-tracked or diffused. However, a counter-point could be that weaving the abnormal with the normal, the fantastical with the mundane, and the factual with the apocryphal, is deliberate because it characterizes the very raison d'être for Malik's writing. In other words, he has set himself the task of providing doorways between these realms - Midnight Doorways, to be more precise. This makes for longer and deeper conversations about authorial choices, tropes, politics, use and co-option of imagery and lore, etc., which it would be fascinating to have with Malik given how widely he reads and how intensely he ponders over what he reads and writes.
I am not one of those reviewers who paraphrase stories and plots. It is simply scandalous I feel to deprive readers of the thrill and surprise of discovering for themselves; it also makes them lazy and dull if you don't make them do the necessary work. This is particularly true for tiered, complexly unraveling, and cross-referencing tales that Malik writes, or 'fables' as he aptly describes them. There is tremendous variety on offer in Midnight Doorways in terms of inventive and exciting new takes on some of the most popular themes in the various sub-genres Malik traverses between. These are, however, written in a manner and with detailing that makes them uniquely South Asian as well.
Therefore, I shall only list briefly here those primary aspects of these stories, amongst others, that really struck me. For the rest you ought to order and read the book. So here goes: The sense of the sinister in the description of the old, winding, narrow and mysterious lanes of the Walled City of Lahore and the frightening sense of pursuit experienced by the main characters making their way through the deluge in 'Ishq'; the feeling of wonder and otherworldliness exuded by the entranced floating metropolis, looming over another metropolis, and the mystique of its origins as well as its purpose in 'The Wandering City'; the very palpable, grotesque and yet electrifying surgical details of the revival of what no longer breathes in 'Resurrection Points' - very Mary Shellesque in some ways; a sensation of what 'The Conference of the Birds' would look like in The Twilight Zone in 'The Fortune of Sparrows'; exploration of the horrors and the terror (as well as local myths pertaining to the same) that only the reptilian world can trigger in 'Dead Lovers on each blade hung'; the intense and frenzied co-mingling and contestation of the physical and the metaphysical in 'The vaporization enthalpy of a peculiar Pakistani family'; and, the sense of mystery built around physical space as well as the skillful development of suspense followed by sheer dread in 'In the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro.' Needless to say, these stories and their symbolism are open to multiple other interpretations and different facets will attract others. That indeed to me is the most fascinating characteristic of the written word, and even more so, of speculative fiction, when done well. It can open so many additional vistas of thought and contemplation as well as such a wide range of sensory experiences.
The publication of this volume is very welcome at several levels - for speculative fiction from non-western perspectives in general, for speculative fiction from and now made available in Pakistan, for works that highlight and promote illustrations and visual art, for works that combine the speculative with the political and the wondrous with the sociological, and indeed for publication of well produced and aesthetically imagined books. I am sure it will find many keen readers and fans.
September 14, 2020
A revelatory talent and collection.
March 21, 2021
it started off pretty mediocre in my opinion. i was unsure of whether i liked it or if it was trying too hard by the end of the first two stories. but "Resurrection Points" definitely changed my mind. that, along with several other twisted, delightfully grotesque tales such as "Dead Lovers On Each Blade, Hung" and "In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro" (which are among my two other favourite stories from the collection), were a step up from how the book was looking to be in the beginning. i shivered with disgust, delight, and suspense at many moments. also, the references to Pakistan started seeming more seamless, melding into the background and lending shape to the stories rather than sticking out awkwardly as intentionally-placed boxes to be checked off, as they had seemed to me in the beginning. i'm no critic, but these were my humble thoughts on the book. i was thinking of giving it three stars initially, but, as i mentioned before, the later stories definitely changed my mind and upped my rating to a four. and it goes without saying that as a Pakistani myself i am very proud of Malik's literary prowess, and of the fact that this brilliant book came out of my country. *wipes patriotic tears*
February 6, 2022
This is such a delicious and haunting set of stories. Each one is so layered and powerful. I am glad Pakistani fiction finally has speculative fiction authors who can do justice to the untold stories that our culture holds.
January 5, 2021
STAR review in the January 2021 issue of Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?revie...
Three Words That Describe This Book: dark magic, unsettling, beautiful
Draft Review:
Malik, a dual Pakistani and American citizen, was a name found most often on library shelves spread throughout the table of contents of Ellen Datlow’s award winning anthologies, but now readers can get seven of his stories collected into one beautiful volume, accompanied by original illustrations by Pakistani artists. While these thought provoking tales range from slightly askew to unsettling to all out frightening, all are imbued with a dark magic that captivates as they unsettle. Whether readers are introduced to a city that appears out of nowhere and the very real consequences of its arrival, a haunted orphanage filled with bird cages, or a mystical story attempting to find peace for the victims of terrorism, these character centered tales with engaging narrators provide an eerie and entertaining window to a whole new world of horror. Verdict: This collection by a rising star in horror, harkens back to classic anthologies by the likes of Poe or Doyle but with a voice that represents the rich storytelling traditions of Pakistan. For fans of dark fantasy and horror while framed and informed by the author’s identity resonates universal fears such as Stephen Graham Jones, S. A. Chakraborty, and Marlon James.
Three Words That Describe This Book: dark magic, unsettling, beautiful
Draft Review:
Malik, a dual Pakistani and American citizen, was a name found most often on library shelves spread throughout the table of contents of Ellen Datlow’s award winning anthologies, but now readers can get seven of his stories collected into one beautiful volume, accompanied by original illustrations by Pakistani artists. While these thought provoking tales range from slightly askew to unsettling to all out frightening, all are imbued with a dark magic that captivates as they unsettle. Whether readers are introduced to a city that appears out of nowhere and the very real consequences of its arrival, a haunted orphanage filled with bird cages, or a mystical story attempting to find peace for the victims of terrorism, these character centered tales with engaging narrators provide an eerie and entertaining window to a whole new world of horror. Verdict: This collection by a rising star in horror, harkens back to classic anthologies by the likes of Poe or Doyle but with a voice that represents the rich storytelling traditions of Pakistan. For fans of dark fantasy and horror while framed and informed by the author’s identity resonates universal fears such as Stephen Graham Jones, S. A. Chakraborty, and Marlon James.
July 3, 2022
"Dreamily she smiled at me, this marble-skinned woman, showing her fangs, and the terror in my heart was great. Deranged thoughts raced through my mind: this is the queen the true white queen and up till now whatever we imagined about the world, our world, their world was a mote of dust licking its own tail in the tiniest sliver of light unaware of the dark wrought endless around it."
I have read a couple of Usman T Malik's stories online so I just had to request a review copy on finding out that a long-deserved solo collection was finally getting published even though these stories have all previously appeared elsewhere. Malik is a brilliant writer with a good eye for the macabre. All the stories, even ones that don't have heavy SFF elements, are embued with the feel for the uncanny, displaying an imagination that is inventive and dark. All of them are set in Pakistan and bring to life alternative visions of the country, tinged with fabulism, dystopia, and horror. The lyrical prose coheres all these elements.
My favourite story by far, and the longest in the collection, was "In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro." A Lovecraftian story set in the aforementioned place on an ominous night, it really creeped me out and was actually bone-chilling. The second-longest story, "Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung", is also plenty spooky and engages with nagmani lore. "The Wandering City" can be seen as a riff on Borges with a magical, deadly city. "Ishq" is about tragic love in the time of a flood. There are three more exceptional stories that round out this fantastic speculative fiction collection that I can't recommend enough. Go read it now!
(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
January 20, 2023
Dark and mystifying, this collection of short stories was uniquely beautiful for me. Rooted in mythology and folklore, these 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 possess the dual qualities of beauty and terror, wonder and anticipation, nerve-wracking yet marvelous.
I wouldn't call these "horror" stories there aren't jump scare-y type of elements here, instead we have slow-cooking, mystifying scenes that enchant you and sweep you in, you're immersed in their surroundings, left shivering with chills running down your spine.
Set across Pakistan, be it in the narrow by-lanes of Lahore or the vast desert land of rural Sindh, I love how the stories are crafted on a formation of rural myth and folklore, beautifully interspersed with the culture of the land it belongs to.
South-Asian nations are a land rich in folklore, we have a strong tradition of storytelling, be it stories of demons to scare children into being obidient or tales of mythology from the Mahabharata or the Quran or even Buddhist and Jain traditions.
The author has done an extraordinarily intricate job in weaving these seven stories that are so enchanting and provocative, vivid and seductive, yet so compassionately human, surprisingly introspective. These are stories that are gorgeous in their imagery yet so painful and heartbreaking. The darkest of nightmares that tread almost gently, poetic in their devastating beauty.
Honestly, I was in awe of the magic in Usman Malik's writing.
I think my favourite story would be 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨- the hauntingly beautiful descriptions in this story were simply unparalleled. Take this description of heroinchis-
“The children of the true white queen lurk in shadow and live in rumor. A secret whispered from 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴
A species seamed into the skin of a puny civilization, they crawl forth only at the call of their mistress.”
Even the eerily suspenseful prose in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 -
“In physics, she learned what electrons were. Little flickering ghosts that vanished and reappeared as they pleased. Her flesh was empty, she discovered, or most of it. 6So were human bones and solid buildings and the incessantly agitated world and the universe. All that immense loneliness and darkness, with only a hint that we existed. The idea awed her. Did we exist only as a possibility?”
Let me also include an excerpt from 𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘲, a tragic tale of lovers and their ominous unification-
“𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘲. It means the state of a lover's heart during separation, contemplation or annihilation unto the lover. The point where the lover becomes the beloved. Sometimes it also means nostalgia for a love forever gone, a love that never was and love that remains after death.”
As someone who doesn't generally read either fantasy nor horror, to read this unique genre of South-Asian dark fantasy was a unique and immersive experience. This was an impulse buy, Harshad Marathe's stunning cover, enticing me.
I'd definitely recommend ya'll to read this and explore a fresh type of literary horror and speculative fiction.
As mentioned by the author, this is a book of love, ghosts and wonders.
I wouldn't call these "horror" stories there aren't jump scare-y type of elements here, instead we have slow-cooking, mystifying scenes that enchant you and sweep you in, you're immersed in their surroundings, left shivering with chills running down your spine.
Set across Pakistan, be it in the narrow by-lanes of Lahore or the vast desert land of rural Sindh, I love how the stories are crafted on a formation of rural myth and folklore, beautifully interspersed with the culture of the land it belongs to.
South-Asian nations are a land rich in folklore, we have a strong tradition of storytelling, be it stories of demons to scare children into being obidient or tales of mythology from the Mahabharata or the Quran or even Buddhist and Jain traditions.
The author has done an extraordinarily intricate job in weaving these seven stories that are so enchanting and provocative, vivid and seductive, yet so compassionately human, surprisingly introspective. These are stories that are gorgeous in their imagery yet so painful and heartbreaking. The darkest of nightmares that tread almost gently, poetic in their devastating beauty.
Honestly, I was in awe of the magic in Usman Malik's writing.
I think my favourite story would be 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨- the hauntingly beautiful descriptions in this story were simply unparalleled. Take this description of heroinchis-
“The children of the true white queen lurk in shadow and live in rumor. A secret whispered from 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴
A species seamed into the skin of a puny civilization, they crawl forth only at the call of their mistress.”
Even the eerily suspenseful prose in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 -
“In physics, she learned what electrons were. Little flickering ghosts that vanished and reappeared as they pleased. Her flesh was empty, she discovered, or most of it. 6So were human bones and solid buildings and the incessantly agitated world and the universe. All that immense loneliness and darkness, with only a hint that we existed. The idea awed her. Did we exist only as a possibility?”
Let me also include an excerpt from 𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘲, a tragic tale of lovers and their ominous unification-
“𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘲. It means the state of a lover's heart during separation, contemplation or annihilation unto the lover. The point where the lover becomes the beloved. Sometimes it also means nostalgia for a love forever gone, a love that never was and love that remains after death.”
As someone who doesn't generally read either fantasy nor horror, to read this unique genre of South-Asian dark fantasy was a unique and immersive experience. This was an impulse buy, Harshad Marathe's stunning cover, enticing me.
I'd definitely recommend ya'll to read this and explore a fresh type of literary horror and speculative fiction.
As mentioned by the author, this is a book of love, ghosts and wonders.
May 6, 2022
"Such sins that our daydreams are made of."
"You think if you don't talk about it, it will happen painlessly, but it won't. I am hurting everyday. I am hurting, Ammi, and I don't know how long the pain will last. Don't leave me, Ammi."
A collection of seven fables from Pakistan that are the most beautiful, disturbing, creepy and authentic horror stories. OH MY GOD!! I haven't read anything like this book and I'm quite sure it's hard to find something like this gem.
This book possesses the ability to give the chills that a Bram Stoker or Mary Shelley's work gives. Malik's hauntingly beautiful and lyrical, rich writing that's blends natural with the unnatural, the familiar settings with the creepiest of descriptions. The stories talk of love, pain, grief, loss and fear.
An epic collection of stories with the darkest themes one could imagine, my favourite two stories being Ishq and Resurrection Points, because these were so damn disturbing that I wanted to put the book aside for a while yet I could not put it down. I had to finish it in one night!
And don't even get me started on this cover - I mean, how gorgeous can it be? It's a book that I detest for making me lose my sleep yet I love it to the core! Full of quotable lines to the brim, I'm sure that Midnight Doorways will leave a lasting impression and I'm certainly going to re-read this beauty sometime soon.
May has just begun and I'm confident this book leaves behind any other book that I would like to call my favourite read of the month!
"You think if you don't talk about it, it will happen painlessly, but it won't. I am hurting everyday. I am hurting, Ammi, and I don't know how long the pain will last. Don't leave me, Ammi."
A collection of seven fables from Pakistan that are the most beautiful, disturbing, creepy and authentic horror stories. OH MY GOD!! I haven't read anything like this book and I'm quite sure it's hard to find something like this gem.
This book possesses the ability to give the chills that a Bram Stoker or Mary Shelley's work gives. Malik's hauntingly beautiful and lyrical, rich writing that's blends natural with the unnatural, the familiar settings with the creepiest of descriptions. The stories talk of love, pain, grief, loss and fear.
An epic collection of stories with the darkest themes one could imagine, my favourite two stories being Ishq and Resurrection Points, because these were so damn disturbing that I wanted to put the book aside for a while yet I could not put it down. I had to finish it in one night!
And don't even get me started on this cover - I mean, how gorgeous can it be? It's a book that I detest for making me lose my sleep yet I love it to the core! Full of quotable lines to the brim, I'm sure that Midnight Doorways will leave a lasting impression and I'm certainly going to re-read this beauty sometime soon.
May has just begun and I'm confident this book leaves behind any other book that I would like to call my favourite read of the month!
September 24, 2022
After hearing the author speak at StokerCon this year, I couldn't resist ordering his collection. And although you'll likely have to go to the trouble of ordering it directly from the author's own website, I hope you will...because this collection is one of the best single-author collections of speculative fiction (horror or otherwise) that I've ever read. Many of the stories felt Le Guin-esque, and I adored the fact that plenty of them were long enough to really fall into and live with for a while. My favorite was actually one of the longer stories in the collection--"Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung"--but every one of these stories sucked me in, and it's rare for me to be able to say that.
Malik's talent for creating whole worlds in only a few characters and pages is incredible, and the heartbreak involved in some of these monstrous tales is nothing short of breathtaking. I'll read anything he writes from here on out.
Absolutely recommended.
Malik's talent for creating whole worlds in only a few characters and pages is incredible, and the heartbreak involved in some of these monstrous tales is nothing short of breathtaking. I'll read anything he writes from here on out.
Absolutely recommended.
May 27, 2023
This book is a collection of 7 short spooky stories rooted in Pakistani mythology and folklore. Each story provides a vivid outlook of the culture it belongs to while blending it with mystifying scenes. Usman T. Malik did an exceptionally intricate job weaving natural with the supernatural, it almost creeps you out but somehow you still find yourself hooked, there's something about it that sweeps you in, but each time leaves you stranded... embedded in an uneasiness and unanswered questions.
4.5 stars!
4.5 stars!
July 17, 2021
Wonderfully curated. Loved how Usman incorporated so much 'youth' in his structuring. Every story has a tale to tell, i loved Imagining a Lahore that floats.
January 31, 2023
Gorgeous lyrical prose, deeply felt emotion, and haunting stories. Just a beautiful book, all around.
May 3, 2021
This collection is subtitled “Fables from Pakistan”, and it's a meaningful subtitle. Usman Malik has taken stories and legends from that ancient land and has woven them into contemporary tales of the fantastic, and sometimes horrendous. The stories are the epitome of the newest trend in science fiction and fantasy: authors from diverse international backgrounds using their cultural heritage to illuminate current issues and open new realms of storytelling.
While Malik writes and publishes in English, his elegant and sometimes formal language evokes the idea of old legends and myths, adding to the atmospheric nature of his tales. He is a careful writer who writes with great heart about his people as they confront the difficult and sometimes bloody nature of living in a contested land.
Although published in English, the book is only for sale in Pakistan. This hardcover, handsomely illustrated book can be bought for a quite reasonable price (including shipping) directly from the author's website at usmanmalik.org. It is well worth it.
While Malik writes and publishes in English, his elegant and sometimes formal language evokes the idea of old legends and myths, adding to the atmospheric nature of his tales. He is a careful writer who writes with great heart about his people as they confront the difficult and sometimes bloody nature of living in a contested land.
Although published in English, the book is only for sale in Pakistan. This hardcover, handsomely illustrated book can be bought for a quite reasonable price (including shipping) directly from the author's website at usmanmalik.org. It is well worth it.
April 16, 2021
This is a gorgeous book (literally: the cover alone is awe-inspiring, and it's filled with great illustrations from multiple artists) that I ordered from Pakistan. It's well worth reading, and I'll look forward to more of the author's work. A lot of the reviews use words like "poetic" and "lyrical," and it is those things, but it's also darker and grimmer than I realized. My one quibble was that in all the rich atmosphere, I sometimes got lost in what was going on. Like, "wait, what is actually happening to this person right now?" Same as a lot of Bram Stoker's non-Dracula work, and a lot of dark fantasy, actually, which I think I'm learning is not my favorite genre. So the three stars is a "me" thing, but for the right audience, I'm sure it would score higher.
My favorite story was probably "In the Ruins of Modenjo-Daro," which, I was happy to note, appeared in a collection of Lovecraftian Mythos fiction, because as I read it, I kept thinking, "hey, is this a Lovecraftian thing?" And it was!
My favorite story was probably "In the Ruins of Modenjo-Daro," which, I was happy to note, appeared in a collection of Lovecraftian Mythos fiction, because as I read it, I kept thinking, "hey, is this a Lovecraftian thing?" And it was!
January 30, 2024
This book was grotesque, haunting, and beautiful. I don't think I could give an objective review even if I tried and that's largely because of where it takes place. Being from Lahore and never really having lived there just naturally makes me feel drawn to media that takes place there. I didn’t care much for where I was born as I was growing up but now that I'm older I feel as though my heart’s become Lahore shaped. And though this book doesn't glorify the city to make it shimmer like gold in my mind, there's something so enchanting about how real and tangible it felt amongst the horrors. Honestly, the other locations in the book felt just as real too, which is a compliment to Malik because I’ve never visited all these places and they somehow felt familiar to me.
I really really loved the use of Urdu with English because I think it emphasizes the oral story-telling aspect of fables and folktales. I can so clearly imagine sitting in blankets late into a winter night in Lahore listening to an elder tell these stories. As someone who speaks both languages sometimes it feels like there are words in Urdu that are impossible to find an accurate & affective counterpart for in English, and midnight doors ways encapsulates that super well. Sometimes using the original Urdu word is unavoidable and I'm so glad Malik committed to it because it really lends to how atmospheric the book is.
The stories themselves were secondary to the location and the atmosphere to me personally so while some did feel not as fleshed out or a little rushed at times I didn't really mind. I loved the writing in Ishq with all the old Lahore descriptions and the orphanage in The Fortune of Sparrows was so vivid in my mind. Resurrection Points really borrowed its way into my brain so I thought maybe that was my favorite until I read The Vaporization Enthalphy of a Particular Pakistani Family. It was simply just incredibly written and it became my favorite when I was around halfway through reading it.
I really really loved the use of Urdu with English because I think it emphasizes the oral story-telling aspect of fables and folktales. I can so clearly imagine sitting in blankets late into a winter night in Lahore listening to an elder tell these stories. As someone who speaks both languages sometimes it feels like there are words in Urdu that are impossible to find an accurate & affective counterpart for in English, and midnight doors ways encapsulates that super well. Sometimes using the original Urdu word is unavoidable and I'm so glad Malik committed to it because it really lends to how atmospheric the book is.
The stories themselves were secondary to the location and the atmosphere to me personally so while some did feel not as fleshed out or a little rushed at times I didn't really mind. I loved the writing in Ishq with all the old Lahore descriptions and the orphanage in The Fortune of Sparrows was so vivid in my mind. Resurrection Points really borrowed its way into my brain so I thought maybe that was my favorite until I read The Vaporization Enthalphy of a Particular Pakistani Family. It was simply just incredibly written and it became my favorite when I was around halfway through reading it.
May 7, 2022
Midnight Doorways Stories, genre? Horror😨.
Horror is a genre that I have always wanted to run away from and never wished to pick because I get scared easily. But I couldn't stop myself from picking up this one because when I read the blurb I was intrigued to such an extent that I wanted to absorb these stories.
The book is a collection of seven stories carefully woven with the mix of supernatural, strange yet somewhat familiar, creepy feelings and goosebumps. Each story is thoughtfully written, it keeps you hooked even if it scares and creeps you out. Each of them makes you want more of it and leaves you with a lot of questions as well as answers making you think of different possibilities in the story and gives you the freedom to think of an end that comes from the reader's mind itself.
I was scared and got goosebumps while reading and still didn't want to put it down. I was so hooked to the book. The highlight of the book for me was the way different themes are being touched upon while keeping the horror element alive.
While every story kept me hooked, one story ' The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family ' left me confused. My favourites were 'Ishq' and 'The Fortune Sparrows' and the best title was 'Resurrection Points'.
If you are someone who loves reading this genre, choose this book without any thoughts.
Horror is a genre that I have always wanted to run away from and never wished to pick because I get scared easily. But I couldn't stop myself from picking up this one because when I read the blurb I was intrigued to such an extent that I wanted to absorb these stories.
The book is a collection of seven stories carefully woven with the mix of supernatural, strange yet somewhat familiar, creepy feelings and goosebumps. Each story is thoughtfully written, it keeps you hooked even if it scares and creeps you out. Each of them makes you want more of it and leaves you with a lot of questions as well as answers making you think of different possibilities in the story and gives you the freedom to think of an end that comes from the reader's mind itself.
I was scared and got goosebumps while reading and still didn't want to put it down. I was so hooked to the book. The highlight of the book for me was the way different themes are being touched upon while keeping the horror element alive.
While every story kept me hooked, one story ' The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family ' left me confused. My favourites were 'Ishq' and 'The Fortune Sparrows' and the best title was 'Resurrection Points'.
If you are someone who loves reading this genre, choose this book without any thoughts.
May 14, 2022
Midnight Doorways encapsulates seven stories blending in the extraordinary in the ordinary life events. The author's impeccable writing style had me captivated from the very first page. His stories will stir up the sense of fear, anticipation and eerily haunting
that will make your spine tingle.
Each story was well-paced and the characters were fleshed out. The rich and vibrant storytelling with cleverly incorporated malevolent elements will keep you turning page after page until to the end. An enthralling literary work, Midnight doorways is perfect book for all those who love startling, atmospheric stories that makes them questions the sanity of the situations as the riveting turn of events keeps you flabbergasted.
I always pick scary books that is high on the nightmare scale and this collection definitely topped it. Because what's a good spooky book if it cannot catch you off-guard with its tantalizing haunts and horrors that will scare the living daylights out of us? If you are intrigued by the premise then trust me you must read this.
Thank you @hachette.india for giving me a chance to be part of this fantastic #MidnightDoorwaysReadalong
that will make your spine tingle.
Each story was well-paced and the characters were fleshed out. The rich and vibrant storytelling with cleverly incorporated malevolent elements will keep you turning page after page until to the end. An enthralling literary work, Midnight doorways is perfect book for all those who love startling, atmospheric stories that makes them questions the sanity of the situations as the riveting turn of events keeps you flabbergasted.
I always pick scary books that is high on the nightmare scale and this collection definitely topped it. Because what's a good spooky book if it cannot catch you off-guard with its tantalizing haunts and horrors that will scare the living daylights out of us? If you are intrigued by the premise then trust me you must read this.
Thank you @hachette.india for giving me a chance to be part of this fantastic #MidnightDoorwaysReadalong
July 1, 2021
Usman Malik is a terrific writer, with a unique voice and a wonderful imagination. These stories are strange, scary, and fantastic.
July 7, 2021
I will at some point write a more detailed review of Midnight Doorways, but for now, I'll just say that I loved it. Part disturbing, part enchanting; the immersive settings, surreal imagery and beautiful writing make this collection a must read. Usman Malik is a master storyteller, and it shows!
August 17, 2021
Review to come!
January 18, 2023
Goosebumps.
April 26, 2022
A fine collection of short stories though too magical and fantasy-like for my taste. Nonetheless, I enjoyed them and especially their use of Pakistani social traditions.
On a side note, I found myself constantly looking up words used by the author! His vocabulary far exceeds mine.
On a side note, I found myself constantly looking up words used by the author! His vocabulary far exceeds mine.
July 11, 2023
LOVED THIS! I picked it because I thought the cover was pretty but this was a fantastic read. The prose is immaculate and just really well done, will recommend.
March 6, 2021
I feel like this could have been really improved upon; but the ruins of mojenjo-daro is a really good short story. I don't think any of this was particularly memorable though. Lovely cover though.
July 11, 2021
A gorgeous collection of mythical stories ranging from horror, cosmic horror, magical realism, speculative fiction and ghost stories. Usman T. Malik evokes a sense of wonder and dread in equally potent measures. He paints a world rife with magic, myth, tradition; its a world that's both fresh, but still somehow powerfully timeless. His prose is, quite simply, lyrical and downright beautiful. This is a must read.
June 14, 2023
4.5 stars
i think reading this collection has sort of reinvigorated both my interest in short stories and fantasy (and maybe a little horror too)!
the beginning felt a bit clumsy to me and i was sort of miffed about it because i went in with high expectations: "ishq" is a really good taster for malik's narrative voice which is very excitingly story teller-y: sitting around in a circle at a sleepover - coded but the actual substance (or expected substance) of the story falls short in its reveal at the conclusion but the visuals you can conjure up in your head through his writings are enough to make you want to trudge through. the second story was possibly my least favourite and not because it didn't have an exciting premise but that the execution felt a bit too simplistic (though the whole concept of marionettes was interesting), i felt if we had stuck around in this story for a little while longer (i think this was also the shortest of the collection at around 10 pgs) we could've been more connected to the plot happening (something i noticed is that i liked the longer stories much more!) - still this was not BAD just underwhelming and the "abida parveen" and "ghabrana nahin hai" mention felt a bit gimmicky and too on the nose reducing the eerie atmosphere that i expected was being built.
the third story !!! "resurrection points" was where i got HOOKED ! at first the whole resurrection point medical thing was a little confusing but IT TURNED OUT TO BE SO GOOD. side note: the medical theme is vvv much a constant in malik's work and i think adds a very unique characteristic take on how he creates these plots or uncanny events happening! resurrection points in the end was a rlly well done piece that sold the book to me.
the fourth story "the fortune of sparrows" kind of feels underrated to me give her her flowers! it has birds and the whole seeing ghosts thingy actually is cool and suprising.
ok next "dead lovers on each blade, hung": ... vvvv good, malik at his (almost) best weaving in the real and the supernatural the set up for this story is really good and sure u dont get the extreme HORROR/FANTASTICAL SURREAL ELEMENT of it till like the end (there is some real world horror though...) but the pay off is so good!! ur waiting for it to come and when it comes its so NOT what u thought it was going to be but so fresh and jarring! also the pakistani settings and sub characters/groups malik uses are so exciting to see like the desert and the qawwals!
the next one "the vaporization enthalpy of a peculiar pakistani family" was also very well written and laced out for the reader and its focus on merging real world and other world horror was interesting to read.
malik really left his best for last because "in the ruins of mohenjo daro" was a BANGER ! firstly, reading this felt like i was back in 5th grade reading a percy jackson novel which isnt a dig at the writing because the writing is amazing but its about the Feeling that this story created, it had the nostalgia, it had the stakes, it had the setting of history and the students and everything was just so reminiscent of childhood and fantasy. it was a treat to read, to go back to the wonder of not knowing what will happen to this character and of the being transported to a strange strange situation. it also reminded me of "the axe" by penelope fitzgerald because of the ending.
overall, a lovely read!
i think reading this collection has sort of reinvigorated both my interest in short stories and fantasy (and maybe a little horror too)!
the beginning felt a bit clumsy to me and i was sort of miffed about it because i went in with high expectations: "ishq" is a really good taster for malik's narrative voice which is very excitingly story teller-y: sitting around in a circle at a sleepover - coded but the actual substance (or expected substance) of the story falls short in its reveal at the conclusion but the visuals you can conjure up in your head through his writings are enough to make you want to trudge through. the second story was possibly my least favourite and not because it didn't have an exciting premise but that the execution felt a bit too simplistic (though the whole concept of marionettes was interesting), i felt if we had stuck around in this story for a little while longer (i think this was also the shortest of the collection at around 10 pgs) we could've been more connected to the plot happening (something i noticed is that i liked the longer stories much more!) - still this was not BAD just underwhelming and the "abida parveen" and "ghabrana nahin hai" mention felt a bit gimmicky and too on the nose reducing the eerie atmosphere that i expected was being built.
the third story !!! "resurrection points" was where i got HOOKED ! at first the whole resurrection point medical thing was a little confusing but IT TURNED OUT TO BE SO GOOD. side note: the medical theme is vvv much a constant in malik's work and i think adds a very unique characteristic take on how he creates these plots or uncanny events happening! resurrection points in the end was a rlly well done piece that sold the book to me.
the fourth story "the fortune of sparrows" kind of feels underrated to me give her her flowers! it has birds and the whole seeing ghosts thingy actually is cool and suprising.
ok next "dead lovers on each blade, hung": ... vvvv good, malik at his (almost) best weaving in the real and the supernatural the set up for this story is really good and sure u dont get the extreme HORROR/FANTASTICAL SURREAL ELEMENT of it till like the end (there is some real world horror though...) but the pay off is so good!! ur waiting for it to come and when it comes its so NOT what u thought it was going to be but so fresh and jarring! also the pakistani settings and sub characters/groups malik uses are so exciting to see like the desert and the qawwals!
the next one "the vaporization enthalpy of a peculiar pakistani family" was also very well written and laced out for the reader and its focus on merging real world and other world horror was interesting to read.
malik really left his best for last because "in the ruins of mohenjo daro" was a BANGER ! firstly, reading this felt like i was back in 5th grade reading a percy jackson novel which isnt a dig at the writing because the writing is amazing but its about the Feeling that this story created, it had the nostalgia, it had the stakes, it had the setting of history and the students and everything was just so reminiscent of childhood and fantasy. it was a treat to read, to go back to the wonder of not knowing what will happen to this character and of the being transported to a strange strange situation. it also reminded me of "the axe" by penelope fitzgerald because of the ending.
overall, a lovely read!
November 27, 2022
midnight doorways is a perfect blend of fiction and fantasy with a subtle horror that seeps under your skin and stay there. the stories move through the spaces between everyday life, spaces where things slip in unseen and unnoticed. usman malik sketches a perfect horror story reflecting the inconsistencies of daily life and makes you think twice about everything. they're chilling and compelling. would highly recommend.
November 25, 2025
recommended to me by my friend mione <33 they'd gotten their copy scanned which let me look at all the cool art that wasn't in my digital version, they really add to the stories
March 10, 2022
Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan is a hugely eclectic and transportive collection of speculative short stories borne from Pakistani folklore and culture. The accompanying black and white illustrations from six Pakastani artists, with a seventh designing the haunting and window-like front cover, add another dimension to the work; indeed, having been printed by a publishing house based in Lahore, the book is manifestly a community project of shared identity and passion.
Usman T. Malik's prose is, simply, a pleasure to read: playful and raw, with vivid imagery and a structure that masterfully builds suspense. Thematically the stories are all speculative, but showcase a spectrum of genres and sub-genres (horror, science fiction, weird fiction, whodunit, fantasy...) and highlight social and political ideas.
The first story, Ishq, sets the tone wonderfully: a dark tale of corpses and floodwaters in 1960s Old Lahore, that nevertheless elevates the horror of above any ghoulish incidents, and is all the more impactful for it. The Wandering City is a brief exploration of a thought-provoking idea, which reminded me a little of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus: a city that appears and disappears without warning, igniting questions both anthropological and metaphysical. I should like to have spent more time there! Similarly, Resurrection Points felt somewhat akin to Naomi Alderman's The Power with a Frankenstein-esque twist, yet it was all too fleeting, and its premise would been better exploited as a novella - the deeper to delve into.
My experience of reading The Fortune of Sparrows was a very sensory one - almost cathartic. The tale is uncanny rather than scary; with an atmosphere far heavier than its length might suggest, the reader follows its characters around an orphanage haunted by memories, not all of them sad, but conjuring the nostalgia of place. As a physicist I should perhaps have favoured The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family, but for me it felt a little impersonal, without the depth of the more character-driven stories. I enjoyed two of the longer fables the most - Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung and In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. Both are quite Lovecraftian, with Eldritch rituals, ancient lore, and mounting tension through a contemporary South Asian lens, seeing to it that I was creeped and compelled in equal measure, before being cast adrift to reflect on not-altogether-happy endings!
Overall, a thought-provoking and spooky selection of Malik's work, which absolutely implored me to find more of it!
Usman T. Malik's prose is, simply, a pleasure to read: playful and raw, with vivid imagery and a structure that masterfully builds suspense. Thematically the stories are all speculative, but showcase a spectrum of genres and sub-genres (horror, science fiction, weird fiction, whodunit, fantasy...) and highlight social and political ideas.
The first story, Ishq, sets the tone wonderfully: a dark tale of corpses and floodwaters in 1960s Old Lahore, that nevertheless elevates the horror of above any ghoulish incidents, and is all the more impactful for it. The Wandering City is a brief exploration of a thought-provoking idea, which reminded me a little of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus: a city that appears and disappears without warning, igniting questions both anthropological and metaphysical. I should like to have spent more time there! Similarly, Resurrection Points felt somewhat akin to Naomi Alderman's The Power with a Frankenstein-esque twist, yet it was all too fleeting, and its premise would been better exploited as a novella - the deeper to delve into.
My experience of reading The Fortune of Sparrows was a very sensory one - almost cathartic. The tale is uncanny rather than scary; with an atmosphere far heavier than its length might suggest, the reader follows its characters around an orphanage haunted by memories, not all of them sad, but conjuring the nostalgia of place. As a physicist I should perhaps have favoured The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family, but for me it felt a little impersonal, without the depth of the more character-driven stories. I enjoyed two of the longer fables the most - Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung and In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. Both are quite Lovecraftian, with Eldritch rituals, ancient lore, and mounting tension through a contemporary South Asian lens, seeing to it that I was creeped and compelled in equal measure, before being cast adrift to reflect on not-altogether-happy endings!
Overall, a thought-provoking and spooky selection of Malik's work, which absolutely implored me to find more of it!
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