Full disclosure, the author of Beyond Midnight was a groomsman in my wedding and is one of the coolest people I know. It took me a while to get around to finishing this book because I felt a certain obligation as a friend to love it. This is of course accompanied by the fear that I wouldn't like it. I mean, what if I think it's total crap? I'm a TERRIBLE liar and even worse when it comes to praising a friends artistic endeavors if I don't think they're very good. (which means you can be sure that anytime I gush over a show or concert or book that my friends are in, I'm being totally honest.) So there was a lot riding on my reading of this book, seeing as I intend to continue being friends with this author (who is also the GM of our Fantasy Football league and has yet to announce when the draft is. Seriously dude, I need to know these things, I have 5 years of mediocrity to uphold!)
That said, I am thrilled to report that this is a really great collection of short horror stories. S.R. Dixon has a true gift for creating the atmosphere of nightmare in his stories. He creates that feeling you get when you wake up from a terrifying dream and you know that what just happened shouldn't make sense, but it still feels so immediate and real. It's a tricky line to follow, but Dixon does a great job of balancing just how much detail to give you without breaking that dreamlike quality.
There are several highlights I'd like to draw attention to. The runaway best story in the book is Miss Cavern Queen. Embarrassingly enough, I paused in reading this book for several years right at the beginning of this story, AND I'M SO MAD I DID THAT! I won't give anything away, but this story rivaled some of my favorite Steven King short stories. The world building is fantastic and the dread gives way to a horrific ending that was just awesome. Miss Cavern Queen is worth the purchasing the book all on it's own.
My other Favorite tale is MIDNIGHT. I loved this one because the description of the town reminded me of all of the late night walks I would take around Lanesboro, from the river to the top of Church hill, and all the way to the cemetery on the far edge of town. It was so easy to slip into the mind of the main character as he makes a desperate run to escape a horror that has been slowly killing his friends over the years. The monster is delightfully creepy as well, and I'd love to know more about Mr. Sliver.
Among the other tales there are some great moments as well. The cabin in Oh-Toh-Way is gorgeous and horrific at the same time, with some fantastic images, and the writing in Rapture is such a pleasure to read. There are lots of other little moments that I won't spoil so you can discover them for yourself. You should definitely read this book, and buy it new. :)
This is the first time I've ever read a book written by someone I know pretty well, and I will say that there are certain challenges I didn't fully expect. Mainly, it is very hard not to impose inspiration on the author. I'm pretty sure I ended up visualizing mutual acquaintances for most of the characters, which is weird when you realize that you have decided that the author is secretly writing the demise of everyone around him in ghoulish ways. Thankfully, I was able to avoid any association with people I know in the stories involving nudity or sex. (yay, small victories!) But that also meant that I had a visual image of the author sitting down to write these scenes, which is a little weird mostly because the vast majority of our conversations involve puns, Mel Brooks quotes, or conversations about different monster movies while hanging out backstage during a show. These are not the conversations one associates with sexiness, usually. Nothing kills a nice sex scene like knowing a buddy wrote it, and then having a mental image of said buddy. It's like a mental ice bucket challenge. For those of you who don't know the author, you will have no such problem, but now I know how George R.R. Martin's friends must feel...
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