It must be Christmas...homoerotic vampire tales, complete with all the requisite sex and violence, are on the docket! Unfortunately, having read this book, I now know that it isn’t the vampires or the sex or the violence (per se) that I’ve loved thus far; it is Michael Schiefelbein. His absence here is so obvious and painful that I almost cannot recommend this book.
Masters of Midnight is a collection of 4 short stories. The opener is called “His Hunger” by William J. Mann. Expect to see Mann reviewed here in the future, as he has written 4 bestselling novels so far. However, this nugget isn’t one of them. It becomes annoying in two ways almost immediately. First, it’s written as a diary journal from Jeremy to his boyfriend, Minter. Second, well, is Minter. We never actually meet him, but his name appears for the first time looking more like an expletive than a name, and is repeated ad nauseum to the end of the story. The plot is basically a revamp (!) of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but with less to recommend it. This story had the least amount of feeling to it, and I found it unbelievable that Bartholomew didn’t know a lot more about his man servant. “Naive” should not be a word that applies to vampires!
The next story is worse. It is “Sting” by my old nemesis, Michael Thomas Ford. Observe the dreadful handling of the climactic scenes, like the search party looking for Steven, and you may wonder as I do how someone who writes so much reads like such a novice. Ford throws away one of the generally accepted “laws” of vampire physics, declaring that if sunshine is good for you, then it must be good for vampires. He also seems particularly fascinated with the graphics of sex. So much so that you’ll actually wonder how Ben got around to cleaning the floor in the library office. The ending of this story is excrutiating. It’s only redeeming value is the knowledge that this story is finally over. Still, all of the above complaints are misdemeanors. The felony was his turning vampirism into a metaphor. Perhaps you can guess which one. You become a vampire by being infected by a virus. The virus is passed via unprotected anal sex. Ben and Titus both ultimately agree that it’s better to be dead than to have it. How romantic and exotic Ford’s vampires are! Not!
“Bradon’s Bite” was written by Sean Wolfe. The prologue depicts a scene so unrealistic that I wonder if Wolfe has ever flown in a plane before. And would someone care to explain to me how a vampire who is “older than you can imagine,” who’s raising a son on his own, who needs a 3-hour bedtime story every night through the age of 15, has no clue that his son is gay? I don’t believe it. I also find it hard to believe that Kirk (alone) worked out a solution for Bradon, when Bradon had also studied the diaries. Again, “naive vampire” as a plot device is maddening!
The book closes with “Devoured,” written by Jeff Mann. Of the four stories, this one was the only one worth reading. Unlike the others, Derek is a bad-ass vampire who makes no apologies for the evil side to his lifestyle. Observe the chilling description of his thoughts as he contemplates how he will feed on a bartender. Derek is an adult who came into vampirism to avenge the death of his lover, an event that still plays heavily on his mind despite having occurred 300 years ago. This is a refreshingly twink-free vampire story with lovely scenery, an intriguing collaboration with another vampire, and a superbly wrought love story with a mortal singer/songwriter named Matt. Observing Derek stumble through his genuine feelings is fun.
Enjoy “Devoured” but skip the rest!