Masters of Midnight

Rating:
Summary: chilling from the first bite
Review: A thrilling, erotically charged page-turner with literary merit. Kudos especially to poet/essayist Jeff Mann. Mann delivers a tasty meal on every page, mixing erotic content with a rich, descriptive, poetic voice. His surroundings, ranging from the moors of Scotland to the city streets of NYC to the mountains of West Virginia, are nearly as "human" as his living (and dead) characters. Not simply slam-bam-bite-me-man erotica, and not for the faint of heart. Let's hear more from Mann's devilish Derek.

Rating:
Summary: A smorgasbord for the senses
Review: Four different authors means a potpourri of styles and stories to choose from. From the archetypical "Barnabus" from the old "Dark Shadows" series to a new Lestat-like hero that hails from West Virginia via Scotland, this book offers variety, interesting twists, and...well, more than a smattering of sex.

William J. Mann pays homage to the 60's cult classic with an update for the new millennium. If gym bunnies are your fare, then Sean Wolfe offers an interesting twist that seems to coincide best with popular WB television fare. Two stories really stand out in this collection, however.

Michael Thomas Ford really shines in his unique twist on an old tale. Who knew those Razorback Mountains were fodder for such a captivating addition to vampire lore? Mr. Ford really shakes off his David-Sedaris-want-to-be style for a truly intriguing variation on what can sometimes be a stagnant genre. Hats off to Mr. Ford and all his names! Between panting hard you'll want to keep turning the pages to find out how this one, uhm, climaxes.

Jeff Mann's "Devoured" out-Rice's the honored diva in just 100+ pages. An epic novel captured in the space of a few chapters, Mr. Mann's lyrical prose follows a new vampire hero, Derek, from his inception in Scotland to the hills of West Virginia. Derek romps in what might be called, "a bit of the rough," which adds some great spice and thrill to what otherwise might have been a rather "twinkified" collection. Can't wait to find out what Derek gets up to next.

Buy it. Read it. Thank me later.

Rating:
Summary: Good to the last bite
Review: In the spirit of full disclosure I have to admit that I'm not really a fan of vampire fiction. But I love the non-fiction work of Michael Thomas Ford, and I was curious to see what his first crack at long fiction would be like. I'm happy to say I was delightfully surprised. Ford's "Sting" is unlike anything I've ever read. Smart, sexy, thoughtful, and, yes, really, really creepy, it's beautifully written and eerily haunting. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I closed the book. Ford did such a good job of bringing his characters to life that I could literally see the story playing out in my head. If someone in Hollywood is smart, they'll snatch up the rights to this baby and make a film out of it ASAP. As for the other three stories, they were okay. But it's Ford's contribution that makes this a must-buy. Ignore the goofy cover and pick this one up.

Rating:
Summary: highly original and entertaining vampire tales
Review: MASTERS OF MIDNIGHT contains four novellas in which vampires play a prominent and erotically gay role. The authors have different visions of vampires leading to highly original and entertaining tales.

"His Hunger" by William J. Mann. Thirty years ago in Cravensport, Maine murders and disappearances occurred with no explanation. Jeremy thinks the story will make a good human-interest piece, but he also has a personal stake in the story as one of the vanished was his father. However, he is in peril after visiting Bartholomew, a vampire who plans to enslave Jeremy and convert the writer's lover.

"Sting" by Michael Thomas Forge. Following the suicide of his lover, Ben becomes head librarian in Downing, Arkansas. He sees customer Titus put his hands into beehives. When the two men become lovers, Titus explains that he is a vampire and the bee venom prevents his blood craving. Titus feels strongly about stopping his kind who kills innocent children.

"Brandon's Bite" by Sean Wolfe. His father was a vampire while his mother was mortal. His father taught him how to survive as a vampire. As an adult Brandon discovered he was gay so his father disowned him. Brandon can choose any victim he wants but fears love because he believes he cannot control his urge for blood.

"Devoured" by Jeff Marin. Three centuries ago two Scottish lords shared a secret passion for one another. When they were caught, Angus was killed but Derek was changed into a vampire. He avenged his friend's death before immigrating to West Virginia. Now an affluent businessman, he finally has a chance to love again but must first take care of Matthew's homophobic enemies.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: highly original and entertaining vampire tales
Review: MASTERS OF MIDNIGHT contains four novellas in which vampires play a prominent and erotically gay role. The authors have different visions of vampires leading to highly original and entertaining tales.

"His Hunger" by William J. Mann. Thirty years ago in Cravensport, Maine murders and disappearances occurred with no explanation. Jeremy thinks the story will make a good human-interest piece, but he also has a personal stake in the story as one of the vanished was his father. However, he is in peril after visiting Bartholomew, a vampire who plans to enslave Jeremy and convert the writer's lover.

"Sting" by Michael Thomas Forge. Following the suicide of his lover, Ben becomes head librarian in Downing, Arkansas. He sees customer Titus put his hands into beehives. When the two men become lovers, Titus explains that he is a vampire and the bee venom prevents his blood craving. Titus feels strongly about stopping his kind who kills innocent children.

"Brandon's Bite" by Sean Wolfe. His father was a vampire while his mother was mortal. His father taught him how to survive as a vampire. As an adult Brandon discovered he was gay so his father disowned him. Brandon can choose any victim he wants but fears love because he believes he cannot control his urge for blood.

"Devoured" by Jeff Marin. Three centuries ago two Scottish lords shared a secret passion for one another. When they were caught, Angus was killed but Derek was changed into a vampire. He avenged his friend's death before immigrating to West Virginia. Now an affluent businessman, he finally has a chance to love again but must first take care of Matthew's homophobic enemies.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Forbidden Pleasure & Dangerous Temptation...
Review: Masters of Midnight contains four vampire tales written by four different authors. It includes:

His Hunger by William J. Mann - Jeremy Horne has always wondered what happened to his father and stepmother so when his job as a journalist offers him the opportunity to travel to the reclusive Maine estate of the eccentric Bartholomew Craven, he jumps at the chance to unravel the mystery. Little does he know that Bartholomew is a vampire, a vampire who plans on draining Jeremy and then seducing his lover, Minter, and turning him into one of the undead...

Sting by Michael Thomas Ford - Ben Hodges couldn't bear to continue living in the New York apartment that he had shared with his lover, Trey after Trey's suicide. So Ben accepted a job as librarian in a small Ozarks town. However, instead of bringing him peace, the town holds nothing but terror for Ben. For he discovers that there is an ancient evil that dwells in the town and has been gathering his strength to strike again. The only thing that Ben cannot figure out is how his new lover, Titus Durham, figures into the picture...

Bradon's Bite by Sean Wolfe - Braden Lugo grew up hearing the romantic love story of how his mother and father met. He didn't know where his mother was, but he knew that his father loved him and so he tried to learn how to be a good vampire. However, as Bradon grew older, he quickly learned that he preferred men to women, which was totally abhorent to his father. When Bradon was thrown out of his house, he fled to San Francisco, as far away from his home as possible. There he met Kirk Courey, a handsome blond man who would never believe in the dark side of Bradon's nature. But could Bradon love Kirk enough to stop himself from killing him?

Devoured by Jeff Mann - Derek Maclaine lost his lover in Scotland years and years ago, but he still feels the pang of that loss every day. He has taken many other lovers and knows that he will take many more, but the price that he paid to avenge his lover's death was too high. He regrets turning vampire, but he does nothing to turn aside from his nature and spends his days with sex and violence. But a new lover fascinates Derek as he has not been fascinated in a long time. But will he accept Derek's true nature?

As with all short story collections, I enjoyed some more than others. I would have to say Bradon's Bite was my favorite because it was a nice, romantic tale with a bit of a twist to it. Sting was the most haunting of the tales and it will stay with you long after you read it - it is always amazing to see how many lives are destroyed by one simple action. His Hunger was good, but nothing particularly exciting and it was the least romantic/erotic of the four and I think I would have enjoyed it more if we got to meet Minter. Devoured was beautifully written with wonderful descriptions, but I didn't like the characters in the story at all - if you are looking for a man who has embraced the dark, violent side of his vampire nature, Derek would be it. Still, it is a nice anthology and if you enjoy vampire stories, I think you will enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: Forbidden Pleasure & Dangerous Temptation...
Review: Masters of Midnight contains four vampire tales written by four different authors. It includes:

His Hunger by William J. Mann - Jeremy Horne has always wondered what happened to his father and stepmother so when his job as a journalist offers him the opportunity to travel to the reclusive Maine estate of the eccentric Bartholomew Craven, he jumps at the chance to unravel the mystery. Little does he know that Bartholomew is a vampire, a vampire who plans on draining Jeremy and then seducing his lover, Minter, and turning him into one of the undead...

Sting by Michael Thomas Ford - Ben Hodges couldn't bear to continue living in the New York apartment that he had shared with his lover, Trey after Trey's suicide. So Ben accepted a job as librarian in a small Ozarks town. However, instead of bringing him peace, the town holds nothing but terror for Ben. For he discovers that there is an ancient evil that dwells in the town and has been gathering his strength to strike again. The only thing that Ben cannot figure out is how his new lover, Titus Durham, figures into the picture...

Bradon's Bite by Sean Wolfe - Braden Lugo grew up hearing the romantic love story of how his mother and father met. He didn't know where his mother was, but he knew that his father loved him and so he tried to learn how to be a good vampire. However, as Bradon grew older, he quickly learned that he preferred men to women, which was totally abhorent to his father. When Bradon was thrown out of his house, he fled to San Francisco, as far away from his home as possible. There he met Kirk Courey, a handsome blond man who would never believe in the dark side of Bradon's nature. But could Bradon love Kirk enough to stop himself from killing him?

Devoured by Jeff Mann - Derek Maclaine lost his lover in Scotland years and years ago, but he still feels the pang of that loss every day. He has taken many other lovers and knows that he will take many more, but the price that he paid to avenge his lover's death was too high. He regrets turning vampire, but he does nothing to turn aside from his nature and spends his days with sex and violence. But a new lover fascinates Derek as he has not been fascinated in a long time. But will he accept Derek's true nature?

As with all short story collections, I enjoyed some more than others. I would have to say Bradon's Bite was my favorite because it was a nice, romantic tale with a bit of a twist to it. Sting was the most haunting of the tales and it will stay with you long after you read it - it is always amazing to see how many lives are destroyed by one simple action. His Hunger was good, but nothing particularly exciting and it was the least romantic/erotic of the four and I think I would have enjoyed it more if we got to meet Minter. Devoured was beautifully written with wonderful descriptions, but I didn't like the characters in the story at all - if you are looking for a man who has embraced the dark, violent side of his vampire nature, Derek would be it. Still, it is a nice anthology and if you enjoy vampire stories, I think you will enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: A Savory Bite
Review: Read this book for what it is, and you'll enjoy it very much. This is not meant to be a literary masterpiece. That much should be clear from the subtitle of the book: "Erotic Tales of the Vampire". Don't expect an all new and brilliant monster epic, and you'll like this book.

I want to praise the publisher for mixing two well-known names (William J Mann and Micheal Thomas Ford) with two names I am not familiar with (Sean Wolfe and Jeff Mann). The diversity of the stories and writing styles are fresh and keep the reader engaged. Much better than reading a long book with one style from one author.

The two Manns (William J and Jeff) have a similar style. Both of those stories, though decent, are my least favorite. They seem to try to be more than what they are. A little superficial for my taste, but not badly written.

I like Sean Wolfe's story very much. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and is comfortable being a short entertainment piece. It doesn't try to be more than what it is. I was entertained and appreciate the "humanness" that the story brings to erotic vampirism. It is both erotic and interesting. Though I haven't heard of Wolfe before, I'm sure we'll hear more from him in the future.

It is Ford, though, who is the star of this book, and a good reason for naming him as the main author. Most of us are familiar with his non-fiction material, which has won several Lambda Literary awards. His fiction writing here is no less brilliant. Ford's talent for putting the reader in the middle of the story and for character description are perfect. I love his story, and look forward to more fiction from Ford in the future.

If you're a fan of vampire fiction at all, you'd be crazy not to get this book. The variety of stories and writing style is fresh and refreshing. The writing is good. It is both erotic and frighteningly engaging. A must have for serious fans of horror, and especially vampire fiction!

Rating:
Summary: Believe the "buzz"
Review: Unlike a previous reviewer, I AM a fan of gay vampire fiction, and of gay horror in general. I picked this book up because I'd read some of the authors' previous work in books like QUEER FEAR I and II, SONS OF DARKNESS, and BROTHERS OF THE NIGHT (all edited by Michael Rowe, in case you want to look them up). So how does this collection stack up? William J. Mann's contribution is an obvious ode to the glorious old cult supernatural soap opera, DARK SHADOWS, and if you read it that way it's a lot of fun. Sean Wolfe and Jeff Mann are new names to me, and although Wolfe's story didn't grab me, I really liked the second Mr. Mann's ability to bring out the most in his setting. But I have to say, it was Michael Thomas Ford's "Sting" that kept me up way past midnight. I saved it for last, because it sounded the most interesting, and was it ever. This novella is totally unique, not just in gay horror but in ALL horror. His writing is gorgeous, and the imagery he creates is both beautiful and terrifying. I defy anyone to read his descriptions of the Death Puppet and be able to sleep with the lights on. I, too, would love to see this story made into a film, especially if George Clooney plays Ben!