A Midnight Clear - Book Review

A Midnight Clear - Book Review

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Posted 2023-11-11 by Jennifer Muirheadfollow


A Midnight Clear is an anthology of holiday-themed stories that are a little dark and unusual. With only six stories it's a fairly quick read, but it is a diverse collection of speculative fiction, with tales of elves gone mad, murder, gods, werewolves and other folklore.

As with any anthology, there were some stories I liked better than others, but overall it's a strong collection.

The Dauntless - Sam Hooker

This is a fun little tale about an elf lawyer named Snickerdoodle, who must defend her client, Gumdrop, in the case of the R'lyeh Delivery Murders. The Cthulhu Mythos meets happy Christmas elves- what's not to like?

Tidings of the New Moon - Alcy Levy

This one is a werewolf story with a twist that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Moving on Up - Laura Morrison

This was the most original take on A Christmas Carol I think I've ever seen. A young woman named Cindi learns that she is about to die, and will be visited by three demons from Hell who will attempt (for their own selfish reasons) to convince her to go to Hell instead of Heaven. It's darkly funny, and I liked the ending.

The Poetry of Snow and Stars - Cassondra Windwalker

This story is a murder mystery, set in the Stanley Hotel (the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's The Shining) at Christmas time, which makes for an intriguing premise. It features characters from the author's mystery novel Preacher Sam. This story did not go where I thought it was going at all, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Sleep, Sweet Khors - Dalena Storm

A little girl is upset that her elderly uncle is dying as her family prepares to celebrate the winter solstice. It's a beautifully written, evocative story. The included carol solstice carol was ironically timely as I was reading this in Australia on a 42 degree day when large parts of the country were on fire. Yes please, sun, settle down a bit! Take a nap!

Snow Angel by Seven Jane

This story was a bit of an unfortunate note to end the collection on, since it made me angry. I don't think I can explain why without giving spoilers, so skip the next two paragraphs if you'd prefer to avoid them. Crystal, the mother in the story was flat out trying to organise Christmas celebrations for her family, when her husband urged her to relax and take time out to do crafts with their son. He wasn't offering to step up and do any of the work himself. He just expected her to relax and enjoy herself and assumed that the food, decorations etc. would nonetheless all just magically appear.

I was expecting the story to be about the other family members learning to either help out or adjust their expectations, but nope. When Crystal ignored her husband and went out in terrible weather to shop and drop off presents for the elderly people at the local retirement home, she was punished by the gods for being "cold-hearted", and neglecting the true meaning of Christmas. What the?! Maybe the moral is supposed to be "take care of yourselves, mums, because nobody else will"? But without some acknowledgement that her contribution to the household was actually essential and that other people expected her to do what she was doing while simultaneously criticising her for it, this tale just left me confused and annoyed.
A Midnight Clear is an interesting collection of short stories the makes a change from the usual, cheesy holiday-themed fiction. You might not like all the stories, but like a well-planned solstice feast, it includes at least a little something for everyone.

Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Black Spot Books, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Published: November 2019

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85557 - 2023-06-11 07:11:00

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