Praise and Reviews
Posted on December 30th, 2008
Read 767 times.
A Dark, Twisted Journey Through Terror and Death, Volume One
Recently I had the opportunity to review a draft copy of “After
Midnight,” and it was a scary experience, to say the least. Not
because of the author’s writing, which is more a stream of
consciousness narrative than anything else; but because of the
nightmarish visions of blood, gore and death that the reader must
endure while following him on a guided tour of hell.
Welcome to the bowels of evil. Welcome to the world of Irish writer,
Patrick Cunningham. ”When the forces of darkness awaken-when the fate
of the world is at stake-who will be brave enough to stand and fight
for the powers of good and the whole of humanity?” This is Cunningham’s
challenge to the reader and the premise of the story.
Fight for the powers of good and protect humanity from the forces of
evil? That’s a pretty tall order, and the answer to that question will
surprise you. As it turns out, action figures like Superman and Wonder
Woman need not apply. The fate of our world rests in the hands of four,
twenty-somethings named Ben, Rodger, Jackie and Sarah. Two hip couples
named Ben, Rodger, Jackie and Sarah step in to save our world from
destruction? Whoa! Who are these people and what do they have going
for them? As it turns out, quite a lot.
For one thing, they are clever, quick witted, strong and incredibly
courageous. And for another, as Cunningham puts it, “The girls kick
ass just as good as the guys.” Well, no big surprise there. This is
the twenty first century isn’t it? So much for the cast of good guys.
Who are the bad guys? It depends on where in the book you are
reading of course, but in no particular order you will run into hostile
extra terrestrials, ghosts in a haunted house, a chain saw wielding
madman, a legion of murderous scare crows on a deserted island, a super
secret Army test gone amok, and a gaggle of female vampires.
One of the latter, a toothsome young woman named Stephanie falls in
love with Ben and takes the extraordinary step of invading his girl
friend’s body from time to time to have her way with him.
So what is “After Midnight” really all about? Is it just
about blood and gore, or does it serve some higher purpose? In a recent
interview, Cunningham said, “The book is a series of short stories
centered on the four main characters. I don’t give any real
descriptions of the characters so the reader can use their own
imagination and make believe that they are that character. I just set
up the stories to trigger your imagination and take you on a roller
coaster ride into madness and mayhem.”
So there you have it. “Imagination” is the key to this book. Those
who have it and like to use it will find it a good read. Those who
don’t probably won’t.
Meanwhile, Patrick Cunningham who lives in Ireland, a country
surrounded by myth and legend, is hard at work on Volume Two of “After
Midnight.” I wish him luck on that project, as well as success with
Volume One.