Coach's Midnight Diner: The Jesus Vs. Cthulhu Edition (Paperback)

~ Coach Culbertson (Editor), Vennessa Ng (Editor), Kimberly Culbertson (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A hardboiled anthology of horror, mystery, and paranormal fiction, Coach's Midnight Diner is the faith-based anthology readers have been waiting for. With full allowance for artistic freedom, Diner authors pull no punches. Entrees of Jesus Vs. Cthulhu Fiction by Chris Mikesell, Kevin Lucia, Neil A. Riebe, and Jens Rushing highlight in the first edition of Coach's Midnight Diner, but there's so much more on the menu. We'll server up horror fiction by Editor's Choice Award winner Robert N. Jennings, J. Mark Bertrand, Melody Graves, Nathan Knapp, and Caroline Misner. Side orders of Crime, Mystery, and Detective Fiction by Charles Browning, Suzan Robertson, R.M. Oliver, S.J. Kessel, Michael Medina, and Mike Dellosso will have you trying to guess who the culprit is until the very end. We'll quench your thirst for Paranormal Fiction with stories from Mike Duran, Robert Garbacz, Matt Mikalatos, and Paul Luikart. And for dessert, Jennifer J. Edwards and Linda Gilmore bring stories from That One That Happens in A Diner. Coach's Midnight Diner will satisfy your appetite for thrills and quench your thirst for something a little deeper than your average fare.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: ccPublishing NFP (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979228441
• ISBN-13: 978-0979228445
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,895,924 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Shadows Prove the Daylight... , October 5, 2007

By	Larry Shallenberger (Erie, Pa USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Long before the rise of Christian publishing, marketing departments, and book committees domesticating content to appeal to the sensibilities of evangelical audiences, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote novels filled with profound Christian truths. However, his characters were a dark and colorful bunch including murderers, the mentally challenged, gamblers, seditionists, and prostitutes. Dostoevsky noted that he built some of his most recognizable character by recalling his fellow inmates during his own time in prison. Fyodor's painted his characters with such a dark brush that one wonders if "The Possessed", "Crime and Punishment", or "The Brothers Karamazov" would be publishable in today's Christian market.

Coach Culbertson and the creative minds at ccPublishing are hoping to change all that with THE COACH'S MIDNIGHT DINOR, an anthology of "horror, mystery, crime, and paranormal goodness." Like Dostoevsky's universe, the pages of the diner are filled with murders, strippers, demons, debauched pastors, trolls, alcoholics and host of other unlikely purveyors of divine truth.

A warning on the title page cautions that the stories inside "may cause insomnia due to the intense nature of some, and thus is not recommended for children or those with weak constitutions or heart problems." The tongue is firmly planted in the check but the warning is accurate. The language in this anthology is often raw and uncensored. The violence is often equal to an episode of Sopranos. The authors in THE COACH'S MIDNIGHT walk a fine line. It would be easy, nearly inevitable, to depict evil in a manner that glorifies darkness. The authors collectively avoid this trap, gratefully. Darkness, rather, is a backdrop against which justice, grace, and redemption shine.

One category of story that Editor-in-Chief, Coach Culbertson, called for was "Jesus vs. Cthulhu." For the uninitiated, Cthulhu refers to the mythos of demigods, settings, and themes created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Culbertson. Culbertson's invitation pushed contributors past the now hackneyed angels vs. demons plotline which dominated Christian fiction in the late 80's.

Notable stories include "The Salvation of Sancho" by Robert Garbacz. Set in a murky Shadowland known as The Abyss, we meet Sancho, the faithful sidekick of a quixotic preacher who defiantly attempts to establish the God's kingdom in lawless town. Like the fabled Don Quixote, the preacher is broken under the weight of his quest. However, Garbacz's Sancho finds redemption a table with C.S. Lewis, Dostoevsky, and Tolkien.

Kevin Lucia's "Way Station" is a smartly worded story of a writer unable to repeat the success of his first novel. In a handful of pages Lucia creates a paranormal thriller worthy of Rod Sterling's THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

R.M. Oliver's "The Last Trip to Crystal Moon" is gritty tale of vigilantism set at a strip club. The protagonist is an employee at the club who is forced to front his conscience when a new proprietor introduces lower levels of depravity to the establishment. Oliver's story is reminiscent of Frank Miller's SIN CITY in both setting and in the fact that even the shadiest of characters can find redemption and justice.

Not every story in the anthology works. For example "Polly's Muse" was well written but was yet another "Screw Tape Letters" send up and didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the anthology. However, most of the stories were satisfying.

Coach's Midnight Diner is not for every reader, and decidedly not for children. If you enjoy horror, detective stories, and tales of the paranormal, but wondered if these genres could be redeemed, this anthology is for you.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breaking Down Barriers, December 8, 2007

By	Todd Michael Greene "aspiring novelist" (NC) - See all my reviews

Anthologies are growing on me. I've not read a lot of short stories since my college days. Probably a subliminal thing. Short stories equal homework, something like that. That said the last couple of years I've begun to find my way back to this medium and have been discovering new stories and authors along with re-discovering classics.

Coach's Midnight Diner, released earlier this year, is a first in a couple of ways. This anthology is one that introduces us to many new and/or up and coming authors. Some published here for the first time anywhere. And also, it's a collection of mostly speculative/paranormal/horror genre stories written from a Christian world view. Speculative fiction is a growing genre in the Christian fiction market. Some publishers seem to be understanding the potential here. In this reviewers mind, that's a good thing.

Like any anthology Coach's Midnight Diner is a mixed bag. There are some great stories here and some . . . well, not so great. The same can be said for most any book of it's kind, so this is hardly a criticism. A few of the best efforts, for me, are The Way Station by Kevin Lucia, Gargoyle by J. Mark Bertrand and Almost A Hero by Mike Dellosso. No doubt you'll find others you like as much or more.

Next year I believe we'll see a new volume in the Diner series. I'm already looking forward to whatever it is that the Coach has up his sleeve.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus vs. Cthulhu? Sign me up., April 4, 2008

By	Tosca Lee (USA) - See all my reviews

There's no sterility, no processed church product in this anthology. So if raw ingredients and unsavory individuals make you uncomfortable, don't read this volume.

And maybe don't read the Bible either.

Darkness plays its own role in each of these stories--as it must in any tale with the semblance of reality. One must wonder if the Christian world might be more challenged by a scary dose of "paranormal goodness" or two.

Kevin Lucia scares me a little bit, and for that I thank him. "Way Station," the story of a writer confronting the frightening thing to write--which is most assuredly the thing he was meant to write--hits uncomfortably close to home. Contained in the story: the scary truth that each of us has the power to usher in victory or destruction. Darn you, Kevin, for reminding us not to squander our talent and miss the turn-off on that road to destiny. I was having an easy day before this.