Somewhere in the Night: Eight Gay Tales of the Supernatural [Paperback]

Jeffrey N. McMahan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

All of the protagonists of the eight horror tales here are gay, allowing McMahan both a new twist on chiller standbys, such as vampirism and spirit possession, and an intriguing perspective on the complexities of gay life. Devilish energy and macabre wit glitter throughout. One vampire, for example, is an unwillingly undead ghoul with a heart of gold who pities the beautiful men he kills--yet he is reluctant to bestow the dubious gift of a vampire's immortality lest his liaisons with them grow tiresome over the millennia. A few stories teeter precariously between effective shock and the merely grisly: gory details menace the exposition of "Two-faced Johnny," in which a vain young man at a strange Halloween party is transformed permanently into the gruesome being of his costume. "Fantasyland," about a young boy who takes refuge in daydreams from his brutal rape until he rescues another boy from the same assailants, is the richest entry, a trenchant meditation on coming out as gay in a hostile society. This is MaMahan's first book.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; Rep Sub edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555834329
• ISBN-13: 978-1555834326
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,248,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Somewhere in the Night, September 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Somewhere in the Night: Eight Gay Tales of the Supernatural (Paperback)

Well, if it bothers you - Andrew is a gay, 20 something vampire. If it doesn't, you'll find this book a lot of fun to read - I especially enjoyed the 2 Andrew stories and have also bought the other related books. Not all of the stories are as much fun - but all were worth reading. I have purchased more than one copy and have given a few to friends.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An honorable attempt but..., October 5, 2000

By 

Randall Ivey "Randall" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Somewhere in the Night: Eight Gay Tales of the Supernatural (Paperback)

McMahan makes a valiant attempt in this collection of gay-themed horror stories, but the results are mixed. At times he turns phrases nicely and presents us with vivid images, but his insistence on using the present tense in all but two of the stories is irritating, distracting, and unnecessary. Reading fiction written in present tense always makes me feel like I'm on a tugboat on storm-tossed waters. I get confused and a bit dizzy.

"Johnny Two-Face", about a ghoulish Halloween party, is just silly, and "This Apartment Possessed" turns out to be a mess. Still the title tale is impressive, with its moral conundrum that must always be at the heart of successful horror fiction. Here Andrew, the protagonist, a young vampire, reflects on his ability to bestow immortality on his victims. Andrew returns in "Hell is for Children", but only a dolt would not be able to figure out who the decapitator is in the first few pages. "Fantasyland" is probably the best story in the collection. Its theme, of escape from adversity through imagination, is familiar enough, but McMahan shows some skill in demarcating reality and fantasy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collection of gay horror stories, August 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Somewhere in the Night: Eight Gay Tales of the Supernatural (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. The stories were diverse, from horrifying to lighthearted, and well thought out. One of the stories here provides the basis for his later book "Vampires Anonymous"