Cat Reviews “The Midnight Games: Six Stories About Games You Play Once”
The Midnight Games
The Midnight Games: Games You Play Once is an excellent anthology of short horror fiction in the same vein of ritualpastas. The short stories featured within cover new spins on classic games, as well as some new terrifying rituals you won’t want to try.
Though the entire collection is short and could most likely be read in a single sitting, I would highly recommend spreading the tales out for more fun. Each one lets the audience into a new and unsettling world that deserves to live in your head for a little while before you move on.
I have always had a weakness for the ritual game subgenre of horror, but I know it has its downfalls. There were a lot of things that could go wrong in compiling such a collection, but I think the anthology sidestepped all the pitfalls gracefully. If you’re worried about the stories being too similar to one another, or there being a weak link, I assure you that you may lay those fears to rest.
All six of the featured authors did an excellent job bringing a unique voice and perspective to their game. They differ enough to offer surprises and variety without ever straying from their theme.
As to the weak link, there was none. As a reader, I know that short story anthologies often have one or two favorites, and one or two secret least favorites. While there was one short story featured that I favored, there were none that I disliked or took issue with. Perhaps it’s because there are only six stories in total, but I felt like they were all outstanding.
The anthology is a ton of fun and showcases some truly talented authors. You can, and should, by all means, check this one out.
Review by Cat Voleur
Twitter: @Cat_Voleur
