A Night of Blacker Darkness

A Night of Blacker Darkness

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3.9 of 5 stars 3.90  ·  rating details  ·  232 ratings  ·  51 reviews
Wrongly imprisoned, Frederick Whithers is desperate to commit the crime he's already being punished for: defrauding the bank out of a vast inheritance. He fakes his death to escape, but when he's seen climbing out of a coffin everyone assumes he's a vampire; when he shows none of the traditional vampire weaknesses, they decide he must be the Great One, the most powerful va...more
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Published (first published July 26th 2011)
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Eric Allen
A Night of Blacker Darkness
Being the memoir of Frederick Withers
As Edited by Cecil G. Bagsworth III

By Dan Wells

A Review by Eric Allen

A Night of Blacker Darkness is, perhaps, the silliest book that I have read outside of Discworld, and it is GLORIOUS. It is a rather short book that Dan Wells wrote in his spare time whilst putting together his forthcoming Partials series, and the two other books that he is publishing this year. It was released only in E-book format, and later as an audiobook, and...more
Keksisbaby
Horror meets Slapstick. Frederick Withers hat einen genialen Plan aus dem Gefängnis zu entfliehen, er lässt sich in einem Sarg nach draußen transportieren. Nur leider hat dieser geniale Plan zur Folge, dass als er aus dem Grab entsteigt alle Welt ihn für einen Vampir hält. Dazu gehört das eine Horde Vampire ihn für den Erhabenen hält, ein verrückter Vampirjäger in töten will und Leichen seinen Weg zu pflastern beginnen. Außerdem scheitert der Betrug, wegen dem er im Gefängnis gelandet ist, daran...more
Karyn
This book was so much fun. I love farces. And a vampire farce? And by one of my favorite authors? Quick premise: A guy escapes from prison by way of coffin and gets mistaken by a vampire while emerging from it in the cemetery, which haunts him (no pun intended) for the remainder of the novel. I did find it hard to follow sometimes in the audio format (though the narrator was marvelous and that alone made it worth listening to), as there just seemed to be a lot of people, and sometimes groups of...more
Winter-chill
Fairerweise muss ich zugeben, dass ich das Buch nach ein bisschen mehr als der Hälfte abgebrochen habe. Mich hat die Geschichte und vor allem der Erzählstil überhaupt nicht überzeugen können und auch nicht gepackt. Ich dachte, es handelt sich bei dem Buch um einen humorvollen Vampirroman, vielleicht sogar um eine Vampirsatire. Allerdings war das Buch anstatt witzig und humorvoll einfach nur albern. Der „Humor“ des Buches besteht vor allem aus schlechtem Slapstick, den ich nicht mal zum schmunzel...more
Sarah
"Sarg niemals nie" ist - angeblich - das neuste Buch von Dan Wells, den ich bisher nur durch "Ich bin kein Serienkiller" kannte. Inhaltlich konnte mich das zwar auch nicht überzeugen, aber zumindest den Erzählstil fand ich damals noch ansprechend. Trotz der äußeren Gestaltung des Buches, das nicht nur im Cover der John-Cleaver-Reihe ähnelt, sondern wie diese ebenfalls den recht auffälligen "Rough Cut" des Buchschnitts aufweist, habe ich den Dan Wells, den ich kannte, in diesem Buch nicht wiederg...more
Charlie
Outside of a frequent mortuary setting, this book is very different from Wells's I Am NOT a Serial Killer series. It's much more humorous . . . a sort of comedy-horror-fantasy-historical mish-mash that takes rather absurd and entertaining turns in its plot.

I admit that, at first, I was leery about the book. The prose read differently than I had expected, and I don't generally pick up comic-fantasy-fiction in my leisure time. But once my brain adjusted to the quick pace of the story, I rather li...more
Clare
I really liked this book-its humor was right up my alley. I did think the last third of the book fell off a bit from the start, but still thought it was a very fun read.
Heather
What do Jane Austen, *Anne Elliot*, John Keats, and Mary Shelley all have in common? Frederick Withers.

A zany tale of an ordinary banker who is thrown into prison for fraud. When his cell mate dies of consumption, or some other random horrible disease, Frederick escapes in the coffin. Once outside (in the graveyard, of course), he runs into a group of vampires who think he is the Great One.

No matter how much Frederick denies his vampire-ism, he is constantly followed by the knee-scooting worship...more
Jeff Walden
Frederick Whithers is attempting to forge his way into an inheritance of £90000. The first problem is he's in jail. The second problem is the inheritance must occur in a way that seems perfectly legal, even while it's not. The third problem is he's being chased by vampires who believe him to be the Great One, a vampire of unspeakable power, and he can do nothing to convince them he's not. Along the way he meets a host of literary giants -- John Keats, Mary Shelley, and more, each with foibles an...more
Karleneb
What a fun way to spend an afternoon!

You know those books where they take the classics and add in paranormal stuff, and once you get past the first few chapters, they're just kind of lame? THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE.

It has a similar style and attitude and is slapstick silly. But it's well written and entertaining and definitely fun! And if you're familiar with the writers during the Romantic era, it's even funnier.

Very witty and clever. I kept thinking it would make a really fun movie/play, a la...more
Julie
I laughed and laughed and read parts out loud to my husband who laughed with me. I've read books that were meant to be "funny" that started out great and then fell flat after the first chapter. Dan was able to keep me engaged through every single word. Mary Shelley's character was delightful and awesome. Dang I wish I was a producer so I translate this into film because I could see the entire thing play out in my head like a movie. With humor paralleled to Monty Python and Neil Gaiman and charac...more
logankstewart
"Do you ever wonder," said John idly, "why we call buildings 'buildings?' Are they in a state of constant construction? We should call them 'builts.'"

---
"Not like that," said John. "More tuneless, almost melancholy--like the whisper of a dying candle."
"I think it's safe to say that no one in this room knows what you're talking about."


A Night of Blacker Darkness, being the memoir of Frederick Whithers, is exactly what the subtitle says it is: a memoir. Who, you may ask, is Frederick Whithers? Mr...more
Jess
Mar 04, 2013 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: i-own
I'm between "what was that" and "ohmygosh, is that it? There's no more? I want more...".
Highly amusing, especially for me, who's an English major who loves both the Romantics and the Gothic. Frederick is oddly charming, hilarious, and I really liked Keats. And I much prefer this ending for all the authors mentioned versus their real endings.
If you like mildly ridiculous humor and have $5 and a couple hours to burn, I'd wholeheartedly recommend this.
Kurt Pankau
An unabashedly silly farce about death, fraud, and vampires. It starts a little slower than I would have liked, and the sidekick of John Keats really just annoyed me, but around halfway through the story picked up and it was hard for me to put down.

This is an ebook exclusive, and a rather affordable one, so I'd suggest giving it a whirl just to support what could be an emergent business model. And also to support Dan Wells (the actual author of the book) who is an endearingly wicked contributor...more
Tanja
Every october I enjoy reading ghost, vampire, ghouls, or mystery books. I wanted to start a little early this year and I have begun my month of macabre with "a night of blacker darkness". After reading this I will never look at vampires or Jane Austen the same. I laughed through most of the story and thought this quite a clever book and for that it is getting 5 stars. Well done Wells.
Andrea
This was a hilarious story about a banker who discovers that a little forgery could land him 90,000 pounds . . . until he's double crossed and ends up in prison. Follow Frederick and the funny cast of characters (John Keats, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen) as he escapes from prison and tries to get the money while running from the law, ghouls and vampires.
Peter Hansen
I actually laughed out loud multiple times while reading this book, so much so that my kids were giving me strange looks. The sheer craziness of having a story with "historical authors" John Keats, Mary Shelly and the master vampire (shh, the name is a final joke at the end) made it a great light read. It was absolutely worth the $2.99 that this novella cost and glad that short novellas like this can be published electronically for such a cheap price.
Poojitha Sitaram
Hilarious! This book is the definition of FUN! It's a comedy which has been done a lot before - but Dan Wells makes you visualize the scenes so clearly that it's funny how many ever times you read it. (I can still imagine Sable shuffling behind Frederick on his knees crying out 'Great one! Great one!' - classic!). He made me like Vampires - something I haven't appreciated since Dracula.

Bottom line - everyone should read this book. It's a very quick read and it's just the break you need if, like...more
Tony
This was a well good book, and it was well written. Truthfully, I'm not sure why I don't give it a better score, but that was just my gut feeling after reading it. I do recommend it, because there are some very interesting logic twists that I really enjoyed. Think Douglas Adams and Dave Barry with a bit of the medieval thrown in.
Nathan Major
"Ludicrous" might be a good word to describe this book. Also "Brilliant," "Absurd," or "Chocolate Pudding." A tale of a man confused by vampires to be their god, while he also tries to swindle a dead man out of his money while working with famous historical authors and poets. Completely inane, absolutely hilarious.
Juli
I did not love Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and similar books, but this one--which might seem at first to read like those others--was very different and really excellent. Great narrator, great author. Very funny book.
Lisa
A delightful surprise! I really wanted to give this book 4.5 stars. I loved the wordplay throughout the entire book; parts of it were so funny, I laughed out loud in public. A different flavor from Dan's other books, but still a delicious story.
Abbey
Exceedingly silly and quite fun. How much madcap action can one plot endure? Quite a lot. Recommended as a palate-cleanser between heavier courses of non-fiction.
Jennie
This book reminded me of the Gene Wilder movie Young Frankenstein. It has wonderful dialog and is very clever. I liked the book enough I would read it again.
Elizabeth Smith
Awesome book. it was short, but so enjoyable. Comical and care free....great book when you dont want to think...just want to be entertained.
Ryan
A quick hilarious read. Whenever the plot started to drag a little, something would happen to send me into a fit of laughter. This entire story reads like an extended "who's on first?"

(view spoiler)[Just so I remember when I see this review in the future:
The vampires shuffling on their knees to worship Fredrick as he steps backward.
Fredrick spitting out the garlic after announcing it wouldn't hurt him, mumbling "I've never eaten a whole clove before."
The idea that a sharp cheddar could ward of
...more
Nathan Major
"Ludicrous" might be a good word to describe this book. Also "Brilliant," "Absurd," or "Chocolate Pudding." A tale of a man confused by vampires to be their god, while he also tries to swindle a dead man out of his money while working with famous historical authors and poets. Completely inane, absolutely hilarious.
BiggisBookBox
Never climb out of a casket at midnight on a cemetery which is visited by vampires looking for their leader - the "sublime one". This only leads to trouble.
Black humor at its best! Funny from cover to cover.
The reverse side of Dan Wells, the author of the fabulous John Cleaver series.
Leigh Galbreath
Brilliant and hilarious, The best, truly original vampires, with John Keats, Mary Shelley, and Jane Austen thrown in. Everyone must read this book. Truly genius.

Rebecca
This book is hilarious. Fast paced, fun, quick read that made me laugh out loud many times. It's even better if you can get someone to read it to you in a terrible British accent.
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A Night of Blacker Darkness (ebook)
Sarg niemals nie (Paperback)
2740668
Dan Wells is a thriller and science fiction writer. Born in Utah, he spent his early years reading and writing. He is he author of the Partials series (Partials, with the second book coming early 2013) and John Cleaver series (I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want To Kill You). He has been nominated for both the Hugo and the Campbell Award, and has won two Parsec Awards for his p...more
More about Dan Wells...
Partials (Partials, #1) I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver, #1) Mr. Monster (John Cleaver, #2) Fragments (Partials, #2) I Don't Want to Kill You (John Cleaver, #3)

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