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Midnight Symphony
Ten masters of horror and suspense have teamed up to present ten bone-chilling novellas that will keep you reading late into the night. With over 200,000 words, MIDNIGHT SYMPHONY is an experience like none other ... and available only for a limited time.
THE TENT -- A family, rent asunder by estrangement and lost in the woods, discover a lone yellow tent which promises a safe haven from the storm ... but they would have been better staying lost.
THE PAINTED DARKNESS -- There's something hiding in the cramped cellar of the old farmhouse Henry calls home, and as a winter storm cuts off all contact with the outside world, this something is going to force Henry to confront the demons of his past ... or die trying.
SAMSON AND DENIAL -- When a junkie walks into Samson Gallows' pawn shop with a mummified head, Samson is thrown into a downward spiral through the streets of Philadelphia ...
DO UNTO OTHERS -- When things in his life go from bad to worse, Jim Cornell unwillingly becomes involved with a shadowy group of people who claim allegiance to demonic forces.
IN PERPETUITY -- When your son is taken from you, what will you do to get him back?
WAITING OUT WINTER -- An apocalyptic tale of survival against a very tiny beast, which turns the hunters into the hunted.
FOR EMMY -- Sometimes, there is no way to keep your loved ones safe ...
THE DIABOLICAL CONSPIRACY -- An infatuation with an alluring and mysterious co-worker leads Mike Bradley into a web of Satanic madness.
THE MAN ON THE BENCH -- In the summer of 1922, a mysterious man appears in town ... a man only children can see.
MIDNIGHT MASS -- In a town on the New Jersey shore, the vampires have just arrived ...
THE TENT -- A family, rent asunder by estrangement and lost in the woods, discover a lone yellow tent which promises a safe haven from the storm ... but they would have been better staying lost.
THE PAINTED DARKNESS -- There's something hiding in the cramped cellar of the old farmhouse Henry calls home, and as a winter storm cuts off all contact with the outside world, this something is going to force Henry to confront the demons of his past ... or die trying.
SAMSON AND DENIAL -- When a junkie walks into Samson Gallows' pawn shop with a mummified head, Samson is thrown into a downward spiral through the streets of Philadelphia ...
DO UNTO OTHERS -- When things in his life go from bad to worse, Jim Cornell unwillingly becomes involved with a shadowy group of people who claim allegiance to demonic forces.
IN PERPETUITY -- When your son is taken from you, what will you do to get him back?
WAITING OUT WINTER -- An apocalyptic tale of survival against a very tiny beast, which turns the hunters into the hunted.
FOR EMMY -- Sometimes, there is no way to keep your loved ones safe ...
THE DIABOLICAL CONSPIRACY -- An infatuation with an alluring and mysterious co-worker leads Mike Bradley into a web of Satanic madness.
THE MAN ON THE BENCH -- In the summer of 1922, a mysterious man appears in town ... a man only children can see.
MIDNIGHT MASS -- In a town on the New Jersey shore, the vampires have just arrived ...
595 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Robert Swartwood
62 books308 followersUSA Today bestselling and ITW Thriller Award–winning author of The Serial Killer's Wife, The Killing Room, Man of Wax, and several other novels. He created the term "hint fiction" and edited Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 4, 2025
This is a collection of novellas by ten different authors. No common theme, although three of the stories do contain satanic cults. I think that was purely coincidental though. Similar to how three of the stories are about saving a child. Though I could argue that another three are about saving family. It is still themes that strike at the fear of loss. No shared stories. Just good stories by good authors. Some of these stories I read before; some not. Even the ones that I read before, I read them all again.
"The Tent" by Kealan Patrick Burke - Camping families encounter a mysterious tent.
"Samson and Denial" by Robert Ford - One of my favories of the collection. A man uses an unexpected tool to help his brother with some difficulties.
"The Painted Darkness" by Brian James Freeman - An artist is born and must face demons.
"Do Unto Others" by J.F. Gonzalez - A man is given an offer to save his crumbling life.
"In Perpetuity" by Tim Lebbon - I said it when I read this previously and it's still true. A heart wrenching tale of a father's love for his son and what he would do to prove it.
"Waiting Out Winter" by Kelli Owen - An infestation occurs while three husbands are out campinging and hunting.
"For Emmy" by Mary SanGiovanni - A young girl disappears, only to return again changed.
"The Diabolical Conspiracy" by Bryan Smith - One of my top three for the book. Satanists enter into a young man's life.
"The Man on the Bench" by Robert Swartwood - Local youths find a man on a bench who can't be seen and who is both protecting and threatening their world.
"Midnight Mass" by F. Paul Wilson - A priest visits his church which had been taken over and desecrated by vampires.
"The Tent" by Kealan Patrick Burke - Camping families encounter a mysterious tent.
"Samson and Denial" by Robert Ford - One of my favories of the collection. A man uses an unexpected tool to help his brother with some difficulties.
"The Painted Darkness" by Brian James Freeman - An artist is born and must face demons.
"Do Unto Others" by J.F. Gonzalez - A man is given an offer to save his crumbling life.
"In Perpetuity" by Tim Lebbon - I said it when I read this previously and it's still true. A heart wrenching tale of a father's love for his son and what he would do to prove it.
"Waiting Out Winter" by Kelli Owen - An infestation occurs while three husbands are out campinging and hunting.
"For Emmy" by Mary SanGiovanni - A young girl disappears, only to return again changed.
"The Diabolical Conspiracy" by Bryan Smith - One of my top three for the book. Satanists enter into a young man's life.
"The Man on the Bench" by Robert Swartwood - Local youths find a man on a bench who can't be seen and who is both protecting and threatening their world.
"Midnight Mass" by F. Paul Wilson - A priest visits his church which had been taken over and desecrated by vampires.
October 10, 2019
A Great Read
I enjoyed every one of these stories. Usually there's one or two that I want to skim over,but not this time. Every one of these stories was worth reading.
I enjoyed every one of these stories. Usually there's one or two that I want to skim over,but not this time. Every one of these stories was worth reading.
January 26, 2014
The Tent - Oh mother of goodness! What the hell???!!! Thank you Mr. Burke, for planting those freaking seeds of fear in my imagination in regards to a tent that's camouflaged as heaven only to entice me into a tent from hell! Bad tent... bad! But an awesome read!
Samson and Denial - Wow! For such a short story, this had back to back action. Fantastic read, although I'm still wondering who the naked chic's and the head were.
The Painted Darkness - Uh oh! Beware those pesky rabbit's. (>.< ). Sad but interesting story.
Do Unto Others - Ah, jeeze ...talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you're a parent, you can completely understand Jim's dilemma while wanting to strangle Julie. A very good read, but so much attention was stirred toward Julie and the sacrifice, I felt as though a pivotal part of the story was missing by not witnessing it. Still, a fantastic short story.
In Perpetuity - The title matches the story perfectly. This was a weird but bittersweet story for me. Well written, but a bit confused about who or what the Keeper is or why he is. Still an entertaining read.
Waiting Out Winter - I loved this ending! I was absolutely in the moment with Nick, and completely understood his frame of mind at that moment. Oh the irony. lol
For Emmy - I'm so at a lost for words regarding this story. Oh.... The author definitely had my curiosity peeked towards the end of this story. Dana was going over all the weird and unexplained disturbances; a couple of those stories would be great as a short story or a Novella. Needless to say, with this story nothing else seemed to exist because I was so engrossed in this... 'what in the world was that' ...story.
The Diabolical Conspiracy - Umm... Hmmm... I'm not sure how I feel about this story. It's definitely a page turner though. But you should know I'm always on the side of 'Team: Good or the Under Dog'... So...
The Man On The Bench - This was a touching story; definitely pulled at my heart strings.
Midnight Mass - A great story to end with. Yay... for good Priest's. Boooooo... for bad Priest's!!
Every story in this is an attention grabber. And if you are a parent or just love someone more than yourself, then these stories are truly terrifying and can be someone's (a loved one) worst nightmare!!
Samson and Denial - Wow! For such a short story, this had back to back action. Fantastic read, although I'm still wondering who the naked chic's and the head were.
The Painted Darkness - Uh oh! Beware those pesky rabbit's. (>.< ). Sad but interesting story.
Do Unto Others - Ah, jeeze ...talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you're a parent, you can completely understand Jim's dilemma while wanting to strangle Julie. A very good read, but so much attention was stirred toward Julie and the sacrifice, I felt as though a pivotal part of the story was missing by not witnessing it. Still, a fantastic short story.
In Perpetuity - The title matches the story perfectly. This was a weird but bittersweet story for me. Well written, but a bit confused about who or what the Keeper is or why he is. Still an entertaining read.
Waiting Out Winter - I loved this ending! I was absolutely in the moment with Nick, and completely understood his frame of mind at that moment. Oh the irony. lol
For Emmy - I'm so at a lost for words regarding this story. Oh.... The author definitely had my curiosity peeked towards the end of this story. Dana was going over all the weird and unexplained disturbances; a couple of those stories would be great as a short story or a Novella. Needless to say, with this story nothing else seemed to exist because I was so engrossed in this... 'what in the world was that' ...story.
The Diabolical Conspiracy - Umm... Hmmm... I'm not sure how I feel about this story. It's definitely a page turner though. But you should know I'm always on the side of 'Team: Good or the Under Dog'... So...
The Man On The Bench - This was a touching story; definitely pulled at my heart strings.
Midnight Mass - A great story to end with. Yay... for good Priest's. Boooooo... for bad Priest's!!
Every story in this is an attention grabber. And if you are a parent or just love someone more than yourself, then these stories are truly terrifying and can be someone's (a loved one) worst nightmare!!
December 30, 2013
For what appears to be a Kindle self-published anthology, Midnight Symphony is terrific. I stumbled upon it as a Kindle recommendation based on owning an e-copy of the 2012 Mammoth Book of New Horror. I didn’t have particularly high hopes since my experience with most of Kindle’s self-published horror has been rather wretched, but amongst the stinkers, you sometimes find a gem. This is definitely the case with Midnight Symphony. Priced at $2.99 (on sale for 99 cents when I bought it), it is an incredible bargain and I highly recommend it, especially since some of the novellas are worth much more than $2.99 on their own. Unfortunately, for others, I wanted the authors to send me money, and more than $2.99, for my wasted time.
Thus, Midnight Symphony seems to follow the general pattern of anthologies, especially self-published anthologies. There are one or two stories so badly edited that I cringed and once more marveled that authors actually send that writing out into the world, with their actual name on it, for anyone to see. I am embarrassed when I make typos in my Goodreads reviews. And there are a few that are poorly written and not quite up to published snuff. But why harp on the bad entries when you have some real good ones? I especially enjoyed In Perpetuity’s creativity and Samson and Denial’s blatant absurdity. Midnight Mass and The Man on the Bench both added some new elements to the vampire armageddon and boy coming of age in small town tropes. Likewise with For Emmy, a fun take on multiple dimensions.
I am giving this 4 stars based on the strength of these stories, plus one or two more, and because this anthology stands out for a self-published work. However, do yourself a favor and skip the tripe.
Thus, Midnight Symphony seems to follow the general pattern of anthologies, especially self-published anthologies. There are one or two stories so badly edited that I cringed and once more marveled that authors actually send that writing out into the world, with their actual name on it, for anyone to see. I am embarrassed when I make typos in my Goodreads reviews. And there are a few that are poorly written and not quite up to published snuff. But why harp on the bad entries when you have some real good ones? I especially enjoyed In Perpetuity’s creativity and Samson and Denial’s blatant absurdity. Midnight Mass and The Man on the Bench both added some new elements to the vampire armageddon and boy coming of age in small town tropes. Likewise with For Emmy, a fun take on multiple dimensions.
I am giving this 4 stars based on the strength of these stories, plus one or two more, and because this anthology stands out for a self-published work. However, do yourself a favor and skip the tripe.
September 29, 2019
4.5 stars
December 20, 2022
A frightening read, with plenty of gory scenes, as well as some damn fine writing!
March 4, 2014
Most collections like this seem to have, in my experience, a couple of great stories & a lot of stuff I'll immediately forget once I finish the book. This one did not contain any of the latter. Every story in this book had something that made it memorable and pulled at my heart a little.
Of especially horrible wonderfulness was Kealan Patrick Burke's "The Tent". I've read that one before, and I read it twice more here. It's outstanding, and one of the reasons that I automatically buy anything with his name on it.
"The Painted Darkness" by Brian James Freeman was another stand out story. "I paint against the darkness." As well as having that great line in it, the end of this one stayed with me. Nice, twisted, waitwhatthehelljusthappenedhere? moments in it. Pure horror-lover happiness for me.
"For Emmy" by Mary SanGiovanni had that weird fiction/science fiction thing going on. More stories by this author are in my future, for sure.
I got this on sale for $.99 and it was definitely worth that, and more. My only complaint is not with the stories, it's with the editing. My personal pet peeve is typos in my books, and this contained more than a couple. Not enough to ruin the book, but enough to be annoying. Dear editors, please edit.
Of especially horrible wonderfulness was Kealan Patrick Burke's "The Tent". I've read that one before, and I read it twice more here. It's outstanding, and one of the reasons that I automatically buy anything with his name on it.
"The Painted Darkness" by Brian James Freeman was another stand out story. "I paint against the darkness." As well as having that great line in it, the end of this one stayed with me. Nice, twisted, waitwhatthehelljusthappenedhere? moments in it. Pure horror-lover happiness for me.
"For Emmy" by Mary SanGiovanni had that weird fiction/science fiction thing going on. More stories by this author are in my future, for sure.
I got this on sale for $.99 and it was definitely worth that, and more. My only complaint is not with the stories, it's with the editing. My personal pet peeve is typos in my books, and this contained more than a couple. Not enough to ruin the book, but enough to be annoying. Dear editors, please edit.
January 30, 2014
It's a rarity to come across a book with a collection of short stories or novellas in which all are very entertaining. I enjoyed every story in this collection and found the various authors easy and pleasurable to read. The stories aren't stinted like one expects from most collections these days and each individual tale was well worth reading in its entirety.
The tales weren't exactly 'horrifying' but did a good job weaving their magic on the reader. There were a few rather disturbing elements in some of the stories, ranging from child abuse to belittling the impact of Hitler's 'Final Solution', and I think these were added purely for shock value, but other than that it was well worth a read.
The tales weren't exactly 'horrifying' but did a good job weaving their magic on the reader. There were a few rather disturbing elements in some of the stories, ranging from child abuse to belittling the impact of Hitler's 'Final Solution', and I think these were added purely for shock value, but other than that it was well worth a read.
January 24, 2014
Excellent collection of horror novellas. i especially liked Keelan Patrick Burke's"The Tent", a story of a man-eating creature able to disguise itself as, er, a tent! - and F. Paul Wilson's "Midnight Mass", a gruesome, old-school vampire story.
February 4, 2017
Loved it
There are some books with multiple authors you read some are not as good as others this book they're all good!! Some authors I read others I haven't but I'll read their books. Theses stories stay with you. Do unto others I :) haven't figured it out. Good read nonetheless
There are some books with multiple authors you read some are not as good as others this book they're all good!! Some authors I read others I haven't but I'll read their books. Theses stories stay with you. Do unto others I :) haven't figured it out. Good read nonetheless
January 10, 2014
Good selection of stories from authors I hadn't heard of. Particularly enjoyed 'Do Unto Others' - a little long as short stories go but was a good read.
March 10, 2014
Some fine novellas from some great authors. I had already read Tent by KPB, but the rest of the novellas were new to me.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews