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What Goes On in the Walls at Night #2
Vanish Into Midnight
Human brains, deformed by social media, cause Terra’s inhabitants to commit senseless murder.
Hard up for cash, a young couple agrees to be spied on for one month, with horrifying results.
Citizens, forced to wear implants that blare meaningless facts 24/7, lose their sense of humanity — until one man escapes.
These stories and nine more fill the pages of Vanish Into Midnight, the second book in the What Goes On in the Walls at Night speculative fiction series. Do they forebode an unthinkable fantasy — or a nightmarish reality that waits, like a thief sharpening his blade — just around the corner?
Hard up for cash, a young couple agrees to be spied on for one month, with horrifying results.
Citizens, forced to wear implants that blare meaningless facts 24/7, lose their sense of humanity — until one man escapes.
These stories and nine more fill the pages of Vanish Into Midnight, the second book in the What Goes On in the Walls at Night speculative fiction series. Do they forebode an unthinkable fantasy — or a nightmarish reality that waits, like a thief sharpening his blade — just around the corner?
208 pages, Paperback
Published May 31, 2018
39 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Schrader
6 books12 followersAndrew Schrader is a Los Angeles-based author and filmmaker whose work has been featured in Stereogum and Paste Magazine. Between directing feature films and music videos, he wrote for the Cartoon Network show, “Tig n’ Seek."
He’s also the author of five books. His latest, Unnamable, received an Editor's Recommendation from Kirkus Reviews.
Yes, of course he loves cats.
He’s also the author of five books. His latest, Unnamable, received an Editor's Recommendation from Kirkus Reviews.
Yes, of course he loves cats.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 8, 2018
Read this review and more on my blog at [Roxie Writes].
‘Vanish Into Midnight: What Goes On in the Walls at Night Vol. II’ by Andrew Schrader
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Finished on May 16, 2018
$2.99 on Kindle | $13.99 in Paperback
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
These stories and nine more fill the pages of Vanish Into Midnight, the second book in the What Goes On in the Walls at Night speculative fiction series. Do they forebode an unthinkable fantasy — or a nightmarish reality that waits, like a thief sharpening his blade — just around the corner?
MY REVIEW:
First of all, I absolutely love the cover and size of this book (and ‘What Goes On in the Walls at Night’). They are reminiscent of old-school pocket novels in size, and the covers are delightfully retro-creepy. They’re truly beautiful.
Just like ‘What Goes On in the Walls at Night’, this collection is tied together by a larger over-arching narrative. We meet the “listener” from the first book, as he seeks out the experiences told to him in the first book.
This collection includes the stories:
“Give Me All Your Sunsets”
A wife urges her husband to go through a procedure to make him her “dream man”.
-- This is my favorite story of the lot, and how appropriate it opens the collection. My favorite sort of horror stories are those with a little bit of tenderness mixed in. Honestly, there isn’t much more haunting than regret, and this story is the perfect depiction of that feeling.
“The Angler”
Captain Tusk was once the top fisherman. He had a gift of finding the most lucrative spots. But now, the fish are gone. Or so everyone thinks.
-- Nature always finds a way to right itself, and in this story, it doesn’t forget. Delightful.
“We Just Want to Watch”
When a husband finds out his new wife is massively in debt, she decides to make things right by signing up for an experiment in which she’ll be spied on 24/7.
-- Why anyone would sign up for something like this is beyond me, but it makes for an extremely creepy story!
“Dimethyl Tetrahydrazine”
A student of amphibious biology discovers the diabolical truth behind a horrific compound.
-- It’s no secret to most of us that large companies are not always out for the public’s interest. This story is about precisely that. The ending actually made me laugh out loud.
“Crap Mappers™ Inc.”
Albert Spencer, an astronomical failure, thinks he’s landed on the idea of a lifetime when he figures out how to map out the poop of everyone in the world by connecting them through social media and selling their data to every company imaginable who would want such information.
-- Sometimes a sh*tty idea might seem like the best one you’ve ever had.
“20,000 Light Years from Home”
A group of space travelers becomes stranded after their ship is partially destroyed. This story chronicles their final days.
-- Oh, man, this is a heartbreaking story. Schrader has captured hopelessness, camaraderie, and the indomitable strength of the human spirit in this tale.
“Look at My Memories”
“Look at my memories. Aren’t they great? I spend all day looking at them.” In this story, a woman looks back (over and over) on a lifetime of memories.
-- This story is bleak but, like all of Schrader’s tales, it’s sharply poignant. It shows how malleable memories are and how they can be used against us.
“O Dentist! My Dentist”
A dentist uses his skill to make life with his wife more bearable.
-- Dang! This is a twisted story in the very best way.
“De occidendum rei publicae”
Everyone spends all their time on something called “The Forum”. They think it’s harmless and fun but, in reality, it’s corrupting them in ways they could never imagine.
-- I’m sure we’ve all spent more time than we are proud of on Internet forums or in chat rooms. But what if we didn’t simply find we’ve wasted hours after pulling ourselves away but instead found ourselves carrying out terrible acts we can’t control? That’s what this story depicts, and it’s chilling, to say the least.
“Heartworm”
A scorned man is stuck in his apartment listening to the sound of his former lover in the next apartment.
-- The title of this is lovely. Sometimes, a worm burrows itself into the human heart, pickling it, and making nothing short of a desperate act make sense.
“Triumph of the Fact”
Everyone lives their life online in this tale. Everyone is constantly connected, being force-fed what the government wants them to know through implanted devices. Some folks are perfectly happy with this, but others are not. They aren’t at all.
-- This story is so scary because it’s not all that hard to believe this sort of future could be possible. If I’ve grasped one thing from reading Schrader’s work, it’s that he has a way of using “what could be” to deeply frighten.
This might just be my top book of 2018. Schrader has a gift. Every single one of these stories is not only beautifully written, but they are haunting in their truthfulness. They are tales of the darkest and most corruptible sides of humanity.
This is a collection I will undoubtedly read over and over again. Schrader’s writing has burrowed itself deep down inside me. It’s been nearly a month since I finished this collection, and I still find myself thinking about these stories. There’s something really, really special about that.
‘Vanish Into Midnight: What Goes On in the Walls at Night Vol. II’ by Andrew Schrader
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Finished on May 16, 2018
$2.99 on Kindle | $13.99 in Paperback
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
These stories and nine more fill the pages of Vanish Into Midnight, the second book in the What Goes On in the Walls at Night speculative fiction series. Do they forebode an unthinkable fantasy — or a nightmarish reality that waits, like a thief sharpening his blade — just around the corner?
MY REVIEW:
First of all, I absolutely love the cover and size of this book (and ‘What Goes On in the Walls at Night’). They are reminiscent of old-school pocket novels in size, and the covers are delightfully retro-creepy. They’re truly beautiful.
Just like ‘What Goes On in the Walls at Night’, this collection is tied together by a larger over-arching narrative. We meet the “listener” from the first book, as he seeks out the experiences told to him in the first book.
This collection includes the stories:
“Give Me All Your Sunsets”
A wife urges her husband to go through a procedure to make him her “dream man”.
-- This is my favorite story of the lot, and how appropriate it opens the collection. My favorite sort of horror stories are those with a little bit of tenderness mixed in. Honestly, there isn’t much more haunting than regret, and this story is the perfect depiction of that feeling.
“The Angler”
Captain Tusk was once the top fisherman. He had a gift of finding the most lucrative spots. But now, the fish are gone. Or so everyone thinks.
-- Nature always finds a way to right itself, and in this story, it doesn’t forget. Delightful.
“We Just Want to Watch”
When a husband finds out his new wife is massively in debt, she decides to make things right by signing up for an experiment in which she’ll be spied on 24/7.
-- Why anyone would sign up for something like this is beyond me, but it makes for an extremely creepy story!
“Dimethyl Tetrahydrazine”
A student of amphibious biology discovers the diabolical truth behind a horrific compound.
-- It’s no secret to most of us that large companies are not always out for the public’s interest. This story is about precisely that. The ending actually made me laugh out loud.
“Crap Mappers™ Inc.”
Albert Spencer, an astronomical failure, thinks he’s landed on the idea of a lifetime when he figures out how to map out the poop of everyone in the world by connecting them through social media and selling their data to every company imaginable who would want such information.
-- Sometimes a sh*tty idea might seem like the best one you’ve ever had.
“20,000 Light Years from Home”
A group of space travelers becomes stranded after their ship is partially destroyed. This story chronicles their final days.
-- Oh, man, this is a heartbreaking story. Schrader has captured hopelessness, camaraderie, and the indomitable strength of the human spirit in this tale.
“Look at My Memories”
“Look at my memories. Aren’t they great? I spend all day looking at them.” In this story, a woman looks back (over and over) on a lifetime of memories.
-- This story is bleak but, like all of Schrader’s tales, it’s sharply poignant. It shows how malleable memories are and how they can be used against us.
“O Dentist! My Dentist”
A dentist uses his skill to make life with his wife more bearable.
-- Dang! This is a twisted story in the very best way.
“De occidendum rei publicae”
Everyone spends all their time on something called “The Forum”. They think it’s harmless and fun but, in reality, it’s corrupting them in ways they could never imagine.
-- I’m sure we’ve all spent more time than we are proud of on Internet forums or in chat rooms. But what if we didn’t simply find we’ve wasted hours after pulling ourselves away but instead found ourselves carrying out terrible acts we can’t control? That’s what this story depicts, and it’s chilling, to say the least.
“Heartworm”
A scorned man is stuck in his apartment listening to the sound of his former lover in the next apartment.
-- The title of this is lovely. Sometimes, a worm burrows itself into the human heart, pickling it, and making nothing short of a desperate act make sense.
“Triumph of the Fact”
Everyone lives their life online in this tale. Everyone is constantly connected, being force-fed what the government wants them to know through implanted devices. Some folks are perfectly happy with this, but others are not. They aren’t at all.
-- This story is so scary because it’s not all that hard to believe this sort of future could be possible. If I’ve grasped one thing from reading Schrader’s work, it’s that he has a way of using “what could be” to deeply frighten.
This might just be my top book of 2018. Schrader has a gift. Every single one of these stories is not only beautifully written, but they are haunting in their truthfulness. They are tales of the darkest and most corruptible sides of humanity.
This is a collection I will undoubtedly read over and over again. Schrader’s writing has burrowed itself deep down inside me. It’s been nearly a month since I finished this collection, and I still find myself thinking about these stories. There’s something really, really special about that.
August 6, 2018
Each story centers around a compelling premise. The writing is both grounded and imaginative. At times unsettling, and often wryly humorous, there is a thread of humanity woven into this volume which emerges in a tasteful way. The pacing of the compilation never drops. An enjoyable, intelligent, and provocative read.
October 29, 2018
Worth the read!!!!!!!!
The last story was wonderful to me I hope we never end up there but if so let this be the outcome!
The last story was wonderful to me I hope we never end up there but if so let this be the outcome!
April 17, 2024
Neat & somewhat odd short stories with a little bit of a twist. Not a bad read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews