What do you think?
Rate this book
The Midnight Club
Now an original Netflix series!
From the author of The Wicked Heart and The Immortal comes a beautiful and haunting novel about a group of five terminally ill teenagers whose midnight stories become their reality.
Rotterham Home was a hospice for young people—a place where teenagers with terminal illnesses went to die. Nobody who checked in ever checked out. It was a place of pain and sorrow, but also, remarkably, a place of humor and adventure.
Every night at twelve, a group of young guys and girls at the hospice came together to tell stories. They called themselves the Midnight Club, and their stories could be true or false, inspiring or depressing, or somewhere in-between.
One night, in the middle of a particularly scary story, the teenagers make a secret pact with each other, which says, “The first one who dies will do whatever he or she can do to contact us from beyond the grave, to give us proof that there is life after death.”
Then one of them does die...
From the author of The Wicked Heart and The Immortal comes a beautiful and haunting novel about a group of five terminally ill teenagers whose midnight stories become their reality.
Rotterham Home was a hospice for young people—a place where teenagers with terminal illnesses went to die. Nobody who checked in ever checked out. It was a place of pain and sorrow, but also, remarkably, a place of humor and adventure.
Every night at twelve, a group of young guys and girls at the hospice came together to tell stories. They called themselves the Midnight Club, and their stories could be true or false, inspiring or depressing, or somewhere in-between.
One night, in the middle of a particularly scary story, the teenagers make a secret pact with each other, which says, “The first one who dies will do whatever he or she can do to contact us from beyond the grave, to give us proof that there is life after death.”
Then one of them does die...
224 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1994
442 people are currently reading
12310 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Pike
262 books5,490 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,772 reviews
October 6, 2022
It's weird that Christopher Pike always gets compared to R.L. Stine. They both dominated the YA horror market during the '90s but are otherwise very different authors. The Midnight Club (1994) is an excellent example of just how different they can be. The entire cast of characters are terminally ill teenagers faced with such real-life horrors as cancer and AIDS. They live in a hospice together, physically and emotionally exhausted, expecting to die every day. To cope, they meet at midnight and share short stories about characters with veiled symbolic connections to their own anxieties around death and the afterlife.
Deep stuff, right? Stuff you wouldn't expect to find in teen fiction from 1994. Especially if you only read R.L. Stine. He might kill off a dozen teens in a single Fear Street adventure, but none of the characters would have cancer. Even divorce might be too taboo. Stine did this by design, however, to emphasize fantastic "fun" adventures rather than realistic terrors. Clearly Pike, if this novel is any indication of his wider bibliography, wanted to expose teens to the real world more than slasher shlock.
The positive side of the maturity in The Midnight Club is that it does feel like a "real" novel. It doesn't talk down to the reader and, in fact, challenges them. To be honest, I felt challenged and here I am in my 30's. I'm not sure how I would have felt about it as a teen. I'm sure I would have appreciated the dive into "adult" terrors, but I would have also wondered if anyone was going to appear in a hockey mask and slash someone up.
The book has a great premise, but no hook to keep the pages turning. No mystery or suspense. A large chunk of the plot is interspersed short stories read at the Midnight Club. These stories contain some connections to the main plot, but mostly they seem like Pike dumping in his rejected literary fiction that no one wanted to read. There is a comparable Fear Street novel titled The Thrill Club (also published in 1994) where teens share short stories, but all of their stories end in gruesome murder and there is a clear mystery to solve. It's a much more immature book, but far more entertaining.
Ultimately reading this reminded me why I so often started Pike books as a kid, but so rarely finished them. The novelty of being talked "up" to rather than talked "down" to only carries so much intrigue. Without a compelling story to back it up, there's very little initiative to turn the page. All that said, Pike's works may be more enduring because I could see how this story is trendier and more timeless than other vintage YA thrillers. I'm certainly interested to see how Netflix adapts the premise into a TV show.
Deep stuff, right? Stuff you wouldn't expect to find in teen fiction from 1994. Especially if you only read R.L. Stine. He might kill off a dozen teens in a single Fear Street adventure, but none of the characters would have cancer. Even divorce might be too taboo. Stine did this by design, however, to emphasize fantastic "fun" adventures rather than realistic terrors. Clearly Pike, if this novel is any indication of his wider bibliography, wanted to expose teens to the real world more than slasher shlock.
The positive side of the maturity in The Midnight Club is that it does feel like a "real" novel. It doesn't talk down to the reader and, in fact, challenges them. To be honest, I felt challenged and here I am in my 30's. I'm not sure how I would have felt about it as a teen. I'm sure I would have appreciated the dive into "adult" terrors, but I would have also wondered if anyone was going to appear in a hockey mask and slash someone up.
The book has a great premise, but no hook to keep the pages turning. No mystery or suspense. A large chunk of the plot is interspersed short stories read at the Midnight Club. These stories contain some connections to the main plot, but mostly they seem like Pike dumping in his rejected literary fiction that no one wanted to read. There is a comparable Fear Street novel titled The Thrill Club (also published in 1994) where teens share short stories, but all of their stories end in gruesome murder and there is a clear mystery to solve. It's a much more immature book, but far more entertaining.
Ultimately reading this reminded me why I so often started Pike books as a kid, but so rarely finished them. The novelty of being talked "up" to rather than talked "down" to only carries so much intrigue. Without a compelling story to back it up, there's very little initiative to turn the page. All that said, Pike's works may be more enduring because I could see how this story is trendier and more timeless than other vintage YA thrillers. I'm certainly interested to see how Netflix adapts the premise into a TV show.
February 13, 2017
Unique. Powerful. Sad.
The back blurb misleads potential buyers because with this type of book they would have expected creepiness. Instead the actual book is serious and potent. It's...well, it's a drama about death. Not only death but the possibilities of reincarnation and the connection the dying have with each other in a hospice house. Bleak, depressing stuff - but it's realistic and there's a strange beauty to it all.
One of my favorites from the author, this is a book that shows how creative he can be with the most amazing array of things. Sometimes the stories dragged on with the Midnight club and I was wondering the point, but I found the ultimate message proved to be how much life the teller of the stories had and how we all can be connected in bizarre ways.
Slower paced but a great drama piece - kudos to Pike again.
The back blurb misleads potential buyers because with this type of book they would have expected creepiness. Instead the actual book is serious and potent. It's...well, it's a drama about death. Not only death but the possibilities of reincarnation and the connection the dying have with each other in a hospice house. Bleak, depressing stuff - but it's realistic and there's a strange beauty to it all.
One of my favorites from the author, this is a book that shows how creative he can be with the most amazing array of things. Sometimes the stories dragged on with the Midnight club and I was wondering the point, but I found the ultimate message proved to be how much life the teller of the stories had and how we all can be connected in bizarre ways.
Slower paced but a great drama piece - kudos to Pike again.
May 15, 2020
Just a week ago, I got word that renowned horror director Mike Flanagan is set to turn Christopher Pike's oeuvre into an episodic Netflix series with The Midnight Club providing the central narrative through which these stories will be told. I (and I'm sure a million other Pike fans too) just about suffered a fainting spell like those dainty Victorian dames. With Stine's upcoming Fear Street movie trilogy and now this, it seems like retro YA horror is about to make a smashing comeback. Oh joy!
So of course I had to grab this from ye olde book box. I remember it being one of my favorite Pike thrillers, so I was a bit apprehensive lest time and experience ruin my rose-colored glasses. I need not have worried.
Among the stories the club shared, only Spence's thriller trash stank. The book could have done without them, and magnificently at that. The rest had me utterly spellbound though. They have that evocative spiritual zing that inform the author's best tales. The blurb makes you expect that the sign from beyond the grave would be the central focus of the book when it was only touched in the last few pages. When it finally did, it was anything but horrific. The stories are where it's at, those luminous gems that offer inspiration, dreams, comfort, and yes, even pain to the fated members of the Midnight Club, who all stand on the very threshold of death's door.
Regarding the main plot itself: it's as touching as all out. Imagine a hospice for dying teenagers and how they must feel. They haven't even begun to truly live yet and now they're about to slip into that eternal sleep. The book didn't milk that drama cow within an inch of its life though, so props to Pike for respecting his characters and giving them some dignity.
This book touched a chord in me that very few had. If this is indeed going to push through as a TV series, I simply hope that it would do justice to it. It deserves nothing less.
I'm rating it 9/10 or 5 stars out of 5.
So of course I had to grab this from ye olde book box. I remember it being one of my favorite Pike thrillers, so I was a bit apprehensive lest time and experience ruin my rose-colored glasses. I need not have worried.
Among the stories the club shared, only Spence's thriller trash stank. The book could have done without them, and magnificently at that. The rest had me utterly spellbound though. They have that evocative spiritual zing that inform the author's best tales. The blurb makes you expect that the sign from beyond the grave would be the central focus of the book when it was only touched in the last few pages. When it finally did, it was anything but horrific. The stories are where it's at, those luminous gems that offer inspiration, dreams, comfort, and yes, even pain to the fated members of the Midnight Club, who all stand on the very threshold of death's door.
Regarding the main plot itself: it's as touching as all out. Imagine a hospice for dying teenagers and how they must feel. They haven't even begun to truly live yet and now they're about to slip into that eternal sleep. The book didn't milk that drama cow within an inch of its life though, so props to Pike for respecting his characters and giving them some dignity.
This book touched a chord in me that very few had. If this is indeed going to push through as a TV series, I simply hope that it would do justice to it. It deserves nothing less.
I'm rating it 9/10 or 5 stars out of 5.
February 24, 2016
Wow, what complete and utter BS was this book. I know it is fiction, I know supernatural/fantasy, but dear Lord, what a load of BS it was. I have a splitting headache, and I am actually sorry I spend money (even if it was only a small amount) on it.
The blurb? It sounds amazing, and I was really interested in it. Sadly, the whole pact thing and then one dying doesn't happen until about 80 pages until the end.
And the BS just starts spread out some more after that. Nothing horrible happens, nothing exciting happens. Just the natural things that happen at a place like that.
I also disliked, no hated, the past lives/Master sequences and the various conversations that build around it. Dear Lord, what utter crap that was. I am all open for reincarnation and past lives, if you believe that, feel free, but I felt it was so fake, and so bleh in this one, that instead of being amazed and interested, I just wanted to shake Ilonka and get out of her desperate love for a certain boy. It just felt like she made up all that stuff to get attention, to get the boy she wanted.
Ilonka was a terrible character, not only was her story enormously frustrating, I also just got pissed at her attitude. How she treated Kathy, how she treated Kevin, how she treated everyone. I don't get why she got such a special treatment for the guy running the place.
Then we have the stories. Urgh, I mostly just skimmed through them when I found out that we could pick out of: Boring, Gore, Boring, Boring. And this is how all the stories went. You always had one disturbed mind making up sick stories, while the rest was just utterly boring.
The things that kept me reading were the parts about the illness, they were written really well (OK, with exception of Ilnoka, though I guess even her part made sense, as a lot of people with such severe illness will do anything to deny it and try to make it better, even when they know there is no hope) and I was just heartbroken as the story continued and certain things happened. I could have seen them coming, but they still were so terribly sad. :(
All in all though, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. Avoid this one, and grab a better Christopher Pike book.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
The blurb? It sounds amazing, and I was really interested in it. Sadly, the whole pact thing and then one dying doesn't happen until about 80 pages until the end.
And the BS just starts spread out some more after that. Nothing horrible happens, nothing exciting happens. Just the natural things that happen at a place like that.
I also disliked, no hated, the past lives/Master sequences and the various conversations that build around it. Dear Lord, what utter crap that was. I am all open for reincarnation and past lives, if you believe that, feel free, but I felt it was so fake, and so bleh in this one, that instead of being amazed and interested, I just wanted to shake Ilonka and get out of her desperate love for a certain boy. It just felt like she made up all that stuff to get attention, to get the boy she wanted.
Ilonka was a terrible character, not only was her story enormously frustrating, I also just got pissed at her attitude. How she treated Kathy, how she treated Kevin, how she treated everyone. I don't get why she got such a special treatment for the guy running the place.
Then we have the stories. Urgh, I mostly just skimmed through them when I found out that we could pick out of: Boring, Gore, Boring, Boring. And this is how all the stories went. You always had one disturbed mind making up sick stories, while the rest was just utterly boring.
The things that kept me reading were the parts about the illness, they were written really well (OK, with exception of Ilnoka, though I guess even her part made sense, as a lot of people with such severe illness will do anything to deny it and try to make it better, even when they know there is no hope) and I was just heartbroken as the story continued and certain things happened. I could have seen them coming, but they still were so terribly sad. :(
All in all though, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. Avoid this one, and grab a better Christopher Pike book.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
September 6, 2022
I just finished reading this book and frankly, I do not know how feel about it. I got this a few weeks ago while on a horror/thriller/supernatural book binge, yet put it off till now.
Perhaps I was right to put it off, as I was expecting a tale about from-beyond-the-grave hauntings and got something else entirely. The summary is misleading - the focus is not on seeing what happens after death or about a dead person coming back to haunt their still alive friends. I spent the entire book waiting for something to happen and was dumbfounded when nothing did, because the false advertising of the summary made me believe that something *would* happen. It didn't.
The book was interesting, sure, but not something i would have chosen to buy if I knew what the plot was. I expected supernatural hauntings and instead got some spiritual, vaguely religious, reincarnation mumbo jumbo, which, while mildly entertaining, was not what I signed up for and left me confused.
The romantic subplot was weirdly executed and felt one-sided. I also disliked the protagonist. She felt petty and mean and while this might have been because of her circumstances, it still left me with an icky taste.
Perhaps I was right to put it off, as I was expecting a tale about from-beyond-the-grave hauntings and got something else entirely. The summary is misleading - the focus is not on seeing what happens after death or about a dead person coming back to haunt their still alive friends. I spent the entire book waiting for something to happen and was dumbfounded when nothing did, because the false advertising of the summary made me believe that something *would* happen. It didn't.
The book was interesting, sure, but not something i would have chosen to buy if I knew what the plot was. I expected supernatural hauntings and instead got some spiritual, vaguely religious, reincarnation mumbo jumbo, which, while mildly entertaining, was not what I signed up for and left me confused.
The romantic subplot was weirdly executed and felt one-sided. I also disliked the protagonist. She felt petty and mean and while this might have been because of her circumstances, it still left me with an icky taste.
October 21, 2022
SPOOKTOBER IS ALSO FOR DEAD TEENS!
September 14, 2012
When I was younger, I absolutely adored Christopher Pike's novels. After coming back here recently and re-reading much of his stories, I couldn't help but feel a bit of detachment from them though. They were good, certainly, but not the magnificent tales I remembered when I was a pre-teen. This one however was a story of his I hadn't yet read, and casually bought online without knowing anything about the plot.
When I began the story though, I instantly adored it. But it was a sad kind of adoration. This is by far the most depressing novel that I've ever read of his, and we all know he's no stranger to sad and strange tales. This is a different kind of sad, though, a kind of sad that I've only ever felt in reality; a book has never caused me to feel that way before. Perhaps I'm crazy, though.
But if you take a look at the plot you'll see the truth in my words. It's a story of a group of teenagers receiving hospice care. Hospice care. All of them being on the brink of death - Almost all of them being dead by the end of the story. But instead of mourning over the loss of their lives, they get together in a place where one would think they would be sad, and tell stories with one another. Stories of love, horror, and adventure.
Now, I will tell you this - I wasn't too fond of many of the stories told by the characters. ( Though this is probably an unpopular opinion ) A few were interesting, but for the most part none of them would be signing any book deals - It's not about the quality of their tales, though. It's about the motivation behind them. They were creative, wonderful, people. All of the characters. It was truly remarkable to see how fun of people they truly were, but heart breaking at the same time.
There's something about death, even among the fictional world, that makes you feel really alone in life. As I read through the story and witnessed the death of the chronically ill characters, I felt myself become increasingly alone as the protagonist in turn lost her loved ones. I cried at several points in this novel, because of the deaths, because of the touching friendship, and because of the love shown in the stories.
I ended the novel in tears, touched beyond belief but saddened nonetheless, as I finished a very short hour long read that perhaps impacted my life in ways the author probably hadn't intended. It did make a personal impact on my life, and but he end of it I was making new resolutions for myself.
While not a literary masterpiece, it's an emotional one, and has earned a permanent place on my top ten list.
When I began the story though, I instantly adored it. But it was a sad kind of adoration. This is by far the most depressing novel that I've ever read of his, and we all know he's no stranger to sad and strange tales. This is a different kind of sad, though, a kind of sad that I've only ever felt in reality; a book has never caused me to feel that way before. Perhaps I'm crazy, though.
But if you take a look at the plot you'll see the truth in my words. It's a story of a group of teenagers receiving hospice care. Hospice care. All of them being on the brink of death - Almost all of them being dead by the end of the story. But instead of mourning over the loss of their lives, they get together in a place where one would think they would be sad, and tell stories with one another. Stories of love, horror, and adventure.
Now, I will tell you this - I wasn't too fond of many of the stories told by the characters. ( Though this is probably an unpopular opinion ) A few were interesting, but for the most part none of them would be signing any book deals - It's not about the quality of their tales, though. It's about the motivation behind them. They were creative, wonderful, people. All of the characters. It was truly remarkable to see how fun of people they truly were, but heart breaking at the same time.
There's something about death, even among the fictional world, that makes you feel really alone in life. As I read through the story and witnessed the death of the chronically ill characters, I felt myself become increasingly alone as the protagonist in turn lost her loved ones. I cried at several points in this novel, because of the deaths, because of the touching friendship, and because of the love shown in the stories.
I ended the novel in tears, touched beyond belief but saddened nonetheless, as I finished a very short hour long read that perhaps impacted my life in ways the author probably hadn't intended. It did make a personal impact on my life, and but he end of it I was making new resolutions for myself.
While not a literary masterpiece, it's an emotional one, and has earned a permanent place on my top ten list.
November 7, 2022
Narrated by Iman Benson
It was a good but a tad sad story.
It was a good but a tad sad story.
February 6, 2022
Christopher Pike will always have a soft spot in my heart. "The Midnight Club" was one of the first books I read as a girl that really made me think about the other possibilities that might lie in that great big afterward beyond what I was being taught every week in Sunday school.
This is a surprising novel, anyone looking at the cover would think they're about to pick up a "Fear Street" knock off or another "I Know What You Did Last Summer" but if you take a chance what you'll get instead is a quiet, masterful, little tale of a group of terminally ill teenagers at a hospice who gather every night to tell each other stories. It is those stories, of heart break, love lost and found again, horror and hilarity that shield them from the ever present specter hovering over them all.
The book centers on Ilonka, who's own stories focus on what turn out to be remembrances of past lives. Many of them are ones in which she learned from a wise and gentle teacher who will be recognizable to even the most staunch atheist.
Ilonka's lives and her present day love for fellow club member Kevin who's journeyed through many lives with her makes for surprisingly deep reading.
This book touched me and it still touches me. Some twenty years after I first read it I can still recall entire passages and the visions Pike conjured of five dying teenagers sitting in the dark weaving tales to hold off the cold and carry each other through one more night on earth.
edited 2/6/22 because jesus christ I cannot spell and also I just want it on record that I think it is the coolest fucking thing in the world that Mike "Haunting of Hill House" Flannigan agrees with ME about how cool this book is. So much so that he's made it into a series. So I liked this WAY before it was cool.
This is a surprising novel, anyone looking at the cover would think they're about to pick up a "Fear Street" knock off or another "I Know What You Did Last Summer" but if you take a chance what you'll get instead is a quiet, masterful, little tale of a group of terminally ill teenagers at a hospice who gather every night to tell each other stories. It is those stories, of heart break, love lost and found again, horror and hilarity that shield them from the ever present specter hovering over them all.
The book centers on Ilonka, who's own stories focus on what turn out to be remembrances of past lives. Many of them are ones in which she learned from a wise and gentle teacher who will be recognizable to even the most staunch atheist.
Ilonka's lives and her present day love for fellow club member Kevin who's journeyed through many lives with her makes for surprisingly deep reading.
This book touched me and it still touches me. Some twenty years after I first read it I can still recall entire passages and the visions Pike conjured of five dying teenagers sitting in the dark weaving tales to hold off the cold and carry each other through one more night on earth.
edited 2/6/22 because jesus christ I cannot spell and also I just want it on record that I think it is the coolest fucking thing in the world that Mike "Haunting of Hill House" Flannigan agrees with ME about how cool this book is. So much so that he's made it into a series. So I liked this WAY before it was cool.
October 7, 2022
I love a bit of 90's YA nostalgia, though I never really read much of Christopher Pike as a teen.
I think it was mainly due to him not being a part of the Point Horror brand here in the U.K. - so as you can imagine I was quite intrigued to learn of Mike Flanagan adapting one of his books for Netflix this October.
I must say the novel itself wasn't really what I was expecting, I thought it was going to have more horror elements.
The premise is strong though as a group of terminally ill adolescents all meet at midnight to tell scary stories to each other...
Looking at the episode titles it appears that Flanagan is going to use other Pike story's in the show aswell, rather than the tales told here.
Using this strong framing device as a brilliant starting point is such a great idea.
I must admit the storys featured here weren't really that memorable.
The subjects tackled by this sort of Midnight Society was certainly a lot more mature than other authors would tackle and probably explains why Pike doesn't fit with the other authors from around this time.
Spending time with these youngsters is definitely the strongest aspect of the book rather than the plot itself.
I wonder if we'll get more of his novels republished on the back of this, as would happily read more from him.
I think it was mainly due to him not being a part of the Point Horror brand here in the U.K. - so as you can imagine I was quite intrigued to learn of Mike Flanagan adapting one of his books for Netflix this October.
I must say the novel itself wasn't really what I was expecting, I thought it was going to have more horror elements.
The premise is strong though as a group of terminally ill adolescents all meet at midnight to tell scary stories to each other...
Looking at the episode titles it appears that Flanagan is going to use other Pike story's in the show aswell, rather than the tales told here.
Using this strong framing device as a brilliant starting point is such a great idea.
I must admit the storys featured here weren't really that memorable.
The subjects tackled by this sort of Midnight Society was certainly a lot more mature than other authors would tackle and probably explains why Pike doesn't fit with the other authors from around this time.
Spending time with these youngsters is definitely the strongest aspect of the book rather than the plot itself.
I wonder if we'll get more of his novels republished on the back of this, as would happily read more from him.
July 4, 2021
This book was picked for a buddy read, so I grabbed it and never bothered to read what it was about. My only experience with Christopher Pike was his Last Vampire series, which I loved. I thought this would be an “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” ripoff but was pleasantly surprised. I’m glad my friend picked this one.
November 8, 2022
"I will share your wrongs. So that wherever fare places us we can be together. Even if it should mean our future days will be dark and filled with pain. Because even in that darkness our love will be in the light."
Let's head back to a simpler time. Picture it, it's 1994. Courtney Love was screaming about Doll Parts, we were all trying to perfect the tootsee roll, and Mia had us dancing with Vincent in Pulp Fiction as we all tried to get our hands on a Playstation. It was a wild time to be alive.
What I remember most about the nineties were all the weird horror books I tried to read. Not sure if my parents restricted me from reading certain things but I do remember falling in love with horror at a very young age. Pike, Stine, Schwartz, Nightmare Club, Point Horror, and the list goes on. I couldn't get enough. I did read this when it was first released and I didn't fully grasp what the heck was happening. Adult me was really blown away that I was allowed to read books like this when I was only eight or nine years old.
The second time reading this brought forth a different reaction. I fully understood what was happening and this was a lot deeper than I ever remembered. After I finished reading there was something wet on my face. I reached up and touched it, and that was when I realized that I was crying. Who the heck cries after reading a Pike book? Apparently, this b**ch does!
The Midnight Club was a great read. It was heavier than I remembered and super sad. I did highly enjoy it. Pike's books will always age like fine wine. Now I need to find all my other horror books from when I was a kid and have a horrorthon of 90s books.
Let's head back to a simpler time. Picture it, it's 1994. Courtney Love was screaming about Doll Parts, we were all trying to perfect the tootsee roll, and Mia had us dancing with Vincent in Pulp Fiction as we all tried to get our hands on a Playstation. It was a wild time to be alive.
What I remember most about the nineties were all the weird horror books I tried to read. Not sure if my parents restricted me from reading certain things but I do remember falling in love with horror at a very young age. Pike, Stine, Schwartz, Nightmare Club, Point Horror, and the list goes on. I couldn't get enough. I did read this when it was first released and I didn't fully grasp what the heck was happening. Adult me was really blown away that I was allowed to read books like this when I was only eight or nine years old.
The second time reading this brought forth a different reaction. I fully understood what was happening and this was a lot deeper than I ever remembered. After I finished reading there was something wet on my face. I reached up and touched it, and that was when I realized that I was crying. Who the heck cries after reading a Pike book? Apparently, this b**ch does!
The Midnight Club was a great read. It was heavier than I remembered and super sad. I did highly enjoy it. Pike's books will always age like fine wine. Now I need to find all my other horror books from when I was a kid and have a horrorthon of 90s books.
October 1, 2021
I can't believe I read this when I was 11 as it deals with some pretty mature themes for a YA novel. I wanted to revisit this masterpiece in anticipation of the Mike Flanagan Netflix adaptation and was so happy that it held up so well after all these years.
September 4, 2022
TW: Cancer, drug use, language, sex
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: Rotterham Home was a hospice for young people—a place where teenagers with terminal illnesses went to die. Nobody who checked in ever checked. It was a place of pain and sorrow, but also, remarkably, a place of humor and adventure.
Every night at twelve, a group of five young girls and boys at the hospice came together. They called themselves the Midnight Club, and everytime they came together, they would take turns telling each other stories. Any type of story they could think of, they would tell—ones filled with intrigue and horror, of life and death… True stories, made-up stories, and stories that fell somewhere in between.
But one night, in the middle of a particularly scary story, the five kids make a pact with each other. The first one who dies is to make every effort to contact the others from beyond the grave…
Then one of them does die, and the story begins.
Release Date: May 3rd, 2012
Genre: YA Horror
Pages: 211
Rating: ⭐️
What I Liked:
1. The plot
What I Didn't Like:
1. The teens ah
2. The YA relationship
3. The book is cheesy
Overall Thoughts:
Growing up in the 90s Christopher Pike was everywhere. It was nice to jump back into my kid roots and read another book by Mr. Pike. I decided to read this book to get ready for the new Mike Flanagon series on Netflix.
It's so hard not to read this book and say that Mr. Pike stole this from Are You Afraid of the Dark. The plot of the teens meeting up and even the name The Midnight Club sounds so similar to The Midnight Society that it feels funny to me.
The characters are your typical annoying teens. The only difference is that they are all dying of cancer. I found it the hardest to feel like these teens are so okay with dying that they just get up and function in happy moods. They have seen their friends dying off. They are losing body parts and the author puts them all down as cheerful. The teens in this book just feel so flat and unnatural.
If there is anything I have learned from reading this book is how advanced YA books have become. This book read very very kid like. I can't buy that this book is for 14 and up. Yes the subject manner of drugs and sexuality is there but the actual reading is so immature.
Final Thoughts:
I ended up dnfing this book. It wasn’t good. I found myself not caring about this book at all. The characters suck. The writing isn’t good. There are tons of plot holes. I thought I was getting this creepy story but I got some rom-com YA book. I don’t know how this book has a 3.7 average on Goodreads. 🤯
Recommend For:
• Cheesy “horror” books
• Books turned into tv series
• Stories that involve teens
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: Rotterham Home was a hospice for young people—a place where teenagers with terminal illnesses went to die. Nobody who checked in ever checked. It was a place of pain and sorrow, but also, remarkably, a place of humor and adventure.
Every night at twelve, a group of five young girls and boys at the hospice came together. They called themselves the Midnight Club, and everytime they came together, they would take turns telling each other stories. Any type of story they could think of, they would tell—ones filled with intrigue and horror, of life and death… True stories, made-up stories, and stories that fell somewhere in between.
But one night, in the middle of a particularly scary story, the five kids make a pact with each other. The first one who dies is to make every effort to contact the others from beyond the grave…
Then one of them does die, and the story begins.
Release Date: May 3rd, 2012
Genre: YA Horror
Pages: 211
Rating: ⭐️
What I Liked:
1. The plot
What I Didn't Like:
1. The teens ah
2. The YA relationship
3. The book is cheesy
Overall Thoughts:
Growing up in the 90s Christopher Pike was everywhere. It was nice to jump back into my kid roots and read another book by Mr. Pike. I decided to read this book to get ready for the new Mike Flanagon series on Netflix.
It's so hard not to read this book and say that Mr. Pike stole this from Are You Afraid of the Dark. The plot of the teens meeting up and even the name The Midnight Club sounds so similar to The Midnight Society that it feels funny to me.
The characters are your typical annoying teens. The only difference is that they are all dying of cancer. I found it the hardest to feel like these teens are so okay with dying that they just get up and function in happy moods. They have seen their friends dying off. They are losing body parts and the author puts them all down as cheerful. The teens in this book just feel so flat and unnatural.
If there is anything I have learned from reading this book is how advanced YA books have become. This book read very very kid like. I can't buy that this book is for 14 and up. Yes the subject manner of drugs and sexuality is there but the actual reading is so immature.
Final Thoughts:
I ended up dnfing this book. It wasn’t good. I found myself not caring about this book at all. The characters suck. The writing isn’t good. There are tons of plot holes. I thought I was getting this creepy story but I got some rom-com YA book. I don’t know how this book has a 3.7 average on Goodreads. 🤯
Recommend For:
• Cheesy “horror” books
• Books turned into tv series
• Stories that involve teens
IG | Blog
June 21, 2024
pike takes on a secret late night storytelling group at a youth hospice home in this classic!
last year i delved into some of pike's most eye-catching releases, and i passed this one by. but my partner and i decided to buddy read it in preparation to watch the mike flanagan miniseries. and i'm glad we did - it was a good one.
there's something so darkly irresistible about the premise. these kids are in hospice. all of them will die. unlike other pike novels where we have to guess which members of the friend group will eventually die, here we only have to guess WHO WILL DIE FIRST?
we have a classic touch of the metaphysical, with talk of reincarnation. there's a bit of a tragic love story, as ilonka and kevin believe they have met in past lives, and are destined to meet again. a great comfort to teens who have been robbed of their living days.
despite the fact that this book is about teenagers dying of cancer, it's not too heavy. the characters don't seem to engage with their emotions on a very deep level; they are simply resigned to their fates. it's fitting for early 90s YA, but it does feel odd that this book isn't... sadder.
it also feels a little strange to have a group of white kids enjoying stories of mythical "ancient egypt" and "ancient india." some diversity would go a long way here, and i'm glad the series seems as though it will improve on that point!
last year i delved into some of pike's most eye-catching releases, and i passed this one by. but my partner and i decided to buddy read it in preparation to watch the mike flanagan miniseries. and i'm glad we did - it was a good one.
there's something so darkly irresistible about the premise. these kids are in hospice. all of them will die. unlike other pike novels where we have to guess which members of the friend group will eventually die, here we only have to guess WHO WILL DIE FIRST?
we have a classic touch of the metaphysical, with talk of reincarnation. there's a bit of a tragic love story, as ilonka and kevin believe they have met in past lives, and are destined to meet again. a great comfort to teens who have been robbed of their living days.
despite the fact that this book is about teenagers dying of cancer, it's not too heavy. the characters don't seem to engage with their emotions on a very deep level; they are simply resigned to their fates. it's fitting for early 90s YA, but it does feel odd that this book isn't... sadder.
it also feels a little strange to have a group of white kids enjoying stories of mythical "ancient egypt" and "ancient india." some diversity would go a long way here, and i'm glad the series seems as though it will improve on that point!
June 25, 2022
Was confused why The Midnight Club was picked up by Mike Flanagan but now everything makes sense.
June 14, 2022
A powerful sad story about friendship, love and life when you don't have much time left on this earth.
First I would like to stress the fact that this book was not really a horror story. Do not go into it hoping for a creepy story with scares and some slashing.
This was a strong yet sad story about a group of teenagers that become friends while they are at the Rotterdam Home, a hospice where teenagers with terminal illnesses go to die.
They decide to start having some meetings and tell each other stories to forget about the reason they are all there and to express their feelings, hopes and dreams through those stories.
I am beyond excited to see what Mike Flanagan will do with this story. After reading it I can totally see why he picked this. It is a heartbreaking yet powerful story about life and death with the most important pieces here being the characters, their feelings, their thoughts and their pain.
Perfect for: People that enjoyed The Haunting of Bly Manor or Midnight Mass on Netflix. Even though this is not a typical horror story, it will haunt you and stick with you thanks to the characters.
First I would like to stress the fact that this book was not really a horror story. Do not go into it hoping for a creepy story with scares and some slashing.
This was a strong yet sad story about a group of teenagers that become friends while they are at the Rotterdam Home, a hospice where teenagers with terminal illnesses go to die.
They decide to start having some meetings and tell each other stories to forget about the reason they are all there and to express their feelings, hopes and dreams through those stories.
I am beyond excited to see what Mike Flanagan will do with this story. After reading it I can totally see why he picked this. It is a heartbreaking yet powerful story about life and death with the most important pieces here being the characters, their feelings, their thoughts and their pain.
Perfect for: People that enjoyed The Haunting of Bly Manor or Midnight Mass on Netflix. Even though this is not a typical horror story, it will haunt you and stick with you thanks to the characters.
October 18, 2020
Are the synopses on the backs of Christopher Pike's books deliberately misleading? This is not the first time I have been led to expect one thing only to find it's actually something else entirely. At least in this case I still enjoyed what it turned out to be.
What I was expecting was that one of a group of teenage friends at a hospice passes away and, following a pact they all made, the deceased contacts the others from beyond the grave...mystery and creepiness ensues. What I actually got was the majority of the novel following this group of teenagers and hearing the short stories they tell at their Midnight Club, and towards the end one of them dies and it's very sad. So not quite the same vibe. But I still liked it.
Despite its emphasis on religion and spirituality (which are not really my thing) I thought the way the story handled terminal illness, death, friendship and love was all very well done, the characters were believable and there were a couple of moments that really touched me and made me cry.
What I was expecting was that one of a group of teenage friends at a hospice passes away and, following a pact they all made, the deceased contacts the others from beyond the grave...mystery and creepiness ensues. What I actually got was the majority of the novel following this group of teenagers and hearing the short stories they tell at their Midnight Club, and towards the end one of them dies and it's very sad. So not quite the same vibe. But I still liked it.
Despite its emphasis on religion and spirituality (which are not really my thing) I thought the way the story handled terminal illness, death, friendship and love was all very well done, the characters were believable and there were a couple of moments that really touched me and made me cry.
April 9, 2021
Tout d’abord, la première de couverture ne représente pas du tout l’histoire et — personnellement — le premier coup d’œil est ce qui m’accroche le plus, ou pas. Cette couverture me faisait penser à un suspense ou à de l’horreur et c’est une histoire d’adolescents atteints de pathologies graves qui se retrouvent pour se partager des histoires. Histoires que j’ai trouvées trop longues et pas si épatantes.
Malheureusement, je ne suis pas embarquée dans le reste de l’histoire. Je l’ai quand même lu pour lui laisser la chance. On ne peut pas tout apprécier au même niveau et c’est tout naturel. C’est ce que j’aime me rappeler lorsque j’aime moins un roman 💭
Malheureusement, je ne suis pas embarquée dans le reste de l’histoire. Je l’ai quand même lu pour lui laisser la chance. On ne peut pas tout apprécier au même niveau et c’est tout naturel. C’est ce que j’aime me rappeler lorsque j’aime moins un roman 💭
May 27, 2010
This book stays with me as one of the most infleuntial books of my formative years. For a YA book, some of the subjects are quite heavy going; it's set in a hospice for teenagers with terminal illness and deals with the stories they tell each other to come to terms with their issues and find comfort.
Ultimately, a tale of love and loss between dying teenagers, it has a poignancy that elevates it above the usual YA horror nonsense you'd expect from Pike -- even if he was better at it than his comteporaries, R.L. Steine, I'm looking at you!
Ultimately, a tale of love and loss between dying teenagers, it has a poignancy that elevates it above the usual YA horror nonsense you'd expect from Pike -- even if he was better at it than his comteporaries, R.L. Steine, I'm looking at you!
May 29, 2024
4/5 ⭐️
Wow. I'm going to be honest, my first thought after finishing this was,"Eh, that was alright." There were a few things about the writing (or should I say, reading?) style and plot that I didn't love and/or was confused about--but then I started reflecting a little more about what the ending meant, and what the author was trying to say, and I think I might be devastated. There's this sore pit in my stomach (hopefully it's not the cancer) that unravels the more I try to unwrap the story's meaning, and honestly, has made me feel more endeared to this book. What can I say, I'm a sucker for tragic books. I think I would like to re-read this one soon, via physical copy, so I can analyze everything better.
Warning: you probably won't enjoy this book if you go into it expecting a spooky ghost story. Some of the tales woven during the Midnight Club might spike your blood pressure, as they could get fairly violent, but I wouldn't say they were extraordinarily graphic; outside of the club, this book doesn't resemble supernatural horror or thriller. In fact, there's not even really a plot. Just a bunch of dying kids clinging to the last vestiges of their hope and youth, using imagination to make their imminent deaths slightly more bearable, for ~220 pages. This book is about grief, and acceptance, and what it means to be alive. It's got heavy spiritual themes. The best word I can think of to describe it is, tender. I was caught off-guard by how tender and sweet and aching it was at times. I am a novice to Christopher Pike's work, but already I can tell that his superpower lies in his ability to be understated. What I mean is, this is a simply-told story, but there are so many layers and thematic complexities that he doesn't beat the reader over the head with. He leads you to these ideas, gently, but he lets you draw your own conclusions, as well.
Another thing I appreciated about this book was how it didn't shy away from real life. Pike doesn't romanticize death, or even life, for that matter. The characters have done and said ugly things in their lives, they have suffered, they have loved. There are characters who die without family members near to cradle them out of this world. There are characters who believe that they deserve the burden that's been placed upon them. It's a relic reflective of the social context in which it was forged: a time when AIDS was still heavily stigmatized, as well as being queer, and just being an adolescent tbh. There were a few moments of "God doesn't give you anything you can't handle" that made me roll my eyes, but I think that they were interspersed enough and compensated by other thoughtful, spiritual conversations that they didn't irk me tooooo much. I wouldn't say I'm a spiritual person, but I actually found myself captivated by the perspective it brought to this story. I hope there is a place we are called to after we die, where no one is lonely and no one is victimized and the anguish of all those who have walked through this lifetime is atoned for by a gentle voice and soothing hand.
I have a theory that each character represents the five stages of grief. Denial: Kevin. Anger: Spencer. Bargaining: Sandra. Depression: Anya. Acceptance: Ilonka (though she didn't start out this way; one could also argue that this whole book is a depiction of Ilonka alone traveling through the five stages). This doesn't fit perfectly, and could maybe be reshuffled a bit, but the main point is that the stories that were told during The Midnight Club were definitely reflective of the way the storyteller grappled with their grief.
I'm giving this book four stars instead of five, because I do wish we got a little less narrative about how much Ilonka loved Kevin and how he belonged to her and only her. My girl was OBSESSED (valid, though). I really loathe telling rather than showing, it would have been nice if we knew more about why she adored Kevin so much, aside from the whole past-lives thing. Or, maybe she was simply full of love to give that she didn't want to waste, and saw him as a fitting recipient.
Additionally, there was actually a surprising amount of sex talk coming from a book about a bunch of dying teens. Before you come at me with your pamphlets and pitchforks, I'm not trying to be obtuse or sex-negative--it didn't bug me, it was just kind of a lot... but maybe that's to be expected in a house full of teens, even if they are all sickly. I'm not trying to insult their virility and muliebrity or anything. (Praying that people understand this last paragraph is meant to be mostly facetious 🤞😅)
Even the account of what spurred Pike to pen this book is heartbreaking; if anyone is interested in learning more about the creation of The Midnight Club, Christopher Pike talks about the young, terminally-ill girl who inspired him, in this interview: https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsesse....
Additional un-fleshed out thoughts:
-Dr. White is a much stronger person than I could ever hope to be.
-I'm glad that people like Ilonka exist to help us make amends even after death.
-The characters were so tangible and worthy of love. I loved Ilonka (even if she got on my nerves occasionally).
-This quote feels apt to include: "What is grief, if not love persevering?" Thank you Marvel cinematic universe for your enduring words of wisdom.
Wow. I'm going to be honest, my first thought after finishing this was,"Eh, that was alright." There were a few things about the writing (or should I say, reading?) style and plot that I didn't love and/or was confused about--but then I started reflecting a little more about what the ending meant, and what the author was trying to say, and I think I might be devastated. There's this sore pit in my stomach (hopefully it's not the cancer) that unravels the more I try to unwrap the story's meaning, and honestly, has made me feel more endeared to this book. What can I say, I'm a sucker for tragic books. I think I would like to re-read this one soon, via physical copy, so I can analyze everything better.
Warning: you probably won't enjoy this book if you go into it expecting a spooky ghost story. Some of the tales woven during the Midnight Club might spike your blood pressure, as they could get fairly violent, but I wouldn't say they were extraordinarily graphic; outside of the club, this book doesn't resemble supernatural horror or thriller. In fact, there's not even really a plot. Just a bunch of dying kids clinging to the last vestiges of their hope and youth, using imagination to make their imminent deaths slightly more bearable, for ~220 pages. This book is about grief, and acceptance, and what it means to be alive. It's got heavy spiritual themes. The best word I can think of to describe it is, tender. I was caught off-guard by how tender and sweet and aching it was at times. I am a novice to Christopher Pike's work, but already I can tell that his superpower lies in his ability to be understated. What I mean is, this is a simply-told story, but there are so many layers and thematic complexities that he doesn't beat the reader over the head with. He leads you to these ideas, gently, but he lets you draw your own conclusions, as well.
Another thing I appreciated about this book was how it didn't shy away from real life. Pike doesn't romanticize death, or even life, for that matter. The characters have done and said ugly things in their lives, they have suffered, they have loved. There are characters who die without family members near to cradle them out of this world. There are characters who believe that they deserve the burden that's been placed upon them. It's a relic reflective of the social context in which it was forged: a time when AIDS was still heavily stigmatized, as well as being queer, and just being an adolescent tbh. There were a few moments of "God doesn't give you anything you can't handle" that made me roll my eyes, but I think that they were interspersed enough and compensated by other thoughtful, spiritual conversations that they didn't irk me tooooo much. I wouldn't say I'm a spiritual person, but I actually found myself captivated by the perspective it brought to this story. I hope there is a place we are called to after we die, where no one is lonely and no one is victimized and the anguish of all those who have walked through this lifetime is atoned for by a gentle voice and soothing hand.
I have a theory that each character represents the five stages of grief. Denial: Kevin. Anger: Spencer. Bargaining: Sandra. Depression: Anya. Acceptance: Ilonka (though she didn't start out this way; one could also argue that this whole book is a depiction of Ilonka alone traveling through the five stages). This doesn't fit perfectly, and could maybe be reshuffled a bit, but the main point is that the stories that were told during The Midnight Club were definitely reflective of the way the storyteller grappled with their grief.
I'm giving this book four stars instead of five, because I do wish we got a little less narrative about how much Ilonka loved Kevin and how he belonged to her and only her. My girl was OBSESSED (valid, though). I really loathe telling rather than showing, it would have been nice if we knew more about why she adored Kevin so much, aside from the whole past-lives thing. Or, maybe she was simply full of love to give that she didn't want to waste, and saw him as a fitting recipient.
Additionally, there was actually a surprising amount of sex talk coming from a book about a bunch of dying teens. Before you come at me with your pamphlets and pitchforks, I'm not trying to be obtuse or sex-negative--it didn't bug me, it was just kind of a lot... but maybe that's to be expected in a house full of teens, even if they are all sickly. I'm not trying to insult their virility and muliebrity or anything. (Praying that people understand this last paragraph is meant to be mostly facetious 🤞😅)
Even the account of what spurred Pike to pen this book is heartbreaking; if anyone is interested in learning more about the creation of The Midnight Club, Christopher Pike talks about the young, terminally-ill girl who inspired him, in this interview: https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsesse....
Additional un-fleshed out thoughts:
-Dr. White is a much stronger person than I could ever hope to be.
-I'm glad that people like Ilonka exist to help us make amends even after death.
-The characters were so tangible and worthy of love. I loved Ilonka (even if she got on my nerves occasionally).
-This quote feels apt to include: "What is grief, if not love persevering?" Thank you Marvel cinematic universe for your enduring words of wisdom.
June 3, 2016
The Midnight Club was definitely not what I was expecting it to be. Based on the cheesey 90s looking cover and the synopsis on the back, I thought this was a young adult horror à la R.L. Stine (there's even an ad in the back for the 1996 Fear Street Calendar!). What it turned out to be was a lovingly written story about five teens facing their last days in a hospice. At midnight every night, the five friends meet and tell stories, giving each other moral support right up to the end.
The characters can be melodramatic at times, but the main issue at hand, death, is handled realistically by Pike. While I've known people who have spent their last days in hospice care, I have never really thought about what that experience is like. This book has shifted my perspective on something I would normally have chosen to ignore. Though it was far from what I thought it would be, I'm really glad I picked up this book.
The characters can be melodramatic at times, but the main issue at hand, death, is handled realistically by Pike. While I've known people who have spent their last days in hospice care, I have never really thought about what that experience is like. This book has shifted my perspective on something I would normally have chosen to ignore. Though it was far from what I thought it would be, I'm really glad I picked up this book.
December 20, 2022
Guys, I’m screaming! Mike Flanagan is attached to a Netflix mini-series of The Midnight Club! One of my favorite directors is adapting one of my favorite authors! This calls for a reread soon...
---
Rotterdam Hospice is a place for teenagers with terminal illnesses, and it’s home to The Midnight Club, where five teens meet at midnight to share scary stories. They make a pact that the first among them to die will try to contact the others from the afterlife. Trigger warnings: character death, child death, suicide, overdose, guns/mass shootings, drug/alcohol use, terminal illnesses, cancer, AIDS, paralysis, amputation, grief, guilt.
This has long been one of my favorite Christopher Pike novels, and I was excited to reread it in preparation for the upcoming Netflix show. It’s one of his sadder and less frightening novels, but it’s a prime example of the blend of philosophy and spiritualism that permeates his work. It’s almost never overtly religious, and neither is The Midnight Club; it’s more an examination of possible afterlives, questioned by the people who are most likely to be deeply concerned about that issue: the dying.
Understandably, it’s a very sad book, and I spend the second half of it bawling every time I read it. It’s difficult to watch Ilonka cling to herbal cures and the hope that she might be getting better. The characters’ storytelling takes up as much or more page-time than the actual events, which take place over a very short span of time. In the first half, I felt they were overwhelming the actual characters, and I wanted to spend more time getting to know them. By the second, however, I was grateful for the stories providing some breathing room from the heavy grief of the novel.
Pike is fond of his stories-within-stories, and he’s in his element here. While I doubt some of them, like Spence’s trigger happy mass shooter on top of the Eiffel Tower, would go over as well with modern audiences, the stories are often insightful looks into the characters’ connections and personalities, particularly with Ilonka’s and Kevin’s. It’s like Pike to venture into past lives, and it’s a thoughtful, haunting, and ultimately hopeful study on death and afterlives, with a beautiful bit of symbolism at the end that has stayed with me for years. We have the sense that the characters have been here before and will be again, and while that’s never easy, somehow it’s okay. It will always be a favorite.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
---
Rotterdam Hospice is a place for teenagers with terminal illnesses, and it’s home to The Midnight Club, where five teens meet at midnight to share scary stories. They make a pact that the first among them to die will try to contact the others from the afterlife. Trigger warnings: character death, child death, suicide, overdose, guns/mass shootings, drug/alcohol use, terminal illnesses, cancer, AIDS, paralysis, amputation, grief, guilt.
This has long been one of my favorite Christopher Pike novels, and I was excited to reread it in preparation for the upcoming Netflix show. It’s one of his sadder and less frightening novels, but it’s a prime example of the blend of philosophy and spiritualism that permeates his work. It’s almost never overtly religious, and neither is The Midnight Club; it’s more an examination of possible afterlives, questioned by the people who are most likely to be deeply concerned about that issue: the dying.
Understandably, it’s a very sad book, and I spend the second half of it bawling every time I read it. It’s difficult to watch Ilonka cling to herbal cures and the hope that she might be getting better. The characters’ storytelling takes up as much or more page-time than the actual events, which take place over a very short span of time. In the first half, I felt they were overwhelming the actual characters, and I wanted to spend more time getting to know them. By the second, however, I was grateful for the stories providing some breathing room from the heavy grief of the novel.
Pike is fond of his stories-within-stories, and he’s in his element here. While I doubt some of them, like Spence’s trigger happy mass shooter on top of the Eiffel Tower, would go over as well with modern audiences, the stories are often insightful looks into the characters’ connections and personalities, particularly with Ilonka’s and Kevin’s. It’s like Pike to venture into past lives, and it’s a thoughtful, haunting, and ultimately hopeful study on death and afterlives, with a beautiful bit of symbolism at the end that has stayed with me for years. We have the sense that the characters have been here before and will be again, and while that’s never easy, somehow it’s okay. It will always be a favorite.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
October 1, 2022
Like many others, I read this due to the imminent arrival of the Netflix adaptation. I grew up reading Christopher Pike avidly as a teen in the 90s, but what's surprising is how many I never got around to reading back then, including this one. I admittedly was turned off by his increasing move towards spiritualism and mysticism in his later books, and we do get a lot of that here.
I can only assume the TV series is going to be very loosely based on this, because this is not even a horror story at all. It tells the story of Ilonka, in Rotterham Home, a hospice for teenagers with terminal illnesses. Together with Kevin, roommate Anya, Spence and Sandra, they have formed The Midnight Club, where they share stories. Ilonka is in love with Kevin, and feels like she has known him in past lives. The stories she shares with the Midnight Club are of her past lives and the great love she believe she shared with Kevin.
During one story, as the blurb tells you, the kids make a pact that if one of them dies, they will try to make contact from the other side, give them a sign to let them know that at least something is waiting for them in the other realm. But the book never explores that, which is a pity, because it's a great idea. That element probably only makes up about 5% of the book! The blurb is quite misleading!
Rather, this explores what people may face when the end is near. Fear of dying alone. Fear of dying without being loved. Fear over dying with regrets, such as not being able to make things right with someone who was once special to you. Indeed, I think this book will resonate more strongly with older readers, such as myself, as we hit our mid-40s and think more about our mortality. It was a very affecting story and I was in tears for a lot of it! (If I had read this in the 90s, I probably would have not liked it much at all!)
The only downside is, yes, Pike's fascination with ancient India, spiritualism, mysticism and the like, and there is a bit too much God talk. Ilonka's past lives stories were a bit too bland and preachy. It's no wonder the adaptation is using other Pike books as the source of the club's stories - the ones here aren't very good at all! (And certainly not the sort of scary stories you would expect to be told at a horror story club.)
This was a very moving, sad, heartfelt book. I'll probably never read it again! If you go in expecting a horror novel, you'll be sorely disappointed.
I can only assume the TV series is going to be very loosely based on this, because this is not even a horror story at all. It tells the story of Ilonka, in Rotterham Home, a hospice for teenagers with terminal illnesses. Together with Kevin, roommate Anya, Spence and Sandra, they have formed The Midnight Club, where they share stories. Ilonka is in love with Kevin, and feels like she has known him in past lives. The stories she shares with the Midnight Club are of her past lives and the great love she believe she shared with Kevin.
During one story, as the blurb tells you, the kids make a pact that if one of them dies, they will try to make contact from the other side, give them a sign to let them know that at least something is waiting for them in the other realm. But the book never explores that, which is a pity, because it's a great idea. That element probably only makes up about 5% of the book! The blurb is quite misleading!
Rather, this explores what people may face when the end is near. Fear of dying alone. Fear of dying without being loved. Fear over dying with regrets, such as not being able to make things right with someone who was once special to you. Indeed, I think this book will resonate more strongly with older readers, such as myself, as we hit our mid-40s and think more about our mortality. It was a very affecting story and I was in tears for a lot of it! (If I had read this in the 90s, I probably would have not liked it much at all!)
The only downside is, yes, Pike's fascination with ancient India, spiritualism, mysticism and the like, and there is a bit too much God talk. Ilonka's past lives stories were a bit too bland and preachy. It's no wonder the adaptation is using other Pike books as the source of the club's stories - the ones here aren't very good at all! (And certainly not the sort of scary stories you would expect to be told at a horror story club.)
This was a very moving, sad, heartfelt book. I'll probably never read it again! If you go in expecting a horror novel, you'll be sorely disappointed.
October 2, 2013
I’m not sure how many times I have read this book. At least twice: once as a teenager, and once yesterday. It may have been more; I don’t know. I’ve read and reread all or most of Christopher Pike’s books. My memories of them are an amalgamation of witchy teen sex and murder, compiled mostly during that hazy unformed lump of time between the ages of 13 and 16. I was a boring kid, so in between tearing out pages of Thrasher mag for my “inspiration” binders (I didn’t skate, like at all) and stickering my closet door with ska band logos, I stayed up ‘til 4am on humid summer nights devouring Christopher Pike books. All books really, but there was something about his I couldn’t get enough of. I liked R.L. Stine too, that other ‘90s YA horror genre giant, but it wasn’t the same. Those were just stories to me, part of the never-ending stream of words I shoved into my gullet.
Pike books stand apart for me, and The Midnight Club stands apart even among its brethren. These last few months I have been reading some great authors, classic works, ones that are currently standing the brutal tests of time. And yet—I haven’t felt anything. Not a goddamn thing. Granted, life has been hard lately. It’s easier to sit around mainlining television than forcing my beleaguered mind to focus on those words I used to live for, and to live on. I picked up The Midnight Club because it would be easy. I needed easy. Instead, within the first five pages (smelling like humid summer nights, smelling like youth) it all stirred, all of it, and I laid awake reading way past the (ungodly at my age) witching hour, moved to near tears.
Pike books stand apart for me, and The Midnight Club stands apart even among its brethren. These last few months I have been reading some great authors, classic works, ones that are currently standing the brutal tests of time. And yet—I haven’t felt anything. Not a goddamn thing. Granted, life has been hard lately. It’s easier to sit around mainlining television than forcing my beleaguered mind to focus on those words I used to live for, and to live on. I picked up The Midnight Club because it would be easy. I needed easy. Instead, within the first five pages (smelling like humid summer nights, smelling like youth) it all stirred, all of it, and I laid awake reading way past the (ungodly at my age) witching hour, moved to near tears.
May 20, 2023
3.5
Nevjerojatno teška tema za koju bih rekla da je onaj horor što se najavljivao na Netflixu serijom „The Midnight Club“ i tako naveo na krivi put osobe koje za taj žanr očekuju nešto potpuno drugačije. Puno se ljudi žalilo nakon čitanja/gledanja da ovdje horora nije bilo, kako ni u knjizi, tako ni u seriji. I nije, barem ne onog standardnog.
Više o utiscima pročitajte klikom na link: https://knjige-u-svom-filmu.webador.c...
Nevjerojatno teška tema za koju bih rekla da je onaj horor što se najavljivao na Netflixu serijom „The Midnight Club“ i tako naveo na krivi put osobe koje za taj žanr očekuju nešto potpuno drugačije. Puno se ljudi žalilo nakon čitanja/gledanja da ovdje horora nije bilo, kako ni u knjizi, tako ni u seriji. I nije, barem ne onog standardnog.
Više o utiscima pročitajte klikom na link: https://knjige-u-svom-filmu.webador.c...
November 1, 2022
"The big mystery will not be solved until the day we die. We have our stories, our dreams, our beliefs, but until then everything is just speculation."
This group of hospice teens are shouldering the heaviest of burdens, but they do so with shared camaraderie and spooky stories to enliven their time left. Love this one, it was deep, sad, and sweet.
This group of hospice teens are shouldering the heaviest of burdens, but they do so with shared camaraderie and spooky stories to enliven their time left. Love this one, it was deep, sad, and sweet.
September 30, 2022
I've read this book again because I know there's a Netflix series coming soon. I gave this book four stars from my memories of reading it when I was a teenager, but I'm not sure if I still feel that way about it now.
I can only hope that the adaptation is better.
My current rating is ☆☆½.
I can only hope that the adaptation is better.
My current rating is ☆☆½.
January 23, 2020
What the fuck?
I went into this expecting a supernatural mystery or a horror story.
It starts off strong, with great atmosphere. A group of terminally ill teens telling late-night stories: it is a great premise.
But the stories aren’t creepy. They are kind of scattered. And while they’re all sort of connected to the main story because the friends create stories with characters loosely based on the others, I felt like the stories were maybe early attempts of Pike’s that he threw into this novel just to get them out in the world.
By about page 140 I realized this is romance more than anything else.
And that epilogue . . . folks leaving planet earth for space colonies. This book didn’t know what the fuck it wanted to be, BUT:
I love Pike’s work and always will. This one threw me off guard though. I want my creepy Pike back, bruh!
I went into this expecting a supernatural mystery or a horror story.
It starts off strong, with great atmosphere. A group of terminally ill teens telling late-night stories: it is a great premise.
But the stories aren’t creepy. They are kind of scattered. And while they’re all sort of connected to the main story because the friends create stories with characters loosely based on the others, I felt like the stories were maybe early attempts of Pike’s that he threw into this novel just to get them out in the world.
By about page 140 I realized this is romance more than anything else.
And that epilogue . . . folks leaving planet earth for space colonies. This book didn’t know what the fuck it wanted to be, BUT:
I love Pike’s work and always will. This one threw me off guard though. I want my creepy Pike back, bruh!
February 7, 2021
This was a good story about a group of Dying Teenagers who gather around at Midnight every night and tell scary stories. If you'd like to know more, be sure to check this book out at your local library and wherever books and ebooks are sold.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,772 reviews