Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review!

My first Johnny Compton book was The Spite House, and it was quite enjoyable. So when I saw another one of his work up for grabs, I went for it.

I’ve always found it difficult to rate and review books with multiple stories, and this one had like over 20 short stories? If one was top tier and others were mid, how do you lump them together as one? Somehow I didn’t have this issue, because most of the stories in this collection blew my mind. So good.

You have a bit of everything. Black mirror vibes? Check. Ghosts? Check. Human nature? Check. Monsters? Also, check. It’s amazing how many different horror genres Compton managed to capture in these stories, and for sure, everyone will be able to find at least one story that terrifies them. Many of them will be swirling around in my head for days, I know that for sure.

Writing wise, depending on the narrator, background, and vibe, Compton is able to make it all flow smoothly. Some are witty even, and when something is more dark, expect to find the tone and style a lot more serious. In short, it is so versatile. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves short stories. Or even if they don’t love short stories, they should still check it out.

Johnny Compton is a tremendous writer, particularly of horror fiction, and a Black horror author on the rise. My favourite book of his continues to be “The Spite House.” Here, he presents his first short story collection, entitled “Midnight Somewhere.” As gifted with long form as he is with short form fiction, fans of Compton are in for a treat. The stories here center on modern horror and anxieties, things like social media and video games, survival of the fittest, and so on, but there are a few gems that stood out for me in particular. One was “Monster Bites,” which was originally published as part of the amazing Nightlight Podcast run by the multi-talented Tonia Ransom. “Monster Bites” is a slow burn that has a lot of double meanings about a dog that isn’t quite what it seems.

Other highlights include “No Hungry Generations” and “Charakakon,” which appeared in an issue of Weird Tales. There are also a number of never-before-published pieces for readers to feast on.