The Night Prophets won't be the best book I read in 2023, but it will be one of the most fun times I had with a book this year
I'd nearly forgotten how enjoyable a traditional vampire novel could be. Like many horror fans, I burned out on bloodsuckers a long time ago. For a while there everyone seemed to be writing vampire books, and they were hellbent on subverting the subgenre. Goth vampires. Vampire detectives. Vampire rock stars. Emo vampires. Some of these were good books. Many were not.
I always associated Paul F. Olson with David Silva. Olson worked with Dave on the badly-missed The Horror Show magazine. They edited anthologies together. Paul also wrote fiction, but not frequently enough to suit me.
I was aware of The Night Prophets when it came out in 1989, but I somehow never got around to it. The book, a paperback original, was published by a major publisher, Onyx, but it never turned up on the horror shelves at my local WaldenBooks. I surely would have bought the book if it had.
Happily The Night Prophets has been resurrected by Cemetery Dance as a trade paperback and ebook. It arrived in my mailbox last week and I wasted no time before starting right in.
The Night Prophets is the kind of book that made me fall in love with the genre. It takes me back to the days of Charles Grant, Chet Williamson, F. Paul Wilson, and others who forged modern horror. This is a straightforward monster story, with well-drawn characters and a strong setting. Not to mention a good old fashioned fight of good against evil.
Universal Ministries (a nod to Universal Studios, who gave us so many classic monsters?) is a large Christian foundation. It accepts newcomers with open arms and few questions. Mostly young, troubled people enter the church. It seems too good to be true. No more worries about room, board, and destructive outside influences. Too bad Universal is run by vampires who feed on its hapless junior members.
The Night Prophets may run a little long. A bit of judicious editing would have made it a tighter and more relentless story, but I have no complaints about a novel this rich and absorbing.
Fall is finally here and you won't find a much better book to read on these chilly nights. I predict you will love The Night Prophets.
Written by Mark Sieber
I'd nearly forgotten how enjoyable a traditional vampire novel could be. Like many horror fans, I burned out on bloodsuckers a long time ago. For a while there everyone seemed to be writing vampire books, and they were hellbent on subverting the subgenre. Goth vampires. Vampire detectives. Vampire rock stars. Emo vampires. Some of these were good books. Many were not.
I always associated Paul F. Olson with David Silva. Olson worked with Dave on the badly-missed The Horror Show magazine. They edited anthologies together. Paul also wrote fiction, but not frequently enough to suit me.
I was aware of The Night Prophets when it came out in 1989, but I somehow never got around to it. The book, a paperback original, was published by a major publisher, Onyx, but it never turned up on the horror shelves at my local WaldenBooks. I surely would have bought the book if it had.Happily The Night Prophets has been resurrected by Cemetery Dance as a trade paperback and ebook. It arrived in my mailbox last week and I wasted no time before starting right in.
The Night Prophets is the kind of book that made me fall in love with the genre. It takes me back to the days of Charles Grant, Chet Williamson, F. Paul Wilson, and others who forged modern horror. This is a straightforward monster story, with well-drawn characters and a strong setting. Not to mention a good old fashioned fight of good against evil.
Universal Ministries (a nod to Universal Studios, who gave us so many classic monsters?) is a large Christian foundation. It accepts newcomers with open arms and few questions. Mostly young, troubled people enter the church. It seems too good to be true. No more worries about room, board, and destructive outside influences. Too bad Universal is run by vampires who feed on its hapless junior members.
The Night Prophets may run a little long. A bit of judicious editing would have made it a tighter and more relentless story, but I have no complaints about a novel this rich and absorbing.
Fall is finally here and you won't find a much better book to read on these chilly nights. I predict you will love The Night Prophets.
Written by Mark Sieber
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