Mrs. Midnight and Other Stories

Mrs. Midnight: And Other Stories by Reggie Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reggie Oliver might be the greatest living writer of the weird and eerie story, at least the more subtle flavor of the subgenre. There is an auctorial control that I don't see in many other writers (much less myself). This infernal mixing of weird, eerie, and subtle results in a rarefied creepiness and sometimes outright frisson in the reader's mind. But most of Oliver's tales (that I've read so far) also have heart - a sense of quirkiness and even humor that make one feel the promise warmth in the distance, not enough to drive the chill away, far from it, but enough that the hope for warmth might make the frosty pain even more acute.

I had high expectations going into this. I bought two volumes of Oliver's work based largely on the strength of his collection The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler and Other Stories, and this was one of them. My expectations were absolutely met and, in the case of a couple of stories, exceeded. I am so glad that I have another book of Oliver's on hand to read beyond this one. I really can't get enough.

I was impressed right away by the titular story: What I thought was a mistaken switching between tenses is very intentional, and gives voice to the narrator's lack of education. The dissonance actually makes sense when one hears it over the longer haul. The humor herein is sly and wry: "Since I stopped working for the tabloids I've tried to avoid cliches like the plague". And this story of zoophagy is creepy beyond creepy. The layering of horrific themes in this story is stunning, with Oliver threading together at least three of them in the end. A dark literary hat-trick. Five stars, absolutely.

"Countess Otho," a ghost story or a story about madness (or, perhaps, both) completely subverted my ideas of how the story would end. This is a fairly complex short story, though so skillfully told that it doesn't get into its own way, like some stories do. It is not too clever for its own good, but it is clever. Very clever.

And in this tale we learn that sometimes, succumbing to madness is the best move. Or that hauntings don't necessarily have to be bad experiences. Five stars.

"Meeting with Mike" is an innocuous title for a devastatingly brutal story of brainwashing, conspiracy, and cult machinations. The portrayal of the Institute for Psychic Health (I.P.H.) is sinister and chill-inducing. The weird comes to take front-stage by the end of the story, but I won't spoil it. Suffice it to say that the ending is rather bizarre and very, very unsettling. Five stars for this excellent story.

Sometimes I love Reggie Oliver's sidelong humor, as in this line from "The Dancer in the Dark":

What first hinted to me that something very strange was going on? Is it only retrospect that makes me think it was the toupee?

"The Dancer in the Dark" isn't as weird as most of Oliver's stories, but the characters are well-fleshed-out and believable. This is a classic ghost story done to perfection. The catty characters devolve into rife immaturity like only a cast full of professional actors can. Oliver knows drama, both how to produce it and amongst his characters. You can tell he has acted professionally . . . or professionally acted! Another five star tale.

And then RIGHT back to the weird. "Mr. Pigsney" is as weird as they come. This story of gangsters, ming vases, garden slugs, and the afterlife is shot through with strong occult elements, which make it an engulfing story for the reader. The thought that maybe just plain old cessation-of-existence is preferable to living forever makes it intellectually satisfying, as well. Here, as in other stories in the collection, Oliver portrays something of a clash of classes, or at least a clash of social circles. He's done this in a few stories, and this dynamic always seems to add a certain tension that would otherwise be absent. Five stars for this tight, astounding tale.

"The Brighton Redemption" is high on the creepy factor. An imprisoned child murderer (both in terms of her victims and her own age at the time of the crime) practices bilocation, a miracle reserved for saints. But she is no saint! Four stars.

"You Have Nothing to Fear" - oh, Reggie Oliver, you clever dog. I see what you did there. Pun intended, eh? Still, a highly entertaining story only slightly cheapened by the pun. Still would have liked to have seen a little more depth of character. They are memorable, but uncharacteristically (pardon my own pun) unsubtle. Still very good, though. Four stars.

"The Philosophy of the Damned" portrays a more-or-less dying theater venue during the Russian revolution and the way in which it is, er, invigorated, by a new act in town. I really enjoyed this surreal story, which is thick on the weirdness, but not bombastic. A nicely balanced tale with a touch of horror, just a pinch, suit to taste. Five stars.

"The Mortlake Manuscript" is everything about Reggie Oliver's writing I love. An academic researches an obscure occultist, a scion, magically-speaking, of John Dee. Through this, he is led (wittingly and unwittingly, at the same time) to the so-called Mortlake Manuscript, wherein he learns the truths about life eternal and final death. This story is a masterpiece and is the best one in the volume. In fact, I think this is my favorite Reggie Oliver story period. That may change as I read future collections (and I will . . . I will), but for now this story gets the five most enthusiastic stars I've given in a long time. Hyperbole seems trite in this matter. You must read this story!

At first, I was prepared to award "The Look" four stars, as an excellent, but not outstanding tale of murder-mystery and revenge with a slight supernatural element, right up till near the very end. And I mean the very end. Then . . . that last sentence. That last sentence! O'Henry, the end!!! Five stars well-played yet again, Reggie Oliver, well-played!

It's funny: the ending of "The Giacometti Crucifixion," while trying to be clever, came up a little flat for me, unlike the ending of "The Look," which really worked for me. Still, the body of the story is tremendous, which makes the end a bit of a disappointment. Still a solid four-star story, though. I quite enjoyed it most of the way, most especially in the middle.

"A Piece of Elsewhere" is, by far, the creepiest story in this volume. And weird, to boot. You'll never look at comedians the same way. Humor and horror make strange bedfellows or, in this instance, they make bedfellows strange. Stranger than you want to know. This story strings a frisson of terror into what feels like a nightmare too long for such a short story. It packs a punch. Or, perhaps, Punch? Five sardonic laughing stars.

Almost every boy has or had an adult they feared, loathed, and hated. "Minos or Rhadamanthus" is their story. Not a story of cold vengeance, but of eternal fates and the scales of justice. A touch sad, but right as rain, as they say. A story that "fulfills the measure of its creation," to put it in biblical terms. An outstanding tale, well told. Five stars.

All told, I couldn't think of a better book to curl up with next to the fire on a winter's night. If you have any inclination to gothic romanticism at all, you need to read this book while enjoying a hot chocolate while it snows in the dark beyond your window. If I were holed up in a castle or a dark Victorian study and wanted to read the perfect book to match the mood, This. Would. Be. It!

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