Nightmares After Midnight

By: Bill Link

Narrated by: John Walker

Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

In this collection of chilling tales of terror:

• "Just Add Water"—Two ne'er-'do-wells plan to cash in on a prehistoric fossil, only to learn some things come at a terrible price.
• "His Brother's Legacy"—The death of an estranged brother, who had been an outcast and pariah, leads a man in search of answers to a mystery that should be left unsolved.
• "The Miscount"—After the failure of a rescue mission on a hostile, uninhabited planet, the crew returning to Earth through deep space find that something horrifying has come with them.
• "Instructions on a Pamphlet"—A corrupt businessman is given the means to summon a murderous demon to solve his self-made troubles. But at what cost?
• "Dead Writers"—An unethical and cruel literary critic, who is motivated by his own jealousy of the writers he tears down, does the unthinkable and murders an author. He soon learns the dead don't forgive or forget.

The worst nightmares come after midnight, at the hands and mind of the author of Creeping Shadows, Skin Like Tanned Leather, You're Always with Me and Other Stories, At Night Outside the Window, and Six Times the Terror.

©2023 William and Christa Link (P)2023 William and Christa Link

Nightmares After Midnight review

A great collection of short stories well written and narrated. Five stars and well worth listening to.

Great

I was given this book for free, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Great stories and narration was also fine, worth a listen.

Nightmares are best in the dark

In the gripping audiobook "Nightmares After Midnight" penned by the maestro of dread, Bill Link, and narrated with a bone-chilling precision by John Walker, listeners are thrust into a sinister realm where terror reigns supreme. Prepare to be ensnared by a sinister symphony of spine-tingling tales that navigate the shadowy corridors of horror and splatterpunk, demonstrating the author's honed artistry in weaving nightmares.

This latest opus not only matches the bar set by Link's previous masterpiece, "Six Times the Terror," but eclipses expectations, plunging readers into an immersive nightmare that blurs the boundaries between the tangible and the macabre.

Contained within this accursed anthology are five tales, each a testament to Link's unholy ability to summon fear and fascination in equal measure. "Just Add Water" thrusts the audience into the abyss of avarice as two malevolent souls embark on a treacherous odyssey to exploit a prehistoric relic, only to unearth the horrifying truth that some treasures exact a toll beyond mortal reckoning. Link's mastery unfolds with a grim invocation of eldritch horrors, unveiling a nightmarish in medias res commencement that seizes the soul from the very first utterance.

"His Brother's Legacy," an ancient chronicle reborn from Roll of the Dice II as "The Shaver Legacy," emanates a spectral allure, bearing witness to the author's evolution through the ages. Though revealing its antiquity compared to its brethren, it beckons readers with a haunting nostalgia that permeates the collection.

"The Miscount," a spectral gem originally unearthed in Roll of the Dice III, emerges as a personal paragon of terror. Venturing into the cosmos, Link crafts a tale of a rescue mission gone awry on an inhospitable, desolate planet, where the crew's return to Earth through the cosmic abyss brings forth an unforeseen horror. The narrative, swift and pulsating, coupled with singular characters, etches itself into the reader's psyche, leaving an indelible mark.

"Instructions on a Pamphlet" delves into the stygian recesses of a corrupt magnate's psyche, given the infernal means to summon a murderous demon in exchange for salvation from his self-inflicted woes. Link deftly unravels the main character's descent into malevolence, constructing a narrative where the anticipation for divine retribution crescendos with each turned page. The culmination, both gratifying and gruesome, stands as a testament to Link's mastery in crafting denouements that linger like a curse.

"Dead Writers," the most cerebral of the chronicles, unfolds as a man shackled by guilt for bygone transgressions channels his torment into a controversial vocation. As the narrative unfurls, spiraling both in the corporeal and metaphysical realms, readers are entangled in a journey that transcends temporal confines. While the chronology may traverse realms unsettling to some, the revelation at the tale's terminus is an irrefutable pact with the unknown.

The spectral success of "Nightmares After Midnight" cannot be solely ascribed to Bill Link's unnerving narratives; John Walker's narration transcends mortal realms, heightening the experience to ghastly peaks. Walker, a spectral maestro, breathes spectral life into Link's malevolent prose, weaving an atmosphere of dread and terror that ensnares listeners from the inception to the final, dreaded cadence. His ability to evoke the nuances of each spectral character and elicit the intended emotions enhances the overall impact of these tales, leaving an indelible scar on the listener's psyche.

"Nightmares After Midnight" stands as an accursed testament to Bill Link's mastery in the realm of horror, a kaleidoscope of emotions seamlessly blending terror, suspense, and a satisfaction that is tainted with a haunting aftertaste. John Walker's spectral narration adds an additional layer of immersion, making this audiobook an abominable feast for aficionados of horror. If you dare to embark on a journey into the Stygian depths of the human psyche and beyond, "Nightmares After Midnight" beckons—an auditory phantasmagoria that will not only haunt but consume your very soul. Enter, if you dare, into a realm where the line between the living and the accursed is irrevocably shattered.