Content levels
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
All of the protagonists of the eight horror tales here are gay, allowing McMahan both a new twist on chiller standbys, such as vampirism and spirit possession, and an intriguing perspective on the complexities of gay life. Devilish energy and macabre wit glitter throughout. One vampire, for example, is an unwillingly undead ghoul with a heart of gold who pities the beautiful men he kills--yet he is reluctant to bestow the dubious gift of a vampire's immortality lest his liaisons with them grow tiresome over the millennia. A few stories teeter precariously between effective shock and the merely grisly: gory details menace the exposition of "Two-faced Johnny," in which a vain young man at a strange Halloween party is transformed permanently into the gruesome being of his costume. "Fantasyland," about a young boy who takes refuge in daydreams from his brutal rape until he rescues another boy from the same assailants, is the richest entry, a trenchant meditation on coming out as gay in a hostile society.
Somewhere in the Night: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This collection of horror stories contains graphic violence, including detailed gore and body horror, explicit depictions of sexual assault including child rape, and adult sexual content with LGBTQ+ themes.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, explicit sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include sexual assault, child abuse, gore, murder, and death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers interested in horror with LGBTQ+ protagonists will find dark, chilling tales that explore identity through supernatural terror.