If vampires are real, and their bite spreads the infection, then how come they haven’t taken over the world? I used to hear this question all the time when I was younger, my little brother always tossing it my way whenever I tried to talk to him about a possible vampire novel or series that I wanted to write (still want to write). It is a legitimate question, yet one that I never had a satisfactory answer for at the time, and rather than trying to reason it out with him, I usually just switched topics to something more easily discussed -- something like UFOs or Bigfoot. Later I realized my brother wasn’t the only one asking this question and that it has actually been a topic of debate in the horror community for decades, one that is often ‘explained’ to us time and time again through the visions of horror writers and filmmakers. Sometimes these visions are pretty good and the reasons given for the lack of a vampire ruled world seems legit, other times it is just silly (vampires are just troubled humans who don’t really want to hurt anyone and therefore keep their desires in check until the need for blood is unbearable -- come on, they are ‘creatures’ of the night, not ‘delicate troubled youths’ of the night!). And then sometimes an explanation is not needed because the vision presented gives us a world ruled by vampires.F. Paul Wilson gives us just such a vision in his novel Midnight Mass, a semi-apocalyptic tale that pits the last remnants of humanity against the vampires who, realizing an opportunity for world domination after the fall of the Soviet Union, have taken over all of Europe and Asia, their spread rapid due to the ability to create vampires with each kill. Now, however, wanting to keep the spread of vampires in check so that they don’t become too many for the limited human blood supply, the vampires move slowly in conquering North America, the goal being to round up all the humans into ‘cattle camps’ while taking over the major cities. Using human counterparts known as ‘cowboys’ to do most of the dirty work, the vampires are well on their way to accomplishing their goal of ruling the world. In New Jersey, however, a small group of humans have decided they would rather fight to the death than give in to being cattle, and have barricaded themselves inside a church. Hunting down and killing cowboys by day, and then hunkering down and protecting themselves against the vampires at night, these humans have pretty much accepted the idea that they will eventually be destroyed and just want to cause as much trouble for the vampires as they can. While doing this they make a chance discovery, one which just might give humanity an opportunity for survival. At the same time their continual destruction has caught the eye of New York’s Vampire King, one who views these humans as a thorn that must be plucked free. Will the small band of humans be able to survive the Vampire King, and spread hope for humanity, or will they too succumb to the overwhelming power of the vampire threat?Originally intended as a novella for a vampire themed publication in the early nineties, one which was then added to over the years as opportunities arose to revisit the compelling vampire landscape by publishers looking for new stories, F. Paul Wilson slowly but surely managed to create a vampire novel that is considered by many to be one of the best of the genera -- something which I won’t argue against because I believe it to be true as well. A big part of this success was due to F. Paul Wilson’s desire to use the well known basic vampire myths in creating this novel rather than twisting them around or creating his own like so writers have done over the years (Stephen King made this decision when writing ‘Salem’s Lot, which in turn created a ‘best of the vampire genera’ book as well, something which Wilson praises in his introduction to Midnight Mass). Another important factor was the writing talent used to produce this story, talent that many readers have discovered over the years and desperately crave. One doesn’t have to be a vampire fan to enjoy Midnight Mass, but, like the infectious bite of the vampire, one may be turned into a fan of such tales once this book grabs hold. If nothing else it will make one a F. Paul Wilson fan, assuming of course that one isn’t already a fan of this author’s wonderful story telling abilities.
I sat up late and finished this book last night. It's not a "bad book" I didn't hate it, but I had some gripes and it really didn't hold my interest. I like Wilson's "Repairman Jack" books, at least I've liked most of them so far. So when I read the synopsis of this one and it sounded interesting, I picked it up.I am sort of a "vampire purist" if you are referring to the vampires we all know from Bram Stoker, that is the Eastern European variety (as opposed to say the Asian vampires which are based on a totally different mythology). I'm always a bit annoyed by the modern romantic, lonely, "safe", "friendly", "why don't we date", vampires. If you like vampire protagonists, that's fine...I don't. Wilson expressed the same sentiments here so that interested me a bit over and above the plot. Unfortunately Mr. Wilson's view of blood-suckers seems to have been influenced more by movies than by Bram Stoker (though Stoker's classic vamps have been pretty badly used in the last few years to). He admits that the "folklore vampires" didn't die in the sunlight, but he chooses to use the device...okay fine. I'm not fond of it, but okay. The big change was his use of the "everyone who gets bit becomes a vamp" motif. Again it's his book and that's fine...but it bugs me as vampires from Stoker on had to purposefully "make" another vamp. (Of course in folklore there was some disagreement as to how one became a vamp, suicides and others were thought to change also. Oh well).As I said I've read the Repairman Jack books, but a good many years ago I ran across a Wilson book "The Keep" which I found, much like this one...okay but not great. The way I felt about that book was why it took me so long to try Repairman Jack. Wilson calls The Keep a pseudo-vampire book, I suppose that's a good definition, but he ends up dealing with the same "issues" here that he tried to deal with there. Wilson described himself in the intro to this book as a "recovering Catholic" I don't know (I'm not a Roman Catholic)if that's the same as what other Catholics would call a "failed Catholic" or not...but Wilson certainly has issues with belief.Most "traditional" vampire stories use Christian symbology...this has just been part of the story. Wilson apparently struggles with this. One of his characters describes herself as a "confirmed agnostic". I suppose that to be Mr. Wilson's stance to based on the book. In The Keep the "semi-cross" (it turns out not to be a cross) that drives back the pseudo-vampire (or proto-vampire) causes a sort of crisis of faith for an old Jewish man. In this book he incorporates a Rabi into his protagonists...however this guy seems to be handling things a lot better (like maybe he regards Jesus as a nice Jewish boy or something). I wonder why we didn't have a Buddhist, an Islamic, maybe a Taoist...the possible list is endless. He writes some miraculous scenes but seems (to me) a little uncomfortable with it and makes it a sort of...we don't get this but look it works, sort of thing.It's a readable book and some will undoubtedly like it far more than I did. I didn't hate it. I give it 3 stars but don't plan to reread, recommend, or keep it.
What do You think about Midnight Mass (2005)?
This was a frustratingly bad book. If it had continued more in the post-apocalyptic vein, like the first 10 pages, I might have given it another star. As it was, the second half has been a slog. Seriously, bad characterization and plot development here. The dialogue was embarrassing to read. The vampires have to explain in terrible, cheesy, monologues how truly evil they really are (!). The main character seems like a hopeless self-insertion. He is the manliest man who ever was, and has no flaws. The other characters have to keep repeating how great and admirable he is, because otherwise the reader wouldn't get it. I felt like the whole book is Wilson trying to put in the most shocking and gruesome things he can think of in the hopes of seeming "edgey" or even "scary". He misses the mark, widely. We have everything from cannibalism to killing babies, but it's not scary. It seems very cliche, and mainistream. There was plenty of action in this book. it was slow in the middle, but never got overly wordy. Popcorn, ok. Bad dialogue - not ok.
—Kelsey
Lots of potential, but too many annoying factors slowly made me like this book less and less after a great start. The main characters were mostly unlikable, there were too many criticisms of faith/church for a plot that revolved around a priest protagonist and a nun that could combat vampires with spiritual objects, and the concept of devolution with a character turned by a 'feral' vampire was briefly hinted at but never developed. It wasn't a bad book, but I was expecting so much more from this author after he mentioned that he was going back to the roots of vampires and not taking the romantic route.
—Jon
(Firstly, why is the book description wrong? It's Father Joe and Sister Carole. Who the heck are Dan and Carolyn?)Thrilling and horrific, with a dose humorous irony. Wilson's Midnight Mass is a return to the grisly, purely evil side of vampiric lore. And it's a welcome addition to a genre inundated with romanticized depictions. Reminiscent of Stephen King's The Stand, Midnight Mass flashes back and forth between several groups, allowing us to see events unfold through everyone's perspective: the hopeful Rabbi Zev, the towering Irishman Father Joe, the nun turned vigilante, the jaded and determined feminist, the cowboys who rustle up humans, and finally the vampires who've brought chaos to the east coast. The pace is fast and furious, with heart-stopping moments of insanity that clutch at your throat. The characterizations here are great, though a tad clichéd, and the different perspectives give each personality greater meaning. You'll root for the ragtag rebellion, and laugh and cry along with them as they struggle to regain humanity's hold on the world. The ending comes a little suddenly, and while not a cliffhanger, it does leave the door wide open for a follow-up. I hope we get to see more of these characters in the future.
—The Flooze
