Cynthia Murphy’s book The Midnight Game is nightmare fuel. Although her novel may not reflect the same fear-factor as a Dean Koontz or Steven King work, it is certainly sinister. A group of teens make the mistake of meeting up in real life with people they’ve met in internet chat rooms and through online threads.
Ellie, Mei, Hugo, Callum, Toni, and Reece join in a terrifying game in which the Midnight Man comes to hunt. Classed as a pagan ritual, The Midnight Game was “a punishment for wrong-doers. . . . It was sort of a trial. . . . If the ‘player’ survived, they were innocent. If they didn’t. . . well, they got their comeuppance” (171). According to ancient lore, if the Midnight Man catches you, “he rips your organs out and you die” (173). Apparently designed for adrenaline junkies, The Midnight Game definitely fits the “games you should not play” category!
The group of six teens agrees to meet at St. Martin’s Roman Catholic School where they will play. Ellie is pretty, peppy, and organized. A mixed-race Chinese girl, Mei is a stickler for rules and content to follow her dad’s dream that she become a lawyer. From a privileged family, Hugo just wants friends following a bad choice that led to a stigmatizing experience. Callum knows his way around the school since his mother is a teacher there, so it is by stealing her keys that the group gains access. Of the six, Toni is perhaps the most terrifying with her “don’t mess with me attitude.” Finally, Reece comes on as a nerdy guy without much fashion sense.
As the game plays out, terror ensues. Is the Midnight Man a legend, a hoax, or real? While the perspective of each chapter changes, Murphy intersperses her text with online chats and text messages that hint at who might be playing the game. From these threads, other personalities emerge, as well, adding to the complexity of the plot. Discussion on these threads revolves around creepypastas, which are horror-related stories or legends that circulate widely online, particularly on forums and social media. In addition to these conversations, Murphy includes descriptions of various scary games. Suffice it to say that these games are not for the feint of heart! Readers should be prepared to be scared.
- Donna