Soze Says

Though it starts strongly and fleshes out major character Nikki Lane well, Christopher Fulbright's The Midnight Order undoes much of its early good work once a second major plot-line involving another character is introduced. This serves to only muddle proceedings, and detract from what was an engaging idea: That of some nefarious group which lures broken and emotionally spent people to a secluded location by way of a not-at-all defined cure.

For an 88 page novella, this should have been enough. Having Nikki deal with what she finds at the secluded location would have been story enough, with the other bit characters serving as either fodder for the process or foils for her efforts. Instead, the reader has to accept a fairly out-there turn of events, with the secondary threat proving far more deadly than the initial one. As such, my interest waned, despite the relative brevity of the story.

Fulbright's writing itself was good without being overly memorable (though there were a few too many editing errors), and the secret the order is protecting is also good. And as stated, Nikki is a believable and interesting character. If only the story she originally appeared in had have stayed the course, this could have been a great little novella.

2.5 Creatures Out of Left Field for The Midnight Order.