Thompson creates a world his readers can get lost in, one rich with depth and detail. The culture and characters drive the story in true old school fantasy fashion, so that every twist and turn feels both inevitable and surprising. The complicated heroes grapple with their inner demons, making their journeys as engrossing as they are harrowing.

The terrifying monsters lurking within the pages are not just physical beings, but manifestations of the fears and nightmares that plague the characters. Thompson’s ability to bring these creatures to life with such vividness is a testament to his skill as a storyteller. The scenes are so rich in detail you feel like a fly on the tapestry, witnessing every blood-curdling encounter and heart-wrenching moment.

This is a dark fantasy that embeds itself in the mind, leaving a lingering sense of unease long after the last page is turned. The intricate world-building, coupled with Thompson’s knack for creating tension and suspense, ensures that readers are not just passive consumers but active participants in the narrative.

I recently had the privilege and the pleasure of reading the first novel of emerging author Keith B Thompson’s planned six book The Midnight Watch series. Book One: “To Keep the Midnight Watch,” is a tale of horror and the supernatural which completely envelopes the reader into its world. The story is a thrilling blend of gothic horror and swashbuckling romantic adventure which takes place in late 16th Century Europe, and like all great historical novels, the author’s meticulous research and recounting of real history, is blended with a wickedly good story, strong characters, and vivid writing. The result is a book that once opened is hard to put down.

The main character is a wandering swordsman known as Raven the Night Watchman, a dhampir – half human and half vampire – who uses his supernatural powers in the furtherance of good. Raven’s never-ending quest to combat the forces of darkness takes him to Scotland, where he meets young, brave Archibald MacGreggor, a Highland teen who joins Raven after experiencing a tragic encounter with an unholy evil. Raven and Archie will soon join the battle-hardened Gaspard de La Platiére and his staunch ally
Francisco de los Santos in the town of Gefferstad in the Protestant ruled United Dutch Provinces of the Netherlands. It is in the vice-ridden Gefferstad that the main action takes place and where Raven and his three very human allies unite to become The Midnight Watch. I won’t ruin the fun by describing each of Raven’s cohorts, but suffice it to say, that each of these colorful and deeply flawed personalities is a well fleshed out character who could have a book of his own.

Gefferstad is a plague stricken and rat-infested city, besieged by supernatural forces of evil. However, these horrifying monsters pale in comparison to the venal ruling elite of the town. The Midnight Watch certainly have their jobs cut out for them in this picturesque Dutch haven of sex, sin, death, and deceit, and therein lies the adventure.

Let me just add that the men of The Midnight Watch are ably assisted by the shrewd brothel owner, Madame Gerta, and her lovely ladies, most especially the tragic but courageous beauty known as Idun, who develops an inexplicable spiritual connection to the otherworldly Raven.

The Midnight Watch is a very entertaining novel with fascinating historical passages. The characters jump off the page and leap cinematically straight into your imagination, the words translating easily into images in the brain like a motion picture. I can easily see this story adapted into film, an HBO series, or a graphic novel. It is author Keith B Thompson’s intent for this book to be the first of an ongoing series. I would be eager to read more from him, and to revisit from time to time my friends of The Midnight Watch.

I have loved horror my whole life—novels, films, short stories, anything I can get my hands on. But I have always had a special love for vampires—from the classic works of Stoker and Murnau to modern reinventions like Dan Simmons’ Carrion Comfort and Octavia Butler’s Fledgling. And, of course, I spent my Saturday afternoons as a kid watching triple features of Christopher Lee’s baroque Hammer Studio masterpieces from the ’60s and gladly suffered the nightmares that inevitably followed.

But loving vampire stories is also a curse. Because as anyone who shares my obsession knows, for every classic you might discover that chills you to the bone, you have to sift through literally hundreds of lousy movies and bad books. And frankly, in the past decade, it’s been worse than ever with the genre being diluted with young-adult nonsense. Where’s the adventure? Where’s the history? Where’s the horror?

So if you feel like me, I am here to tell you your search is over: Keith B. Thompson’s To Keep the Midnight Watch is the bloody gem you’ve been waiting for.

With a powerful sense of tone and setting, Thompson weaves a vast, rich, and nightmarish vision of 16th Century Europe that is threaded with folktale dread and haunted by sinister forces that range from the supernatural to the all-too-human. This mix of realism and dark romance is given a voice with the character of Raven the Night Watchman—a monster come to keep the world safe from even worse horrors…and he is as compelling and terrifying a hero as I’ve ever read.

This book is bold, adventurous, and bloody as hell—not to mention packed with terrific characters, brilliantly twisted reimaginings of real historical events, and Grand Guignol setpieces that I’ll never forget. With To Keep the Midnight Watch, Keith B. Thompson hasn’t just delivered the goods; he pulled off something that hasn’t happened since I was a kid: he gave me nightmares again—and as a horror fan, I couldn’t be more thankful.

Keith B. Thompson’s The Midnight Watch was a highly enjoyable read that leaves you wanting more, which is a plus since this is the start of a planned series.

The setting and tone are truly the stars, featuring a strong mix of Gothic horror and European locales. It permeates throughout the pages and is one of the story’s biggest accomplishments, among a list of many. There’s elements of horror, mystery, adventure, and action throughout this vampire-and-monster tale. Often when writers try to blend across genres, the writing can suffer in their weaker areas, but that’s not the case for Thompson. I was continuously engaged, often on the edge of my seat, and wondering where Raven’s thrilling story would go next.

Don’t hesitate to pick up this gem. As the best books often do, it’ll transport you right into the thick of an exciting, sometimes gruesome, and memorable page-turner.