mayoroffailure's review
2.0
I find myself of two minds when it comes to The Hole Behind Midnight. On the one hand, this novel creates a very interesting and unique internal mythology that I found highly engaging. On the other hand, it is incredibly vulgar, offensive, and unnecessary almost continually throughout the narrative. Mr. Boomer has definitely accomplished something in his creation of the world that this book takes place in, as well as his protagonist, but the style of the writing, and how it relates to that world, push this book into a realm where it is going to be incredibly difficult to recommend.
The Hole Behind Midnight follows Royden Poole, a man who is capable of gaining access to a world that is like a funhouse mirror of our own, one where magic and mythos are real and where anyone can become royalty. However, in order to get there, you have to know how to cross over, and you can only do it at midnight. Royden is called in by the local police to interrogate a subject, but when that suspect dies in his custody, shortly after crossing over, he not only needs to clear his own name but he also has to put down a coup for power that could have vastly calamitous effects in the real world.
Let me start with what’s good about this novel. Firstly, the internal magic and mythology of the world are vastly original and highly entertaining. There were several points in the book where Mr. Boomer introduced ideas like a Betamax exorcism, toy weapons that work like real weapons, people who eat magic, sentient vehicles, and using sidewalk chalk to draw a door that actually works: That stands out as being the work of a genuine creative. You can tell that he’s spent an incredibly large amount of time thinking about this world, what is in it, and how it works. It’s genuinely some of the best, and most unique, world-building that I’ve come across in a while.
Royden Poole also works. He’s a well-realized character, he feels like a real person, and Mr. Boomer devotes a strong amount of characterization to him. In particular, the way he understands himself and his flaws, and how he wants to get better but also wants to continue using his flaws for his own advantage, is among the best writing devoted to a protagonist that I’ve come across in a long time. Despite the fact that we are dropped into Royden’s story after he’s been traversing the 25th hour for years is no problem, his place in that world is clearly understandable and the reader never has to stop and wonder what his relationship with another character might be, or how it ended up that way. We understand him, and how he is, so well that it lends stability to everything else that Mr. Boomer is doing around him.
Now, we get to the bad. Royden is an incredibly vulgar person, which mostly works for his characterization, but it often reaches into territory where it is genuinely offensive. There is a lengthy scene in which he and a friend go to a strip club that seems to be staffed entirely by trans women, the language that both Mr. Boomer and his character use to describe these women, what they look like and what they do, is nothing short of transphobic, degrading, and just plain disgusting. These women are characterized as being nothing but sex-crazed lunatics who sleep with, if not rape, and kill anyone that they get the chance to, and the way they are described and characterized made me extremely uncomfortable. This is an extended scene as well, it isn’t one conversation between the two characters and then they leave, Royden gets trapped there and has to actually avoid being assaulted.
All of that is made worse by the fact that these women being transgender, or even present in the narrative, have no impact. There is no particular reason why the characters had to go to this club, there’s no reason why the club is staffed by trans women, and the women themselves aren’t even characters. Mr. Boomer gives them no characterization beyond the incredibly disgusting aspects that I mentioned in my paragraph above. I could potentially forgive some of this if it was clear that Royden himself viewed the characters this way because of some sort of bias or hate he has, but the characterization and degradation of these women also come from the writing and description that exists outside of the mind of the character, and that comes solely from the author. Not to mention the erroneous decision to have this happen in the narrative, to begin with.
As a whole, a lot of the vulgarity in this book comes across as an attempt at style, sort of like the kid at your elementary school who started using swear words in every sentence as soon as they learned them. I say this because nearly every character in the narrative is outrageously vulgar, and the regularity with which this particular character trait crops up actually makes the writing seem lazy rather than funny or clever. There were several moments where I had to stop reading and ask why something was included: Why is this character surrounded by televisions playing porn? Why is this character threatening sexual violence? Why are there so many N-words being thrown around? Why does this character collect so many sex tapes? It's almost constant, especially sexual vulgarity. There is no reason at all why every character needs to be like this, having one especially vulgar character works in a narrative, but having a world stocked with them reflects more on who the author of that narrative is.
It’s so hard to evaluate this book because I want to like it. Mr. Boomer’s writing can be funny, it can be fast-paced, and it can be genuinely great. He clearly has an eye for world-building and mythos construction, he clearly knows how to write a detective story, and he can also write the hell out of a fight sequence. There is a battle between Royden and one of the main antagonists outside of the strip club that was genuinely riveting, and Royden’s solution to beating the antagonist, or at least getting away from him, was clever and exciting. It’s moments like that where I know that this book, and its world, can be something better than it is. There is a multitude of different stories and interesting characters contained in the 25th hour that are just waiting to be explored, but this particular one is covered in too much filth to make the excavation worthwhile.
The Hole Behind Midnight follows Royden Poole, a man who is capable of gaining access to a world that is like a funhouse mirror of our own, one where magic and mythos are real and where anyone can become royalty. However, in order to get there, you have to know how to cross over, and you can only do it at midnight. Royden is called in by the local police to interrogate a subject, but when that suspect dies in his custody, shortly after crossing over, he not only needs to clear his own name but he also has to put down a coup for power that could have vastly calamitous effects in the real world.
Let me start with what’s good about this novel. Firstly, the internal magic and mythology of the world are vastly original and highly entertaining. There were several points in the book where Mr. Boomer introduced ideas like a Betamax exorcism, toy weapons that work like real weapons, people who eat magic, sentient vehicles, and using sidewalk chalk to draw a door that actually works: That stands out as being the work of a genuine creative. You can tell that he’s spent an incredibly large amount of time thinking about this world, what is in it, and how it works. It’s genuinely some of the best, and most unique, world-building that I’ve come across in a while.
Royden Poole also works. He’s a well-realized character, he feels like a real person, and Mr. Boomer devotes a strong amount of characterization to him. In particular, the way he understands himself and his flaws, and how he wants to get better but also wants to continue using his flaws for his own advantage, is among the best writing devoted to a protagonist that I’ve come across in a long time. Despite the fact that we are dropped into Royden’s story after he’s been traversing the 25th hour for years is no problem, his place in that world is clearly understandable and the reader never has to stop and wonder what his relationship with another character might be, or how it ended up that way. We understand him, and how he is, so well that it lends stability to everything else that Mr. Boomer is doing around him.
Now, we get to the bad. Royden is an incredibly vulgar person, which mostly works for his characterization, but it often reaches into territory where it is genuinely offensive. There is a lengthy scene in which he and a friend go to a strip club that seems to be staffed entirely by trans women, the language that both Mr. Boomer and his character use to describe these women, what they look like and what they do, is nothing short of transphobic, degrading, and just plain disgusting. These women are characterized as being nothing but sex-crazed lunatics who sleep with, if not rape, and kill anyone that they get the chance to, and the way they are described and characterized made me extremely uncomfortable. This is an extended scene as well, it isn’t one conversation between the two characters and then they leave, Royden gets trapped there and has to actually avoid being assaulted.
All of that is made worse by the fact that these women being transgender, or even present in the narrative, have no impact. There is no particular reason why the characters had to go to this club, there’s no reason why the club is staffed by trans women, and the women themselves aren’t even characters. Mr. Boomer gives them no characterization beyond the incredibly disgusting aspects that I mentioned in my paragraph above. I could potentially forgive some of this if it was clear that Royden himself viewed the characters this way because of some sort of bias or hate he has, but the characterization and degradation of these women also come from the writing and description that exists outside of the mind of the character, and that comes solely from the author. Not to mention the erroneous decision to have this happen in the narrative, to begin with.
As a whole, a lot of the vulgarity in this book comes across as an attempt at style, sort of like the kid at your elementary school who started using swear words in every sentence as soon as they learned them. I say this because nearly every character in the narrative is outrageously vulgar, and the regularity with which this particular character trait crops up actually makes the writing seem lazy rather than funny or clever. There were several moments where I had to stop reading and ask why something was included: Why is this character surrounded by televisions playing porn? Why is this character threatening sexual violence? Why are there so many N-words being thrown around? Why does this character collect so many sex tapes? It's almost constant, especially sexual vulgarity. There is no reason at all why every character needs to be like this, having one especially vulgar character works in a narrative, but having a world stocked with them reflects more on who the author of that narrative is.
It’s so hard to evaluate this book because I want to like it. Mr. Boomer’s writing can be funny, it can be fast-paced, and it can be genuinely great. He clearly has an eye for world-building and mythos construction, he clearly knows how to write a detective story, and he can also write the hell out of a fight sequence. There is a battle between Royden and one of the main antagonists outside of the strip club that was genuinely riveting, and Royden’s solution to beating the antagonist, or at least getting away from him, was clever and exciting. It’s moments like that where I know that this book, and its world, can be something better than it is. There is a multitude of different stories and interesting characters contained in the 25th hour that are just waiting to be explored, but this particular one is covered in too much filth to make the excavation worthwhile.
barryhaworth's review
3.0
I came across this book as part of the 19 Nocturne Boulevard podcast. The story is based around the intriguing notion that at the hour of midnight there is, for certain people, a way into an extra hour of the day where magic and supernatural events occur.
The audio adaptation I listened to is not complete so I am perhaps not doing the book justice, but I found that, though it started well, the story seemed to get more and more convoluted and less and less easy to credit as it went on.
The audio adaptation I listened to is not complete so I am perhaps not doing the book justice, but I found that, though it started well, the story seemed to get more and more convoluted and less and less easy to credit as it went on.
mackattack108's review
3.0
When I started reading this, my first thought what , “I’m not going to like this” and I was at a few times proven wrong and got really into the action. However, the plot was so hard to follow, the backstories very complex and off putting for a first novel, and as much as I appreciated an asshole main character he was very limited. Though witty and able to create complex plans in a moments notice, just no growth and was very much tiring in his melancholia.
I loved the American Gods Vibe of this book and that it featured so much history but for me the Action spin was just too much and something I’m not personally into. A lot of the story jumped all over the place and it was hard to keep up with what was happening plot wise.
If you like action, comedic writing and history/legends this is an amazing book. If any of those things are your thing you’ll probably be in the same boat as me, and enjoy it but not love it.
I loved the American Gods Vibe of this book and that it featured so much history but for me the Action spin was just too much and something I’m not personally into. A lot of the story jumped all over the place and it was hard to keep up with what was happening plot wise.
If you like action, comedic writing and history/legends this is an amazing book. If any of those things are your thing you’ll probably be in the same boat as me, and enjoy it but not love it.
carolined314's review against another edition
4.0
A hardboiled, slightly insane romp through this universe, and those adjacent. The mystery gets weirder and deeper in a way that reminded me of Richard Kadrey, but Boomer's worlds are far more stacked and intertwined.
teejayniu's review against another edition
1.0
One of those rare books I just cannot get into. There are some laughs, but overall the story slogs along and takes forever to get going somewhere. The main character, while amusing, is so sarcastic I found it annoying.
ryinwonderland's review
4.0
The whole time I read this, I was reminded of the tones of books like The Dresden Files and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Really fun, very crude, totally crazy. I loved it.
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