"Fetid, cosmic, and distinctly human, The Midnight Muse is a corpsepaint-daubed reimagining of the urge to create art as an infection. It asks what happens when those compelled by its charge are consumed by its creeping compulsion. A must-read." --Zachary Ashford, author of Polyphemus "One of the most effective and compelling marriages of natural and supernatural horror since Richard Matheson's Hell House , The Midnight Muse by Jo Kaplan is full of dazzling surprises and eerie plot twists that make it hard to stop turning pages. Kaplan's novel will connect with fans of recent works like Paul Tremblay's The Cabin at the End of the World or Cherie Priest's The Toll . At the same time, its meditations on the disturbingly porous veil dividing the living from the dead--and the human from the inhuman--may also put readers in mind of classic works of the uncanny like The Island of Doctor Moreau or even Fitz-James O'Brien's 'What Was It?' Though the terrors that beset her protagonists are deeply unnerving, Kaplan also manages to infuse The Midnight Muse with a rollicking sense of fun; you may grin or even giggle from time to time, even as the urge to hide under your blankets grows stronger and stronger. The Midnight Muse is thoroughly impressive horror storytelling, and an utter delight to read." --Scott Kenemore, author of Edge of the Wire and Lake of Darkness "A pungent myco-psycho nightmare that will leave readers jonesing for Carrion Queen on ghost-white vinyl, The Midnight Muse pits inspiration against collaboration, individuality against uniformity, and want against need in a pagan-metal symphony of seductive survival horror.

" --Matthew R. Davis, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Songs of Shadow, Words of Woe.