Coach's Midnight Diner: The Jesus Vs. Cthulhu Edition

By Vennessa Ng Kimberly Culbertson,Coach Culbertson

A hardboiled anthology of horror, mystery, and paranormal fiction, Coach's Midnight Diner is the faith-based anthology readers have been waiting for. With full allowance for artistic freedom, Diner... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979228441
• ISBN13: 9780979228445
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Ccpublishing Nfp
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.4" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Jesus vs. Cthulhu? Sign me up.

There's no sterility, no processed church product in this anthology. So if raw ingredients and unsavory individuals make you uncomfortable, don't read this volume. And maybe don't read the Bible either. Darkness plays its own role in each of these stories--as it must in any tale with the semblance of reality. One must wonder if the Christian world might be more challenged by a scary dose of "paranormal goodness" or two. Kevin Lucia scares me a little bit, and for that I thank him. "Way Station," the story of a writer confronting the frightening thing to write--which is most assuredly the thing he was meant to write--hits uncomfortably close to home. Contained in the story: the scary truth that each of us has the power to usher in victory or destruction. Darn you, Kevin, for reminding us not to squander our talent and miss the turn-off on that road to destiny. I was having an easy day before this.

Breaking Down Barriers

Anthologies are growing on me. I've not read a lot of short stories since my college days. Probably a subliminal thing. Short stories equal homework, something like that. That said the last couple of years I've begun to find my way back to this medium and have been discovering new stories and authors along with re-discovering classics. Coach's Midnight Diner, released earlier this year, is a first in a couple of ways. This anthology is one that introduces us to many new and/or up and coming authors. Some published here for the first time anywhere. And also, it's a collection of mostly speculative/paranormal/horror genre stories written from a Christian world view. Speculative fiction is a growing genre in the Christian fiction market. Some publishers seem to be understanding the potential here. In this reviewers mind, that's a good thing. Like any anthology Coach's Midnight Diner is a mixed bag. There are some great stories here and some . . . well, not so great. The same can be said for most any book of it's kind, so this is hardly a criticism. A few of the best efforts, for me, are The Way Station by Kevin Lucia, Gargoyle by J. Mark Bertrand and Almost A Hero by Mike Dellosso. No doubt you'll find others you like as much or more. Next year I believe we'll see a new volume in the Diner series. I'm already looking forward to whatever it is that the Coach has up his sleeve.

Highly Recommended

One of those anthologies that is a long time coming, and I will say with authority because I brought the Coach with me when I unleashed Tabloid Purposes IV to the masses. This anthology has a lot of kinship with the smaller press anthologies, but at the same time it stands out even more because this is coming from the faith community and not the typical anthology that comes from this kind of community. I can't pick one story as a favorite because they're all good and I got this book in pre-order but I recommend The Way Station on this one because it is one of those that can hold up with its small press counterparts. The opening story is a first where you see a devote Christian stepping with a working knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos with a style that could very fit an anthology like Tabloid Purposes or Arkham House's projects. I am honored to pick up one of the first copies of this anthology and one of those if you're not afraid of Christian fiction with a lot of punch -- run to the bookstore or get it on here because it just flat out rocks. I read this one in the PDF format in two days. Christian Horror, Urban Fantasy and Hard Boiled live within the pages of the diner. For the longest time I thought diners were eerie, and intriguing places for fiction. This cements the fact of that. Truck stops can also play into this when you read Coach's Midnight Diner. You can see why Coach put his name on it -- the fact he was serving up the coffee while the authors told their stories. The fact I brought Coach on for Gothicfest 2007 site unseen by just reading the preview of the anthologies gave me a lot of faith in this anthology. It's making a strong cameo in my own short story "Supernatural Broadcasts" which I am currently writing. You've seen the rest of the anthologies out there right now, and the fact I own a few of them signed -- this is the most recent book in my signed book collections and this one is my fav anthology by far. Coach rocked with this -- and I can't wait to see Midnight Diner 2. There are a few anthologies that hit the street in same time as this one -- mine, Corvis' and another one. The fact I picked this one up after I finished up the work on mine. The writers here are all very impressive and you're going to see a lot more of them too. The Way Station is proof of this one and the guy, hell -- I could actually see him appearing alongside with Ken Goldman, Donna Burgess, Lawrence Dagstine or even myself on an anthology and hold his own! It's well worth what ever it is selling for if picked up here or on the publishers site you're supporting a local publisher. This is the speculative fiction scene in Illinois. Lucia actually went on to appear in a few other anthologies after this one -- if you want to see how he manages in other anthologies grab a story he wrote called The Sliding. Run to the damn bookstore and get this one if you can find it in a bookstore but you're better off getting it right from the edi

The Shadows Prove the Daylight...

Long before the rise of Christian publishing, marketing departments, and book committees domesticating content to appeal to the sensibilities of evangelical audiences, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote novels filled with profound Christian truths. However, his characters were a dark and colorful bunch including murderers, the mentally challenged, gamblers, seditionists, and prostitutes. Dostoevsky noted that he built some of his most recognizable character by recalling his fellow inmates during his own time in prison. Fyodor's painted his characters with such a dark brush that one wonders if "The Possessed", "Crime and Punishment", or "The Brothers Karamazov" would be publishable in today's Christian market. Coach Culbertson and the creative minds at ccPublishing are hoping to change all that with THE COACH'S MIDNIGHT DINOR, an anthology of "horror, mystery, crime, and paranormal goodness." Like Dostoevsky's universe, the pages of the diner are filled with murders, strippers, demons, debauched pastors, trolls, alcoholics and host of other unlikely purveyors of divine truth. A warning on the title page cautions that the stories inside "may cause insomnia due to the intense nature of some, and thus is not recommended for children or those with weak constitutions or heart problems." The tongue is firmly planted in the check but the warning is accurate. The language in this anthology is often raw and uncensored. The violence is often equal to an episode of Sopranos. The authors in THE COACH'S MIDNIGHT walk a fine line. It would be easy, nearly inevitable, to depict evil in a manner that glorifies darkness. The authors collectively avoid this trap, gratefully. Darkness, rather, is a backdrop against which justice, grace, and redemption shine. One category of story that Editor-in-Chief, Coach Culbertson, called for was "Jesus vs. Cthulhu." For the uninitiated, Cthulhu refers to the mythos of demigods, settings, and themes created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Culbertson. Culbertson's invitation pushed contributors past the now hackneyed angels vs. demons plotline which dominated Christian fiction in the late 80's. Notable stories include "The Salvation of Sancho" by Robert Garbacz. Set in a murky Shadowland known as The Abyss, we meet Sancho, the faithful sidekick of a quixotic preacher who defiantly attempts to establish the God's kingdom in lawless town. Like the fabled Don Quixote, the preacher is broken under the weight of his quest. However, Garbacz's Sancho finds redemption a table with C.S. Lewis, Dostoevsky, and Tolkien. Kevin Lucia's "Way Station" is a smartly worded story of a writer unable to repeat the success of his first novel. In a handful of pages Lucia creates a paranormal thriller worthy of Rod Sterling's THE TWILIGHT ZONE. R.M. Oliver's "The Last Trip to Crystal Moon" is gritty tale of vigilantism set at a strip club. The protagonist is an employee at the club who is forced to front his conscience when a new proprietor introduce