Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Louis Brierley

Louis lives in Rochedale and has been writing since was ten. He wrote five novels by the time he was 20. Fantasy stories, he says, allow him to allude to reality without the restraints of norms or style.

“The Midnight Man” is a story about a young girl’s dream, but its conclusion sidesteps our guideline about “dream stories.” Nonetheless, the story illustrates what the author means by allusions to reality: “The Midnight Man” is a story about a story. It invites the readers to fill in many blanks on their own, in particular: For what is Aisha’s father remorseful? Why does she have a semi-ethnic identity?

Readers may have other questions, as well, but they may find in the Midnight Man himself a figure akin to Terry Pratchett’s character, Death. Pratchett’s Death is a lonely bachelor with an odd taste in home furnishings, but he is really a kindly, compassionate soul, one might say, even a friend...

Louis Brierley’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Louis. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!