Daniel Braum is a modern American horror writer whose stories have garnered much acclaim, including multiple honorable mentions in Ellen Datlow’s prestigious Best Horror anthologies as well as the appearance of his story “How To Stay Afloat When Drowning” in Best Horror of the Year Volume 12. The Night Marchers is one of three collections of his stories which have been published (The Wish Mechanics Stories of the Strange and Fantastic from Independent Legions, Underworld Dreams from Lethe Press being the other two). He alsoedited the mummy-themed anthology Spirits Unwrapped. Daniel’s stories aren’t always outright horror but tend to fall more into the category of unsettlingly strange. There’s often no definitive explanation for the eerie events taking place in them, but one can sense a deeper, hidden meaning running beneath the surface. Daniel cites the television series The Twilight Zone and the works of Robert Aickman as heavy influences on his writing style.
Many of the stories in The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales take place in exotic locations such as the Caribbean or South America, giving this collection a uniquely tropical feel. There’s something extra-chilling about such unnatural things inhabiting such beautiful, sunny locales.
THE STORIES:
1. “The Music of the Spheres” (2010) – A piano player, working on making a rock album with his guitarist partner Jack, is introduced to a saxophone player who is the acolyte of a legendary musician named Noah Sol. Followers of Sol are attempting to create a song harmonized to the the distance between the planets in the solar system. Some say that, if perfected, such a song could trigger the end of the world. Soon, the men find themselves amidst a cult-like assembly of musicians who are trying to bring the song into existence. This is an excellent cosmic horror tale!
2. “Hurricane Sandrine” (2004) – Steven flies to Belize in the Caribbean in search of his wife’s brother, who had moved there. Steven’s wife recently died in a diving accident and her brother failed to show up for her funeral. He encounters several interesting residents on this journey, including a mysterious woman with unusual tattoos on her arms who seems to be hiding a secret. The area on this island he’s looking for, called Caye Caulker, has been ravaged by hurricanes several times and a new one is heading that way. This story’s setting and the characters are all well-developed and interesting.
3. “Mystic Tryst” (2008) – Rock-and-roll drummer Joe begins seeing spectral manifestations of the exotic fish he and his former wife Kendra used to share floating through his apartment. When Kendra sees them as well, the two come together again to formulated a plan to dispel these ghost fish while rekindling their tumultuous relationship in the process. This well-told tale has a very unique haunting.
4. “A Girl’s Guide to Applying Superior Cat Makeup and Dispelling Commonly Found Surburban Demons” (2016) – It’s 1985 and Faith is dressed as a cat for Halloween as her father drops her and her brother off at a concert. The parking lot outside the box office is full of other Halloween revelers who are partying and indulging. It’s here that she sees a beautiful, older girl who is also dressed as a cat but whose costume is far superior to her own. Following her movements through the crowd she sees a hulking man stalking this other cat girl which leads to a violent confrontation. This story captures the vibe of 1980’s Halloween well!
5. “Across the Darien Gap” (2006) – Nat is transporting a group of nine people across The Darien Gap, a rainforest located where Central and South America meet. He uses magic wards to hide their movements from those seeking them out. Alexa, Nat’s love interest, is one of the nine. She is fleeing someone terrible. You can listen to this here for free: https://pseudopod.org/2007/12/14/pseudopod-68-across-the-darien-gap/
6. “Spark” (2007) – A family man becomes obsessed with seeing a mysterious woman made of flames who only appears to him in fires. She entices him to set increasingly larger fires to continue her interactions with him.
7. “The Ghost Dance” (2005) – Agent Erin DiNafro of Squadron Thirty Seven works to stop a group of Native Americans who have begun a traditional dance called The Ghost Dance which is spreading far-and-wide. It makes the dancers believe they are long dead Indian heroes from bygone eras. This dance appears to invoke supernatural occurrences.
8. “The Green Man of Punta Cabre” (2014) – When a Catholic priest in the South American village of Punta Cabre gives a mummy, which was found following an earthquake, a proper burial, a strange cornstalk immediate begins to grow from that spot. It appears to have a face in its center. While at first this is thought of as a miracle, it actually proves to be the harbinger of a powerful supernatural entity. A very intriguing tale!
9. “Jellyfish Moon” (2012) – Set on a secluded island in the Pacific, San works to repair the underwater security nets and remove crocodiles from the inlet so they won’t disturb the upcoming festival of The Jellyfish Moon. It marks a time when hordes of jellyfish return there to cluster en-mass. San is distracted from his duties, however, by the return to the island of Marina, a rich, globetrotting reporter who is the love of his life. Is it possible the mythical crocodile deity Harat is interested in crashing the festivities? This is an excellent story!
10. “The Night Marchers” (2016) – Max is a former archeological mercenary turned guardian of the bones of ancient Hawaiiankings. When a former student comes around in search of those bones, he learns others are coming for them as well, forcing him to move to protect them. Will these actions bring about the coming of the Night Marchers?
11. “The Moon and the Mesa” (2010) – Set in Navajo Country, a man goes to the mesa in the desert and encounters a mysterious entity. You can listen here for free: https://pseudopod.org/2010/12/31/pseudopod-219-the-moon-and-the-mesa/
12. “The Sphinx of Cropsey Avenue” (2016) – Nathan balances his life going to work, taking care of his aging mother, and acting as a father figure to his girlfriend, Yeal’s young son. Yeal is an insulin-dependent diabetic who works as a fortune teller from Morocco. The sudden, inexplicable appearance of an enormous Sphinx that sits blocking Cropsey Avenue sends locals into turmoil. It’s too large to force to move and no one knows what it wants. This is tale is difficult to describe but is very well written and is filled with interesting characters. Highly recommended!
Article by Matt Cowan
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-marchers-daniel-braum/1124708256
Daniel Braum’s Website: https://bloodandstardust.wordpress.com
Horror Delve 
I have the ebook of The Night Marchers, but since I dislike reading fiction on my laptop, I have not read past the first few stories. Thanks for the review and the impetus to finish this fine collection.
I also vastly prefer having a physical book for any fiction I read, so I know what you mean. It’s a really good collection and I’ve read some more of Daniel’s stories which aren’t included in this book which were quite good as well.