Die Nacht Serie (The 'Night' Series) - Dark German Folklore Horror Novels

When the book, "Krampusnacht: A Yuletide Tale" was released in December of 2018, it was the beginning of a series of four books that will be released from 2018-2019. The author, Mateo G.R. originally got the idea from his childhood, when he would read 'The Grimm Brother's Fairytales (M?rchen von Brüder Grimm)' in their original German Translation. His Mother is of German descent and to this day Mateo's Mother speaks a decent amount of German. All in all, this series is a tribute to Mateo's Mother and her Germanic roots. Mateo's biggest influences are "The Grimm Brother's Fairytales" and of course, these dark horror novels are fueled by Mateo's love for Germanic Folklore and Legends.

'The Grimm Brother's Fairytales' were the original fairytales that Disney would eventually use to make many of their classic children's films that have been seen by many generations of young children. 'The Grimm Brother's Fairytales' did not have the light-hearted happy endings that are portrayed by Disney. 'The Grimm Brother's Fairytales' were quite dark and many did not have an ending that would be considered "Disney" praise worthy. And of course, many aspects of the original tales were very different than how they are perceived by Disney. From the major differences with the material that the Cinder Girl's slippers were made of, to the true events of the death of Grandmother Wolf...'The Grimm Brother's Fairytales' were quite dark and they had a Antiquated-Gothic feel to them; especially, the German Translations of the Original Tales.

The 'Nacht' Series is all originally in German or Hochdeutsch, and every book will be in a bilingual format: (German < English). With the only exception being, "Krampusnacht: A Yuletide Tale," which is trilingual, and includes a translation of the book in Antiquated 15th-16th century English along with the German and Modern English Translations for the book.

The first installment in the series was "Krampusnacht: A Yuletide Tale." The book is based on the German-Austrian 'Krampus' Tradition, which predates Christianity and the establishment of Saint Nicholas (Weihnachtsmann) as the protagonist of the Christmas Holiday. Krampus was originally the dark counterpart of Saint Nick, as Saint Nick or Santa Claus would reward well-behaved boys and girls with gifts and treats, while Krampus would punish the badly-behaved boys and girls and sometimes take them to hell with him. This dark tradition was not originally copied into the American classical interpretation of Santa Claus, mainly due to the Judeo-Messianic roots of the what is now the United States, and for the reason that 'Krampus' has pagan roots in Old Germanic Lore. Krampus, also known as the 'Christmas Devil or Demon' was indeed seen as too dark of a character to add to the tradition of the American version of the Santa Claus. Then of course, there are the traditions of the 'Christmas Pickle' and 'Christmas Spider' that Mateo's Mother hangs on the Christmas Tree every year, which are both German traditions as well.

"Gruss vom Krampus" Postcard ----- Courtesy of Google

The second installment in the series "Werwolfnacht: Der Fluch des M?dchens" was released in January 2019. It is much darker than its predecessor and of course, it is a much longer book. The story as well continues the dark storyline with 'Helen, the Maiden' and 'Fennyrich der Graue.' The subtitle of Book II is the 'Maiden's Curse' and of course, this story is about Werewolves or specifically, a Werewolf in particular. In German a 'Werewolf' was called, 'Werwolf, B?rwolf or Beerwolf.' The second installment begins the Black forest trend of the books. The second book to the fourth book all take place in a small developing town named R?tenbach, which is a town in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) of southwest Germany. The town called R?tenbach has quite an interesting history and is known for their small shops that make Kuckucksuhren or Cuckoo Clocks. The town was first mentioned to be a small developing colony in the year 819 A.D. The lengths of the first and second book are drastically different. "Krampusnacht: A Yuletide Tale" had a length of 156 pages and "Werwolfnacht: Der Fluch des M?dchens" has a length of 398 pages, thus, making it a more drawn-out read. We can also probably see the third installment being much longer, and perhaps past 400 pages. In addition, several German Folklore based beasts will be throughout the second book and play small parts throughout the novel. These stories, despite being Fairytale-like in nature, are indeed not the Fairytale-Wonderfulness of Disney, but a darker spin on somewhat recognizable characters and includes a Nordic-Germanic twist with Old Folkloric Beasts and Monsters. The book series will continue the Dark Gothic Tradition of the original 'Grimm Brother's Fairytales.' The last book of the series will end with the fourth book, which will be called "Die Nacht des Kürbisk?nigs" and will completely interconnect the series and all of the characters within the three previous books of the series.

Werewolf Devouring Woman, XIX c. engraving, Mansell Collection, London ------- (Courtesy of Google)

The third installment delves into darker themes and subject matter as it focuses on the dark celebration called 'Walpurgisnacht.' This book focuses on the character who was introduced in the second installment, Gerd der Wolfj?ger (Gerd the Wolfhunter). This tale takes place in the year 999 A.D. as the previous book took place in the year 977 A.D. Gerd's daughter is kidnapped by the Four Ladies of the Wood, who have dark intentions for their purpose of kidnapping Gerd's daughter, Wilma. Gerd and his wife, Helga are accompanied by a small group of villagers who have assembled in order to rescue Wilma and two other young maidens who were kidnapped on the same night as Wilma. 'Walpurgisnacht: die Versammlung' is the longest book in the series as it ties together the events of the previous volume; and the full duration and length of the book is 619 pages long. The final installment, which is the fourth book in the series, is shorter in length, but it shows the connection of the characters from the second and third installments to the character in the first book, Heinrich (a.k.a. Heinrich the Pumpkin Smasher). Within this volume, the blend of styles from the Grimm Brother's Fairytales and Stephen King's Dark Literary Tones are quite evident...and there are several subtle hidden elements within the third installment as there was in the second installment in the series. The majority of the Folkloric Beasts and Monsters are introduced within the third installment, and include such beasts as Wolpertinger, Raspelbock, Tatzelwurm, Lindwurm, Nachzehrer, Alp and Nachtkrapp; including many other creatures, which are all German Folkloric Beasts of the Forest. There are also several beasts within the series that come from Traditional Slavic Mythology, as well; including the 'Лешие (Leshiye)' and the 'Бес (Bies),' which are both spirits of the forest and may be seen as either malevolent or benevolent.

A traditional depiction of a 'Wolpertinger' from Old Germanic Folklore (Image is courtesy of Google Images, June 4th, 2019)

A traditional depiction of a 'Tatzelwurm' attacking a pig from Old Germanic Folklore (Image is courtesy of Google Images, June 4th, 2019)

Depiction of a 'Leshy' or 'Leshiye' from Traditional Slavic Mythology (Image is courtesy of Google Images, June 4th, 2019)

Traditional depiction of a 'Bies' from Traditional Slavic Mythology (Image is courtesy of Google Images, June 4th, 2019)

Depiction of 'Walpurga's Night' or 'Walpurgisnacht' as it is commonly called in German. Courtesy of 'A Gothic Cabinet of Curiosities and Mysteries' and Google Images

The fourth installment "Die Nacht des Kürbisk?nigs," or in English "The Night of the Pumpkin King," tells the story of a young 10 year old boy named Eric. The young boy runs off into the forest to escape an upsetting situation brought about by the death of his Great-Great-Grandmother Frinn (Ururoma Frinn) and his father's difficulties with dealing with the loss of his Great-Grandmother. Young Eric eventually finds himself at the mercy of the Red Witch a.k.a. Malifika (whose relation to the main character is revealed within the text). The young boy is eventually cursed to have the head of a Jack-o'-Lantern (which is carved from an Asian variety of yellow pumpkins, due to the fact that the large orange pumpkins were not brought to Europe until after the conquests by Spain and other European countries from 1492-Present). The young boy Eric tries to find a way to lift the curse from himself and defeat the evil Red Witch of the Blackforest forever. As the reader reads through this novel they will begin to see the depth of the complex lineage of the characters of the first three books within the series. And the 4th installment of the series will have a surprise cameo at the end of the book to tie all of the books of the series together in the end. All four books need to be read back to back in order to experience the entire storyline and to see this folkloric tale succeed to fruition. The series itself takes its readers on a wild and scary journey, while the storyline stays faithful to the many tales, legends, myths and monsters of old Germanic Folklore.

The fifth installment in the series is called, 'LIBER UMBRARUM: Tales from "Die Nachtseriesammlung,"' and the book is a collection of 13 dark fairytales that are pertinent to the main story of the original four books. The fifth book, as well, is a book within a book and the tales themselves are written by the Red Witch or Malifika.

The sixth and seventh installments follow the adventures and travels of G'an (GGG) and Eric a.k.a the Pumpkin King. The sixth book is called, "The Misadventures of GGG and the Pumpkin-Headed Boy" and the seventh book is called, "IN TENEBRIS," which in Latin means, 'into the darkness'. The seventh book is the last story in the epic seven-book series of "Die Nacht Serie," although, there is one other book that crosses over with "Die Nacht Serie" in many ways and it indeed exists within the same universe as the original story of "Die Nachtseriesammlung."

The book, "FIVE DARK TALES FROM THE VOID," is a anthology series of horror stories with several stories that cross over in several parts and share similarities to happenings or objects within "Die Nacht Serie." In many ways, this book is an off-shoot of the original seven-book series, although the tales within this book take place in modern times and all of the stories happen in the state of Ohio. Once the reader reads these tales after reading, "Die Nacht Serie," in its entirety, they will be able to easily pick out the things that are surprise added material that was originally part of, "Die Nacht Serie."

The tradition of "FIVE DARK TALES FROM THE VOID" is continued with two additional books; each with five tales of terror. The last two books in the series are "NYCTOPHOBIA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FIVE DARK TALES" and "THANATOPHOBIA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FIVE DARK TALES."

Hand-painted Jack-o'-Lantern, Photo Courtesy of Mateo G.R. (2019) "Die Nacht des Kürbisk?nigs"

The Complex Lineage of the Characters:

The characters of the books have a complex and interconnected lineage. The characters within the first two books play a larger part in the future and the far future than can be seen in the first and second books. With the introduction of the third installment of the series it becomes more and more evident as connections are drawn between characters within the four-book series.

So if you loved the 'Grimm Brother's Fairytales' and you love Germanic Folklore, then you are guaranteed to love this Dark Series of German Horror Novels. All titles will be available on Amazon.com and Booksamillion.com...

(Flaming Pumpkin -- Image is Courtesy of Google Images)

"Die Nacht Serie" Bücher I-IV / "The 'Night' Series" Books I-IV:

Book I: Krampusnacht: A Yuletide Tale (Dec 2018) --- 156 pages (German < *15th-16th Cent. Eng. < Standard English)

Book II: Werwolfnacht: Der Fluch des M?dchens [Werewolf Night: The Curse of the Maiden] (Jan 2019) --- 398 pages (German < English)

Book III: Walpurgisnacht: Die Versammlung [Witches' Night: The Gathering] (Jan 2019) --- 619 pages (German < English)

Book IV: Die Nacht des Kürbisk?nigs [The Night of the Pumpkin King] (Feb 2019) --- 346 pages (German < English)

Collector's Edition Books I-IV:

"Die Nachtseriesammlung: Bücher I, II, III & IV" [The 'Night' Series Collection: Books 1-4] (April 2019) --- 755 pages (German < English)

Also check out our several new additions to the "Die Nachtserie" saga:

"LIBER UMBRARUM: Tales from 'Die Nachtseriesammlung', 1st Edition" (Aug. 2019) --- 214 pages (English; and several parts are in Latin)

"THE MISADVENTURES OF GGG AND THE PUMPKIN-HEADED BOY: Tales from 'Die Nachtseriesammlung', 1st Edition" (September 2019) --- 202 pages (English; with some Latin)

"IN TENEBRIS: Tales from "Die Nachtseriesammlung", 1st Edition" (September 2019) --- 213 pages (English; with some Latin) FINAL BOOK OF "DIE NACHT SERIE"

Collector's Edition Books V-VII:

"Die Nachtseriesammlung II: Books V, VI & VII, 1st Edition" (September 2019) --- 622 pages (English; with some Latin)

"FIVE DARK TALES FROM THE VOID, 1st Edition" (September 2019) --- 197 pages (English)

"NYCTOPHOBIA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FIVE DARK TALES, 1st Edition" (February 2020) --- 207 Pages (English)

"THANATOPHOBIA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FIVE DARK TALES, 1st Edition" (February 2020) --- 228 Pages (English)

Collector's Edition Compilation:

"A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF DARK TALES: FIFTEEN TALES OF TERROR, 1st Edition" (May 2020) --- 634 Pages (English)

Book Includes: I. Five Dark Tales from the Void, II. Nyctophobia & III. Thanatophobia

"BESTIARY OF 'DIE NACHT SERIE': A COMPENDIUM OF BEASTS & MONSTERS, 1st Edition" (February 2020) --- 233 Pages (English)

*A Detailed Bestiary of all of the Monsters, Beasts & Characters in the 'Die Nacht Serie' Book Series.

All books are available on Amazon.com and Booksamillion.com...

May you all enjoy this wonderful collection of books!

Tschüss, meine Freunde!!! Viele Segnungen!!!

Mateo G.R.