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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11After Midnight makes a persuasive case for Daphne du Maurier’s lasting command of Gothic unease, but it cannot prove she is the “undisputed” queen of the genre. The 2025 anthology gathers thirteen stories that show how she turns familiar places, uncertain perceptions and ordinary fears into menace. That is a strong argument for her Gothic stature—not evidence of universal agreement.
What is After Midnight?
After Midnight: Thirteen Tales for the Dark Hours is a 2025 selection of du Maurier’s short fiction, not a newly written story cycle. The estate-approved author site says the UK and US editions were published on 30 September 2025. The US publisher describes its edition as a thirteen-story collection and lists 528 pages for the hardcover. Daphne du Maurier official website; Simon & Schuster.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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After Midnight: Thirteen Tales for the Dark Hours | $22.82 | Buy on Amazon |
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Not after midnight,: And other stories | $34.17 | Buy on Amazon |
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After (the after series n° 1) | $16.72 | Buy on Amazon |
That selection matters to the book’s Gothic case. It puts well-known stories, including “The Birds” and “Don’t Look Now,” beside other work, making the collection a route into both familiar and less commonly foregrounded corners of her short fiction. The publisher page also notes that the book includes an introduction by Stephen King. Simon & Schuster.
What stories are in After Midnight?
The collection contains these thirteen stories, as listed by the author’s official website:
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- “The Blue Lenses”
- “Don’t Look Now”
- “The Alibi”
- “The Apple Tree”
- “The Birds”
- “Monte Verità”
- “The Pool”
- “The Doll”
- “Ganymede”
- “Leading Lady”
- “Not After Midnight”
- “Split Second”
- “The Breakthrough”
Daphne du Maurier official website.
How does the collection support her Gothic reputation?
Menace grows from ordinary settings
Du Maurier’s Gothic effect need not depend on castles or overt supernatural spectacle. A reader can trace it in the way a story makes a familiar environment feel threatening: the everyday becomes a place where safety is uncertain and danger may be difficult to explain. The variety of the thirteen stories gives readers room to see how that unease changes shape across her work.
Perception itself becomes unstable
Stories such as “The Blue Lenses” and “Don’t Look Now” invite attention to what characters see, misunderstand or cannot confidently interpret. That instability is central to the Gothic reading: menace comes not only from an external threat, but from the possibility that a character’s account of reality is incomplete or unreliable.
The uncanny stays close to human fear
Across the collection, the uncanny can be read as an intensification of recognisable anxieties rather than an escape from them. “The Birds,” for example, is among the stories whose force comes from a familiar world becoming hostile. These are interpretive ways into the stories, not a measured ranking of du Maurier against every other Gothic writer.
Does After Midnight establish that she is “undisputed”?
No anthology can establish universal consensus by itself. “Undisputed queen of Gothic fiction” is a critical judgment, and the available praise does not verify that no serious disagreement exists. There is also an important distinction in the wording of the strongest quoted endorsement: Hachette UK attributes to Laura Shepperson the description of du Maurier as “the indisputable queen of the sophisticated literary thriller . . . often imitated and never, ever surpassed.” That is praise for the sophisticated literary thriller, not an objective finding that settles her place in all Gothic fiction. Hachette UK.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe US publisher quotes reviewer Maureen Corrigan of Fresh Air: “Taken together, the 13 tales in After Midnight offer every shade of eerie. Du Maurier’s best stories here also affirm that art remains one of the few reliable forms of immortality.” This is a favorable review, not evidence of a universal literary consensus. Simon & Schuster.
Is After Midnight the same book as Not After Midnight?
No. After Midnight is the 2025 anthology. Not After Midnight is also the title of one story in it, and it was the title of a 1971 du Maurier collection later published as Don’t Look Now. The shared wording can cause confusion, but the earlier collection and the 2025 anthology are distinct books. University of Exeter fact file.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which edition of After Midnight should I choose?
Choose by territory and format, and check the live listing before ordering. The estate site gives these hardcover identifiers:
| Edition | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| UK hardback | Virago Press, part of Little, Brown | 978-0349019543 |
| US hardcover | Scribner | 978-1668204269 |
Daphne du Maurier official website. The US publisher lists paperback, hardcover, ebook and unabridged audio download formats for its edition; formats and stock can vary by retailer and market. Its page lists the US hardcover at 528 pages. Simon & Schuster.
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- After (Volume 1) (The After Series)
The estate site gives the audiobook duration as 21 hours and 49 minutes, a format-specific figure that may differ from a current retailer’s listing. Daphne du Maurier official website.
Why the argument still matters
The estate says du Maurier wrote over 50 short stories during her career, and the 2025 anthology is a reminder that her short fiction remains in circulation alongside the novels for which she is widely known. Simon & Schuster identifies her as an English writer, biographer and playwright (1907–1989), notes that her debut novel The Loving Spirit appeared in 1931 and dates Rebecca to 1938. It also notes screen adaptations of works including “The Birds” and “Don’t Look Now.” Daphne du Maurier official website; Simon & Schuster.
So After Midnight does not settle a crown contest. It offers something more useful to a reader: thirteen opportunities to judge how consistently du Maurier makes the familiar uncanny, perception uncertain and suspense linger after the story ends.
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