Starman After Midnight - by Scott Semegran (Paperback)

About the Book

Starman After Midnight is a genuinely human, quirky novel-in-stories set in a middle-class neighborhood, weaving an often hilarious and sometimes melancholy spell about neighbors discovering a shadowy figure lurking in their yards.

Book Synopsis

In suburban Wells Port, things are not what they seem: wild animals appear unexpectedly in backyards, raised garden beds produce fruit in days, not weeks, and a mysterious figure lurks across sidewalks late at night.

The stories in Starman After Midnight weave an often hilarious and sometimes melancholy spell. Four young boys are terrorized by a wiener dog on their walk to school, but strategize for a safer route. A beer-loving man befriends a likeminded neighbor, only to discover his jovial new acquaintance is a registered sex offender. An elderly Uber driver suspects a young rider is being lured by a night stalker and debates whether he should help her or mind his own business.

Connecting these stories are two next-door neighbors--Seff and Big Dave--who couldn't be more different: one a progressive-minded writer, the other a conservative plumber. Their love of beer drinking, backyard philosophizing, and gossiping brings them together. When several pets in the neighborhood wind up missing or worse--dead--Seff and Big Dave monitor their security cameras for the culprit. When they discover a naked man roaming their street late at night, suspicions are raised while hysteria spreads through the neighborhood social media app. What is the connection between the missing pets and this naked man? Seff and Big Dave form a posse of neighbors to find out.

Moving between humor and surrealism, friendship and grief, Starman After Midnight is a novel told in stories, a collection that adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts. From the quirky imagination of Scott Semegran, Starman After Midnight packs a comedic punch and uncovers the magic that seems possible in ordinary places.

Review Quotes

"A big-hearted, often amusing tale of the weirdness of suburbia." - Kirkus Review

"Darkly funny... Semegran has a knack for drawing colorful characters. This waggish slice of life is worth a look." - Publishers Weekly

"Starman After Midnight is effortlessly funny, likably odd, surprisingly moving, and imminently relatable-a genuine pleasure to read." - BlueInk Review

"Darkly comic and sometimes surreal... smooth and clear prose offers refreshing and absorbing reading." - Lone Star Literary Life

"A great story... as unique as it was a pleasure to read." - Reedsy Discovery

"The book intersperses named stories with the novel's ten chapters, creating a fun reading experience that incorporates Seff's prose into Semegran's writing... Starman After Midnight offers laugh-a-minute reading with wise guy observations." - Readers' Favorite Book Reviews

"The tale is, quite simply, utterly compelling, fun, and attractive. Starman After Midnight will reach audiences interested in humor, puzzles, interpersonal relationship quandaries, and community challenge. It will also delight libraries looking for accessible, modern literary works that sizzle with originality and delightful surprises." - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"A wonderful kaleidoscope that turns through a variety of characters' points of view while maintaining a humorous throughline about a mysterious naked man who is wandering the after-midnight streets, menacing the locals... Starman After Midnight is packed full of goodies that will charm every reader." - Kerri Schlottman, award-winning author of Tell Me One Thing

"Starman After Midnight is an absorbing, immersive, and intriguing collection. [Semegran] brings a uniquely quirky and often surrealistic quality to the interconnected tales full of mystery and suspense." - The BookLife Prize