Introduction

Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin

 

One of the commonalities of human existence—something we all share—is the fundamental, inescapable presence of time. Night comes for us all: wherever we are, whoever we are, however we delay it—or, indeed, embrace it—there is an inevitability to the darkness that has framed the entirety of human existence.

That’s no small theme, and, as you can imagine, the idea of ‘night’ prompted a free-ranging discussion with contributors. The stories, accordingly, are diverse: not only in how, and why, and where the ‘night’ falls, but in the authors themselves. The Outcast Hours includes contributions from authors and artists and screenwriters and illustrators; creators drawn from crime, fantasy, young adult fiction, historical fiction, romance and literature. The night comes to all of us; everyone has a say in how we embrace it.

Night is inevitable, but it is also paradoxical: it is private but shared; beautiful but terrifying; soothing but scary. It is where we are free from social gaze, or when we are most daring. It is when we hide, or when we venture forth. It is when we are most exposed; most hidden and most vulnerable. The night is simply—illogically, ironically, however you take it—a reflection of ourselves. It is an opportunity to be who you are, to do what you want, under the cover of darkness. It is the security of secrecy, and the knowledge of the hidden. The night is what we make of it.

The night is when we are able to imagine everything and anything without bounds. It is when we can explore not just the shadows, but ourselves—our limits and possibilities.

The Outcast Hours is about those people who make the very most of it. It is about lovers and lurkers and thieves and trolls and police and predators and so many more. It is about those people who seek what the night has to offer, whether in a moment of passion or as a lifetime’s pursuit. Whether it is dreams or a dream, they are glimpsing the truth buried in the darkness. These are the night-people: the seekers, the dreamers, and the outcasts.

As Le Guin notes, “half the world is always dark”, and The Outcast Hours is a tour of this forgotten half of the world. In the following stories, the night is a border, an experience, an excuse, a home, a battlefield, even a character in its own right. Ultimately, the night is about possibilities. It is about that chance to be who we want to be—who we desperately long to be—and to rediscover or reinvent ourselves.

When the sun goes down, our imagination runs free. In the dark, we let go of our inhibitions and free our inner selves, be they monstrous or magical. The night is when even the best of us can live our worst lives… and the worst of us our best.