Midnight's Choice (novel)
Encyclopedia
Midnight’s Choice is a fantasy novel for young adults, by Kate Thompson
. It is the second book in the Switchers Trilogy
, and continues the story of Tess and Kevin, two young Irish
shapeshifters
(or Switchers, as they are called in the novel). It also introduces the character of Martin, another Switcher, who is the book’s main antagonist
.
. The events of the book take place "a few days after New Year", although exactly which year is uncertain.
's existence, and the darkness that is the unlife of a vampire
.
Algernon, and her animal-mind detects a telepathic
summons being sent to all the rats in the city. Algernon breaks out of his cage and escapes into the sewers
, and as a rat Tess follows him to an empty house filled with thousands of his kind. There, she discovers that the source of the mysterious call is a male Switcher. The next day, Tess investigates the house, and sees a red hair
ed boy standing in the doorway of a house across the street. Somehow sensing that he is the Switcher, she resolves to speak to him when she gets the chance.
Upon reading a newspaper
article, Tess discovers that the phoenix has been captured in the Phoenix Park
, and is now on display in Dublin Zoo
. Therefore, she sets off to visit the Switcher and ask for help in breaking her friend out of confinement. Tess finds the boy (Martin) sleeping in the darkness of his room, and tells him that she knows he is a Switcher. Martin agrees to help her, but only on the condition that she return to his house that night so that he can demonstrate his skill as a Switcher to her. When she does return, he takes her for a walk through the streets, and then demonstrates the truly awesome and horrible skill which he has learned by Switching into a vampire
. Martin feeds on her blood, the shock of which stimulates Tess’ survival instincts, and she Switches into the only form in which she will be safe from Martin: a vampire. Once she is in this form, all of Tess' revulsion toward the concept of vampirism vanishes. She bemoans her hunger for blood, but Martin warns her not to kill her victim when she feeds, as doing so would arouse suspicion. After much hunting, the two come upon a young couple in a car, on whose blood they drink.
For the next few days, Tess behaves scornfully toward her parents, upsetting them greatly. At last when her mother mentions the phoenix, the memory of her time as one of those glorious, pure bird dispels the lingering aspects of the vampire personality, and she apologises for her behaviour. The family visit the zoo
to see the bird, and there Tess meets Lizzie, who claims to be worried about something. The old woman informs her that the phoenix is a powerful force of good, and will change many lives, but according to the nature of the world, some dark force must have come into existence to balance out the presence of the phoenix. Upon entering the building in which the bird is caged, Tess is suddenly overcome by a feeling of joy and warmth, and realises that the bird is having this effect on everyone who sees it. Outside, she and her parents enjoy a game of Frisbee
, all their arguments forgotten, not even becoming upset when Tess accidentally loses the Frisbee in the bushes. However, Lizzie tells Tess that the she has "work to do", and is wasting time.
Tess visits Martin again, and he explains to her the gruesome circumstances of his father's death. She is horrified, but he seems not to care. He takes her into the crypt which he plans to make his home, and she realises that he has been using the rats to excavate this crypt. She tells him that she never wants to return to being a vampire, but Martin claims that now he has bitten her, she will become one of the undead as soon as she dies. He tells her that his fifteenth birthday is the following day, and, because he intends to remain a vampire, he offers her the chance to join him willingly. She refuses, claiming that if she chooses to become an immortal
phoenix, she will never succumb to death or vampirism. So as to destroy Tess' confidence, Martin sends the city's rats to kill Kevin at the zoo, but the phoenix escapes with Tess's help. He and Martin confront each other in the park, and Tess steps between them, where she is confronted with the choice between becoming like either of them. Martin uses his hypnotic powers to coerce her, and in turn Kevin uses his purifying powers to draw her toward him. Tess alternates between allegiances and the struggle within her becomes so strong that it begins to damage her mind. As she tries desperately to choose her path, Tess suddenly remembers some prior advice given by Lizzie, and realises what she is doing wrong: She has been convinced that she must choose to be either a vampire or a phoenix, when in fact, the option of simply remaining human was never closed to her. Tess chooses to retain her humanity, and this somehow transforms both Martin and Kevin back into their human forms. Martin, his defences lowered, breaks down over the loss of his father, but when Tess tries to comfort him, he realises he is vulnerable and runs off into the trees. Tess follows, but slips on the Frisbee which she lost earlier.
Tess enters Martin's home in the form of a cat
, and but doesn't see Martin there. She checks on Martin's mother, who Tess has realised that Martin had been feeding on for a while before she met him. However it seems that his mother is still alive, but exhausted. Tess takes Kevin back to her home, where they discuss the events of the past few days. Kevin claims that because he and Martin balanced each other out, Martin's return to humanity meant that Kevin too lost his supernatural form. Their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Algernon, who informs them that Martin has disappeared, and that his control over the rats of the city is broken. Tess and Kevin realise that Martin has chosen to remain human, and decide to help him through his newly exposed grief.
) is the idea of 'coming of age', and the possibilities which teenagers face in the world as they grow up. In particular, this book explores the eternal struggle of good and evil, as well as the choice between the two which is faced by humans.
The two supernatural creatures which appear as rivals in Midnight’s Choice are drawn from two widely known, folkloric
myths: That of the phoenix and that of the vampire. In the novel, these two characters are incarnations of good and evil respectively, and each advocates an alluring yet partly unfullfilling lifestyle. The vampire offers an eternal life of dark power and security from grief within the cold persona of the hunter, but which bars its subject from love or closeness. The phoenix, by contrast, offers a different kind of immortality, one of perfect, benevolent serenity and kindness, but one which also creates a certain level of detachment.
which takes place entirely in Dublin. Switchers
begins in the city, but the important parts of the story occur mostly in the Arctic
circle. The majority ofWild Blood
is set in rural Clare.
Near the end of the book, Tess' father is addressed as "Seamus", the first and only time in the series at which either of Tess' parents is referenced by name.
.
Kate Thompson (author)
Kate Thompson is an award-winning writer for children and adults. Born in Halifax, Yorkshire, she has lived in Ireland, where many of her books are set, since 1981. She is the youngest child of the social historians and peace activists E. P. Thompson and Dorothy Towers...
. It is the second book in the Switchers Trilogy
Switchers Trilogy
The Switchers Trilogy is a fantasy book series for young adults, written by Kate Thompson. The series is mainly set in Ireland. The leading characters are teenagers with the power to shapeshift into the forms of animals and various supernatural creatures.-Major characters:*Tess: An only child who...
, and continues the story of Tess and Kevin, two young Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
shapeshifters
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
(or Switchers, as they are called in the novel). It also introduces the character of Martin, another Switcher, who is the book’s main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
.
Setting
Midnight’s Choice is set in the city of Dublin, in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The events of the book take place "a few days after New Year", although exactly which year is uncertain.
Plot introduction
Tess faces a terrible choice between the eternal purity of a phoenixPhoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
's existence, and the darkness that is the unlife of a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
.
Plot summary
In the form of a phoenix, Tess flies out of her room to join Kevin, who is now permanently in the shape of such a magical bird. She tries to ask Kevin what has happened to him since they last spoke, but her mind is overwhelmed by the purity and beauty of the phoenix’s nature, and she instantly loses interest in asking questions. The following night, she becomes worried about the restless behaviour of her pet ratRat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
Algernon, and her animal-mind detects a telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
summons being sent to all the rats in the city. Algernon breaks out of his cage and escapes into the sewers
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
, and as a rat Tess follows him to an empty house filled with thousands of his kind. There, she discovers that the source of the mysterious call is a male Switcher. The next day, Tess investigates the house, and sees a red hair
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
ed boy standing in the doorway of a house across the street. Somehow sensing that he is the Switcher, she resolves to speak to him when she gets the chance.
Upon reading a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
article, Tess discovers that the phoenix has been captured in the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
, and is now on display in Dublin Zoo
Dublin Zoo
Dublin Zoo , in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland is the largest zoo in Ireland and one of Dublin's most popular attractions. Opened in 1831, the zoo describes its role as conservation, study, and education...
. Therefore, she sets off to visit the Switcher and ask for help in breaking her friend out of confinement. Tess finds the boy (Martin) sleeping in the darkness of his room, and tells him that she knows he is a Switcher. Martin agrees to help her, but only on the condition that she return to his house that night so that he can demonstrate his skill as a Switcher to her. When she does return, he takes her for a walk through the streets, and then demonstrates the truly awesome and horrible skill which he has learned by Switching into a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
. Martin feeds on her blood, the shock of which stimulates Tess’ survival instincts, and she Switches into the only form in which she will be safe from Martin: a vampire. Once she is in this form, all of Tess' revulsion toward the concept of vampirism vanishes. She bemoans her hunger for blood, but Martin warns her not to kill her victim when she feeds, as doing so would arouse suspicion. After much hunting, the two come upon a young couple in a car, on whose blood they drink.
For the next few days, Tess behaves scornfully toward her parents, upsetting them greatly. At last when her mother mentions the phoenix, the memory of her time as one of those glorious, pure bird dispels the lingering aspects of the vampire personality, and she apologises for her behaviour. The family visit the zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
to see the bird, and there Tess meets Lizzie, who claims to be worried about something. The old woman informs her that the phoenix is a powerful force of good, and will change many lives, but according to the nature of the world, some dark force must have come into existence to balance out the presence of the phoenix. Upon entering the building in which the bird is caged, Tess is suddenly overcome by a feeling of joy and warmth, and realises that the bird is having this effect on everyone who sees it. Outside, she and her parents enjoy a game of Frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
, all their arguments forgotten, not even becoming upset when Tess accidentally loses the Frisbee in the bushes. However, Lizzie tells Tess that the she has "work to do", and is wasting time.
Tess visits Martin again, and he explains to her the gruesome circumstances of his father's death. She is horrified, but he seems not to care. He takes her into the crypt which he plans to make his home, and she realises that he has been using the rats to excavate this crypt. She tells him that she never wants to return to being a vampire, but Martin claims that now he has bitten her, she will become one of the undead as soon as she dies. He tells her that his fifteenth birthday is the following day, and, because he intends to remain a vampire, he offers her the chance to join him willingly. She refuses, claiming that if she chooses to become an immortal
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
phoenix, she will never succumb to death or vampirism. So as to destroy Tess' confidence, Martin sends the city's rats to kill Kevin at the zoo, but the phoenix escapes with Tess's help. He and Martin confront each other in the park, and Tess steps between them, where she is confronted with the choice between becoming like either of them. Martin uses his hypnotic powers to coerce her, and in turn Kevin uses his purifying powers to draw her toward him. Tess alternates between allegiances and the struggle within her becomes so strong that it begins to damage her mind. As she tries desperately to choose her path, Tess suddenly remembers some prior advice given by Lizzie, and realises what she is doing wrong: She has been convinced that she must choose to be either a vampire or a phoenix, when in fact, the option of simply remaining human was never closed to her. Tess chooses to retain her humanity, and this somehow transforms both Martin and Kevin back into their human forms. Martin, his defences lowered, breaks down over the loss of his father, but when Tess tries to comfort him, he realises he is vulnerable and runs off into the trees. Tess follows, but slips on the Frisbee which she lost earlier.
Tess enters Martin's home in the form of a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, and but doesn't see Martin there. She checks on Martin's mother, who Tess has realised that Martin had been feeding on for a while before she met him. However it seems that his mother is still alive, but exhausted. Tess takes Kevin back to her home, where they discuss the events of the past few days. Kevin claims that because he and Martin balanced each other out, Martin's return to humanity meant that Kevin too lost his supernatural form. Their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Algernon, who informs them that Martin has disappeared, and that his control over the rats of the city is broken. Tess and Kevin realise that Martin has chosen to remain human, and decide to help him through his newly exposed grief.
Major characters
- Tess: The principal protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the series. Tess is a Switcher, and is fourteen at the time of this book.
- Kevin: Formerly a Switcher, Kevin has passed his fifteenth birthday by the time of this book, and therefore no longer possesses the ability to change his shape. At the end of Switchers, Kevin chose to take on the form of a phoenix for the rest of his life. He spends most of Midnight's Choice in this form, but reverts to being human at the end of the story.
- Martin: The book’s principal antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
. Martin is a handsome, red-haired boy, and is only a few days away from his fifteenth birthday at the time of Midnight's Choice. After the death of his father, Martin began to transform himself into a vampire so as to avoid dealing with the pain of this loss.
- Elizabeth "Lizzie" Larten: An elderly former Switcher. In this book, she warns Tess that something evil (i.e. Martin's vampire self) has entered the city.
Major themes
The principal theme of Midnight's Choice (as with all the books of the Switchers TrilogySwitchers Trilogy
The Switchers Trilogy is a fantasy book series for young adults, written by Kate Thompson. The series is mainly set in Ireland. The leading characters are teenagers with the power to shapeshift into the forms of animals and various supernatural creatures.-Major characters:*Tess: An only child who...
) is the idea of 'coming of age', and the possibilities which teenagers face in the world as they grow up. In particular, this book explores the eternal struggle of good and evil, as well as the choice between the two which is faced by humans.
The two supernatural creatures which appear as rivals in Midnight’s Choice are drawn from two widely known, folkloric
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
myths: That of the phoenix and that of the vampire. In the novel, these two characters are incarnations of good and evil respectively, and each advocates an alluring yet partly unfullfilling lifestyle. The vampire offers an eternal life of dark power and security from grief within the cold persona of the hunter, but which bars its subject from love or closeness. The phoenix, by contrast, offers a different kind of immortality, one of perfect, benevolent serenity and kindness, but one which also creates a certain level of detachment.
Significance within the series
This is the only book of the Switchers TrilogySwitchers Trilogy
The Switchers Trilogy is a fantasy book series for young adults, written by Kate Thompson. The series is mainly set in Ireland. The leading characters are teenagers with the power to shapeshift into the forms of animals and various supernatural creatures.-Major characters:*Tess: An only child who...
which takes place entirely in Dublin. Switchers
Switchers (novel)
Switchers is the first book of the Switchers Trilogy by Kate Thompson. Originally published in Ireland in 1994, it was first published in Great Britain by The Bodley Head in 1997. It introduces Tess and Kevin, the two main characters of the series...
begins in the city, but the important parts of the story occur mostly in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
circle. The majority ofWild Blood
Wild Blood (novel)
Wild Blood is a fantasy novel by Kate Thompson. It concludes the stories of Tess, a young Irish shapeshifter , and Kevin, a former Switcher. It also introduces several other characters, such as Tess's three cousins and their father Maurice...
is set in rural Clare.
Near the end of the book, Tess' father is addressed as "Seamus", the first and only time in the series at which either of Tess' parents is referenced by name.
Publication history
This book was first published in Great Britain in 1998, by The Bodley HeadThe Bodley Head
The Bodley Head is an English publishing house, founded in 1887 and existing as an independent entity until the 1970s. The name has been used as an imprint of Random House Children's Books since 1987...
.