When 10 authors are invited to a writing retreat/contest at reclusive writer Roderick Wells's secluded estate, they can't believe their luck at getting the chance to be mentored by a literary genius. Not to mention, one winner chosen by Wells will get $3 million and a publishing contract. But the writers soon come to realize maybe they weren't so lucky after all when they start disappearing one by one.

I'm a huge fan of Jonathan Janz and his latest book, The Dark Game, did not disappoint. I love books about writers, especially when those books contain excepts from the characters' works in progress. Several chapters in The Dark Game are excerpts from the novels the writers in the book are working on at the retreat. I especially liked how one of the characters was writing a book called The Siren and the Specter, which is another Janz novel.

Even though there are a lot of characters in the book, I found it easy to tell each of them apart because they were all well-developed and each writer had a distinct voice and writing style. I also really enjoyed the slow reveal of each character's dark past.

The setting—an old mansion in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by spooky woods—was made even creepier by the fact that the writers had to wear blindfolds while they were chauffeured there, so they had no clue where they were. There are lots of scenes with the characters exploring the mysterious grounds that add to the eerie mood.

If you're a horror fan and you haven't read Jonathan Janz yet, you should definitely check out his work. The Dark Game is a creepy and fast-paced read with excellent characterization. I also highly recommend Janz's other novels, Children of the Dark, The Sorrows, and The Siren and the Specter.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dark Game tells the story of 10 writers, in different stages of their careers, that join a competition held by a well-known author. The winner gets a full book deal, three million dollars and a bunch of other appealing stuff. However, from the start, no one understands precisely what the rules are. Because there are no rules and one of them have to be the last one standing.

From the very first line, you are immediately dropped into the action. It starts with the contestants arriving at this isolated mansion where the competition is held. There are immediate discussions, fights and you know something is going to go wrong. There’s no questioning that.

Sometimes, this book even feels like a thriller. There’s always something going on, there’s a new mystery at the turn of every page. Be it the backstory of a particular character or a weird light that appears out of nowhere, the story never stops surprising you.

The pacing is so masterfully done that you can pinpoint the moment the author wants you to understand there’s something weird going on. And, generally, the answer won’t take long to come. It’s not one of those books where everything is revealed at the end. It’s more like you’re getting small crumbs that compose the story at the exact time you need it to not lose interest.

However, beware that a lot of the mysteries will be left unsolved. There’s a dash of urban fantasy that is never fully explained but, personally, I don’t mind it. I would like to have some answers to the whole setting around the mansion and Roderick Wells, but I’d rather get a prequel of the previous challenge (because yes, not the first time it happens) than have it quickly explained in this book.

What surprised me the most was Jonathan’s ability to deliver this ensemble cast story while giving you a grasp of every character. You follow around 10 characters, with switching POVs throughout the story, and at first, it is hard to follow. I kept messing up some of the names, and I wasn’t sure who had interacted with who already. But then, once you start to get the backstory, all of the contestants have such distinctive voices that it speaks volumes about Jonathan’s writing ability.

I wouldn’t mind if the ending went a little bit darker. I saw it coming almost from the start, and I was definitely pleased with it. Although I know this is unpopular, I sometimes like messy, dark ending as well.

Honestly, when I realized I would be following all 10 contestants at some point of the story, I was scared. I’m a character-driven reader, and I was sure I wouldn’t be able to care about all of them, especially in a horror setting. And it’s not like I cared about what happened to most of them, but I feel like I knew them, for better or for worse.

The horror in this book is all about facing your demons (AH, look at that The 100 reference), be it your past or the ones you create. Which, in truth, is a fantastic premise to allow the readers to know your characters fully. And, oh boy, do these writers have a lot of sins on their hands.

I won’t get too deep into each character. I don’t feel like there’s a need for that and I’d rather have you if you decide to read it, uncover them by yourself. What I will say is that Lucy is a quiet fighter, Rick is a hero, Will is an unsung hero, Sherilyn is a badass, Elaine and Marek are okay, Anna is the worst kind of bitch, Tommy is disgusting, Evan is even more disgusting, Bryan is a brunt and Wells is larger than life.

This is one of those books I can easily see adapted to the big screen, and I would be front row. It’s addicting, and it lives on its characters.

[Review will be posted on Reader Voracious Blog on 4/11/2019.]

"I learned that stories have incredible power. They can teach. They can transport. But they can also bring misery. They can enslave. Some stories can kill."

Friends, I have been itching for a new release from Janz since being wowed by The Siren and the Specter last year. I've been reading his backlist voraciously and I was so happy to be offered an eARC of this title. I was not disappointed: The Dark Game is deliciously macabre and unputdownable; while I struggled with the multiple perspectives at first, I settled into the narrative and was fully engrossed!

"Wells's mansion looked like every ghost story he'd ever read. And as they drew closer, Rick couldn't shake the feeling he was about to become part of one."

One of my favorite writing devices is when the ending is set up or heavily alluded to at the beginning of the book. I love the sense of foreboding behind every chapter as I try to piece together what is happening, and as a person that adamantly avoids spoilers like a cat avoids water this is one of the greatest mysteries of my psyche. From the beginning of the book we know that The Dark Game is to pit the authors against one another as they fight for their lives. The deaths aren't a surprise, we are just left wondering who will be first. The journey is following the characters as they notice all the weird things happening and trying to figure it out... and will they make it out alive?

"Get out while you still can."

The opening of the book felt very And Then There Were None and Clue inspired to me, with everyone making their way to a mansion after a mysterious invitation and an absent host. I almost expected Mr. Body to show up!

I just have to say that I would have definitely noped out of this whole thing when the driver said that I needed to be blindfolded! But I like that Janz calls this out in the first pages:

"It occurred to her she hadn't even asked the driver for identification. No one knew she was here, and she wasn't allowed a phone. She chewed a thumbnail, a hundred horror movies flashing through her head. Why was it always a women who got hacked to pieces?"

While Janz definitely writes this one with a male character set as the hero, I like the subversion of the typical horror trope here and that the women he writes aren't completely helpless.

We all know that I personally struggle with multiple points of view, and so it shouldn't come as a shock that it took some time for me to settle into the story (primarily until a few POVs died). This is very much a me thing, and the multiple narrative voices makes sense given the And Then There Were None setup. If Roderick Wells has his way, only one of the writers will survive and getting to know each of the characters (and their deepest secrets) really added to the horror for me in the back half of the book. My struggle with the many perspectives was well worth it as writers began dropping like flies, which is similar to my experience reading The Sorrows (interestingly enough, if you've read a number of Janz's other works you'll find some Easter eggs: Shadeland, Siren and the Specter, needing to go away to find inspiration, etc. It's like reading Vonnegut and I dig it.).

"This place... this place... is a wonderland of hideous beauty. Of dreadful passion. The water that flows on this property is laced with the elixir of madness, the trees nourished by the blood of the damned."

There is something almost comforting about Janz's writing style, which is a weird thing to say about a horror author but it's true. It's fast-paced and intricately plotted, but he doesn't forget about building his characters in all the gore. And while this is a horror novel, it is also one about the fears and struggles of being a writer. The critique process, competitiveness, and the publishing industry. I really appreciated seeing a glimpse into how the characters thought about developing their stories and characters.

Overall this is another amazing read from Janz! I found the beginning to be a little slower and denser to read as a result of having so many characters to keep track of and struggled with the multiple points of view, but as people die and the action picked up I was completely engrossed. Janz knows how to craft a horrific tale and this is yet another must-read for fans of the horror genre. As with other books in this genre, this won't be a tale for everyone so please read my list of content warnings and exercise care when reading.

CONTENT WARNINGS: abuse, bullying, domestic abuse, fat shaming, gore, murder, pedophilia (referenced), rape, suicide, voyeurism

Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending me an eARC via NetGalley for my honest review! Quotes are taken from an unfinished ARC and may not match final publication.

4.5/5.0 Stars

THE DARK GAME is the first book that I have read by Jonathan Janz, the narrative feels like a blending of one of my favorite Stephen King and Agatha Christie novels – love it!

Full review - post pending on www.kendallreviews.com

I've fell out with horror lately. I don't know why, but nothing I've read lately has gave me that buzz that horror used to deliver.

I received an ARC of The Dark Game, courtesy of Netgalley and it sat on my kindle, unread, for almost two months. I've loved everything else I've read by Janz , so when the official release date approached - I bit the bullet and gave horror another try...

This book is the dog's bollocks! (for non British people, this means really fu***** good)

I blasted through it on my day off, something I haven't done with a horror novel in a looong time.

I don't want to go over the plot as you can read the blurb. What I will say is that the pace, atmosphere and characterisation are all perfect. No mean feat , when you have so many characters with their own unique voices.

I'm back in love with horror!
But what the hell am I going to follow this up with?

ARC kindly provided by Flame Tree Press and Netgalley

So this is a brand spanking new book for Mr Janz, not a reprint but a fresh story. This is not as scary or as gruesome as his other stories I have read but there was something a bit more clever about it and more fresh. Plus I have to say straight of the bat I LOVED LOVED LOVED all the references to his previous works and other stories. I picked up the nods to The Siren and the Spectre before they were obvious and the Sorrows. I am sure there were more, I have a feeling the Nightmare girl was alluded to.

For a change, I was not grossed out and I wasn’t completely petrified under my cover reading this, I actually sat back and enjoyed the story of 10 writers off on a retreat to win some money and meet the mysterious Roderick Wells, a legend, who is going to help make it all happen. I mean what possibly could go wrong?

I mean I know that I was not on edge for a change but it does not mean that there were not a few game-changing scenes where I sat catching flies I mean, I did just read that didn’t I, plus when gore was needed it was there! One bit in particular….that ending! In the midst of the macabre the way the characters carried on was surprising to me, I mean they did just see what I read but you wouldn’t know, the crazy kids!

I love in the midst of the creative retreat, with the “writers” all trying to write the next big thing, channelling all the inspiration they can, whilst fighting their secrets. Secrets that haunt them, secrets that take a life of their own. Things really do go bump in the night and manifestations do really exist in this closed-off corner of the world. Who or what is causing this darkness?

Fear! That is the theme, not just with the writers on the retreat, are they good enough? Will they make it? But the fear of the unknown, where will this story takes us? What is lurking in the dark?

This is such a hard review to write because I can’t spoil anything for you. This is a dark dark thriller and it keeps you turning the pages with the short snappy chapters. You get insights to all the characters, you witness their secrets, some were just horrifying but everyone got a voice. You got everyone’s story as they all tried to prove why they deserve the prestige. It felt like you were in charge of this book because as the story unfolds I agreed with the way the events played out. Man, there is so much more I want to say!!

I love the Q&A’s at the beginning of each book as you get an insight to the author and the book, and when reading this, you could sense like Janz said, that Rick was so loosely based on him, especially with the Jack Ketchum reference. The Dark Game seems quite a personal ride for Janz and an insight into the fear of a writers journey.

As everyone knows I have a HUGE fan of Mr Janz and his storytelling. As much as this may not be knocking the Siren and the Spectre off the top spot, the magic that Janz weaves on the page still makes this an enjoyable read and one I struggled to put down. Each different take he has done on a known genre just wins for me. Janz has such a distinct voice, that I would be able to tell it was his book I was reading, even if the cover said something different. He sucks you in, leaving you on edge, completely engrossed in the world laid out in front of you, never quite letting you go even after the last page.

A good and interesting read. It kept me glued to the pages throughout. Even though the ending felt a little rushed, it was still a satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for sending me a free advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review. The Dark Game debuts April 11th.

This may have been a poor choice for a first book to read by Jonathan Janz. I didn’t know much about Janz, though the name vaguely rang a bell. (More on that later.) The premise is a bunch of writers competing for mentorship and future literary prestige at a spooky retreat. Normally I’m not huge on stories where the MC is an author; the characters always read cringy to me, like an over-the-top author-insert. But the whole writer competition thing sounded fun, so I decided to request the book.

Yet it turns out that ten writer MCs read more cringy to me than one writer MC, by a factor of about ten-fold. (Whodathunkit.) Again, this is totally a personal preference thing; I just can’t get past all the talk about agents and advances and genre dissing, since I’m forever trying to suss out Janz the author’s actual thoughts.

He narrowed his eyes, appraising her. “You look like a YA writer. Am I right?”

She considered telling him of her early success, transforming his arrogant expression into a look of awe.

Take the above quote, for example—what do you mean by that exactly, Jonathan Janz? You wanna throw down? Huh? Huh? 😀

But then. Then. We get to the above and beyond part. Because Janz inserts multiple mentions of one of his own novels into the book and talks up how great it is. Read that again. One of the writers on the retreat is writing one of Janz’s books, The Siren and the Specter, and keeps saying how it’s amazing. It’s bookception, with a marketing twist. As my husband put it, “Wow, that takes a lotta balls.”

This is when I realized why Janz’s name seemed so familiar to me; I have The Siren and the Specter on my (lengthy) Goodreads TBR. Honestly I have no idea if there are other Easter eggs in The Dark Game, but I wouldn’t be surprised. My overall sense is that this book might be great for diehard Janz fans as a sort of fan service book, but it left me kind of feeling like I was missing a bunch of inside jokes, while also being served some sneaky advertisements. I also had a difficult time connecting with the characters since there were just so damn many of them. Some had interesting back stories, but most felt fairly interchangeable, and it was hard to keep everyone straight. (Save for Sherilyn; really enjoyed her brief POV sections.)

So I’m not ruling out reading another book by this author, but suffice it to say that The Dark Game was unfortunately a miss for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Dark Game is a complex paranormal thriller that at times pays homage to classics like Stoker's Dracula and at others invents completely novel and unique characters. It is a feast of backstories, books within books, and whodunit themes. A wealthy author holds a secret contest for aspiring writers at his estate. The catch: nothing is as it seems. We encounter imaginary foes, real-life killers, and ruthless competitors. We read developing drafts of various stories interwoven into the main plot line. We get to know each contestant's dark past as it unfolds in the present.

Jonathan Janz shows great creativity and ambition in this novel. Sadly, the execution falls a bit flat. It was strenuous to follow the present plotline while sorting through the past side stories. It was difficult to remember who is who. But most importantly, it was too hard to care about any of the characters. This led to me slugging my way through the book as it dredged on. This should've been a suspenseful and fast-paced horror mystery but I was rarely scared or uncomfortable and I never felt my heart beat quicken. This book just felt perfectly average. It was a decent read. It just didn't have the little something extra that makes a novel super special or great.

Wow! What a story!! I found this story entertaining, original, and bloody...just the way I like them. The characters were great and I really enjoyed reading the stories within the story. Whoever would have thought about writing a story about a Siren with the Rappahannock River as the setting, lol? Keep 'em coming Mr. Janz.

I was really excited by the premise of ‘The Dark Game’ – horror mixed with my favourite subject – books! Ironically however, I found the writing to be a let down! My first problem was how predictable it all was – the reader and the characters can easily guess what is going on by chapter 3 and there is no big twist or reveal which deviates from that in any way throughout the book. I feel like the whole thing needed more setup – we needed the illusion of a normal, if slightly odd competition to start with which would have then added an element of tension, mystery and suspense as the book went forward.

There are also way too many characters – some of which are not developed at all. Trying to sort out 10 competitors, their backstories and the characters in their stories as well as Wells and his staff was confusing and difficult to do without writing it all down as you went. The fact that occasionally they were referred to by their surnames also didn’t help! Perhaps with a competition pool of 5 or 6 characters we would have gotten to know them a little more and their fates would have actually meant something to us as a reader. Wells himself was underdeveloped as well, we didn’t really get much of an introduction to him or the books he had written to make him a famous author so the references to his books near the end didn’t have half the impact it should have done.

The stories themselves were interesting but again felt underdeveloped, we only got a little hint of them in text form and then they were fully referenced to later on which made me feel like I’d missed a few chapters. I felt like we knew more about the characters backstories than the books they had written about. I did enjoy the backstories though and thought they were interesting and a nice way to bring the horror into the story.

My next problem was actually outlined as a bad writing technique a few times throughout the book -to quote: ‘This is titillation… you hoped the subject matter would conceal your lack of skill.’ It seems everything in the book links back to sex in some way and it actually makes for some really cringey scenes. I found myself crying with laughter at the phrase ‘he diddled himself expertly’ – not really what you want from a horror! Although sometimes it is needed for the story it is telling, I can’t help but feel that if most of the terrible sex references were edited down the words could be used to better tell the horror story most of the readers were expecting to read.

Overall The Dark Game is a missed potential, and it’s ironic that a story that features a competition on good writing could make so many writing mistakes. Thank you to NetGalley & Flame Tree Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for a (very!) honest review.

The Dark Game had a really interesting premise. Struggling writers are invited to a sort of competition disguised as a retreat hosted by a prolific author, Roderick Wells. The last writer standing gets an invaluable amount help - deals with publishing houses, agents, and of course, the advice of Wells himself. Little do they know that they've been very carefully selected, not necessarily based on their talents as writers, but based on their past. On the secrets they might be hiding.

So we meet the writers. There are quite a few. In fact in the beginning, I had a hard time keeping track of them. After a few are "asked to leave" it became easier to remember who was who. Janz did a great job crafting these characters, their histories. They felt very well rounded.

Another thing I've come to love about Jonathan Janz's work is that his scenes with a lot of action and physical movement are so cinematic. It's like he choreographs his characters' movements or something. In my head, it's so easy to picture exactly what's going on.

This was fast paced and easy to get sucked into and fly through. I'd recommend it for those who don't shy away from dark, ambiguous characters - good people who might have done bad things.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for letting me have this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went looking for a Horror book in NetGalley’s categories and found this gem. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Look at this cover! It’s fantastic! I do love a good horror novel and I wasn’t sure what to expect but there are so many good things that I have to say about this one. In this post I’ll be keeping it spoiler free, outside of the description of the book from NetGalley and the occasional character name referenced. This is be more about what I liked about the book overall and just how I felt as I read it.

This book is big, 352 pages, it’s broken into five parts and I think that really makes sense with just how much information we needed as we went. The chapters will go back and forth, between different characters but it works for me. The characters all have their moments and they are wonderfully written moments that I enjoyed learning more about each person as I went. I did immediately have two favorite characters, I won’t say who, I don’t know if the author did that intentionally given how this book ends but I took to them over all others right away.

It flows really well even with the bouncing between this and that, it moves at a good pace that you don’t feel bored at any point of reading. The descriptions were perfect for me, I don’t like overly wordy descriptions of the rooms and surroundings but I don’t like barely anything. The vocabulary use was great, there were even some words that I’d never heard of before and had to look up. Of course my favorite was solipsistic, I knew that one because it’s used in one of my fav’s “You” by Caroline Kepnes, but learning the definition it’s just a great word.

It is vulgar. Sex, Violence, Depravity. It’s all here and I think you have to really be okay with reading that because it’s not for everyone. There are scenes that are very intense and even slightly nauseating but I’m someone that expects that out of an Adult book as well as out of a horror. It isn’t out of place or shoved in just for shock value. I didn’t feel like it was gratuitous either, it was all well placed and made sense for the moments or the characters that were involved.

What I really loved about The Dark Game was the characterization! Jonathan Janz just a phenomenal job with creating these characters. From the host, Wells, to the ten writers that have come to compete. Each was different, each with their distinct personalities, motivations, secrets and stories that have brought them to this ‘retreat’. I have to give kudos to being able to delve into the minds of ten characters, develop them and bring them to a point where you are interested what happens to them.

Reading about each person, learning about them, either you love them, hate them, pity them or are disgusted by them. Either way the writing in this book makes you feel something and that is what I want in a book. I wanted to know more, I wanted to understand these characters and the events and experiences that brought them to play The Dark Game.

The ending also was a perfect end, it went in a way that I was hoping but not quite what I expected. It worked and it felt right. After I finished, I sat wondering about when I’m going to finish my novel. Reading about ten writers, with hopes of becoming published, reading their works in progress over the course of the retreat made me feel inspired as someone that wants to finish her own horror novel.

I haven’t read any of his other books but reading this makes me want to read them all. I can recommend this book enough! It’s currently available for pre-order. Check out the links below to buy the book as well as follow the author!

The Dark Game comes out April 11th. BUY THIS BOOK!!

Jonathan Janz is my go to to for horror, his story telling is unique to him. This story wasn't my favourite but I still enjoyed it. Plus it mentions The Siren and The Spector if you haven't read that one its a must read for horror fans.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance read, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

A few years ago I may have said Jonathan who? These days I need only see the name Jonathan Janz to know that I need to grab the book without even reading the description. Jonathan Janz knows horror, More than that he is an amazing story teller who doesn't need to go for the cheap scares or the gore only route. Every character has a purpose and I am not going to go into the plot much except to say each character has their own twisted little back story and the way in which it all played out was deliciously creepy. I also loved the way it mentioned The Siren and The Spector, which is another book by this author that you really need to read if you haven't yet.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

well not sure about this one...i found it to be a combination of dorian grey and the novel by agatha christie "and then there were none"...with a bit of horror and gruesomeness thrown in...those two books on their own are good but put together within this story....i will let others decide.....

10 writers brought together to win 3 million dollars....and not one of them had any appealing qualities about them...but then maybe that was why they were picked....

sorry to say though i did finish this book it wasnt for me...but there was something about the authors writing that i would give him another go...just that this story didnt do it for me

I have to admit up front that I have a certain fondness for horror books about authors whose literary creations come alive. One of my favorites, of course, is Stephen King’s The Dark Half, and I’m pretty sure Dean Koontz wrote something along these lines as well, but I’ll be damned if I can recall the title (or maybe I’m just getting hit with a serious case of Mandela Effect). The Dark Game, a brand-new release unleashed amidst Flame Tree Press’s unofficial Year of Janz reissues, toils in the topics of writers and their creations, and the perils of writing horror villains that are a little too realistic.

Ten writers have been hand-selected by the reclusive but highly regarded literary legend Roderick Wells to take part in a competition. The prize — three million dollars and a guaranteed best-seller status that will likely have the winner set for life. The secret catch? That one writer has to write well enough, and live long enough, to win.

On the topic of writing, The Dark Game may be Janz’s most thematically rich title to date, and the author is afforded plenty of page space to muse on the merits of an author’s legacy, their immortal creations, the various ways in which writers bleed upon the page, and the lessons learned and passed down from one author to another. After being tasked with writing a horror novel for Wells, Lucy confides in Rick (our central protagonists here) that she’s afraid of failing. Her debut book was a hit, her second less so. Rick asks if she’s ever heard of horror author Jack Ketchum, and imparts upon her the sage advice that was shared with him by the man himself: “Fuck fear.” Write bravely. Get those words down on the page.

I suspect this was advice Janz learned first-hand and is sharing with us through Rick. We get various other nuggets along the way, as Janz shares other tidbits of advice through his characters. Wells philosophizes over the nature of villains and reminds his group of authors, “You mustn’t allow the audience to know what he will do, yet his actions must always make sense in retrospect. You must provide him with a motivation. A purpose. … Make your villains live, my friends. Through them, you shall become legend.”

Rather than being a how-to guide or Janz’s version of On Writing, The Dark Game is very much a horror novel. It’s also a horror novel in which we can see the author exploring why he writes, sharing the lessons he learned over the years, while also telling one hell of a well crafted story. Although there’s clearly a lot of personal experience baked in, it never feels like Janz is speaking directly to you or breaking the fourth wall. Rather, it’s an author using a subject matter he is intimately familiar with — in this case, being an author — to ground the work in concrete credibility. Horror novels are rife with horror authors encountering the unnatural and inexplicable and becoming the main protagonist, and while that’s certainly true here, too, there’s a richness to the story, a muscularity to it all, that puts it pretty well close to the top of Janz’s output thus far. The suspense and eventual bloodshed have a literary meatiness to them, and the ideas presented within this book provide plenty to chew on. There’s an elegance to the revelations here, and Janz takes his time springing his various traps on us. The secrets each of these authors possess unfold slowly, while the plot simmers to a roiling boil.

The most popular maxim in writing is to write what you know. Well, Janz knows horror and literature, and the result is The Dark Game, a book that is all about fear. The fear writers carry that their stories aren’t ever good enough, the hope that their works can instill fear, the fears that make authors write in the first place, that inspire them or force them to grapple with, and the fear of unintended consequences. The fears of succumbing to egomania, and the price of immortality…and simply the fear of being forgotten or derided. And, ultimately, getting over those fears and just doing the damn work, to choose to, as Ketchum advises, fuck fear. It’s advice worth following, and advice that I suspect Janz took to heart writing this book especially. The end result is a story showcasing an author at the top of his own dark game.

Jonathan Janz's The Dark Game is well constructed and frightening look into ten writers trying to survive a competition run by a very intriguing host. This one gave me a lot of And Then There Were None vibes as the isolated crew was picked off one by one. However, The Dark Game is very original, because of its amazing antagonist and setting. Roderick Wells is a villain that will haunt my dreams for a long time to come. The chaos that he can create is beyond imagining. The mansion and surrounding woods are the perfect backdrop for the haunting events to take place. The mystery of Wells and the mansion were very fascinating, and I loved learning more and more about them as the book went on.


I want to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for giving a copy of this novel for review.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting supernatural thriller that was just a bit reminiscent of Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, Matheson's Hell House and Scott Thomas' Kill Creek - but take my word for it; people thrown together in a haunted house is where the similarity ends. Jonathan Janz took that premise and jetted off in an entirely different direction that was very satisfying, if a bit confusing.
The sheer number of characters made it somewhat difficult to keep up with, but the masterful way he picked them off, one by one, definitely caused it to get easier as the novel progressed.
As always, his plot was imaginative even though the characters weren't as "fleshed out" as he usually makes them (understandable since there were so many).
All-in-all, this was an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it.

I have been a fan of Jonathan Janz for a long time. He’s is good and I really dig his work.

There is a lot going on with this one though and it was a bit difficult to keep it all straight. I think it could have used a wee bit of a trim here and there to keep it a little leaner and meaner. That being said, it definitely didn’t lack for crazy sh*t going on. That’s for sure.

$3,000,000 up for grabs.

Let the games begin.