Published in Great Britain in 2016; published by Orbit on April 4, 2017

The Last Days of Jack Sparks is a fictional-presented-as-real exploration of the supernatural from the perspective of a skeptic (Jack Sparks), but it’s grounded in the philosophy of belief systems. A “combat magician” talks to Sparks about Robert Anton Wilson’s notion that people should neither believe nor disbelieve, whether the subject under consideration is science or religion or the supernatural, because belief destroys intelligence. The notion that it is arrogant to profess belief (or disbelief) in any version of reality when there is so much about the universe we don’t understand appeals to me, as does the novel.

Having made a career of writing about himself as he does things that are interesting, self-destructive, or both, Jack Sparks embarked on his fourth book, Jack Sparks and the Supernatural. A foreword by his brother reveals that it is his last book because Jack is dead. And it is the dead Jack Sparks’ book that is presented to the reader, along with his brother’s edits.

Having decided to write about the supernatural, Jack attends an exorcism in Italy. It’s spooky, but not as spooky as the video that suddenly shows up on his YouTube channel, even though he didn’t post it. The video, shot in a Blair Witch Project style, purports to show an aggressive, ghost-like being. There are also three demonic names spoken on the video … or are there?

The priest who performs the exorcism gives Jack a book that purports to describe Jack’s death, but Jack doesn’t read it because it seems like too much information. After a trip to Hong Kong to watch a couple of ghostbusters rid a houseboat of spirits, even more creepy things begin to happen to Jack. Much of the novel centers upon Jack’s transformation from skeptic to believer, although what he believes in and why are questions that the reader will ponder until the “truth” is revealed.

Editorial additions to the text, inserted by Jack’s brother, provide a counterpoint to Jack’s depiction of himself. To others, Jack was arrogant, self-indulgent, and more interested in keeping abreast of his social media presence than in having an actual conversation with a physically present person. At the same time, Jack’s obsession with YouTube and other social media outlets highlights the growing difficulty of distinguishing the real from the fake when nobody acts as a filter to authenticate news stories or videos.

I like the way the novel balances ambiguity with the conventions of horror. Is Jack really experiencing paranormal phenomena? Is there a rational explanation for the manifestations he witnesses? Or is Jack having ‘shroom flashbacks, hallucinations that might be related to the drugs he consumed while writing his last book? All of those explanations occur to Jack, but they don’t detract from the truly spooky descriptions of his encounters with ghosts or demons or psychic manifestations or whatever they might be.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks blends a horror story with a psychological thriller. The story’s theme, I think, is that there is a thin line between being possessed and self-possessed. There may always be demons within us that need to be exorcised, including our uncontrolled egos, our vanities and narcissistic tendencies.

Jack’s self-absorption is so extreme that it detracts from the story’s pleasure — although admittedly, you only need to watch the news to be deluged with stories that feature extremely self-absorbed people who, like Jack, believe they are above criticism. Still, the plot is carefully constructed, muddling together different theories of the paranormal in a way that leads to surprising revelations that resolve the story in a sensible way while leaving room for ambiguity and alternate explanations (such as those drawn by Jack’s brother). And the book does have its scary moments, which is really all a reader can ask from a horror novel.

This is a brilliant, must read thriller from an author I hope to see MUCH more from. If you only read one book this summer, this is the one it should be.

I'm going with 2.5 stars.

The one thing you know on starting this book is that Jack Sparks died after writing it. So that made me curious. The story started off right up my alley.
An Italian exorcism that Jack gets permission to watch for his next book. It goes way different that atheist Jack had expected.
So he bursts out laughing right at a crucial moment.
That garners him some attention that he shrugs off. Then there is that weird you tube video that someone loads up on his account.
A normal person would probably start questioning the universe. Jack is really not normal.
He definitely falls into asshole territory. Jack cares about one person. That person is Jack and Jack only. His whole world revolves around his own legend. And how many hits he can garner on social media.
Then while investigating the book and all the fallout that happens along the way he ends up in California, where he is engaging with a group that believes a group can conjure a ghost from their minds or some crap like that. I got lost at this point in the book and didn't really care much anymore.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

A while back I read Arnopp's short story or maybe a novelette about a haunted home of sorts. It was cute, but it certainly didn't prepare me for the awesomeness of this book, a proper length one and well worth the page count. And I know I already used the word awesome, so now I have to think of synonyms to avoid sounding repetitive, but this book...this book was really something. It's been some time since I read something that was effort to put down, though the aforementioned page count makes it necessary at times. This self and otherwise documented (epistolary in a way) description of a downfall of the social media celebrity writer/journalist had such a frenetic manic energy. It puts one in mind of maybe John Dies at the End, only this one featuring a profoundly despicable protagonist who nevertheless (credit to Arnopp) makes a strikingly compelling narrator. Jack Sparks, the egotistical maniac, lying scumbag and an all around bastard, once a music reporter (Arnopp must have drawn from real life experience here), now an author of popular self revolving quest type of books is after his latest subject, debunking the supernatural. Pity Jack is his own proverbial worst enemy, respecting nothing, loving nothing, unable to control that giant ego of his...things are bound to get out of hand, way way out of hand. By the time a morality lesson gets delivered and settled in, Jack will hop time and place to set things right, but timing's a b*tch and the devil's in the details. What a fun ride this was. Arnopp's done a lot of screenwriting, so the man must know thing or two about pace, and this was paced perfectly, picking up the speed as things started spiraling out, shifting perspectives at just the right times so that the readers' perspectives can change to reflect and appreciate the way Jack's perspectives change. Veritable rollercoaster of madness, supernatural and otherwise, with enough gore and guys for horror fans, suspense for mystery fans and excitement for thriller fans, drama for serious readers and really just a great fun mash up of ingredients for the perfect literary feast. Immensely entertaining, terrifically enjoyable. Most enthusiastically recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Well, this was a hell of a lot of fun!

Jack Sparks is an egotistical, self-centred, selfish, cynical prick. You'll love him!

Jack is a journalist and writer who sees himself as an edgier Louis Theroux. For his latest book, he is investigating the supernatural. Jack's cynicism in the face of exorcisms, new-age ghostbusters and paranormal obsessives is genuinely funny...but the reader is aware from the start that Jack's come-uppance is on its way.

The idea of a horror that is also funny didn't initially sound great to me but this was a joy to read. It has real scares and a great, if unreliable narrator.

This book is an original and Jason Arnopp is a genuinely exciting new voice in horror fiction.

This is a wacky book about a drug addicted, drug addled young man who makes his living by participating in novel activities and then writing about them. He's has written about riding a pogo stick across England, and surviving in the world of street gangs, and he has made a good living at it. Unfortunately, the most recent book was about drugs and addiction and the participatory experience has had very negative consequences.

Jack forges on, though, and decides that his next adventure would be to confront his personal fear of the supernatural, so he starts zipping around the world visiting mediums, attending séances, hanging out with the mystical crowd, and helping to exorcise ghosts and demons. Most of these goings on excite Jack's derision, not admiration, and he is drafting his book in very negative terms, twisting and turning logic to explain away the inexplicable things he witnesses. As this rationalization becomes more difficult, Jack's mental condition, and his abstinence, begin to crumble and we watch him succumb to terror and violence.

The writing is Brit pop in the style of Nick Hornby and has enough twists, turns and loops to satisfy anyone.

I received a review copy of "The Last Days of Jack Sparks" by Jason Arnopp (Orbit) through NetGalley.com.