Will Burgess is used to hard knocks. Abandoned by his father, son of a drug-addicted mother, and charged with raising his six-year-old sister, Will has far more to worry about than most high school freshmen. To make matters worse, Mia Samuels, the girl of Will’s dreams, is dating his worst enemy, the most sadistic upperclassman at Shadeland High. Will’s troubles, however, are just beginning. … Because one of the nation’s most notorious criminals–the Moonlight Killer–has escaped from prison and is headed straight toward Will’s hometown. And something else is lurking in Savage Hollow, the forest surrounding Will’s rundown house. Something ancient and infinitely evil. When the worst storm of the decade descends on Shadeland, Will and his friends must confront unfathomable horrors. Everyone Will loves–his mother, his little sister, Mia, and his friends–will be threatened. And very few of them will escape with their lives.
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Jonathan Janz has single handedly become one of my favorite horror authors because this visceral coming-of-age novel and the accompanying book Savage Species. These are must reads for any horror fan.
I had this book on my Kindle for at least 9 months before I got around to reading it and now that I have, I wish I would have read it 9 months ago!! This is a great story! It is right up there with SK’s It!!
Good characters, great creatures, a murderer, teen love, bullies, and everyone is fair game to be killed! I kept thinking, “no, he won’t kill off that one”, but Mr Janz stayed true to the “Children”, the serial killer, and his story and die they did.
This was one one the best books I’ve read in 2018 and hope that the story of the Children of the dark continues!!
Confession time: I’ve had several of Jonathan Janz’s prior novels on my Kindle for months now, all unread, and so my first experience with this author comes courtesy of this ARC for Children of the Dark courtesy of the man himself. I’ve neglected reading Janz’s prior stuff and now feel like a giant fucking idiot for not having dived into those books sooner. Brian Keene gets a cover blurb here saying, “Janz is one of my new favorites.” Well, Mr. Keene, this book put me well over the moon and I think I can safely say he’s now one of my new favorites, too.
So, what is Children of the Dark? Simple answer – it’s a fucking amazing creature feature horror romp.
Longer answer – it’s a smorgasbord of a horror mishmash. There’s a serial killer, murder, monsters, and mayhem – oh my! So much murder and mayhem.
Children of the Dark is a brutal coming of age tale, with a trio of fifteen year old’s squaring off against their hometown of Shadeland’s urban legend, the eerily and inappropriately named Children. These suckers are huge and dwell in a network of caverns and caves dotting Shadeland’s woods, where our brave kids have a tree fort and square off against bullies, and have midnight swims with the girls they’re crushing hard on. At least until news breaks of a serial killer on the loose, and one of said girls goes missing.
What follows is a fast-paced, frenetic, heart-breaking read. It’s harrowing and tough, populated with incompetent local police with heads firmly up their own asses, and some of the most well-written teenagers since Stephen King’s The Body. Janz knows how to write, man, and he wrings every scene sublimely for maximum impact, whether it’s to tug at the heartstrings or wow you with gory creature-feature violence.
This book gets a solid A+, 5-stars, I want-slash-demand a sequel immediately rating from me. Highly recommended
(By the way, this book is evidently a prequel of sorts to Savage Species, but each book covers different ground and characters. At about a quarter of the way into my reading of Children of the Dark, I bought Savage Species because I already wanted more Janz and more Children in my life. But it’s worth noting there is plenty of wiggle room to get another book in this series, and I WANT Children of the Dark II pronto!)
A excellent coming of age horror story that has an amazing group of realalistic teen characters who face horror in a small town.
Author Jonathan Janz continues to amaze me with his “growth” in writing style, as shown in each successive book he pens. While CHILDREN OF THE DARK is a prequel of events leading up to his five-part novel, SAVAGE SPECIES, it has its own completely distinctive “feel”. Janz has shown his versatility in his array of story lines and characters all along. CHILDREN OF THE DARK is definitely a horror novel, but also very much a “coming-of-age” tale, in the vein of Robert McCammon’s BOY’S LIFE.
I have always been impressed with the depth of this author’s characterization. Wether dealing with a large cast of main characters, or those with shorter–but no less important–roles, I find it very easy to see the individual identity of each. These “people” are not two-dimensional stereotypes, but complex personalities. In one case, Will Burgess is internally giving us his views on the motivating force guiding one of his neighbors: “…I think it was the fragility of life that compelled . . . to volunteer, to get the little ones to understand that it wasn’t worth it to take chances.”
This story stands out in so many ways, but especially in how we go through the process of growing up–maturing–along with Will and his friends. Unfortunately, real life lessons are often unpleasant, and unfair to so many people for a variety of reasons.
“Why . . . did sweet little people . . . have to feel such terrible things? Why did such a good-hearted, loving girl get treated like dirt?”
CHILDREN OF THE DARK touched on so many subjects, on all levels. This novel really showcases Janz’ talent in writing–not just the horrific elements–but the more emotional, sensitive issues as well. He’s not afraid to look beyond the facade of what most people see and judge others by, and show us what’s REALLY behind the curtain. Rich or poor, addict or law-enforcer–everybody has a side hidden from public view.
I always look forward to a new Jonathan Janz book, and once again, he’s raised the bar to new heights.
Highest recommendation!
Old School Horror at its best!!
Fantastic read! This book fits nicely in the pantheon of childhood friends having to battle against mysterious forces/monsters etc! This would fit in nicely beside IT on a recommended reading list! Think Stand By Me with creatures!
Easy to read, highly enjoyable characters, twists you don’t see coming, and of course an epic battle to end the book! This was my first Jonathan Janz read, but it will be far from my last!
This book was probably my favorite of my holiday, a fantastic coming-of-age horror novel that incorporated so many elements of the genre, that it was just a mad rush to finish. Un-put-downable doesn’t begin to describe how I read this book. I absolutely devoured it. Buy this today, if you haven’t got it already. 5 stars are not enough.
So – what made it so good? Well, it’s got that Stephen King’s IT feeling about it, kids coming of age, falling in love, dealing with trauma at home, friendship, threats, a serial killer on the loose, a creature in the woods, a dormant evil feeling to it all, it’s just like all of the best elements from the genre collected in one horror novel. Who wouldn’t love this? The character work is outstanding. The budding relationship scenes are just heartfelt. The character arc’s are praiseworthy. The violence is brutal and satisfying. The world-building – look, I can’t say it enough –
Go buy this book. Do it today.
There are so many elements in the book that ratchet up the tension, right from the get-go. Bullies that menace their way through the book to add additional threats, just as real as the underlying ones. Parents that are selfish, a treehouse, a serial killer, incompetent police, being locked in a cage, a choice between love for a sister and your best friend – this has everything, including a wonderful first love realization and fantastic female representation. It’s magnificent. I can’t possibly do this justice in a review, just go to amazon right now and buy the damn book.
I bought another Jonathan Janz book immediately after finishing this one. You will too.
All the stars.
Over the years, I’ve built my To Be Read list into a pretty large list. Right now, it’s at 555 unread books and it keeps growing. As such, I’ve been trying to shrink my list lately by, in part, not finding new authors to follow. Unfortunately, Janz is not helping me here. I keep enjoying his books and wanting more. CHILDREN OF THE DARK continues his streak of solidly entertaining books.
Will Burgess has some of the usual problems of a teenage boy: bullies, a crush he hasn’t pursued, and doing well on his baseball team. But then he also has a unique set of problems: a dad he’s never seen, a mother with drug problems, and an escaped serial killer loose in his town. Plus, there’s something else loose. Something more monstrous and dangerous. Will finds himself trapped between the serial killer and the monsters with only a few people willing to help him.
One of the great things about the book was how much Janz got across the feel of being a teenager. The mindset and view of the world was 100% right in my mind. I very much felt like I was young again and experiencing the same feelings. In fact, right in the middle of one of those scenes where I was sucked into the drama of being a teenager, the abduction occurred. It was a total shock to me and gave me chills. The rest of the book wasn’t as shocking, but it was still engaging. There were a few characters (the local police) who were a bit cliche but not overly so; the character also developed by the end of the story, so the change was a welcome event. There was also one plot element that was very easy to predict; I’m not going to say what but if you read the book, you’ll probably figure it out too. None of that detracted me from my enjoyment of the story. The only unfortunate part is that I must admit that I am addicted: Janz is now a new favorite author to follow.
Fantastic book. I reviewed it on Goodreads, Amazon, and Audible. Best book I’ve read in the past year or so. Phenomenal!
4.5 stars!
Jonathan Janz is the real deal! Granted, I’ve come to this conclusion after reading only 3 of his books , but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the guy can write.
In this coming-of-age tale, I could not help but to root for the young Will Burgess, who has to take care of Peach, (his younger sister), and his mom, a pill popping addict. On top of that, his dad is no longer in the picture, and he often finds himself a target of the local bullies.
Mr. Janz has the ability, just like Stephen King, to make you care deeply about his characters, only to put them through the wringer shortly thereafter. This story reminded me a lot of King’s work, specifically The Body, (aka Stand By Me), and It. I cared for Will and his friends just as I cared for Beverly and Richie of the Losers Club. Unfortunately for Will and his buddies, the ending of It seems like a party compared to the fate of the kids in Children of the Dark.
After a slightly slow start, the pace of the story took off and it was all I could do to hold on. Every time I thought I had a handle on where the plot was going, it turned around completely, which made it difficult to put this book down. You know, that whole “I’ll just read one more chapter” type deal and before you know it, it’s 2:00 am? Yeah, that’s where this tale took me and I loved it. I can’t say anything more about the plot because it should be revealed as the author intended. I CAN say that this book was a blast and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel. How ’bout it, Jonathan? Children of the Dark II? You know you want to!
My highest recommendation to fans of coming-of-age stories, extreme horror, creature features, serial killers, cannibals and basically any fan of dark fiction, in general. There’s something here for every horror fan to sink his/her teeth into. BEWARE the Children of the Dark!
*In the interests of full disclosure: I “know” Jonathan Janz, (online only), and consider him a friend. Neither this or the fact that Sinister Grin provided me a free e-ARC of this story, affected my honest review.*
You can find this review and others like it at Horror After Dark. http://www.horrorafterdark.com