“In his latest pulp horror gem, Janz channels early Stephen King to twist the story of a secluded writers’ retreat into something unique and thought-provoking.” – Booklist Ten writers are selected for a summer-long writing retreat with the most celebrated and reclusive author in the world. Their host is the legendary Roderick Wells. Handsome, enigmatic, and fiendishly talented, Wells promises to … enigmatic, and fiendishly talented, Wells promises to teach his pupils about writing, about magic, about the untapped potential that each of them possesses. Most of all, he plans to teach them about the darkness in their hearts.
The writers think they are signing up for a chance at riches and literary prestige. But they are really entering the twisted imagination of a deranged genius, a lethal contest pitting them against one another in a struggle for their sanity and their lives. They have entered into Roderick Wells’s most brilliant and horrible creation.
The Dark Game.
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You want to know a sad reality? Like, a reality we’re living in that will possibly make you cry once you read it? OK – maybe grab some tissues. Got ‘em? OK – here we go. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)
THE DARK GAME IS ONLY MY SECOND JANZ READ EVER!!!
I know right! This is the reality of 2019 and you know frankly I’ll just go sit quietly in the corner and wait for you all to settle down. (Wow eight DM’s already yelling at me about that. You guys are fast. But passionate and that’s acceptable.)
You see, last year I only managed to read Children of the Dark and it was stunning.
I’d not heard of Janz before (again, yes blasphemous) and was drawn in by the cover for that novel. Once done reading it, I ordered Exorcist Falls and then pre-ordered The Siren and The Spectre. But I just never got to them. They’re coming, but I’m ashamed I haven’t read them yet!
So – The Dark Game. 10 writers are invited to the mystery house of living legend Roderick Wells. At the end, one of them will be selected as the grand prize winner. Fame, fortune, publishing contract; what all writers dream about.
It isn’t hard to think that this was conjured up during a feverish dream Janz had. We’ve all been curious about visiting our literary hero’s houses, and I suspect every horror fan out there has seen Stephen King’s gothic abode. I haven’t come across who Janz considers his literary God, but I’m sure that person played a role in Mr. Wells’s demeanor.
The principle of the story is that straight forward. 10 writers of varying skill and success arrive at Well’s massive house, far off the beaten trail. None of the competitors has any idea what to expect. All they know is that the last winner of such a contest became one of the more sought after authors in the world.
From here out Janz shows his chameleon ability as a writer. We get 11 stories running throughout – Roderick Wells and each of the writers. Janz does a superb job of jumping back and forth and maintaining continuity. Even the add-in lesser characters have purpose and he ensures that they’re placement isn’t simply to write himself out of a corner.
As the pace quickens and the story unfolds, Janz doesn’t back off. We go from drama to horror and back within a few paragraphs and then back again. Suspense is high and the grounds around the house work well to keep the reader on their toes.
Without going further into detail, and keeping this review spoiler free, The Dark Game works amazingly as both a further addition to Janz’ output as well as the perfect introduction to his body of work.
Can’t recommend it enough!
5/5
Note: This review was originally published at HighFeverBooks.com.
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.
4.5 stars.
THE DARK GAME, by Jonathan Janz, is a novel that takes ten struggling writers–each aspiring to be the next to land a bestseller–on what they think is their chance of a lifetime. Each of them will meet and stay for a time with the extraordinarily successful, yet eccentric, Roderic Wells. The last time Wells extended an invitation to a group of authors, one of them became successful beyond her wildest dreams!
The catch? Only one of them can win the prize money and contract.
“MR. RODERICK WELLS requests the honor of your presence at his estate on May 26th for a six-week writing retreat . . . ”
The concept of an author writing about writers going on a “writing retreat” isn’t a new one, but Janz is able to take virtually any idea and turn it into something captivating and completely his own.
“. . . Everything begins with horror.”
The atmosphere is set right from the start. The dynamics between each “contestant” has been carefully studied and applied to make their arrival as unsettling as possible. They are not there to forge friendships, but rather set out to one-up arch other in every manner possible. This tactic serves to help keep them mentally isolated as much as possible–even as they are physically separated from the rest of the world by the infinite expanse of Well’s hidden, foreboding estate.
“. . . Well’s mansion looked like every ghost story he’d ever read . . . ”
Even beginning with this rather large cast of characters, I felt that Janz did a good job in giving them some distinguishing traits and characteristics. Admittedly, there were a couple that were merely “throw-away” characters, in my opinion, but even those had a backstory we were privy to, and completely necessary to further the plot.
“Just what the hell did happen to the other nine writers in the first contest?”
One thing I especially loved was how TRUE so many of the statements in this novel were. Things that were simply stated, could often be so profoundly accurate.
“. . . stories have incredible power. They can teach. They can transport . . . Some stories can kill.”
While being introduced little by little to the . . . differences . . . in Well’s homestead, we get a chance to know the majority of the characters very well. These individuals–like so many of my favorites in literature–are all flawed. This serves to make them even more realistic to the reader. Their fears, their desires, their shortcomings . . . these are all things that some of us will be able to sympathize and identify with. While we are learning the inner feelings of the contestants and others on this estate, another, larger part of the novel is moving inexorably forward.
“. . . There was no doubt Well’s estate was . . . different. Mysterious things happened here, things he had trouble explaining . . . ”
Another enjoyable feature here that may be noted by those that have read some of Janz’ other novels, is some “internal referencing” to his works that the contestants are contemplating writing about. While this knowledge is in no way necessary, it certainly put a smile on my face when I was able to visualize a “story idea” that had already been fully fleshed out. A treat to some, and perhaps an added incentive for others to explore some previously released titles.
“. . . No one is more honest than the storyteller . . . They have the ability to create life . . . Or to bring death.”
Overall, I feel that Janz is growing stronger as an author with each new book he produces. He’s able to layer an idea with complex characters, multiple, intersecting storylines, and yet in such a way that serves to pull the reader into the worlds he creates–almost making them feel a “part” of the tale. In THE DARK GAME Janz showcases this ability to virtually bring his characters to life, endowing them with full pasts, and future goals. They all have regrets from earlier mistakes which makes them easier to identify with as individuals. He can take what could be a magical, fairy tale setting and turn it into something twisted and malevolent with only a few words.
“. . . a place of magic . . . But the magic was of the darkest, most demented sort . . . ”
Janz is an author whose voice is now being heard above so many others. With his dramatic storylines and three-dimensional characters, his novels are among those that I will be seeking out in the future.
“Do you believe in monsters?”
Highly recommended.
*I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All ideas are uniquely my own.*
Johnathan Janz is a masterful author. He has his own voice that makes each story he creates great. This is a great book for thriller or horror readers.
Fantastic horror story by Jonathan Janz, one of my favorites by him!
Quite possibly Janz’s best work yet. His skills continue to sharpen, and it really feels like he’s comfortable as hell behind that keyboard now. There’s a piece about fearlessness in this book, and I think it’s safe to say Janz is feeling just that-fearless. This was by far my favorite cast of characters in any of his books, and the story read like something straight out of the Leisure Books Horror Club heyday!
THE DARK GAME is a horror gem.
Loved this book. Very clever premise. The finale was a true classic. Scary, suspenseful, and a truly fantastic ending. Just get this story. You will be glad you did.
Great story that kept me well intrigued. Loved the ending!
Even though I understood basically what was going on very early, the book continued to entertain. A fast-paced page turner and definitely a “don’t miss” for horror fans.
While THE DARK GAME turned out to be a good book, I had a couple of problems with the beginning. I’ll admit that those problems were probably might fault for the way I consumed the story. I listened to the book on Audible instead of reading the words. Part of me wonders if I would have had the same problems if I had read the words instead of listening to them. It’s never been a problem before but maybe this time it was. Other reviews have compared the book to LORD OF THE FLIES, the more obvious comparison in my mind is the TV show “Survivor”.
Ten authors are invited to a summer-long retreat at famous author Roderick Wells’ hidden mansion in the woods. While he promises to tutor and assist the writers in becoming better, he also frames it as a challenge. One-by-one the authors are slowly eliminated until one is left. That one will win three million dollars plus a publishing contract for the book that was written during the summer. Unknown to the authors, the elimination is permanent and directly beneficial to Roderick. Once they accept the reality of what is happening, the fight to win the challenge morphs to a fight for their lives.
As I mentioned, I had a problem getting into the book. With the ten contestants, Roderick, and a small supporting staff, I had issues keeping track of all the characters. It was more of a surface issue though; the characters were defined and relatable but it would take me a minute or two to realize who the character was. “That’s right. Amanda is married to Roderick. Lucy is another writer.” That type of thing. Of course, once authors started being eliminated, it was easier to remember everyone. Some of the initial deaths were also annoying, sort of. Each contestant in the story was chosen in part because of their past, their personal demons. While at the retreat, the authors had to face those same demons. In some cases, those demons killed. It made sense and fit the reality of the story. However, it also was disappointing to see them die because they gave up rather than fighting. Defeating personal demons is always hard but maybe those early deaths could have been done differently. On the other side of the coin though, once enough characters died, I was pulled completely into the story. And in normal great book fashion, I couldn’t get through the final third of the book fast enough and yet also couldn’t stretch it out so that I could enjoy it longer. As an additional plus, there are Easter eggs in the story. I unfortunately haven’t read enough Janz to have found them all; hell, I only found one when he mentions one of his books: THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER. While I didn’t recognize most of the Easter eggs, they were written in a way that I knew there was something there that I was missing. I don’t know if it would be better considered as surreal or a meta-reality, but that line between the fiction of the story and the reality of our world was smudged a little. I think I’m going to read more books by Janz and then come back and read this book again. Maybe then I’ll catch a few more of those references.
Way too many characters to keep up with. It was an okay storyline if just a bit predictable. Still worth a read.
I borrowed this from my library through hoopla.
Mr. Wells is a legendary horror writer that has invited 10 struggling authors to his estate for a retreat.
Problem is, this retreat has held rumors that only one author is successful….and lives. As the authors begin to “leave” the retreat one by one, Mr. Wells and his mansion seemed to look younger. Will anyone survive this so called retreat or will the diabolical forces at work continue thriving for centuries to come?
Best book yet, in my humble opinion, from this author, definitely pick this up!!!
“WELLS FOREST, the sign read. A PLACE OF MAGIC.”
Ten authors/author wannabes are invited to a secluded retreat by a world famous reclusive author for a contest – with one winner. At stake – millions of dollars in prize money and guaranteed publishing of their next book.
The ten disparate authors, male and female, arrive in the middle of an Indiana forest at a moldering mansion and that’s when the bizarre events start happening. New plus past dangers start to threaten them and they start to die.
There were two older books that this book brought to mind while I was reading it – AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (TEN LITTLE INDIANS in film form) by Agatha Christie and THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde. There are some minor similarities but this book has a big supernatural element, which I did not expect.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes and no. There were parts I really liked but also parts I could have done without. This is a horror book, not a mystery. And it’s pretty horrific throughout. I should have been expecting that more because Janz is a horror author but I wasn’t expecting the storyline it followed. That’s on me and that’s why I rated it four stars and not lower. Not my cup of tea exactly but we’ll written for what it is.
I received this book from Flame Tree Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.