BOOK BLURB
Ben Shadeland’s infant daughter has been kidnapped and he’s convinced
that the malevolent creature that lives in the catacombs beneath Castle
Blackwood – an ancient god named Gabriel – is responsible. It has
summoned unspeakable monsters to the Sorrows – both human and
supernatural. And Gabriel won’t rest until he has his revenge.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing.
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BOOK REVIEW
Another scorcher of a story from the pen of this clever horror writer. Clever in that he can take a horror cliché add his twisted imagination and own it. The cliché here is the haunted mansion cut off from the civilised world by the body of water that surrounds it. Take away any means of escape leaving its terrified occupants trapped, add psychotic killers, demonic beasts put that altogether with a few twists give it a shake and out falls this brilliant concoction. A story full of blood, gore and a demonic spirit that takes you on a journey through hell as seen through the eyes of all those involved. When Ben’s infant daughter is kidnapped he knows exactly who and where she is, the Castle of Sorrows. The scene of a bloodbath from the previous year where he barely escaped with his life and that of his son and wife. He needs to go back to face that he fled but no one believes his account of what really happened. The people he has to rely on to help include an ex cops, the FBI and the owner of the island who’s husband and son were killed in the same horrific event that Ben fled. Unfortunately for all of them there are others who want them dead besides the demon. The novel plays out around all these characters pitting them against each other and the malevolence that lives within the darkness of the island. The story is tense, nail biting and thoroughly all encompassing , you just fall onto the island feeling that you are also there fearing for your life. You feel you want to rush in and pluck the infant out of the darkness and hold her tight till her father can find his way to her. The shivers run down your spine as you feel there is some malign being siting on your shoulder. A great read from an author who is not afraid to put his very dark twist on anything he writes and imagines. I have not read the first book of sorrows but that doesn’t matter you get enough of the backstory in this book, it has made me want to go buy that one though. I look forward to more tales.of darkness and horror from Jonathan Janz.
Thanks to Anne Cater and Flame Tree Press for my copy of the book as always they are my own thoughts and opinions.
STAR RATING 5
Jo nathan Janz grew up between a dark forest and a
graveyard, which explains everything. Brian Keene named his
debut novel The Sorrows “the best horror novel of 2012.”
The Library Journal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin,
“reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House
and Peter Straub’s Ghost Story“
Since then Jonathan’s work has been lauded by writers like Jack Ketchum,
Edward Lee, Tim Waggoner, Bryan Smith, and Ronald Kelly. Novels like The
Nightmare Girl, Wolf Land, Savage Species, and Dust Devils prompted
Thunderstorm Books to sign Jonathan to an eleven-book deal and to give
him his own imprint, Jonathan Janz’s Shadow Side.
His novel Children of the Dark received a starred review in Booklist and was
chosen by their board as one of the Top Ten Horror Books of the Year
(August 2015-September 2016). Children of the Dark will soon be translated
into German and has been championed by the Library Journal, the School
Library Journal, and Cemetery Dance. In early 2017, his novel Exorcist Falls
was released to critical acclaim.
Jonathan’s primary interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing
children, and though he realizes that every author’s wife and children are
wonderful and amazing, in this case the cliché happens to be true. You can
learn more about Janz at http://www.jonathanjanz.com
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