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Savage Species #2
The Children
Peaceful Valley is about to become a slaughterhouse!
For the first time ever, Samhain Publishing will serialize a terrifying original novel, Savage Species, in five installments, with new installments coming every two weeks.
The construction of the Peaceful Valley Nature Preserve, a sprawling, isolated state park, has stirred an evil that has lain dormant for nearly a century, and all the men, women and children unlucky enough to be attending the grand opening are about to encounter the most horrific creatures to ever walk the earth.
Part The Children
Jesse, Emma and their companions must fight for their lives against the horde of bloodthirsty creatures known as the Children. Meanwhile, Charly and Sam follow the trail of Charly’s missing baby below ground to a hidden cave system. But they’re followed by Charly’s husband, who has murder on his mind…
For the first time ever, Samhain Publishing will serialize a terrifying original novel, Savage Species, in five installments, with new installments coming every two weeks.
The construction of the Peaceful Valley Nature Preserve, a sprawling, isolated state park, has stirred an evil that has lain dormant for nearly a century, and all the men, women and children unlucky enough to be attending the grand opening are about to encounter the most horrific creatures to ever walk the earth.
Part The Children
Jesse, Emma and their companions must fight for their lives against the horde of bloodthirsty creatures known as the Children. Meanwhile, Charly and Sam follow the trail of Charly’s missing baby below ground to a hidden cave system. But they’re followed by Charly’s husband, who has murder on his mind…
- GenresHorror
96 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2013
About the author
Jonathan Janz
61 books2,118 followersJonathan Janz is an author and public schoolteacher. His sci-fi horror novel VEIL is now available, and you can find his story "Lenora" in THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND. He’s represented for Film & TV by Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment, and his literary agent is Lane Heymont. His ghost story The Siren and the Specter was selected as a Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Horror. Additionally, his novels Children of the Dark and The Dark Game were chosen by Booklist and Library Journal as Top Ten Horror Books of the Year. Jonathan’s main interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children. You can sign up for his newsletter (http://jonathanjanz.us12.list-manage....), and you can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, and Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 2, 2013
The Children are sleek and hideous, with razor sharp teeth and claws, and a serious penchant for human flesh and blood. The ragtag survivors of the Peaceful Valley campground attempt to flee as the ravenous creatures close in. Janz's taut and rapidfire pacing, blended with wit and humor, makes this ebook novella series addictively fun reading for horror fans. And Frank Red Elk is one of the most lecherous and hilarious characters to come around in modern horror fiction in a while. If you haven't checked out this series yet, Part One is free, each subsequent part (released every two weeks) only a buck fifty! Must freaking read for fans of balls-to-the-wall, gory, monster horror!
November 27, 2013
Leave it to Jonathan Janz to name some of sickest monsters to step onto the pages of one of his stories "The Children." These aren't your Children of the Corn types though, no sir. These Children have claws and fangs and the most depraved appetites imaginable.
At the end of "Night Terrors," all hell had broken loose in the Peaceful Valley Nature Reserve. The Children emerged from whatever dark recesses they'd been holed up in for only god knows how long, wasting no time in maiming, devouring, and defiling the unsuspecting campers. Jesse, Emma, and Colleen, the trio of journalists visiting the park for a feature story, escaping with all ten fingers and ten toes is a precarious exercise, because these beasts are everywhere. As for Charly and her now missing son, she must rely on Sam to help her find him and the monster that took him, but her domineering husband, Eric, is aware of their budding relationship and is out to end it one way or the other.
The pace is frenetic and the action is fierce. What character development exists at this stage in the story is nothing short of astonishing, since there is hardly a chapter not chock-full of guns blazing, claws tearing, and blood spilling. That said, it became a little overwhelming at times, like a sensory overload. The humor that comes in the form of Jesse and company seeking refuge at the home of Frank Red Elk is welcome, helping let off some of the pressure before things kick into high gear once more.
"Dark Zone" is the third installment in the serial novel, which seems poised to offer some kind of convergence between the two storylines, and maybe offer some glimmer of hope in defeating the Children. Because at this point, these monsters are unstoppable and people are dropping like flies. Bring it on.
At the end of "Night Terrors," all hell had broken loose in the Peaceful Valley Nature Reserve. The Children emerged from whatever dark recesses they'd been holed up in for only god knows how long, wasting no time in maiming, devouring, and defiling the unsuspecting campers. Jesse, Emma, and Colleen, the trio of journalists visiting the park for a feature story, escaping with all ten fingers and ten toes is a precarious exercise, because these beasts are everywhere. As for Charly and her now missing son, she must rely on Sam to help her find him and the monster that took him, but her domineering husband, Eric, is aware of their budding relationship and is out to end it one way or the other.
The pace is frenetic and the action is fierce. What character development exists at this stage in the story is nothing short of astonishing, since there is hardly a chapter not chock-full of guns blazing, claws tearing, and blood spilling. That said, it became a little overwhelming at times, like a sensory overload. The humor that comes in the form of Jesse and company seeking refuge at the home of Frank Red Elk is welcome, helping let off some of the pressure before things kick into high gear once more.
"Dark Zone" is the third installment in the serial novel, which seems poised to offer some kind of convergence between the two storylines, and maybe offer some glimmer of hope in defeating the Children. Because at this point, these monsters are unstoppable and people are dropping like flies. Bring it on.
June 29, 2013
After reading the first installment I was on the hook for the rest of the series. The lead characters, the mystery of these vile creatures, the pacing and the writing were all done very well. My problem was that I couldn’t wait until the 18th of June for it to drop! Thanks to Jonathan Janz’s generosity however, I was able to read the next installment before its release.
The Children picks up exactly where part one left off, so if you’ve not read that one yet, this review could spoil portions of that part. READER BEWARE.
Continuing on from the cliffhanger ending of part one the story moves at a pace that’s akin to a big budget blockbuster thriller. For about the first twenty-five percent of the book you have crazy car chases, bloody action, and enough panic stricken moments to give you chills.
Through this though, you get to witness the evolution of certain characters, Jesse being the one brought into the spot light a bit more while trying to find Emma after she disappeared with Marc Greely earlier in the evening. He is able to really build the suspense and action without forgetting to build the characters. From building heroes, to building the characters you despise from this group, it’s all fluid and natural, and even surprising. That is a trait that is very hard to come by in an author.
The only nit-picky thing I have with this group of characters is the conversation regarding push-up bras and why someone needed them etc, while dealing with Frank Red Elk. While it’s probably something that he would bring up based on his character it just seemed out of place here due to the gravity of the situation at hand. I won’t say any more about this section because really the entire thing with Colleen, Jesse, Emma, and the rest of the park crew that’s left should be experienced.
With all the excitement of the above group, he didn’t forget about Charly and Eric Florence. The pacing of this portion is a bit different than with the group at the park. He really takes the time to build the characters, and the tension, both romantic, and violent. They are flawlessly interwoven.
Sam and Charly are trying to find where her son was taken to, while Eric is more concerned with the fact that she is with Sam rather than what’s going on with his son. Eric is truly a despicable character and Jonathan gets this point across very well. Not in so much as how he acts towards Sam and Charly, but with his inner dialogue. It’s like stepping into his shoes, looking into a mirror with his eyes, and reading his inner thoughts. It was very, very well done.
Of course with this being only second installment, you have lots of questions unanswered, and I’m still trying to figure out who Frank Red Elk, how he knew about The Children, and if his role will play a much bigger part in the story.
The Bottom Line: I’ve got to wait again?? Well, here *goes to amazon, clicks pre-order on the remaining installments* take my money already! *makes it rain*
I’ll get pleasant surprises every couple weeks when these things drop on to my kindle. Jonathan Janz, way to keep me invested in the story. While the violence is high and the scene with one of The Children getting his dick cut off was quite disgusting, this portion made me actually care about the characters more than I did the first time around. I’m invested in the mystery and I’m invested in the well-being of the characters.
The Children picks up exactly where part one left off, so if you’ve not read that one yet, this review could spoil portions of that part. READER BEWARE.
Continuing on from the cliffhanger ending of part one the story moves at a pace that’s akin to a big budget blockbuster thriller. For about the first twenty-five percent of the book you have crazy car chases, bloody action, and enough panic stricken moments to give you chills.
Through this though, you get to witness the evolution of certain characters, Jesse being the one brought into the spot light a bit more while trying to find Emma after she disappeared with Marc Greely earlier in the evening. He is able to really build the suspense and action without forgetting to build the characters. From building heroes, to building the characters you despise from this group, it’s all fluid and natural, and even surprising. That is a trait that is very hard to come by in an author.
The only nit-picky thing I have with this group of characters is the conversation regarding push-up bras and why someone needed them etc, while dealing with Frank Red Elk. While it’s probably something that he would bring up based on his character it just seemed out of place here due to the gravity of the situation at hand. I won’t say any more about this section because really the entire thing with Colleen, Jesse, Emma, and the rest of the park crew that’s left should be experienced.
With all the excitement of the above group, he didn’t forget about Charly and Eric Florence. The pacing of this portion is a bit different than with the group at the park. He really takes the time to build the characters, and the tension, both romantic, and violent. They are flawlessly interwoven.
Sam and Charly are trying to find where her son was taken to, while Eric is more concerned with the fact that she is with Sam rather than what’s going on with his son. Eric is truly a despicable character and Jonathan gets this point across very well. Not in so much as how he acts towards Sam and Charly, but with his inner dialogue. It’s like stepping into his shoes, looking into a mirror with his eyes, and reading his inner thoughts. It was very, very well done.
Of course with this being only second installment, you have lots of questions unanswered, and I’m still trying to figure out who Frank Red Elk, how he knew about The Children, and if his role will play a much bigger part in the story.
The Bottom Line: I’ve got to wait again?? Well, here *goes to amazon, clicks pre-order on the remaining installments* take my money already! *makes it rain*
I’ll get pleasant surprises every couple weeks when these things drop on to my kindle. Jonathan Janz, way to keep me invested in the story. While the violence is high and the scene with one of The Children getting his dick cut off was quite disgusting, this portion made me actually care about the characters more than I did the first time around. I’m invested in the mystery and I’m invested in the well-being of the characters.
August 30, 2013
Again, it's hard to rate this part of a 5-part story as a single writing piece, but this is the way Goodreads works, so ... Overall, "The Children" was down on the crazy goodness of "Night Terrors", less because the story pauses to take a necessary breath toward its back end, but more because there was some oversights in the writing. On a few occasions a character would suddenly be removed from what they were doing previously, almost as if the editor had been overzealous and cut out a sentence that was necessary to link action A with Action C by way of Action B. Worse than that, though, was the one shift in perspective that was written - for no apparent reason - in the present tense, while the rest of this (and the previous) part were written in the past tense. Extremely jarring.
That said, I'll continue along with Mr Janz's novel and see what he holds in store for his characters. The jury remains (optimistically) out.
That said, I'll continue along with Mr Janz's novel and see what he holds in store for his characters. The jury remains (optimistically) out.
January 3, 2016
The action is fast paced at the beginning of the book after we left our main characters in big troubles. The story becomes more and more interesting and I am curious to know more about these creatures; they are some of the most aweful I have "seen". I have the feeling something twisted is around the corner. I am also enjoying the characters more, and the humour scenes that let us calm down a little from the madness of the chasing.
July 2, 2013
Installment 2 started out with more action. Just as I thought it might be too much action, he slows it down and gives us character conversation. Perfect. I really loved the second half of this installment best and was upset when I flipped for more and realized that was it till episode 3!! I wasn't ready for it to end yet...
June 27, 2013
The Children is pretty much all action, and it's even better than Night Terrors. You're propelled to the end, with no respite in sight. Still, Janz fleshes out his characters, providing someone to root for amidst the flying limbs and slaver. (He might have oversold his villainous humans.)
October 26, 2013
This is my guilty pleasure, Its like passing and accident and you don't want to look but you have to! Jonathan Janz You have a very disturbed mind!
December 8, 2014
A nice follow-up to Night Terrors. The pacing is a little slower in this one, but it's building up to something really big. Need the next installment!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews