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The Dark Game

Jonathan Janz (Goodreads Author)

3.93 · Rating details · 496 ratings · 249 reviews

"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 talen ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published April 11th 2019 by Flame Tree Press

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Average rating 3.93 ·

Rating details

· 496 ratings · 249 reviews

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Jan 11, 2019 megs_bookrack rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs-read

**3.5-stars**

This is the story...
...of 10 writers...
...picked to live in a mansion...
...and compete against one another...
...for the ultimate prize.

Find out what happens...
...when people stop being polite...
...and start getting KILLED .

Ten aspiring authors are selected to attend a summer-long writing retreat at a private estate property.

Their host, Roderick Wells, a renowned author himself, is eccentric and creepy AF. He also happens to be cruel and quite possibly insane.

We meet the competit ...more

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Mar 13, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it

Recommended to Chelsea by: Chandra Claypool (wherethereadergrows)

Shelves: netgalley, from-publisher

"#1 Internationally Bestselling Author
MR. RODERICK WELLS
Requests the honor of your presence at his estate on May 26th for a six-week writing retreat. You and nine others have been selected for the opportunity of a lifetime. One of you will become the next Legendary Author.
Please find enclosed:
One airline ticket
A contract* outlining Mr. Wells's expectations
*Contract must be returned by mail no later than May 1st. Any mention of the retreat will automatically void the contract. Absolute secrecy "#1 Internationally Bestselling Author
MR. RODERICK WELLS
Requests the honor of your presence at his estate on May 26th for a six-week writing retreat. You and nine others have been selected for the opportunity of a lifetime. One of you will become the next Legendary Author.
Please find enclosed:
One airline ticket
A contract* outlining Mr. Wells's expectations
*Contract must be returned by mail no later than May 1st. Any mention of the retreat will automatically void the contract. Absolute secrecy is required."

3.5 stars rounded to 4.
I don't read as much horror as I did in my teens, and as such I'm sure that the parameters of what is included in such has evolved drastically, but if I had to describe this in a simple buzz phrase, I would call it "light horror". Not that this book didn't have numerous instances of disturbing content and graphic violence, but I think the only aspect that separates The Dark Game from the thriller genre would be the paranormal aspect. All that to say, if you're a reader looking for a nice bridge from the general thriller genre to something darker, but are concerned you can't handle the more unsettling stories found in the horror genre, this is a great novel to pick up.

Let me just say upfront, I adore novels that feature writers, especially ones at retreats who are working on manuscripts. Throw in a good mystery and I'm sold. This was my first experience with the author, but it certainly won't be my last. Janz knows how to grip the reader from the opening page, and the fact that he has sprinkled in Easter eggs with nods to his previous works (much like Stephen King does with his novels set in the same universe) really grabbed my attention. The plot here is very straight forward, and you'll mostly know what's going to happen from the beginning, but that's because at heart, this isn't a mystery novel, it's more of a heart-pounding suspense with a few nuggets of mystery thrown in along the way.

I had such a blast watching the plot unfold; it was like a more gruesome version of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None if said novel leaned to the supernatural side of the spectrum. While we know early on what is happening and roughly who is behind it, we don't really have all the intimate details of the why until the end, which I found kept the suspense high and my interest engaged. I do wish that we had a little more at the end, because I had quite a few questions that weren't answered, but I do appreciate that the author decided to leave some of those details up to the reader's imagination. This was a wicked fun little read that I highly recommend for those looking to be slightly scared, but wholly entertained!

*I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. ...more

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Jan 20, 2019 Debra rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley

2.5 stars

Ten Writers are invited to a summer long retreat at the home of one of the most celebrated and reclusive writers, Roderick Wells. He promises to teach them any things while they are there about writing and reaching their full potential. One of them will even win three million dollars, a publishing contract and Well's patronage! Who wouldn't want that?

Soon it becomes clear that things are not quite right at the retreat. Soon each one is confronted with their past and their deeds, actions ...more

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Jan 22, 2019 Karl rated it really liked it

Shelves: flame_tree-own, 2019-01-books-bought

With his new book “The Dark Game” Jonathan Janz its author, has created an interesting set-up. What the story presents is Roderick Wells, the most celebrated and reclusive author in the world. hosting a summer-long writing retreat where ten writers have been selected to attend, for the chance of winning three million dollars, and an assurance of a big-time publishing contract.

The contestants are:

Lucy Still
Tommy Marston
Marek Sokolow
Evan Landon
Anna Holloway
Elaine Kovalchyk
Sherilyn Jackson
Rick For ...more

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Aug 04, 2019 Mort rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm thinking about a 4.5 Star review here - just can't push myself to give five.

Janz is a very talented horror writer - if you've read some reviews, you will know that he has impressed some serious horror fans. His writing is good and stable, and his stories flow rather well. If it wasn't for me seeing the ending a bit too soon - don't know how many people will feel this way - I might have given it a five.

So, this story is almost like FLATLINERS meeting IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS.
We all have skelet ...more

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Apr 09, 2019 Sadie Hartmann Mother Horror rated it really liked it

Shelves: cemetery-dance

Original review posted at Cemetery Dance April 15th, 2019

2019 is the year of Jonathan Janz. There. I said it. Flame Tree Press performed the remarkable act of acquiring his previously released titles and then doling them out to us on a pretty aggressive schedule, which is an impressive gesture all on its own…but wait! There’s more. Flame Tree is also releasing new titles from Janz.

Like I said, this is the year of Jonathan Janz and an incredibly exciting time to be a fan. If you haven’t had the p Original review posted at Cemetery Dance April 15th, 2019

2019 is the year of Jonathan Janz. There. I said it. Flame Tree Press performed the remarkable act of acquiring his previously released titles and then doling them out to us on a pretty aggressive schedule, which is an impressive gesture all on its own…but wait! There’s more. Flame Tree is also releasing new titles from Janz.

Like I said, this is the year of Jonathan Janz and an incredibly exciting time to be a fan. If you haven’t had the pleasure of picking up one of his books, now is the time, my horror loving friends. The Dark Game was my eighth Janz book and it’s one of his new releases. In this story, Janz polishes up a favorite genre trope: a select few are invited to stay at a wealthy—and potentially sinister—host’s home to play a game.

Roderick Wells is a prolific author who invites up-and-coming authors to his estate for a writers retreat/competition. The writer who can endure Wells’ unorthodox methods and scathing humiliation will win a monetary prize, bragging rights and a contract with a New York publisher.

This is a large cast of characters, with the sinister host and his wife plus the ten authors invited to play, but Janz puts his writing skills to work right away, developing characters and giving them unique backstories and voices. I had no trouble keeping everyone straight.

The short chapters help to keep the pace of the story moving at just the right speed. Somewhere around the middle of the book, I realized that the first two parts consists of building and setting up so that when parts three through five come, Janz can tear everything down, strip it back and lay it bare. It was very effective storytelling. I particularly enjoyed the different literary devices like character monologues, diary entries, and all the different excerpts of the stories the authors were writing. It gave the reader a hundred different ways to get to know important details of the character’s pasts without clunky info dumps.

If you’re like me, you’re a reader who enjoys stories involving writers. When an author tells a story involving a writer, it forces that 4th wall to come down and reveal insight into the real life and mind of the writer—perhaps even the man behind the very words you’re reading. This was, perhaps, the most enjoyable aspect of this book. Reading Janz’s The Dark Game was like experiencing the creator speaking through his creation. I highly recommend it. ...more

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Apr 27, 2019 Luvtoread rated it really liked it

Shelves: dark, horror

A Very Tantalizing Horror Novel.

The story evolves around ten authors who are invited to participate in a six week-long writing competition which is a very hush, hush program that they will have to sign a contract of complete secrecy (no cellphones, no computers or tablets, nor telling any family or friends what they are doing) or they will be eliminated immediately and sent back home. The winner of this elite competition will be awarded a several year contract with the top publishers and guarant ...more

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Apr 16, 2019 Bark rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, netgalley-review, flametree

I have to admit that I had a little struggle with this book because the font on my ARC was so teeny tiny I could only read the story in 20 minute increments before my eyes started to cry and reading became an impossibility. After trying to read it this way for over two weeks I finally gave up and requested an eArc via Netgalley. Thank you Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the arc’s! The author has confirmed that final copies will have an easier to read font so your eyeballs need not worry.

This I have to admit that I had a little struggle with this book because the font on my ARC was so teeny tiny I could only read the story in 20 minute increments before my eyes started to cry and reading became an impossibility. After trying to read it this way for over two weeks I finally gave up and requested an eArc via Netgalley. Thank you Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the arc’s! The author has confirmed that final copies will have an easier to read font so your eyeballs need not worry.

This is a story about a group of writers who are invited to join in on a game at a creepy old mansion hosted by a creepier old writer. A Dark Game, mwahaha. The winner will receive fame and fortune and all they desire and who doesn’t want that? Everything about this game and its mysterious host is weird and ultra-creepy but the prize is irresistible. The losers? Well, you do not want to lose this game and that’s all I’ll be saying about that . . .

When the story begins it tells the tale of a full cast of characters in alternating chapters and, likely because I was reading it in such short bursts, I had a difficult time keeping track of who was who and whose back story went with who and I kept mixing them all up in my head. I kept hoping a few of them would get killed off fast in order to end some of my confusion. I know, how selfish of me, but it is the truth. I don’t like straining my brain that hard after a long day of life and some of these characters were no good trashy people anyway and no great loss to humanity, if you’re asking me.

I enjoyed this book once the cast was trimmed down a bit, as I knew I would. The whole atmosphere was very well done and I enjoyed learning about the darkness hiding inside most of these characters. Reading about terrible and sordid secrets is my one of my favorite past-times and this book delivered on those. There were lots of nasty surprises to be found and watching the characters get all vicious with each other was a bit of a blast!

This is a wild book that really ramps up in its last few acts. If your memory is better than mine and you can handle a large cast of characters, I bet you’re going to fall right into this deliciously evil story and not come up for breath until you finish. ...more

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Mar 16, 2019 Lisa rated it it was ok

Shelves: net-galley

My thanks to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley.
It's just one of those things I suppose. A book description sometimes sounds way more exciting than the actual book. This was the case with me. I've only read 4 or 5 books by Mr. Janz, and I plan on reading more. But, this book in particular was almost the same book as another I've read by this author. Which one? Heck if I know! 😬 But, it was on an island, and shit was weird. Here? Yep, maybe not an island, but definitely lost, and definitely strange! ...more

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Mar 01, 2019 Toni | Dark Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-s, netgalley

4.5 Stars!

Thank you to Jonathan Janz, Flame Tree Press and NetGlley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Jonathan Janz read, I had heard lots of good things so was super excited to get started on this.

The premise of a group of authors unknowingly being entered into a twisted game against each other, while being confronted by demons from their pasts had me hooked and I wasn’t disappointed!

The story starts quite briskly, with the authors arriving at the retr ...more

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Jun 14, 2019 Ginger rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-book, 2019, buddy-read

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the Horror Aficionados group and guest author Jonathan Janz for doing the group read for The Dark Game! I really enjoyed being a part of this!

This is the first book that I’ve read by Janz and I really enjoyed it. His writing is very descriptive, grim and shocking at times. I love this type of writing in horror! He does not skip on the horror or details when gruesome deaths occur.

The Dark Game starts off with 10 writers getting an invitation to a writing retreat with ...more

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Jun 14, 2020 Gary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

Jonathan Janz knows how to tell a story. His strength is driving a plot forward and keeping me wondering what will happen next. Ultimately, it's what brings me back to his books. That is definitely the strength of this novel. The setting is very And Then There Were None like. There are guests on an island vying for a prize and since this book is in the horror genre, the reader has a fairly decent idea of what will happen to at least some of them. The only thing in question is the how and why, an ...more

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Feb 01, 2019 Josh rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, review_books, read_2019, horror

A number of books have explored the use of writers and their fictional characters coming to life to wreak havoc on their creators, but none have been so diverse and plentiful in number as those which appear in The Dark Game.

The premise of this horror is a genre staple; a bunch of people of varying socio-economical standing are invited to a house off the grid to participate in a contest which will reward the victor handsomely. If they can survive the secluded retreat that is.

The contest revolves ...more

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Apr 03, 2019 Kimberly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, books-i-own, wtf, flame-tree-press, death, supernatural, dark, gore, haunting, wow

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. RODER ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 Emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Ok so this is pretty silly, but it’s the kind of inventively murderous fun that passes the time splendidly and has an ending which leaves you with a wide, gleeful smile.

But was it scary??

Well, It had enough of a spook factor to make me check the shadows when taking the bins out so... make of that what you will.

ARC via Netgalley

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Apr 15, 2019 NZLisaM rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, netgalley, horror, supernatural, gothic-horror

Where vivid imagination breathes life into manuscripts, unleashing the stuff of nightmares!

Fans of Stephen King, Scott Thomas' Kill Creek, and Stephen Laws, Daemonic, will devour The Dark Game.

Ten authors are invited to the isolated home of best-selling, reclusive writer, Roderick Wells for a six week writing retreat. Absolute discretion is required, with those who choose to attend, contractually obligated not to mention the retreat to a soul. The prize: two million dollars and a publishing deal Where vivid imagination breathes life into manuscripts, unleashing the stuff of nightmares!

Fans of Stephen King, Scott Thomas' Kill Creek, and Stephen Laws, Daemonic, will devour The Dark Game.

Ten authors are invited to the isolated home of best-selling, reclusive writer, Roderick Wells for a six week writing retreat. Absolute discretion is required, with those who choose to attend, contractually obligated not to mention the retreat to a soul. The prize: two million dollars and a publishing deal for one winner.

But from the moment they arrive the contestants are plagued by terrifying visions of past wrongdoings and supernatural beings who taunt them with their most private of sins. Moreover, their penned stories appear to be taking on a life of their own. Then one-by-one they are killed, murdered in terrifying and macabre ways.

Gothic horror meets black comedy – gory rather than scary, but a whole lot of fun nonetheless. Not for the faint-hearted though as there are a lot of grisly deaths, as well as sex scenes. But for regular readers of horror I highly recommend. I'm a big fan of a horror where a group of strangers are trapped together, forced to fight for their lives with seemingly no escape, and that the threat not only comes from whatever they are facing but also from those who turn on each other. Who's behind everything will come as no surprise, but the reason the writer's were selected, and the final showdown threw me for a loop. Loved the ending as well – talk about poetic justice!

None of the characters were particularly likeable, but all the same it's hard not to empathize over the way they were being violated, and hunted, in such perverse ways. There were characters I was rooting for more than others, but I didn't really warm to any of them. The benefits of a larger cast of characters, or in this case writers, is that some are merely there just to be killed off, so the action, and body count starts from the get go, and either this way, or a slow-build, work just as well for me in a horror plot.

This is my first horror novel by Jonathan Janz, but I do own The Siren and the Specter and with several references to it within this story, and having enjoyed this one, I'll definitely be reading it sooner rather than later.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Flame Tree Press, and Jonathan Janz for the e-ARC.

Available Now! ...more

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Apr 29, 2019 Mindi rated it it was amazing

#1 Internationally Bestselling Author
Mr. Rodrerick Wells
Requests the honor of your presence at his estate on
May 26th for a six-week writing course

From the multitude of applicants, you and nine others have
been selected for the opportunity of a lifetime.
One of you will become
the next Legendary Author

The premise of this novel had me immediately excited and eager to read it. Ten writers are selected by bestselling author Roderick Wells to spend the summer at a writing retreat in his isolated estate. ...more

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Apr 01, 2019 Emily rated it really liked it

The Dark Game was a fun read! I really liked the setup of this book, and my attention will always be caught with a synopsis like this. I think that this book is perfect for fans of books like The Carrow Haunt, Kill Creek, Hell House, etc.

I felt like there were a few too many characters, and it was difficult to connect with anyone. It was impossible to keep anyone straight, and it took people much longer to die than I expected since there were so many characters. I think a character list at the ...more

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Jan 12, 2019 Glenn Rolfe rated it it was amazing

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.

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Apr 11, 2019 Jon Recluse rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, netgalley, mystery

10 aspiring writers are invited to a writing retreat at the remote mansion of reclusive author and literary giant Roderick Wells, an invitation that will transform one of them into a bestselling author in their own right.
But this bargain turns out to be more Faustian than benevolent......and failing to impress the great Roderick Wells carries a price far darker than any of them can imagine.

Janz spins a nasty little tale of psychological and supernatural horror, with touches of BURNT OFFERINGS th ...more

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Apr 14, 2019 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-best-of-the-best, adult, review-copies, z-2019-reads, owned-ebooks, horror, owned-physical

Wells’ mansion looked like every ghost story he’d ever read. As they drew closer, Rick couldn’t shake the feeling he was about to become part of one.

I’ve read and reviewed many of Jonathan Janz’s releases and re-releases over the last several months, and have loved all of them, but none have won me over quite as much as my first read of his, The Siren and the Specter—that is, until finishing this newest novel of Jonathan’s, The Dark Game.

I know what haunts you, Wells gloated. I can summon

Wells’ mansion looked like every ghost story he’d ever read. As they drew closer, Rick couldn’t shake the feeling he was about to become part of one.

I know what haunts you, Wells gloated. I can summon it here to claim you.

Right off the bat, this synopsis ticked so many boxes for me. I love books about writers, I love plots involving competitions, and I love “retreat” settings (camps, secluded mansions, etc.). Most of all, I love when a horror story features multiple characters plagued by their own personal demons—but it’s not an easy trick to pull off, because telling these layered stories-within-a-story requires a nuanced and talented creator. Luckily, Jonathan Janz is precisely that.

“This place… is a wonderland of hideous beauty. Of dreadful passion.”

As is typically the case with one of Jonathan’s stories, there’s a wide and varied cast of characters, but I didn’t find myself losing track of who’s who or disliking the number of perspectives; if anything, it was so intriguing to watch the story-telling style change as the players began to exit the game. And boy, do they ever exit quickly; The Dark Game’s action picks up early and never lets up.

I learned something that night. I learned that stories have incredible power. They can teach. They can transport. But they can also bring misery. They can enslave. Some stories can kill.

Up until now, I’ve always recommended that readers who are unfamiliar with Jonathan Janz titles begin with Siren, but after finishing up this incredible whirlwind of nightmarish suspense, you can’t go wrong with The Dark Game as an introduction to his work, either. I know this is going to be a new all-time favorite that I’ll be raving about for a long time to come, and I can’t wait to see what Jonathan does next to top it.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Flame Tree Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review! ...more

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Mar 22, 2019 Michael Hicks rated it it was amazing

Shelves: advanced-review-copy, horror, netgalley

My review of THE DARK GAME can be found at High Fever Books.

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 Tr My review of THE DARK GAME can be found at High Fever Books.

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. ...more

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Apr 04, 2019 Katie Gallagher rated it it was ok

Read this review and others on my blog!
Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for sending me a free advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review. The Dark Game debuts April 11th.

This may have been a poor choice for a first book to read by Jonathan Janz. I didn’t know much about Janz, though the name vaguely rang a bell. (More on that later.) The premise is a bunch of writers competing for mentorship and future literary prestige at a spooky retreat. Normally I’m not huge on sto Read this review and others on my blog!
Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for sending me a free advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review. The Dark Game debuts April 11th.

This may have been a poor choice for a first book to read by Jonathan Janz. I didn’t know much about Janz, though the name vaguely rang a bell. (More on that later.) The premise is a bunch of writers competing for mentorship and future literary prestige at a spooky retreat. Normally I’m not huge on stories where the MC is an author; the characters always read cringy to me, like an over-the-top author-insert. But the whole writer competition thing sounded fun, so I decided to request the book.

Yet it turns out that ten writer MCs read more cringy to me than one writer MC, by a factor of about ten-fold. (Whodathunkit.) Again, this is totally a personal preference thing; I just can’t get past all the talk about agents and advances and genre dissing, since I’m forever trying to suss out Janz the author’s actual thoughts.

He narrowed his eyes, appraising her. “You look like a YA writer. Am I right?”

She considered telling him of her early success, transforming his arrogant expression into a look of awe.

Take the above quote, for example—what do you mean by that exactly, Jonathan Janz? You wanna throw down? Huh? Huh? 😀

But then. Then. We get to the above and beyond part. Because Janz inserts multiple mentions of one of his own novels into the book and talks up how great it is. Read that again. One of the writers on the retreat is writing one of Janz’s books, The Siren and the Specter, and keeps saying how it’s amazing. It’s bookception, with a marketing twist. As my husband put it, “Wow, that takes a lotta balls.”

This is when I realized why Janz’s name seemed so familiar to me; I have The Siren and the Specter on my (lengthy) Goodreads TBR. Honestly I have no idea if there are other Easter eggs in The Dark Game, but I wouldn’t be surprised. My overall sense is that this book might be great for diehard Janz fans as a sort of fan service book, but it left me kind of feeling like I was missing a bunch of inside jokes, while also being served some sneaky advertisements. I also had a difficult time connecting with the characters since there were just so damn many of them. Some had interesting back stories, but most felt fairly interchangeable, and it was hard to keep everyone straight. (Save for Sherilyn; really enjoyed her brief POV sections.)

So I’m not ruling out reading another book by this author, but suffice it to say that The Dark Game was unfortunately a miss for me. ...more

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Mar 11, 2019 Steve Stred rated it it was amazing

** Edited as Review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **

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 ** Edited as Review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **

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! ...more

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Apr 05, 2019 Chris rated it it was amazing

Having been a huge fan of his work since THE SORROWS from now defunct Samhain Publishing several years ago, Jonathan Janz has been steadily releasing his back list with Flame Tree Publishing over the past year. And if his new horror release THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER from last year wasn't a big enough hit, which it was, with his forthcoming April release, THE DARK GAME, is like Janz's telling us, "Hold my beer!"

The mysterious and enigmatic bestselling novelist Roderick Wells holds his notorious " ...more

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May 11, 2019 Jamie Stewart rated it it was amazing

You know you’re reading a great story when 50 pages in you know you will be reading this again. The premise of The Dark Game alone deserves a 3 star rating, ten writers competing for a publishing contract at a writers retreat run by international best selling writer. Yet, what elates this novel to 5 star is Jonathan Janz awe inspiring storytelling ability.

The first thing that struck me about The Dark Game is how much story exists in its 300 plus pages. Every character is well defined, compellin ...more

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Mar 18, 2019 Bill rated it really liked it

I have been a fan of Jonathan Janz for a long time. He’s is good and I really dig his work.

There is a lot going on with this one though and it was a bit difficult to keep it all straight. I think it could have used a wee bit of a trim here and there to keep it a little leaner and meaner. That being said, it definitely didn’t lack for crazy sh*t going on. That’s for sure.

$3,000,000 up for grabs.

Let the games begin.

*I received an advance review copy of this release from NetGalley in exchange f ...more

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Mar 19, 2019 Don Gillette rated it liked it

Very interesting supernatural thriller that was just a bit reminiscent of Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, Matheson's Hell House and Scott Thomas' Kill Creek - but take my word for it; people thrown together in a haunted house is where the similarity ends. Jonathan Janz took that premise and jetted off in an entirely different direction that was very satisfying, if a bit confusing.
The sheer number of characters made it somewhat difficult to keep up with, but the masterful way he picked them ...more

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Aug 30, 2019 andrea caro rated it did not like it

Shelves: audiobook, read-in-2019, dnf, horror

Gratuitously oversexualized in a way that makes me want to take a shower. Rape/sexual assault of someone with an intellectual disability. Domestic abuse, too. Slut-shaming. Fuck loads of misogyny and toxic masculinity. Then I DNFed. 1-starring this because honestly, it makes me never want to read anything written by a man ever again. I love horror, but rape as a horror plot device is lazy, bad writing.

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Apr 25, 2020 Julie Zantopoulos rated it it was ok

Shelves: own-it, read-in-2020

At a certain point, I had to stop marking problematic and content warning markers in this book....there were just TOO many. Also, there was a sentence with, and I shit you not, fourteen (yes 14) comas in it that spanned almost an entire paragraph.

This had potential. I read it to the end hoping for some epic payoff, for some reason for all the gross gratuitous violence against women and misogyny, but nope. A straight-up hot mess that I wish I could forget.

CW: rape, domestic abuse, forced aborti ...more

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Horror Aficionados : June 2019 Group Read with Guest Author, Jonathan Janz	132	188	Jul 02, 2019 05:55AM
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About Jonathan Janz

Jonathan Janz

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Jonathan Janz is the author of more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories. His work has been championed by authors like Josh Malerman, Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, and Brian Keene; he has also been lauded by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. His ghost story The Siren and the Specter was selected as a Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Horror. Additionally, h ...more