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Friday the 13th: The Jason Strain
A controversial new reality TV show pits convicts against each other in a fight to the death, and Jason has been lured as the show's star attraction. However, an eccentric millionaire wants to get a sample of Jason's DNA to find the secret of his immortality, but it all goes horribly wrong. The "Jason Strain", a highly contagious virus that makes its victims invulnerable and immortal, but also fills them with Jason's rage and desire to kill, is unleashed upon the unsuspecting contestants!
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 31, 2006
2 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Christa Faust
79 books400 followersChrista Faust is an American author who writes original novels, as well as novelizations and media tie-ins.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 15, 2016
As has been the case with every one of the Friday the 13th novels in this series, the novel had a stronger story than any of the movies.
Now, one thing I will point out about this novel was the lack of Jason. Jason probably was in less than a 1/4 of the book. However, the story was still strong without him. There's a tv show where death row inmates battle to the death and the winner goes free. Of course that story has been told before, but in this case they throw Jason in for good measure. However, the story only starts there. There are so many twist and turns the novel turns into something totally different.
To add to the story, a wealthy billionaire is searching for immortality. Hearing the story of Jason, he thinks something in his DNA may hold the secret. So they snatch Jason away from the TV show producers and attempt an experiment. Unfortunately, all they do is create a rampaging "Jason Virus" that turns people into bloodthirsty zombies. At first I was turned off by the zombie aspect, but the story was so engrossing that even as a straight zombie novel it would have been entertaining. There's an underwater sequence that was very gripping.
Overall this was a surprisingly good novel, and if you are a fan of the Friday the 13th movies you should enjoy it. Honestly, even if you aren't a fan of the series, but you enjoy a good horror novel, this one may be for you.
Oh, and also, you get Jason vs. a shark. Enough said!
Now, one thing I will point out about this novel was the lack of Jason. Jason probably was in less than a 1/4 of the book. However, the story was still strong without him. There's a tv show where death row inmates battle to the death and the winner goes free. Of course that story has been told before, but in this case they throw Jason in for good measure. However, the story only starts there. There are so many twist and turns the novel turns into something totally different.
To add to the story, a wealthy billionaire is searching for immortality. Hearing the story of Jason, he thinks something in his DNA may hold the secret. So they snatch Jason away from the TV show producers and attempt an experiment. Unfortunately, all they do is create a rampaging "Jason Virus" that turns people into bloodthirsty zombies. At first I was turned off by the zombie aspect, but the story was so engrossing that even as a straight zombie novel it would have been entertaining. There's an underwater sequence that was very gripping.
Overall this was a surprisingly good novel, and if you are a fan of the Friday the 13th movies you should enjoy it. Honestly, even if you aren't a fan of the series, but you enjoy a good horror novel, this one may be for you.
Oh, and also, you get Jason vs. a shark. Enough said!
January 10, 2023
You know the drill by now if you've followed my reviews for any length of time: I was able to go through this because The 80s Slasher Librarian recorded a fan audiobook of this novel and put it on YouTube for free for anyone to listen to. Go check out his channel and support his work, it's important!
Personally, even if it hadn't been for the zombie virus outbreak in this book, I am not sure I would have liked this one for a number of reasons. I'm not even going to go into all of them, there are too many to list. In fact, I'm not even sure I have a single good thing to say about this one. Ultimately I think it's skippable, and good riddance.
Personally, even if it hadn't been for the zombie virus outbreak in this book, I am not sure I would have liked this one for a number of reasons. I'm not even going to go into all of them, there are too many to list. In fact, I'm not even sure I have a single good thing to say about this one. Ultimately I think it's skippable, and good riddance.
April 5, 2024
3 1/2 ⭐
This was pretty wild. Listened to it on the 80's Slasher Librarian's channel for my first Old School April 2024 read.
I would describe it as Jason meets extreme reality TV meets zombie virus outbreak. Didn't care for the first characters we were introduced to, but the main two I really rooting for.
Gory, bloody, and crazy.
This was pretty wild. Listened to it on the 80's Slasher Librarian's channel for my first Old School April 2024 read.
I would describe it as Jason meets extreme reality TV meets zombie virus outbreak. Didn't care for the first characters we were introduced to, but the main two I really rooting for.
Gory, bloody, and crazy.
October 5, 2017
I got to say that I'm not a big fan of zombie novels and movies but I did enjoy this 4th book in the Friday the 13th Black Flame series. I felt the author did a much better job with this book than she did with the 2nd Nightmare on Elm Street book (also a Black Flame novel).
Jason is in this story much less than the previous three books in the series, but I felt the story itself was good. The two main characters were developed well.
Jason is captured and released in Costa Rica as part of a publicity stunt to increase ratings on the second season of a reality show where several men and women on death row are granted a chance to kill all others on the show for an award of life in a more comfortable prison if they are the last one standing.
From there the story takes several twists and turns all over the island. A love story is also ironically weaved into the plot as well.
Die hard Jason fans will certainly feel Jason is lacking in the majority of the book, but the story itself still makes it a good read on my opinion.
Jason is in this story much less than the previous three books in the series, but I felt the story itself was good. The two main characters were developed well.
Jason is captured and released in Costa Rica as part of a publicity stunt to increase ratings on the second season of a reality show where several men and women on death row are granted a chance to kill all others on the show for an award of life in a more comfortable prison if they are the last one standing.
From there the story takes several twists and turns all over the island. A love story is also ironically weaved into the plot as well.
Die hard Jason fans will certainly feel Jason is lacking in the majority of the book, but the story itself still makes it a good read on my opinion.
May 28, 2020
Mind Candy. Exactly what I was looking for. Definitely evocative of the F13 series in terms of tone (lots of nudity and gore).
There were some weird grammar and spelling errors but I wasn't necessarily expecting this book to be super edited. I had a good time and got what I wanted, a quick read and dumb fun.
There were some weird grammar and spelling errors but I wasn't necessarily expecting this book to be super edited. I had a good time and got what I wanted, a quick read and dumb fun.
June 4, 2023
This was fun but I'll be honest the twist in the middle did throw me a bit.
The Jason carnage was honestly top notch and the beginning has some legitimately great writing but just be aware there be zombies here.
The Jason carnage was honestly top notch and the beginning has some legitimately great writing but just be aware there be zombies here.
November 11, 2022
Listened via the 80s Slasher Librarian's audiobook.
December 15, 2023
4.5 rounded up for GR
February 11, 2024
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah?? I loved this book! It was super fun and makes a wonderful companion piece to the films! All hail the horror!
November 24, 2014
The sociopathic producer of the reality series Xtreme Elimination (a show in which a collection of death row inmates fight to the death, the lone survivor winning freedom) decides to up the ante in the second season by adding female inmates to the mix.
Wait, there's more!
Said producer also captures and unleashes Jason Voorhees upon the gathered inmates, who are all trapped on a small island off the coast of Costa Rica.
Hold on, there's even more!
A mad scientist seeking the genetic key to immortality abducts Jason and attempts to splice his indestructible DNA into her life expanding serum. The result is not an immortality serum, though. Instead a virulent rage virus, one that turns the infected into impervious killing machines, breaks out and spreads across Costa Rica like wildfire.
Christa Faust takes Friday the 13th and mixes it with liberal splashes of The Most Dangerous Game, Jurassic Park, and 28 Days Later for an utterly bonkers reading experience. I am not kidding when I tell you that something weird and wacky happens every other page, because Faust is willing and unafraid to keep upping the apocalyptic ante, right to the utmost peak of joyful absurdity. It was impossible for me to figure out just where the hell this book was going to go. Lovers of pulp fiction and Grindhouse movies should give this a guilty pleasure a try.
Wait, there's more!
Said producer also captures and unleashes Jason Voorhees upon the gathered inmates, who are all trapped on a small island off the coast of Costa Rica.
Hold on, there's even more!
A mad scientist seeking the genetic key to immortality abducts Jason and attempts to splice his indestructible DNA into her life expanding serum. The result is not an immortality serum, though. Instead a virulent rage virus, one that turns the infected into impervious killing machines, breaks out and spreads across Costa Rica like wildfire.
Christa Faust takes Friday the 13th and mixes it with liberal splashes of The Most Dangerous Game, Jurassic Park, and 28 Days Later for an utterly bonkers reading experience. I am not kidding when I tell you that something weird and wacky happens every other page, because Faust is willing and unafraid to keep upping the apocalyptic ante, right to the utmost peak of joyful absurdity. It was impossible for me to figure out just where the hell this book was going to go. Lovers of pulp fiction and Grindhouse movies should give this a guilty pleasure a try.
June 28, 2025
Drawn-out thin, with so many subplots that at times Jason Vorhees doesn’t even get mentioned for several dozen pages. There are numerous characters but most of them serve no purpose other than to get killed shortly after being introduced. I know it’s supposed to be outrageous and genre-meshing, but it tries way too hard and crams too much content, until I just didn’t even care what happens in the end.
March 16, 2008
a book that read just like a crappy ass horror movies these days. Jason on an island with a reality show, lame!
October 21, 2015
I think Faust put literally everything into this book. Just awesome, perfect October read. Damn.
August 17, 2018
3.5/5. This one is less classic Jason and more Jason meets "House of the Dead"(movie)/"Dawn of the Dead". Which actually kinda works in its favor.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews