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The Dark Game (Fiction Without Frontiers) by [Jonathan Janz]

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Jonathan Janz

The Dark Game (Fiction Without Frontiers) Kindle Edition

by Jonathan Janz (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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"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 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.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Print length

341 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Flame Tree Press
Publication date

11 April 2019
File size

3994 KB
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Review

...fast-paced, gory and psychologically horrifying--The Most Sublime

"...incredible whirlwind of nightmarish suspense..."--Howling Libraries

"I'm sure we've all heard authors explain how, often as they write a character will take over the story and will take it in directions the author never intended. Well, The Dark Game is this idea on acid."--Frank Michaels Errington

"If someone told you this is actually a novel Stephen King had written and forgotten about [...] this is without a doubt the end result of that long-winded metaphor."--Splattergeist

"If you enjoy reading books with eeriness and suspense, then pick up this book."--Terror Tree

"If you love horror stories featuring plenty of characters and plenty of gruesome moments, I definitely recommend checking this book out."--Tara's Book Addiction

"Janz spins a nasty little tale of psychological and supernatural horror"--Reclusive Reads

"Janz's writing has a way of pulling rabbits out of hats with his plots that fit well within the confines of his story"--Lit Podcast

"Jonathan Janz may be rising above the "rising star" of horror status with several highly regarded novels under his belt. The Dark Game is another great novel to add to his list."--Real Dead Review

"The end result is a story showcasing an author at the top of his own dark game."--High fever Books

Dark, violent, and twisted, The Dark Game blends horror with a character study to disturbing effect.--John M. Murray Foreword Reviews

Equal parts Lord of the Flies mixed with The Girl on the Train with a cast of unreliable and shifty personalities, this novel belongs with the best thrillers on the bookshelf and should be on yours, stat.--A.E Siraki

Full of wicked imagery and precision placed scare tactics, The Dark Game doesn't disappoint on the spooky scale.--Just a Guy Who Liked to Read

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

In THE DARK GAME Janz showcases this ability to virtually bring his characters to life.--Horror After Dark

Mr. Janz has a fine eye for the layers of personality and character usually hidden from the world.--The Haunted Reading Room

One of the best writers in modern horror to come along in the last decade. Janz is one of my new favorites.--Brian Keene

The game he plays may be dark, but his writing shines brightest in the shadows.--Kendall Reviews

The Dark Game is a book I would highly recommend and sits high on my list of favorite reads this year.--The Scary Reviews

The Dark Game is a creepy and fast-paced read with excellent characterization--Little Miss Zombie

This novel is a treat for horror fans, yes, but it will have wider appeal as it manages to both scare and comment on the joy of reading. Many will be drawn into this fast-paced thriller, readers who love the pulp horror of Brian Keene, the dark twists of Sarah Pinborough, or the terrifying and emotional storytelling of Paul Tremblay.--Booklist Online --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Jonathan Janz is the author of more that fifteen novels and numerous shorter works. Since debuting in 2012, Jonathan's work has been lauded by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, The Library Journal, and many others. He lives in West Lafayette, Indiana. Jonathan 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." --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07QFX8XLY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flame Tree Press (11 April 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3994 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 341 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 261,293 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 1,636 in Occult Horror
- 2,215 in Occult Stories
- 3,587 in Supernatural Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
91 ratings

About the author

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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, Caroline Kepnes, Joe R. Lansdale, Stephen Graham Jones, Brian Keene, and Jack Ketchum. His ghost story THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER was selected as a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee for Best Horror. Additionally, his novels CHILDREN OF THE DARK and THE DARK GAME were chosen by Booklist and Library Journal, respectively, as Top Ten Horror Books of the Year. He is represented for TV & Film by Ryan Lewis (executive producer of BIRD BOX). Jonathan’s main interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children. You can sign up for his newsletter, and you can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, and Goodreads.

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Customer reviews

5 star		46%
4 star		31%
3 star		14%
2 star		10%
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Top review from Australia

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AJs Reviews

Another crany ride!

Reviewed in Australia on 24 April 2019

Another crazy ride from someone who's fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Ambition and secrets collide in a blood bath where it's never certain who, if anyone, will be lucky enough to survive. Again, I am impressed with how different the book is to the other titles I have read by the same author (and I loved the little salutes to them buried in the fabric of this book). I sometimes found it hard to keep track of the characters but overall it's a very satisfying horror novel.

Many thanks to Flame Tree Press. My review is my honest, voluntary opinion. If they keep publishing works like this, they have a very bright future!

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Top reviews from other countries

Sarah Hapgood

good story, let down by confusing, bland characters

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2021

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Another variant on Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None', in which 10 strangers, each with a dark secret in their past, are lured to a remote house to meet their doom. In this case they are all writers heading to a writers retreat, hosted by the mysterious, aged Mr Roderick Wells. Now for a start, that's a great idea for a story. Unfortunately it's let down - as other readers have pointed out - by too many characters, few of whom have any memorable personalities whatsoever. For instance, all through the book, I kept getting Rick and Will completely muddled up. Same with Elaine and Anna. Wells also felt too much of a pantomime villain. Who was this man? How did he get this much power? His wife, who started out in a promising fashion, vanishes for a fair chunk of the book. Too many times it also felt oddly disjointed. Characters would suddenly decide to do random things, such as "let's go and have a picnic in the chapel", which didn't really make much sense. It also went on for far too long. By about 65% of the way through it was starting to out-stay its welcome, and I'm not a fan of novels where the plot degenerates into just endless cartoon violence in the last segment. Having said all that, there was a lot to enjoy with it (hence the 4 stars), and at times it reminded me of classic, spooky old dark house horror, reminiscent of short stories I've read from old 1920s pulp fiction magazines. I'm glad I was reading this at the same time as I was reading Janz's 'The Siren And The Spectre' (which gets mentioned here), which is an infinitely better book all round. If this had been the only one of his I'd read I might not be tempted to read any more. I would argue that, if you're relatively new to Jonathan Janz, as I was, then don't start with this one.

One person found this helpful

Dale

Take a journey...to the dark side

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2020

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What a wonderful story teller Mr Janz is. His books are top notch and this one is no different.

10 writers are invited to a retreat hosted by legendary writer. Thereafter - let the games begin!

I was sucked into this story right from the off, a large part thanks to the calibre of writing. My only reserve about the book was i got a bit confused as to who was who a lot of the time. Suppose this can't be helped when you have multiple characters set in one location. Overall though i loved it - i felt there were lessons in there as well for aspiring writers and also like the Ketchum reference. Also like the reference to one of Janz' own books.

Brilliant story telling!

Julie

A gripping and exciting story!

Reviewed in Canada on 23 February 2022

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The Dark Game is gripping, exciting, and a fun take on the concept of what a writer will do to get a big book deal.

When a group of writers arrive at the mansion of their host for a writing retreat and competition, fueled by their hopes and dreams of becoming famous, they have no idea what is within the walls, waiting for them.

I found this story intriguing and gripping. The mansion is breathing with horrifying surprises. Another, thicker layer of horror is revealed as the darkest secrets of each of the contestants begin to seep from within.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Destiny B.

Terrifying and brilliant, masterfully crafted - I need more!

Reviewed in the United States on 15 April 2019

Verified Purchase

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.

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.

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.

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.

**I was provided with a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, though I loved The Dark Game so much that, as you can see by my verified purchase, I also bought a finished copy - it's THAT good!**

13 people found this helpful

Brandon Wills

Great Book by a Great Author

Reviewed in the United States on 2 August 2019

Verified Purchase

If you get a letter in the mail that begin with, “Mr. Roderick Wells invites you..”, just throw it away. Don’t even read the rest. Don’t consider it. Most importantly; do not respond.
The book began simply as a competition among some fledgling writers to seek counseling and tutorship with one of the most renowned writers in the world – Roderick Wells. The personalities for each character were all deep and well written. I found a little to like, and a lot to despise, in most of the characters. The story leads you to believe it will be about one thing, and then quickly evolve into numerous other possibilities, and I was quite happy with the way it ended. This won’t spoil anything, so I will stop there.
Characters: They were all so great and tragic, that I sympathized with some and was disgusted with others. He did a great job describing them and their backstories. 5/5
Story: Janz included some of the stories the characters were writing, which I thought was a great way to show character depth and a deeper look into their minds. The main story was good also and I was satisfied with how it ended. 5/5
Environment: The book progressively cranked up the creepy factor and I found myself cringing a few times. Janz is great at describing the surrounding, weather, the time of day, and the overall feel of the places. 5/5
Overall: Jonathan did a great job with this and I have already added a few of his other books to my reading list. Great job!
5/5

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