First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for letting me have this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went looking for a Horror book in NetGalley’s categories and found this gem. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Look at this cover! It’s fantastic! I do love a good horror novel and I wasn’t sure what to expect but there are so many good things that I have to say about this one. In this post I’ll be keeping it spoiler free, outside of the description of the book from NetGalley and the occasional character name referenced. This is be more about what I liked about the book overall and just how I felt as I read it.

This book is big, 352 pages, it’s broken into five parts and I think that really makes sense with just how much information we needed as we went. The chapters will go back and forth, between different characters but it works for me. The characters all have their moments and they are wonderfully written moments that I enjoyed learning more about each person as I went. I did immediately have two favorite characters, I won’t say who, I don’t know if the author did that intentionally given how this book ends but I took to them over all others right away.

It flows really well even with the bouncing between this and that, it moves at a good pace that you don’t feel bored at any point of reading. The descriptions were perfect for me, I don’t like overly wordy descriptions of the rooms and surroundings but I don’t like barely anything. The vocabulary use was great, there were even some words that I’d never heard of before and had to look up. Of course my favorite was solipsistic, I knew that one because it’s used in one of my fav’s “You” by Caroline Kepnes, but learning the definition it’s just a great word.

It is vulgar. Sex, Violence, Depravity. It’s all here and I think you have to really be okay with reading that because it’s not for everyone. There are scenes that are very intense and even slightly nauseating but I’m someone that expects that out of an Adult book as well as out of a horror. It isn’t out of place or shoved in just for shock value. I didn’t feel like it was gratuitous either, it was all well placed and made sense for the moments or the characters that were involved.

What I really loved about The Dark Game was the characterization! Jonathan Janz just a phenomenal job with creating these characters. From the host, Wells, to the ten writers that have come to compete. Each was different, each with their distinct personalities, motivations, secrets and stories that have brought them to this ‘retreat’. I have to give kudos to being able to delve into the minds of ten characters, develop them and bring them to a point where you are interested what happens to them.

Reading about each person, learning about them, either you love them, hate them, pity them or are disgusted by them. Either way the writing in this book makes you feel something and that is what I want in a book. I wanted to know more, I wanted to understand these characters and the events and experiences that brought them to play The Dark Game.

The ending also was a perfect end, it went in a way that I was hoping but not quite what I expected. It worked and it felt right. After I finished, I sat wondering about when I’m going to finish my novel. Reading about ten writers, with hopes of becoming published, reading their works in progress over the course of the retreat made me feel inspired as someone that wants to finish her own horror novel.

I haven’t read any of his other books but reading this makes me want to read them all. I can recommend this book enough! It’s currently available for pre-order. Check out the links below to buy the book as well as follow the author!

The Dark Game comes out April 11th. BUY THIS BOOK!!

Jonathan Janz is my go to to for horror, his story telling is unique to him. This story wasn't my favourite but I still enjoyed it. Plus it mentions The Siren and The Spector if you haven't read that one its a must read for horror fans.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance read, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

A few years ago I may have said Jonathan who? These days I need only see the name Jonathan Janz to know that I need to grab the book without even reading the description. Jonathan Janz knows horror, More than that he is an amazing story teller who doesn't need to go for the cheap scares or the gore only route. Every character has a purpose and I am not going to go into the plot much except to say each character has their own twisted little back story and the way in which it all played out was deliciously creepy. I also loved the way it mentioned The Siren and The Spector, which is another book by this author that you really need to read if you haven't yet.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

well not sure about this one...i found it to be a combination of dorian grey and the novel by agatha christie "and then there were none"...with a bit of horror and gruesomeness thrown in...those two books on their own are good but put together within this story....i will let others decide.....

10 writers brought together to win 3 million dollars....and not one of them had any appealing qualities about them...but then maybe that was why they were picked....

sorry to say though i did finish this book it wasnt for me...but there was something about the authors writing that i would give him another go...just that this story didnt do it for me

“Storytellers have existed since the beginning of time. Even though society regards them as mere entertainers, their role is a sacred one. An essential one. And though they deal in fantasy, in fabrication, the essence of their power resides in truth. No one is more honest than the storyteller. No one has greater power. They have the ability to create life…or bring death.”
Telling stories is not a skill that everyone has been blessed with in equal measure. While some of us struggle just to make events seem coherent, others are able to weave wild narrative into vivid settings and elicit a diverse range of visceral emotions. Where Lovecraft was able to terrorize readers with wild tales of monsters and horrific gods, Tolkein mesmerized with wondrous tales of fantastic worlds and beings, and Shakespeare…well he did it all. But what about Jonathan Janz, the US horror writer behind the upcoming novel The Dark Game? Does he have this storytelling ability?... Absolutely!

“Writing instructors correctly point out that a villain needs to be the hero of his story, but what they forget is that the villain also needs to be frightening. In fact, I’d argue that the effectiveness of a story is directly correlated to the threat posed by the antagonist.”
At the heart of The Dark Game is the reclusive, enigmatic, and highly successful Roderick Wells. From even before his first on-page introduction, his malignant presence haunts everything about the story, like some sort of god from the pages of Lovecraft or Poe. As an author, he even has a sort of meta-literary awareness of what he is and the effectiveness of pervasive and lingering menace. Indeed, that pervasiveness spreads through the help that he employs around him, from the unsettling butler/handyman to the quiet but ever-present maid, and it is hard not to feel somewhat suffocated by just the mere thought of him at any given moment.
Joining Wells at his estate is a group of writers invited to take part in a writing retreat / competition. They’re certainly a diverse group that bring much to the table with regards to their attitudes, personalities, and back stories. However I did feel that, at times, there was a struggle to provide each with truly unique voices to distinguish them all from one another. Despite these occasional difficulties, the dynamic nature in which many of them are written ultimately makes for satisfying reading while also helping to keep the plot moving forward at a frenetic pace.

“Wells called it a place of magic, and it was. But the magic was of the darkest, most demented sort.”
While The Dark Game’s ability to unsettle readers may predominantly come from the monster at its core, it is actually rooted (somewhat literally) in the mysterious Wells estate. With so many characters and narratives, it could have been easy for the setting to be somewhat overlooked, but the role of the Wells estate is written almost perfectly. Ultimately, much like the eponymous setting of Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House, the Wells estate plays a central role in proceedings. Almost immediately it evokes contradictory feelings of entrapment and isolation while helping to exacerbate Wells’ malevolence and, as the story develops, so does the influence of Wells’ estate. So much so, in fact, that by the end of the book it began to feel like a part of Lovecraft’s infamous Miskatonic Valley, somewhere I would be terrified to ever find myself.

As a book that seemingly draws upon many significant authors from the horror, thriller, and mystery genres, The Dark Game does a phenomenal job at taking ideas that have been seen before and presenting them in ways that are both novel and exciting. Having the plot focused around writing allows for a level of self-awareness and self-reference that hints at the processes that went into the writing of the book, which, on a personal level, provided a level of satisfaction and enjoyment that I’ve not had from a book in quite some time. The game may be dark, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

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.

Jonathan Janz's The Dark Game is well constructed and frightening look into ten writers trying to survive a competition run by a very intriguing host. This one gave me a lot of And Then There Were None vibes as the isolated crew was picked off one by one. However, The Dark Game is very original, because of its amazing antagonist and setting. Roderick Wells is a villain that will haunt my dreams for a long time to come. The chaos that he can create is beyond imagining. The mansion and surrounding woods are the perfect backdrop for the haunting events to take place. The mystery of Wells and the mansion were very fascinating, and I loved learning more and more about them as the book went on.


I want to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for giving a copy of this novel for review.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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 off, one by one, definitely caused it to get easier as the novel progressed.
As always, his plot was imaginative even though the characters weren't as "fleshed out" as he usually makes them (understandable since there were so many).
All-in-all, this was an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend 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.

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! As soon as I started reading the story I knew how it would go. I had hoped I was wrong, "as I often am," but this book was exactly as I expected. So, a familiar storyline, too many people and the weird, the "Big Bad?" Too confusing. Mixing a lot of people and scary element's are usually a good thing, but the characters were hard to keep 👣 track of, and the bad was just too over the top! This just isn't a book I'd recommend, unless it's one of your firsts by this author. Still, Janz is a pretty intense storyteller, so I'll be waiting for the next book.

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 retreat separately, over the first few chapters there are many characters introduced, I must admit it took me several chapters to recognize the individual characters and their back stories.

Having said that I felt that the characterization was brilliant! They were all well rounded and mostly likable, I found it really impressive that they all had such distinct personalities and stories, which is no mean feat for a book with so many! I loved the way each character had individual writing styles, there were 10 books within this book! I thought the snippets from their manuscripts and diaries gave a really clever insight into each of them.

The setting was perfect; creepy mansion in the middle of woods that seem to go on for ever, check! Eerie corridors, rooms and basements, check! The deranged and creepy host, check! What’s not to love right?!

Janz writing was original and at the same time this book gave me a real ‘classic horror’ feeling and I couldn’t help but imagine Wells as Christopher Lee at times!

This was a solid 4.5 stars for me, the only reason I shaved half a star off was due the initial confusion with so many characters, the horror aspect of the book was really good, I felt there could have been a little more suspense surrounding those elements.

Overall the book was fast paced and was full of creepy imagery, gore and dark humor. I LOVED it!

I would definitely recommend you check out The Dark Game in April 2019!!

I can’t wait to read more from Jonathan Janz!

"#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!

First of all I want to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz.

I’ve read more than one of his work and I enjoyed every one of them. If I want something dark and creepy I turn to him. And The Dark Game is exactly that: dark, creepy horror story which keeps you up through the night.

Highly recommended.

I so enjoyed reading this book! The language was descriptive, lyrical while the plot moved quickly. Ten writers enter a contest - only one will win. It quickly becomes a game of survival - and terror!
Characters were realistic; the plot was exciting and kept me up to keep going!
I highly recommend this book.

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!
(This review will be featured on Kendall Reviews - date TBA)

A definite page turner from beginning to end! A new classic for the horror genre!

Thanks to NetGalley and FLAME TREE PRESS for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a fair review.

I just finished this book and I’m in awe of its sheer creepiness!!! As I was reading it late into the night, I was legitimately scared, and I’m no rookie when it comes to horror!

My synopsis of the story:
10 writers head to a secret writer’s retreat in the woods; the location is never explicitly disclosed. They’re blindfolded and led to a decrepit mansion where their seminar teacher, a beloved horror writer, is to help them craft the perfect horror novel during their 6-week stay. One of them, the best of the best, will walk away with $3 million and a publishing contract.

Soon, tension is high and competition is fierce! The 10 contestants are at each other’s throats and their mentor, Mr. Wells, is a cruel and grueling teacher. They begin to lose sleep and fear the humiliation and degradation each class entails. The more they write, the higher the expectations.

Slowly, we learn that each author has a secret and the secret will be the key to their success, or their undoing. As each truth is revealed, their novels begin to emerge. Parts of their stories begin to shape their stay at the retreat, as well as their behavior.

Will they uncover the truth behind Mr. Wells and his sinister household? Or will it destroy them first?

My thoughts:
The characters, for me, jumped out of the page. I could also imagine each and every scene!!!! It was so real and so powerful!

Highly recommended! I’ll be adding this author to my horror must-read list! 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC prior to publication.

Excellent thriller/horror from Janz! Seemingly a tried-and-true "who done it" featuring a writing contest and wildly dissimilar characters along with the requisite menacing host. However, that's where the cliches end and the reader is taken on a dark, horrific ride that promises to stay on your mind for a very long time!

Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and FlameTree Press for this eARC.

Holy moley was this a great read. The Dark Game was my first Jonathna Janz novel, and it WILL NOT be my last! It was a wild ride, and I couldn't determine at all what was going to happen.

A crew of down on their luck writers, who may or may not have some terrible secrets, are given the opportunity of a lifetime. A contest that will end with one winner gaining fame and fortune. The plot was fantastic. Spooky mansion, weird staff, awful people, a deadly competition...I was sold from the get go. This trope is perfect, and Janz does a wonderful job. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed hating some of the characters. I desperately want Janz to write Lucy's novel now xD.

It was just really, really good. I totally recommend it!

What would happen if you chose ten writers, send them on a writing retreat, and pitted them against each other for a competition where the winner takes all…. some damn interesting things, I would say. But what if all the writers were not chosen for their writing skill, but for the dark secrets they harbour, and the host is a psychopath hell-bent on power and control…. now you have the makings of an interesting story.
The Dark Game is a fast-paced horror/thriller with perfectly timed plot twists. Right at the beginning of this book, Janz already makes it known that all is not what the authors believed it would be. The Wells Estate has a sinister edge to it and the host Roderick, is not what he seems ….in fact, he is hiding one hell of a big secret. From there on, of course, everything just goes downhill for these writers with all hell breaking loose.
I absolutely loved this story, with the author taking me to a place I never expected to end up in… a place of magic and a bit of the supernatural. Quite frankly, I shouldn’t have been so surprised since there where so many clues throughout the book pointing in that direction (hindsight is always 20/20 as these things go ...lol). Well-written, great plot, characters with great backstories (I’m an absolute sucker for a good backstory) and a lot of fabulous twisty twists!
Things I didn’t like about the book though:
The romance angle…. This certainly was the raunchiest horror novel I’ve ever read and I’m not a big fan of romance or romantic scenes, in fact I avoid them like the plague. I suppose this is the reason I mainly stick to horror novels. However that’s just me ….so, if you’re a person that likes a bit of romance with your horror, I would absolutely recommend it.
The pace…. I’m more of a slow burn type of reader and I like being gently eased into a story. The Dark Game is quite fast-paced, and I had to make some notes in the beginning to keep all the characters straight in my head, but once again, that’s just me. If you like fast-paced, this one is a definitely for you with writers being eliminated in rather quick succession.
Would I recommend this book…Hell yeah, I would!! I love this man’s writing style and how he can conjure up images in my mind’s eye with his use of well-chosen words and phrases. In fact, I like Jonathan Janz so much that he has just been added to my author auto-buy list along with the likes of King, Malfi, Kealan Patrick Burke and Ania Ahlborn. That’s how I roll…..
Favourite quote from The Dark Game….” Because in real life, everyone lies. Only in fiction do people tell the truth.” *heart*
Thank you to Jonathan Janz, Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read and review.