There is a fun concept at the core of The Dark Game, even if it isn’t a very original one. 10 writers get invited on a retreat with a famous author who will reward one of them with his patronage. It quickly becomes obvious that sinister forces are at play and the 10 start being confronted with dark secrets from their pasts and dying one by one.
It’s an okay idea for a book, and some of the horror sequences are well handled. Unfortunately it’s also really repetitive and none of the characters are engaging at all, meaning I quickly stopped caring about what was going on. Janz also ends pretty much all of the many chapters with a “da da dahhh” type like which quickly becomes annoying.
It was, I’m afraid, a complete miss for me.

Authors creating their own demise by their own creation. Sounds crazy doesn't it? Throw in a little Lovecraft, a haunted mansion, murder, betrayal, and a desperate cast of characters who all happen to be aspiring authors searching for the elusive fame and notoriety, and finally add an exceptional author such as Jonathan Janz to orchestrate it all into a cohesive, scary, suspenseful excellent horror novel, and you have "The Dark Game"...... It worked wonderfully and I love it!

Jonathan Janz is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His works are just pure fun!

This one is a treat for both the horror and the YA the writers out there, full of little Easter Eggs that are sure to please.

Our characters are well drawn and the ‘game’ is chilling.

I will admit that I was a little bit surprised that our authors (bright and creative as they were) didn’t figure out what was happening sooner. However, I was still reading this at a rapid pace, dying to know how people would…well, die!

Truly a fun dark read. Can’t wait for his next offering!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley