What I'm Reading: THE RAVEN by Jonathan Janz

Full disclosure before this review: My name appears in the acknowledgments. I was going to review this for Booklist but did not feel like that was 100% Kosher; in fact, I didn't know about my name being in the acknowledgments until after I had written a review and turned it in. 

However, I do feel strongly that this book [and Janz in particular] NEEDS to be in all library collections. Every one of his books is a 4 or 5 star read, and more importantly, they are the literal definition of the type of pulp horror that is perfect for a public library audience. Janz writes action packed horror with amazing characters. All of them have heart and depth. Readers are treated to an original and entertaining horror story which moves at a steady pace but without sacrificing the character building. There are no short cut stereotypes in a Janz horror novel. Every character, good and bad, has the depth of a real person. Horror is a genre where the emotional response of the reader is key to the success of the story, and well drawn characters are instrumental in soliciting an emotional connection to the story.

Clearly, I have strong opinions about Janz's works being on all library shelves. But, without an official review in a journal I know that some libraries would not be able to add this new title. To resolve that issue, I offered the review to Library Journal for free. I did not make any money off of this review as I do for my columns. I simply needed to share this awesome book with all of you. Also, Booklist re-assigned the book be reviewed by someone else, so it is a double win!

Please search Janz's backlist also and add his titles to your collections. I especially LOVED Children of the Dark [my first Janz read and it made that year's Booklist Horror Top 10] and THE DARK GAME is a must read for ALL fans of reading. Seriously, it has a perfect ending for readers. Although again, Janz is a pulp horror writer so his stories do have gore and violence. Think Brian Keene as the standard here-- there is action with violence but the characters are so fully rounded and realistic that you feel like they are real-- both the good and evil ones. I also selected THE DARK GAME for the Library Journal 2019 Best Horror titles.

Here is a link to every time I have mentioned Janz on this blog.

Below is my draft review of this book which you can also find on Goodreads and here is the link to the Library Journal online review.

Dez has survived for two years in a world decimated by a biological weapon attack, engineered by terrorists to reactivate the long buried genes of monsters humanity thought only existed in fiction. Turns out, monsters were real; their genes may have been suppressed, but their markers still lurked in human DNA. A world where werewolves, vampires, satyrs, and more jumped out of the myths of the past and into a very real present meant most “Latents,” people with no special powers like Dez, didn’t have much of a chance to survive. As the reader encounters him, Dez is desperately trying to find his girlfriend, stolen from him six months before, encountering many monsters along his route. 

This original take on the post-apocalyptic trope is surprising and fun because of the unique threat, and its dogged focus on world building and character development. Janz takes time making this impossible world feel totally believable, peppering it with exciting fight sequences throughout. While the pacing here is never fast, it is extremely compelling; readers want to root for Dez’s success and learn more about the fascinating human-monsters they meet along the way. This is a perfect choice for fans of horror-science fiction hybrids such as Rebecca Roanhorse’s Sixth World series or Josh Malerman’s Bird Box novels.

On a side note: I loved that there were no zombies in this post-apocalyptic horror novel. It is an original concept and world. I hope there are more stories to come.

Three Words That Describe This Book: original, character focused, strong world building