What I'm Reading: The Dark Game

After having 3 reviews in the last issue of Booklist, I only have 1 in this issue, but I am not kidding here, this one is going to be a crossover hit as I will explain below. This is for ALL public library collections. If you have readers of popular fiction you need this book. And that is all of you. I am not exaggerating. 

As usual below you can find my draft review [which is longer than the published one], further appeal insight to make it easier for you to book talk this title, and more readalikes.

THE DARK GAME
Janz, Jonathan (author).

Apr. 2019. 304p. Flame Tree, $24.95 (9781787581876); paper, $14.95 (9781787581852). First published March 15, 2019 (Booklist).

In his latest pulp horror gem, reminiscent of early Stephen King, Janz uses a well mined genre trope, the secluded writers’ retreat, yet manages to craft it into something unique, thought provoking, and gloriously twisted. From the very first line, readers are alerted to the fact that they are in for a terrifying ride where nothing is as it seems, as we are told, “Lucy [was]...unaware she was entering the nightmarish plot of a madman instead of a writers retreat.” We are introduced to ten contestants and internationally regaled bestselling author Roderick Wells, who is hosting these aspiring authors for a contest where only one winner will emerge to a life of fame and fortune. But these authors can have no contact with the outside world, couldn’t tell a soul where they were going, and, as we were warned from the start, their lives may be at stake. Not only is Wells sinister, but as we readers learn, each contestant is also harboring a sinful secret. The characters rule this story. It is through their unease with the situation, their guilt with their own past transgressions, and their ruthless desire to be famous and eliminate the competition at all costs, that the tension builds, relentlessly and violently. Along the way, Janz introduces just the right amount of supernatural monsters, but with a brillant literary twist, bringing the horror to a climax, one that will have readers worried about all of the books they read for years to come, not just this one. This novel is a treat for horror fans, yes, but it also perfect for fans of any kind of popular fiction as it manages to both scare and comment on the joy a great read can bring to the right reader. Many will be drawn this fast paced thriller from readers who love the pulp horror of Brian Keene, the dark twists of intense psychological thrillers by Sarah Pinborough, or the terrifying and emotional storytelling of Paul Tremblay.

Further Appeal: I am not sure where to start here because everything about this book was amazing, but I think this is where I need to start:

"This novel is a treat for horror fans, yes, but it also perfect for fans of any kind of popular fiction as it manages to both scare and comment on the joy a great read can bring to the right reader."

This is not your typical writer writing about the writing process story-- not at all. First, while the setting is a writers retreat, the entire story is more of a celebration of readers especially readers of popular, pulpy books. In fact, Janz goes as far to outright say, in this novel, that all great pulp fiction has a deeper meaning, and it is a meaning that can be enjoyed without pretension.

Second, this contest is intense. The host is a literal monster- a demon feeding on the souls of the contestants. And I am not giving anything away here because it comes clear quickly that this is happening. The point is for the reader to be in on it early, which also generates the intense psychological suspense part of the story.

From the first line we know this contest is evil. Our host is unreliable to the reader before we even meet him.

But, as if that is not enough, then there is the third thing that makes this book not your typical horror story of writers on an isolated retreat-- all the contestant are also unreliable. Every single one of them was invited for being a writer but also because they each have a terrible, violent, horrible secret in their pasts. Every single one. Even as "good" characters emerge, none are untainted by violence and evil which they perpetrated knowingly and willingly. There is no gray area there.

All of these additions to what could have been a trite story make is fascinating. The characters are amazing and the heart of the story. They comes from all walks of life too, their diversity being accurately representative. They propel the action. Learning about the details that flesh each out on the page is terrifying yet satisfying. The characters are what add interest and even pacing to the story. Yes the plotting is great, the twists satisfying, and the action awesome, but the character rules here. This is a rare feat for such a fast paced story. Janz builds character without sacrificing action; in fact, he uses some key action sequences specifically to develop some characters. Very cool.

There is violence and horror. There are actual terrifying scenes and intense plot twists. This is an emotional story but man, the ending is killer. But even more than being a great ending, it is one that leaves the reader unsettled about reading any book, ever. Seriously. And that is ultimately what makes this novel great, one that I think we be read for many years to come.

Three Words That Describe This Book: unsettling, book about reading, thought provoking

Readalikes: I listed 4 authors above and here are their titles that I would choose to best match The Dark Game.

• King- Salem's Lot [It is mentioned in the book]
• Keene- The Complex
• Pinbrough- Behind Here Eyes
• Tremblay- A Head Full of Ghosts [because of all the reverence for the genre and the mentions of many other books]

In general, this novel reminded me A LOT of Brian Keene's entire body of work. I felt like at times Janz possessed him. Later, I found out that the book will be dedicated to Keene [in the ARC there was no dedication]. That made a lot of sense.

Other excellent horror novels about people sequestered on purpose include Kill Creek by Scott Thomas and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

Although it is decidedly more literary than The Dark Game, Janz's novel also reminded my of Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi. Here, every character is flawed and damaged, but the "game" is a war these residents did not choose, but have to live under its twisted rules. The "monster" in this story is also collecting the stories of others. And of course, as you can tell from the title, it is a book framed by the themes and ideas of another book, but presented in a new way. Both are novels that can be seen as "pulpy" and literary. But whereas The Dark Game is a pulp novel that sneaks its literary fiction tendencies in, Frankenstein in Baghdad is literary on the outside, but has a satisfying pulp center.