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monty_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I imagine one of the trickiest parts of being a horror writer is figuring out how to put a new spin on old monsters. Vampires, zombies, werewolves – these well-traveled roads present a problem for writers in that they not only have to tell a compelling story, they also have to show us something we’ve never seen before. What’s left to do with vampires? Can zombies transcend their shambling, brain-noshing stereotype? Can werewolves do anything but bite & tear?
I don’t know if Jonathan Janz consciously entertained that last question, but damn it all if Wolf Land isn’t a success precisely because it gives us a thrilling, gory, none-more-black* monster story in the guise of an elegy for lost youth. It’s an impressive feat, & I’m still puzzling through how he pulled it off.
Because it could’ve gone so wrong. Set during the weekend of a 10-year high school reunion, Janz gifts us a rich cast of characters, any of whom could have turned into a shallow stereotype. There’s Duane, Glenn, & Weezer, three longtime chums whose lives have stalled out. There’s Savannah, a single mom, & her friends Joyce & Barb. There’s Melody, whose traumatic home life has been the cause of an unearned reputation. And there’s Mike, the baseball hero who’s returned after years away.
We meet all these characters – & more – at a celebratory bonfire, & it’s a lot to keep track of. But Janz draws them so precisely that when the story kicks into gear, we never lose our bearings. And it kicks in fast & it kicks in hard. A stranger shows up at the bonfire. Given the book’s title, it’s not a spoiler to tell you this stranger has some particularly lycanthropic qualities. Carnage ensues.
The bonfire is the catalyst for what follows: a suspenseful, spectacularly blood-soaked tale of survival that has fun with werewolf mythology while also giving us a surprisingly moving meditation on the youthful dreams we abandon as we age. It’s a book quite lavish with both gore & scares, but it also ends on a wistful note that’s 100% earned. In the process, Wolf Land proves itself to be a special book capable of convincing anyone of just how good horror fiction can be.
I don’t know if Jonathan Janz consciously entertained that last question, but damn it all if Wolf Land isn’t a success precisely because it gives us a thrilling, gory, none-more-black* monster story in the guise of an elegy for lost youth. It’s an impressive feat, & I’m still puzzling through how he pulled it off.
Because it could’ve gone so wrong. Set during the weekend of a 10-year high school reunion, Janz gifts us a rich cast of characters, any of whom could have turned into a shallow stereotype. There’s Duane, Glenn, & Weezer, three longtime chums whose lives have stalled out. There’s Savannah, a single mom, & her friends Joyce & Barb. There’s Melody, whose traumatic home life has been the cause of an unearned reputation. And there’s Mike, the baseball hero who’s returned after years away.
We meet all these characters – & more – at a celebratory bonfire, & it’s a lot to keep track of. But Janz draws them so precisely that when the story kicks into gear, we never lose our bearings. And it kicks in fast & it kicks in hard. A stranger shows up at the bonfire. Given the book’s title, it’s not a spoiler to tell you this stranger has some particularly lycanthropic qualities. Carnage ensues.
The bonfire is the catalyst for what follows: a suspenseful, spectacularly blood-soaked tale of survival that has fun with werewolf mythology while also giving us a surprisingly moving meditation on the youthful dreams we abandon as we age. It’s a book quite lavish with both gore & scares, but it also ends on a wistful note that’s 100% earned. In the process, Wolf Land proves itself to be a special book capable of convincing anyone of just how good horror fiction can be.
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
5.0
High school reunions are bad enough on their own, but what really takes the cake is having a bloodthirsty werewolf show up to kill several of your old friends. Now, Duane and Savannah are scrambling to find shelter as their former classmates rapidly succumb to their newfound primal urges.
If there's one theme in horror that I don't reach for often at all, it's the classic werewolf story. Even as a kid, werewolves just never frightened me much, and it's always been hard for me to find werewolf plots that intrigued me much. That said, when I saw that Wolf Land was being re-released, I couldn't pass it up, if only because I'm so fond of Jonathan's writing in general.
"You are wayward lambs."
In a turn of events that surprises literally no one, I enjoyed this tremendously (enough so that I flew through it in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down!). My friends, this is what werewolf horror is supposed to feel like: gruesome, bloody, dark, angry, messy, and downright terrifying.
And when I say "gruesome" and "dark", let me make this very clear: this book is dark as hell. I knew Jonathan was capable of writing some tremendously violent, sickening scenes, and I knew he had warned readers that this was his darkest work yet, but none of that prepared me for what I found in these pages. Wolf Land is nonstop action and bloodshed that, were it adapted into a film (and it totally should be), it would more than likely be one of those rare releases to get hyped as having made poor, unsuspecting moviegoers rush from the theatre puking and/or weeping.
Of course, it's not all blood and guts; as always, Jonathan is incredible at character development. As always, there are villains that leave you frantically awaiting their karmic fates, but there are also unlikely heroes at every turn, and I had so much fun rooting for them. What may have been my favorite part was the way this book tackles misogyny: it's subtle enough not to beat you over the head, but damn, is Jonathan good at making a point. There's a classic "nice guy" character who has to learn that, despite his best intentions, he's still missing the point in a few places; there's a woman who's endlessly shamed by her supposed friends, but we learn has been through hell worse than anyone imagined; the list goes on with roles played out by women who are so much more complex than they appear on the surface (and at the end of the day, it's the ladies who get to kick the most ass, which I'm always here for).
Mingled in with the terror, the gore, and the subtle, brilliantly executed social commentary, there's everything I expect from Jonathan's writing: laughs, an occasional perfectly-placed pop culture reference, layers of world-building begging to be further explored, and at least one really adorable, precious kiddo (because what would a Janz title be without me internally panicking over the outcome of a child or two for at least half the book?). Seriously, though: A+, all the gold stars, another successful Jonathan Janz title.
Content warnings for very explicit violence, murder, sexual assault, child death, mentions of pedophilia, sexism, and a little more gore for good measure.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Flame Tree Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
evavroslin's review
4.0
I've read and enjoyed several of Jonathan Janz's novels to date and I can't wait to read more so when I discovered he was doing a werewolf novel, it piqued my interest very much. "Wolf Land" is about a werewolf that terrorizes a gathering of people who are at a sort-of-but-not-quite high school reunion where many people die but a few have a worse fate in store: they're infected and they turn into werewolves.
One of the best parts of this book for me was that even though it is your standard small town horror creature feature type of deal, Janz imbued the characters with a sense of tragedy very unique to every one of them. For Short Pump/Duane, it's that he feels like he will never be the ideal mate for Savannah, the well-liked blonde who used to date the star quarterback in high school, went on to become a single mother, but because she's been burned a few too many times, she has become jaded and assumes that men only want her as an object/trophy.
I thought the differences in how each infected character came to terms with the werewolf change injected some nuance into the fray with some of the characters being in complete terror of what they were becoming and in denial, wishing it would go away or for something to wipe them out, while others were immediately accepting and very logical about the whole thing.
Overall, "Wolf Land" is definitely something horror readers will enjoy, and you definitely won't find any werewolves that sparkle in this book.
PS Goodreads ate my review last time I tried to post it so my original review was longer but I feel like this was a good exercise in being more concise ;-)
One of the best parts of this book for me was that even though it is your standard small town horror creature feature type of deal, Janz imbued the characters with a sense of tragedy very unique to every one of them. For Short Pump/Duane, it's that he feels like he will never be the ideal mate for Savannah, the well-liked blonde who used to date the star quarterback in high school, went on to become a single mother, but because she's been burned a few too many times, she has become jaded and assumes that men only want her as an object/trophy.
I thought the differences in how each infected character came to terms with the werewolf change injected some nuance into the fray with some of the characters being in complete terror of what they were becoming and in denial, wishing it would go away or for something to wipe them out, while others were immediately accepting and very logical about the whole thing.
Overall, "Wolf Land" is definitely something horror readers will enjoy, and you definitely won't find any werewolves that sparkle in this book.
PS Goodreads ate my review last time I tried to post it so my original review was longer but I feel like this was a good exercise in being more concise ;-)
onetrackmind77's review against another edition
4.0
Initially, I was thinking that a werewolf story would be incredibly cheesy, but Wolf Land received such great reviews that I figured that I'd give it chance when I was picking up some books during a killer sale over at Flame Tree Press. Wow. I'm impressed. Jonathan Janz does not disappoint here. Fun and memorable characters, plus there are some truly dark moments that don't pull any punches, and plenty of action. I've read a few Janz books at this point, and Wolf Land is easily my favorite.
ann_tamimi's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, spent a few nights up latter than normal to read it which says a lot. It was a fast paced read didn't drag along in the story at all. I enjoyed a few of the characters the ones I didn't it was ok it's horror they all got it in the end which is great thing about horror. I'm looking forward to more reads by this author.
truebookaddict's review against another edition
5.0
Boy oh boy, what a werewolf novel! We're not given long until we're served up a truly scary massacre by one monstrous werewolf. At that point, that's it...you can't put it down (or stop thinking about it when you must put it down). I keep asking myself, "Is this really my first Janz read? What the hell have I been waiting for!?"
Let me tell you though. He doesn't just do gore. Oh no. There is some serious character development here. So much so that you're either rooting for the good guy, or seriously hating on the bad guy. Also, he writes werewolves the way I think they would/should be. More like a man-wolf beast rather than a wolf in the traditional sense, a la Twilight or True Blood. But it's not just the look. The charisma and self assurance that I also feel would accompany a werewolf's physique is also here. We're treated to downtrodden characters with low self esteem suddenly becoming confident and enigmatic. Never mind that they're also becoming monsters. Good stuff!
Janz has written a good many horror novels that I will be scooting closer to the top of my to-be-read stack (or the queue in my Kindle). This novel, Wolf Land, is not only a true masterpiece of werewolf horror. It is also just a damn good novel. I can't help but think of Stephen King. You get the scares, but you also get great writing. This book definitely fills the bill. Read this one...now!
Let me tell you though. He doesn't just do gore. Oh no. There is some serious character development here. So much so that you're either rooting for the good guy, or seriously hating on the bad guy. Also, he writes werewolves the way I think they would/should be. More like a man-wolf beast rather than a wolf in the traditional sense, a la Twilight or True Blood. But it's not just the look. The charisma and self assurance that I also feel would accompany a werewolf's physique is also here. We're treated to downtrodden characters with low self esteem suddenly becoming confident and enigmatic. Never mind that they're also becoming monsters. Good stuff!
Janz has written a good many horror novels that I will be scooting closer to the top of my to-be-read stack (or the queue in my Kindle). This novel, Wolf Land, is not only a true masterpiece of werewolf horror. It is also just a damn good novel. I can't help but think of Stephen King. You get the scares, but you also get great writing. This book definitely fills the bill. Read this one...now!
janinepipe's review against another edition
5.0
I have yet to read a story by Jonathan Janz that I haven't enjoyed and Wolf Land is no exception. If you like your werewolves filled with blood lust and wanton killing sprees then look no further. Janz's lycans are vicious, evil bloodthirsty killers and no mistake. He writes in an eloquent and erudite fashion, yet the prose are not pretentious. His voice is beautiful and his characters spring to life from the pages. This is a no holds barred plot with possibly the highest body count I have thus far encountered in a novel. Even the most hardcore splatterpunk fan will approve. One of my favourite things about Jonathan is the juxtaposition between his nasty evil writing and the fact he is such a lovely person. He often creates conflicted characters, and this is no exception. There were woah moments and there were no!!! moments. There were times you routed for the so-called baddies. There were scenes that made you sick. All in all, this book was just as fantastic as I hoped it would be. Another easy 10/10.
motherhorror's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars!
This review originally published in SCREAM Magazine:
If I were to rank all my favorite, horror sub-genres, I’d probably place “Creature Features” down pretty low on the list. I might be generalizing this category a bit but they tend to be heavy on the action and mayhem and a little thin on story and characterization (which are my favorite aspects of horror).
The first book by Jonathan Janz that I read, CHILDREN OF THE DARK, is a Creature Feature, but it’s also a strong “Coming of Age” tale. The blend of those two genres was perfectly balanced for my tastes and I loved that book. Jonathan takes his time building out his characters and setting them into a complex storyline before the creatures interrupt the narrative with the face-ripping, skin-shredding, and bloodletting. This causes the reader to feel so much more invested. These aren’t just nameless people getting fed to beasts, these are people that we’ve spent time with, learning their story and investing in their success and survival. So CHILDREN OF THE DARK was a win for me because I was convinced that Janz can write meaningful, character-driven Creature Features.
WOLF LAND straddles the fence between a full-blown gore-fest and something a little extra. It’s very heavy handed with blood, guts, and gore but it doesn’t pull back on the storyline too much and the characters are pretty well developed- so I was satisfied.
The book takes its time unpacking the lives of our main characters so that we get a nice feel for their personalities and back stories. But don’t get too comfortable in the drama of post-high school aged twenty-somethings because once you read the first werewolf body wreckage scene, it’s a wild ride from here on out. Janz enjoys writing some characters for his readers to love and some characters for you to hate, there is rarely any middle ground people you feel indifferent about.
There are some vile, vile people in this book. In fact, some of the men in this book are so over-the-top depraved and disturbing, there were a few scenes where I almost tapped out. But I hung in there for the sake of their victims. I wanted to see if there would be some justice. I’m not going to spoil that for you but just go into this book knowing that there are some extreme situations of sexual and physical abuse.
Upon finishing this book, I decided WOLF LAND is now a win for me too. It’s brutal, full stop. I’m not going to sugarcoat that but it’s obvious Janz worked hard on the storytelling to bring the storytelling up to speed with the carnage. It’s a fair balance. My only real complaints would be that there were so many characters we were following, the story arcs get a bit muddled. I would have enjoyed it if Janz weeded out some of the less interesting characters so that there was more of a focus on the really strong protagonists.
This review originally published in SCREAM Magazine:
If I were to rank all my favorite, horror sub-genres, I’d probably place “Creature Features” down pretty low on the list. I might be generalizing this category a bit but they tend to be heavy on the action and mayhem and a little thin on story and characterization (which are my favorite aspects of horror).
The first book by Jonathan Janz that I read, CHILDREN OF THE DARK, is a Creature Feature, but it’s also a strong “Coming of Age” tale. The blend of those two genres was perfectly balanced for my tastes and I loved that book. Jonathan takes his time building out his characters and setting them into a complex storyline before the creatures interrupt the narrative with the face-ripping, skin-shredding, and bloodletting. This causes the reader to feel so much more invested. These aren’t just nameless people getting fed to beasts, these are people that we’ve spent time with, learning their story and investing in their success and survival. So CHILDREN OF THE DARK was a win for me because I was convinced that Janz can write meaningful, character-driven Creature Features.
WOLF LAND straddles the fence between a full-blown gore-fest and something a little extra. It’s very heavy handed with blood, guts, and gore but it doesn’t pull back on the storyline too much and the characters are pretty well developed- so I was satisfied.
The book takes its time unpacking the lives of our main characters so that we get a nice feel for their personalities and back stories. But don’t get too comfortable in the drama of post-high school aged twenty-somethings because once you read the first werewolf body wreckage scene, it’s a wild ride from here on out. Janz enjoys writing some characters for his readers to love and some characters for you to hate, there is rarely any middle ground people you feel indifferent about.
There are some vile, vile people in this book. In fact, some of the men in this book are so over-the-top depraved and disturbing, there were a few scenes where I almost tapped out. But I hung in there for the sake of their victims. I wanted to see if there would be some justice. I’m not going to spoil that for you but just go into this book knowing that there are some extreme situations of sexual and physical abuse.
Upon finishing this book, I decided WOLF LAND is now a win for me too. It’s brutal, full stop. I’m not going to sugarcoat that but it’s obvious Janz worked hard on the storytelling to bring the storytelling up to speed with the carnage. It’s a fair balance. My only real complaints would be that there were so many characters we were following, the story arcs get a bit muddled. I would have enjoyed it if Janz weeded out some of the less interesting characters so that there was more of a focus on the really strong protagonists.
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
4.0
Wolf Land is a wild, roaring, face-ripping ride!
Sometimes a reader finds themselves looking for a book which reads like the equivalent of a B grade movie. That's the position in which I found myself last week, and since I recently interviewed Jonathan Janz for Horror After Dark, I thought this book would fit the bill. It did!
Now, when I say "the literary equivalent of a B grade movie", that doesn't mean the language or the storytelling were sub-par, because they most definitely were not. What I mean is that this is a book where you don't need to do much heavy thinking. You just need to sit back and relax and let Jonathan get you to care for these characters. Before he does horrible things to them. Horrible, horrible things.
If you're looking for a bit of relief from the stresses of daily life and you want to be entertained, look no further! Wolf Land gives you all the horrors and some humor as well. What more could you ask for?
Highly recommended for fans of gut ripping, intestines falling out kind of werewolf horror! Yeah, baby, yeah!
Sometimes a reader finds themselves looking for a book which reads like the equivalent of a B grade movie. That's the position in which I found myself last week, and since I recently interviewed Jonathan Janz for Horror After Dark, I thought this book would fit the bill. It did!
Now, when I say "the literary equivalent of a B grade movie", that doesn't mean the language or the storytelling were sub-par, because they most definitely were not. What I mean is that this is a book where you don't need to do much heavy thinking. You just need to sit back and relax and let Jonathan get you to care for these characters. Before he does horrible things to them. Horrible, horrible things.
If you're looking for a bit of relief from the stresses of daily life and you want to be entertained, look no further! Wolf Land gives you all the horrors and some humor as well. What more could you ask for?
Highly recommended for fans of gut ripping, intestines falling out kind of werewolf horror! Yeah, baby, yeah!
teamredmon's review against another edition
4.0
The night before their ten-year high school reunion a group of classmates gathers in a field for some beer drinking and awkward conversations. Janz wastes no time getting to the action as in the middle of this party, a stranger shows up, transforms into a werewolf and kills a bunch of people. Four people have been bitten or scratch by the werewolf and they all begin to change in different ways. The characters are pretty well developed and, man, did I hate Weezer right from the start. I found the unrequited love storyline to be a bit repetitive because it didn't feel like it developed at all to me, just a constant feature of the story until the very end.
It's definitely a Jonathan Janz book because there's plenty of violence, gore, and terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE) people on basically every page of this book. Overall, I enjoyed this one quite a bit and recommend it to anyone that craves a brutally violent werewolf book that puts some creative twists on the myth.
It's definitely a Jonathan Janz book because there's plenty of violence, gore, and terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE) people on basically every page of this book. Overall, I enjoyed this one quite a bit and recommend it to anyone that craves a brutally violent werewolf book that puts some creative twists on the myth.