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A review by motherhorror
Exorcist Falls by Jonathan Janz
4.0
*EDIT: At first, I rated this five stars because it's easy to do that on technical ability alone. Janz is a phenomenally talented writer but after sitting here thinking about it, I think that I enjoy horror books more when I have a character I can invest in. Characters I fall in love with and that the story has some kind of hope to latch on to-something redeeming in the midst of overwhelming darkness. Exorcist Falls fell short on those counts. There were not any characters I fell in love with, they were all impossibly void of anything that caused my heart to swell. So I'm going with 4 stars.
Original Review: Exorcist Falls is my second Jonathan Janz book. I read, Children of the Dark earlier this year and was totally drawn in by Janz's storytelling style--very much in the vein of Stephen King and Robert McCammon; rich character development, natural dialog and a slow & steady build of tension and horror.
This book was *much* darker but there are some similarities here: Both books deal with this duality of threats: The supernatural and man. Which is scarier? The depravity of man or the unknown evil of monsters and demons?
In this book, a small town is under attack. The Sweet Sixteen killer is brutally murdering young girls. There is also a family under attack, a teenage boy is likely possessed by a powerful demon who has the supernatural ability to see man's deepest, darkest deeds and thoughts if its host touches you.
At first, I was suffering from culture shock, like when you go to a foreign country and everything is so new and so different, Exorcist Falls is in stark contrast to Children of the Dark, but I quickly got over it as Janz's compelling narrative swept me away.
The novella, Exorcist Road comes first which is a set up for the novel, Exorcist Falls. You really need to read both of them to have the full scope of the story (please read the synopsis for the perfect plot summary).
Much like William Peter Blatty's book, the Exorcist, there are some very disturbing scenes. Which makes recommending this book a little tricky so:
If you are a seasoned horror fan and you enjoy quality storytelling, intricate plot twists, rich character development, strong descriptive language and you don't mind being terrified, you can handle mature language and you like a good Light vs. Dark, demon possession book--you need to start buying Jonathan Janz's books (all of them) that's what I'm planning on doing.
But if you find yourself timidly skimming over dramatic, intense scenes in horror books because they're too scary for you--this book is not for you.
That's how I'm going to frame the disclaimer, so decide which kind of horror reader you are and then realize that it's MY favorite genre and that's why it's getting *four stars.
I can't wait to read my next Janz tale, The Siren and the Specter.
Original Review: Exorcist Falls is my second Jonathan Janz book. I read, Children of the Dark earlier this year and was totally drawn in by Janz's storytelling style--very much in the vein of Stephen King and Robert McCammon; rich character development, natural dialog and a slow & steady build of tension and horror.
This book was *much* darker but there are some similarities here: Both books deal with this duality of threats: The supernatural and man. Which is scarier? The depravity of man or the unknown evil of monsters and demons?
In this book, a small town is under attack. The Sweet Sixteen killer is brutally murdering young girls. There is also a family under attack, a teenage boy is likely possessed by a powerful demon who has the supernatural ability to see man's deepest, darkest deeds and thoughts if its host touches you.
At first, I was suffering from culture shock, like when you go to a foreign country and everything is so new and so different, Exorcist Falls is in stark contrast to Children of the Dark, but I quickly got over it as Janz's compelling narrative swept me away.
The novella, Exorcist Road comes first which is a set up for the novel, Exorcist Falls. You really need to read both of them to have the full scope of the story (please read the synopsis for the perfect plot summary).
Much like William Peter Blatty's book, the Exorcist, there are some very disturbing scenes. Which makes recommending this book a little tricky so:
If you are a seasoned horror fan and you enjoy quality storytelling, intricate plot twists, rich character development, strong descriptive language and you don't mind being terrified, you can handle mature language and you like a good Light vs. Dark, demon possession book--you need to start buying Jonathan Janz's books (all of them) that's what I'm planning on doing.
But if you find yourself timidly skimming over dramatic, intense scenes in horror books because they're too scary for you--this book is not for you.
That's how I'm going to frame the disclaimer, so decide which kind of horror reader you are and then realize that it's MY favorite genre and that's why it's getting *four stars.
I can't wait to read my next Janz tale, The Siren and the Specter.