The Dark Ones

by Bryan Smith

"Smith promises unimaginable brutality, bile-inducing fear, and unfathomable despair; and then delivers monumentally." -Horror Web
"A feast of good old-fashioned horror." -Brian Keene, author of Ghoul
They are The Dark Ones. The name began as a self-deprecating joke, but it stuck and now it's a source of pride. They're the one who don't fit in. The misfits who drink and smoke too much and stay out all hours of the night. Everyone knows they're trouble.
On the outskirts of Ransom, TN is an abandoned, boarded-up house. Something evil happened there long ago. The evil has been contained there ever since, locked down tight in the basement-until the night The Dark Ones set it free...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Ebooks

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Bryan Smith is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of more than forty horror and crime books, including 68 Kill, the cult classic Depraved and its sequels, as well as The Killing Kind, Slowly We Rot, The Freakshow, and many more. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene called Slowly We Rot, "The best zombie novel I've ever read."

68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.

Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a stereotypical premise combined with solid writing and good characterization. The result was an entertaining blend that slowed down a bit in the center, but otherwise held my attention throughout. It's typical Bryan Smith, meaning liberal helpings of gore and shock value. Smith is at his best when he focuses on story ideas and plot twists combined with character development. IMO he is at his worst when he seems to throw shock after shock at the reader in an attempt to outdo previous shocks.
This happens around 75% of the way in, but when I read Smith I know to expect it at some point. He leaves enough mystery hanging to keep the pages turning and makes me care enough about the characters to see his books through. After reading enough books in other genres I get into a Bryan Smith mood. This book delivered what I had hoped it would when I started it.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book epitomizes why my love affair with horror is no longer sizzling. It's B horror by the numbers featuring horny teens, horny adults, horny demons, gore, guts, incest, murder, sex consensual and otherwise and all other traditional components. It is neither particularly original nor imaginative. It doesn't really scare, excite or intrigue (and I would strongly recommend staying away from readers who experience the opposite reaction to it), all it really does is gross out. The thing with books for me is that they should move or edify or enlighten or at the very least entertain and this one barely manages the latter. Bryan Smith can be and has been much more impressive, he's a pretty solid writer, but you wouldn't know by reading The Dark Ones, although if you really pay attention, you can find glimpses of it. This one seems like a cash quickie or something, utterly uninspired drivel for the least discriminating tastes. It's readable and goes by quickly, but isn't really worth the time anyway.

[Karl]

This is copy 43 of 150 hardcovers printed and signed by Bryan Smith.

[DJMikeG · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent extreme horror novel by Bryan Smith. I have read many novels by Smith and this one is definitely towards the top of the heap. It isn't a perfect novel, but if you are thirsty for an all out bloodbath, this one'll slake that thirst. Where it really kind of rises above the material, however, is the unexpected emotional aspect of the book. I got a little misty in the last few pages, again, not expected at the end of a truly insane hardcore horror roller coaster such as this. There were a few hiccups here and there, my edition of the book had lots of typos, and it kind of suffered slightly here and there from having too many characters introduced too quickly, which is common in the "Small Town Horror" sub genre. That said, this was a harrowing, disturbing, disgusting and surprisingly uplifting (if you are brave enough to make it all the way to end) book, highly recommended for fans of horror at its most extreme.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of six outcast friends break into an abandoned house for fun one night. Little do they know, there's a reason it was all boarded up. There's something in the basement, and it's getting restless... it wants out.
Once released from it's basement prison, the demon wastes no time wreaking havoc on the townspeople, possessing whomever it chooses, and using numerous others as puppets to do it's bidding. The demon requires many slaves for its army, and no one is safe.
"Murder. Violence. Destruction. Death and more death. We will be Hell's stormtroopers, slaughtering everything in our path, with no thought of mercy for the weak and the innocent. Indeed, we will relish their screams the most."
There is only one hope for the group of kids trying to banish what they've unwittingly released into the world; an older man, claiming to have knowledge of this demon, and the house it came from. Can they truly banish it back to Hell, though?

So this is only the second book I've ever read by this author, and it was just as great as the first. I really think Bryan Smith is a great writer; I really like his style, and I'm absolutely going to continue making my way through all of his books.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book mostly because the dark ones where the type of group I hung out with in high school and I couldn't help but reminisce and wonder what me and my friends would do if we had accidentally unleashed a demon. The build up for this one is good with lots of likable characters (and also some hated ones but still good characters) and we'll blended story lines, the peak is a gory blood fest that will satisfy your cravings for violence, and the ending is a bit anticlimactic but a good ending nonetheless. Mix the perfect amount of humor throughout and this book was in my top the Bryan Smith novels.

[Gregor Xane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A throwback to the splatterpunk of the 1980s. So over-the-top as to be almost ludicrous. Unapologetic, pulpy trash. It was as if the author set this mandate for himself: every scene, without exception, must contain sex and/or violence. 3 stars for delivering exactly what is promised (and nothing more).

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bryan Smith has long been a favorite of mine, ever since The Freakshow was published by the now-defunct Leisure horror line. Quickly followed by several more, including, Deathbringer, House of Blood, Queen of Blood, Depraved, The Killing Kind...needless to say with titles like those, you're in for a REAL good time! Smith's style is simple...in your face, pull-no-punches, violent, brutal, sexy...to this reviewer, that is perfect. With his latest release (now available as a tp and eventually an ebook from Deadite, one of the best new publishers in hardcore horror), The Dark Ones centers around a group of high school age "outsiders" who gather late at night, to party, wander town, sometimes getting into trouble, sometimes not. But when they end up at a mysterious abandoned house late one night, they break in because they have nothing better to do...and unwittingly let loose something unspeakably evil that will forever change their lives. Plenty of gore and sex will satisfy the lovers of extreme horror but Smith keeps it integral to the story. Highly recommended!

[Chuck Rios · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Ones is a great read. It has all the elements that make an exciting horror tale: demons, sex, gore, blood by the buckets and most important of all, a great story.
A group of teenagers called the dark ones accidently release a demon upon a small town. The demon unleashes a foul and unholy wrath and only the ark ones know how to stop it.
It's as simple as that.
Simple yet you can’t stop thinking about it once you are done reading it.
I am an absolute fan of Bryan Smith and he didn’t let me down with this one. The thing I like best about Smith's writing is that he knows how to set up a page turner and I'm always a sucker for stories like those.
This edition on good reads doesn’t have the current incarnation of this book’s cover. The cover you see here is the Dorkchester eBook cover (Do not buy from Dorchester, the author won’t get the money for it and thus cannot feed his kids).
The one I read was the Deadite Press edition, a much cooler cover by far, and Deadite Press pays their authors so why not go down to Amazon.com or Deaditepress.com tonight and nab it for $12.95.
Worth every penny and you’ll have a fun time to boot!
- Chuck Rios

[Ken B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A close-knit group of high school outcasts accidentally unleashes a demon on their small Tennessee town. Amid the mayhem, they have to figure out how to get the proverbial genie back in the bottle.

Smith wrote a decent horror story and did a great job closing the many loose ends.


3 1/2 STARS

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I accidentally stumbled across this author, and this is the first book I've read of his. The story flowed well, and kept me turning pages. I wasn't expecting too much from this book but it gave me just enough to satisfy my evening. Black magic, demons, and teenagers...what's not to enjoy?
I will definitely check out more from Bryan Smith. 3.5 stars

[Diana Bresee · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books ever.

[Rem In · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brutal, graphic, carnal, hail Andras.

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that impressed with this one. Same scenario as his other novel SOULTAKER. Evil comes to town. Makes the locals do crazy things and its up to the good ole boys to stop it all. Ofcourse the local boys all get drunk constantly while figuring out what to do next. There was so much beer drinking in this book.
The prologue was interesting and I wish the author explored that part of the story more. The back story and flashbacks seemed more interesting to me than the whole Dark Ones (teens) in the main story. SPOILER>>>>
Ok so most of the townspeople are dead by this demon and the main characters want to bail and leave town and one guy asks the other if he has Jimmy Buffet on his IPOD??? WHAT?? Seriously? You have many people dead and some of your family members and you are joking about Jimmy Buffet? Come on...

[Benjamin Uminsky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok... so this one really wasn't for me. Literary criticisms aside (and this one was full of major problems from lack of characterization to poor prose), I think there was barely enough here that I would perhaps give Bryan Smith another shot. If you are a huge fan of way over the top sex and violence in your horror, this may be the book for you.

[Иван Величков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Едва изкрета до трите звездички. Не че във всяка книга човек не може да намери нещо, което да му хареса. Тук бяха „Мрачните“ – групата тийнейджъри, които отвориха и затвориха действиет��. Бунтари от богати семейства, сбъркани поради липса на родителско внимание или прекалено такова (и то от най-неправилния вид). Другото е, че Смит никога не се е свенил да убива главни герои.

Мрачните са банда хлапета, които не се вписват в училищните филмови клишета. Имат пари, но не парадират с тях; силни са, но не са в спортните отбори; умни са, но не са зубъри. Обичат да се забавляват, нощем, да обикалят, да злоупотребяват с алкохол и марихуана, да ходят по странни места. Може да са загубеняци, но тежко му ако някой ги провокира.
Една вечер влизат в изоставена къща в горите около града и от глупост освобождават заключен от десетилетия там демон. Това ще докара на малкия град редица от кървави събития. Мрачните са единствените, които могат да го спрат, преди да е обърнал целия град, а от там и следващия, и следващия, в кървава касапница.

Първата четвъртина пленява със симпатични и добре развити герои, но някак куца историята. Сякаш Браян Смит се е опитвал прекалено да наподобява Кинг. Но нататък в плътната среда на книгата зарязва ретроспекции, взирания в герои и прочие простотии и забърква брутална вакханалия от секс и насилие. Накрая, когато извращенията стигат до кресчендо, малко се измъква с Бога от машината, но не го спуска съвсем от небето.
Влечението на автора към леко мръднали, но красиви жени винаги ме е забавлявало. Мисля че тук е достигнал някакви собствени висоти.
Но, като цяло – прекалено кратко и издишащо по ръбовете; прекалено хаотично и нареждането на пъзела малко разочарова; прекалено люшкащо се между Кинг и Леймън (постоянно го сравнявам с други автори в ревютата си, дали не ми липсва силен глас?), като заимстванията от двамата си пречат стилово.
Все пак забавно сплетърче и ако не беше от автора на „Кайла и дяволът“ и „Убийствен тип“ щях сигурно да вдигна с една звездичка (демек на три и половина)

[Bert · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're a fan of redundant F-Bombs then this is the book for you.

Plot? Weak, but somewhat there.

Character development? Not really.

Profanity used as a verb, adjective, noun, and punctuation? You bet.

Fucking, fuck, you're fucking right. I mean, what the fucking fuck, right? Fuck.

^This is the book. Over and over.

I'm not a prude but this is really profanity for profanity's sake. I was in the Navy for 30 years and I never met anyone that used language like this.

Don't waste your time - the book isn't worth it.

[Jeff D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually 4.5 stars - took 1/2 star because in the beginning I found myself getting confused which character was who ( same last name, book goes from past to present etc etc). Other than that this book is scary good. Very very very dark, demented, borderline snuff film porn like but still a must read for fans of Bryan Smith. He is up there with the best in this genre. And looks like he left wiggle room for a sequel. You know a book is good when you feel a tiny bit ashamed at liking some of the horrific things that go on in this book.

[Sophiesherzenswelt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ich musste das Buch leider bei der Hälfte abbrechen. Denn die Handlung des Buches hat mir überhaupt nicht zugesagt. Mir war zwar bewusst das es ein krasses Horrorbuch ist aber ich fand vieles einfach drüber und geschmacklos. Ich hatte ganz andere Erwartungen und wurde Maßlos enttäuscht.

[Lori Courville · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd favorite author...

Love his sick mind in story telling.. Should be a depraved horror category and these books would fit right in

[Gary Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bryan Smith's work never gets old to me. Love every one!

[zackary ratliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This one has a great story with extremely twisted and fucked up characters plus tons of gore. I buy everything from Bryan smith but this is one of my favorites.

[Shadow Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked out some of the other reviews after finishing this book, and I'm really surprised by some of the negativity.
Admittedly, I knew what to expect from a Bryan Smith novel, (that's why I read it in the first place), so I'm not shocked by the violence, or the sex, or the sex with violence & violence with sex!
I'm at the point of my literary life where I'm seeking out the darker & more disturbing works, and am happy that Cathy suggested Bryan Smith, (among a few others). After reading Spooky Stacks Four Horror Tales in October, picking up Smith was an easy decision to make - (his short, Pizza Face, was great, interesting, sick & I loved it!) the hard part was choosing which book! I try to make my decisions on only the book's synopsis - I avoid the reviews, usually until I write my own. I have a few that I already own to pick from, and I think I chose The Dark Ones only because of the cover! It's still close to Halloween/Samhain, all the decorations aren't boxed up yet, let's go with some Demon Worship! Haha :)
We're introduced to a group of teens still in high-school, the misfits, the outcasts. The Dark Ones. Nothing too outrageous, they're the group of friends a lot of us had. They sneak out & stay out all night, but mostly keep to themselves. One of the guys finds an abandoned house, something that's happened before, and they are going to check it out, hang out there until the novelty wears off and they move on to the next thing. But, little do they know... their actions, starting with unboarding the front door, are breaking numerous binding spells put in place to hold an evil they could have never expected.
Once the demon is awakened, he has a little fun in the basement, then he hitches a ride with one of the Dark Ones to get his revenge on the people who bound him. He has some extra demon fun along the way, so be prepared for a lot of blood, and some demon sex that starts off a little uncomfortably (Not that way, pervert! Haha) until you get used to the fact that the vessel is only that, just a sack of skin to dress up in. It's previous owner is... asleep, for lack of a better term.
Now... You tell me...What's your favorite Bryan Smith book? Which one should I read next?

[Mark Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small group of teenage rebels unwittingly unleash the forces of darkness upon their unsuspecting small American town.
In my youth I would have fit in well with the disparate group of adolescents in Bryan’s wonderful novel, though not for want of trying did my cohorts and I unleash evil of this magnitude upon our local neighborhood. This unflinchingly viscerally brutal novel is a tour de force!

[Joe Stamber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retro horror from Bryan Smith about a demon who is unleashed on a small town leading to an orgy of sex and violence. Smith does old fashioned no frills horror well, although the lack of variety in the action did risk becoming tiresome. However, fans of this style of horror will enjoy it. Bryan Smith fans will know what to expect and as usual he doesn't disappoint.

[Steven jb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of high schoolers known as the dark ones unleash a demon, and now they must stop it from destroying their community and themselves. The demon entices its acolytes with sexual pleasure, and leads them to murder and mayhem. The story is a bit unfocused, and nothing very original, but still a decent read.

[Brian Mcclain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and suitably gory/messed-up occult/demon summoning small-town horror story. Good bit of revenge by the outsiders, and as usual per Bryan Smith a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended, that is, if orgies and whatnot don't bother you.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for the prudish or faint of heart. You can't release demons without getting your hands bloody. Bryan Smith never fails to deliver page turning action. I enjoyed and recommend this book.

[Joseph Patchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The light is cast upon this one at lurid-lit.com.

[Andrew Milton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bryan Smith is the Richard Laymon replacement I have been looking for, on to the next one, guilty addiction!