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Jackals
The pretty young woman whose car has broken down, signaling for help...the stubborn tailgater who follows too close, for too long...the wild driver who causes accidents but is never a victim of one...
These are the jackals, hunters who follow the nation's highways and byways, preying on the weak and unsuspecting. Jim Scott hunts jackals. Once they took someone he loved, and he's never forgiven them. When beautiful, battered Rachel turns up on Jim Scott's doorstep with a tale that can only mean she barely escaped a hunting pack, Jim knows the jackals are coming for him. It's time for the final showdown.
These are the jackals, hunters who follow the nation's highways and byways, preying on the weak and unsuspecting. Jim Scott hunts jackals. Once they took someone he loved, and he's never forgiven them. When beautiful, battered Rachel turns up on Jim Scott's doorstep with a tale that can only mean she barely escaped a hunting pack, Jim knows the jackals are coming for him. It's time for the final showdown.
255 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
5 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Charles L. Grant
309 books262 followersCharles Lewis Grant was a novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror." He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, and Deborah Lewis.
Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.
Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 25, 2018
Jackals
By: Charles L. Grant
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is a good fantasy/horror book about started out slow but did pick up.
I like the premise of the story.
The narrator of the story was very good and helped the book a lot. I might have given it a lower rating if I had just read it myself.
By: Charles L. Grant
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is a good fantasy/horror book about started out slow but did pick up.
I like the premise of the story.
The narrator of the story was very good and helped the book a lot. I might have given it a lower rating if I had just read it myself.
April 6, 2020
4 Stars. Audio. I began listening to this book because Scribd was on the brink and interrupting a good John Connelly novel, so I switched to reliable Audible and started Jackals. I couldn't stop. It was so fast paced and cool, I had to pause good old Charlie Parker and listen to the end. I was not disappointed. From beginning to end, Jackals had my blood racing like a car flying down a deserted freeway trying to escape certain death. I had to find out more about these Jackals and their crimes against humanity as the story twist and turned down dark avenues. The paced continued right to the end as you watched, eyes wide, pulse pounding, at the accident before you, wanting to, but unable to look away!
May 2, 2018
The jackals are coming. Somebody needs to hose these doggies down before they get a chance to put the bite on Jim Scott and his friends. This ain't going to be no cat fight. The pack is out for blood.
The narration for this one started out a wee aggressive, but the more I listened to it the more it fit the story perfectly. I dug it.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
The narration for this one started out a wee aggressive, but the more I listened to it the more it fit the story perfectly. I dug it.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
January 14, 2019
Who doesn't love a Charles L. Grant story? And this one, being a significant detour from his usual quiet horror style has everything you want in a quick fun read... small town U.S., woman driving alone at night being pursued by a large, creepy rumbling car, strong female characters both 'good' and 'evil', ...and rednecks! There was always going to be rednecks.
Oh, and werejackals...they're not what you think...
Oh, and werejackals...they're not what you think...
August 4, 2013
Fabulous, just fabulous. Paced a lot like the Raven, a quick, wonderful read...and this one had a nice, almost moderately triumphant ending. Excellent stuff.
March 26, 2015
Really substandard stuff from Grant. Starts out okay and has a good twist partway through, but otherwise is very dull, simplistic and anticlimactic in the end.
July 1, 2020
I've read a number of novels by this author, several of them quite good, but this is by far the best as far as I'm concerned. Grant takes the mythology behind the werewolf and molds it into something at once startlingly different yet still familiar. The protagonist--a man who is both hunter and hunted--is tough and resourceful yet fully human, and makes for a fascinating main character. The supporting cast is well-developed (especially the somewhat unorthodox preacher) as are the villains, who are given carefully drawn personal characteristics that make them much more complex than they first appear. They are also ruthless, unpredictable, and totally terrifying. JACKALS is a visceral reading experience from beginning to end, and Grant drives the plot inexorably to a brutal and totally satisfying climax. A must-read for all horror/thriller fans.
July 29, 2016
Earlier this year, when I was making my way through Charles Grant's fiction via ebooks, Jackals wasn't available. I found a paperback copy at a local used bookstore, putting it into my normal reading rotation, but last week I stumbled across this in the Kindle store, so it got bumped up in my rotation. I kind of see why it was late getting the ebook conversion, though.
The premise for Jackals is pretty good; it asks the reader to contemplate why you see so many stranded cards on the side of the road. Grant takes that idea and creates a family who preys on the kind-hearted people who stop to help those in need. The story opens with one of their victims escaping and finding some real help.
From all of his previous works, I'm accustomed to Grant's slow, lyrical style, but it seems to be missing in this novel. It's not a fast-paced work by any means, but there's a lot missing from this book that I've come to like in his previous stories. Grant is an "It's the singer, not the song" author, where his style is more important than the story itself, and here, where the story itself takes priority over his style, it winds up being lackluster, at best. This was one of his later works, where he may have been influenced by the more contemporary styles that were developing around him, and it shows that his strength was in how he wrote a story, not the story itself. There's nothing particularly notable or memorable about Jackals.
I still have a handful of other Grant books to read, and I'm hoping that those will go back to the style he used before Jackals. This book feels like an anomaly compared with everything that came before it. Hardcore Grant fans will probably appreciate it, but it will make them long for his earlier works.
The premise for Jackals is pretty good; it asks the reader to contemplate why you see so many stranded cards on the side of the road. Grant takes that idea and creates a family who preys on the kind-hearted people who stop to help those in need. The story opens with one of their victims escaping and finding some real help.
From all of his previous works, I'm accustomed to Grant's slow, lyrical style, but it seems to be missing in this novel. It's not a fast-paced work by any means, but there's a lot missing from this book that I've come to like in his previous stories. Grant is an "It's the singer, not the song" author, where his style is more important than the story itself, and here, where the story itself takes priority over his style, it winds up being lackluster, at best. This was one of his later works, where he may have been influenced by the more contemporary styles that were developing around him, and it shows that his strength was in how he wrote a story, not the story itself. There's nothing particularly notable or memorable about Jackals.
I still have a handful of other Grant books to read, and I'm hoping that those will go back to the style he used before Jackals. This book feels like an anomaly compared with everything that came before it. Hardcore Grant fans will probably appreciate it, but it will make them long for his earlier works.
June 8, 2017
I was really impressed with the first Charles L. Grant novel I read, "The Hour of the Oxrun Dead", so I came into this book with high expectations. Unfortunately, this was a pretty mediocre novel. Not terrible, but not particularly good, either. Grant's skeletal prose, which worked wonderfully in Oxrun to create a mysterious, spooky atmosphere just lead to confusion here. I also didn't buy some of the main character's reactions to tragedies that occurred. This book started out very strongly and ended pretty weakly. Its a great premise, and had one pretty huge plot twist that took me by surprise, but unfortunately I didn't really enjoy this book overall. I'll be reading more Grant, for sure, but I'll probably stick to his Oxrun Station novels.
November 2, 2020
Charles Grant is a horror author I didn't get to read during October, but there's really no bad time of year for a good horror tale. Jackals was a rather new premise, and Grant did a good job creating characters you can really relate to. I had never read any of this author's works before, but I will definitely be looking for more of his titles, if this is a reflection on his talent.
My Rating: 4.25/5 stars
My Rating: 4.25/5 stars
February 22, 2019
Sharp writing with sharp narration. One of the most pacy and unique audiobooks I’ve come across. Baldree’s voice acting is pitch perfect. Grant’s writing is lively, edgy and dark with a sprinkling of black humour. Well worth the time and the money.
June 11, 2018
The premise of this novel is simple. You know how when you're out driving in a not-so-populated area and you see an empty car by the side of the road miles away from anywhere? Ever wonder where the driver is? Did they walk to the nearest gas station for help? Get picked up by a friend? Say the hell with it and go buy a new car? Grant postulates that there are families who prey on stranded motorists and the benevolent strangers who might stop to help a stranded motorist. He calls them Jackals.
The story itself opens with Rachel, one of those stranded motorists, crawling down a country lane, battered and bleeding. She'd just escaped from one of those groups and was desperately looking for help. Fortunately for her she was stranded almost on protagonist James (Jim) Scott's doorstep. He takes Rachel in, binds her wounds, and offers to help. Jim has a secret, he's well aware of the existence of Jackals having lost a loved one to their predations. His mission and the mission of his band of friends is to rid the world of their scourge. However, Rachel has some secrets of her own.
A classic Grant horror tale of good vs. evil with plenty of the haunting imagery that fans have become accustomed to in his books. I read the audio version which was narrated by Travis Baldree. who did an excellent job.
I requested a free review copy of this book from Audiobook Boom in return for the promise that I would leave an honest review.
Note: I would actually rate this book 3.5 stars but we don't get halfsies on Goodreads. Three is my norm for a decent, solid read that I do recommend but probably won't pick up again myself.
The story itself opens with Rachel, one of those stranded motorists, crawling down a country lane, battered and bleeding. She'd just escaped from one of those groups and was desperately looking for help. Fortunately for her she was stranded almost on protagonist James (Jim) Scott's doorstep. He takes Rachel in, binds her wounds, and offers to help. Jim has a secret, he's well aware of the existence of Jackals having lost a loved one to their predations. His mission and the mission of his band of friends is to rid the world of their scourge. However, Rachel has some secrets of her own.
A classic Grant horror tale of good vs. evil with plenty of the haunting imagery that fans have become accustomed to in his books. I read the audio version which was narrated by Travis Baldree. who did an excellent job.
I requested a free review copy of this book from Audiobook Boom in return for the promise that I would leave an honest review.
Note: I would actually rate this book 3.5 stars but we don't get halfsies on Goodreads. Three is my norm for a decent, solid read that I do recommend but probably won't pick up again myself.
May 2, 2018
Jackals starts out slow, so slow in fact that I had to restart a couple times until I could give the story my full attention. I am not biased by Grant’s other works as some reviewers evidently are, so once I got into the story I was pretty much hooked. The premise is basically killers, referred to as jackals, preying on disabled motorists on the highways, but this is far from all you discover as the story unfolds. This is a somewhat chilling horror thriller having much in common with werewolves hunting victims in the night. Our protagonist Jim Scott is a jackal hunter, devoted to this dangerous and mysterious profession because he lost a loved one in this manner. Jim befriends a female traveler who has been attacked and escapes, making her way to his door in the middle of the night. The author reveals this complex plot little-by-little, saving an unexpected twist to expand and pull the story in a new direction. The ending may be a bit underwhelming, but I enjoyed the tale all-in-all. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.
November 7, 2019
Seriously, I didn't know about this book, prior to acquiring it. All I saw was that Travis Baldree narrated it, and that was all I needed to know! I expected it to be spooky, and because of the cover (seriously it's got a perfectly nice cover), I thought that it might be about a possessed car, or somethin' along those lines, but what I got, was in my opinion, soooooo very much better. I lucked into an urban fantasy (perhaps my "Favoritest" genre ever!)... I'm not a big fan of horror (it scares me, LOL), so really, this was a Double Score! By about, the end of, like... umm, the first or second chapter, I now understood what the title referenced... and it wasn't the car. It was what was inside the car! By this point, I'd been drawn into the story so tightly that, not even wedges, pry bars, or jacks could seperate me from this story! Suddenly, midway through the book, everything goes pear-shaped for our protagonist, Jim Scott, and oh boy howdy, things are really hitting the rotary impeller, here. Jim has to utilize everything that he's learned as a Hunter to survive! Grab the book to find out who's still breathing at the end!
As for Travis Baldree, his narration was absolutely perfect for this action-packed story!!!
As for Travis Baldree, his narration was absolutely perfect for this action-packed story!!!
July 13, 2018
Audible:This was a good read.It started out slow but evenrually picked up.I liked the premise.A different kind of monster is following people in cars.They stop them and usually kill them.SOme people know about them and will fight them.Travis Baldree was a good narrator. I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.
January 29, 2020
Review on Audible. I really liked this one. Dates are approximate.
April 17, 2020
A tight little book written in the poetic style of Grant, about a group of 'people' reminding me a bit of The True Knott, who prey on stranded drivers and the people who hunt them.
March 2, 2021
Started off strong and had potential to be something actually creepy and original, but fizzled out and basically became a generic monster-ish thriller.
March 3, 2021
A superb, understated, character-driven thriller. Sharp as a knife but also poetic and gorgeously written.
June 11, 2013
Meh.
His style, which I am sure he is quite enamored of, gets in the way. Killers are killed by righteous killers. Packs of nomad thrill-killers are hunted by stationary packs of nice killers. That's not a plot, it's a cliché.
His style, which I am sure he is quite enamored of, gets in the way. Killers are killed by righteous killers. Packs of nomad thrill-killers are hunted by stationary packs of nice killers. That's not a plot, it's a cliché.
January 22, 2021
Inhuman beasts prowl the highways, nibbling away at the human herd, but every now and then someone hunts the scavengers. A young woman in bad shape turns up on his doorstep, signalling the start of a new face-off, but with his rag-tag crew, the hunter is not prepared for the Jackal's cunning.
April 3, 2017
Reminded me of a (too) quickly written Dean Koontz novel.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews