Dark Things and Wild

by Tommy Swartz

Five friends gather at a secluded forest manor to spend their last collegiate summer in drunken peace and beauty.
James is writing his senior thesis on Pan, the ancient Greek God of the forest.

He soon discovers that Beau, whose family owns the manor, is heir to a vast timber fortune which destroyed millions of acres of American forest during its heyday.

As the summer progresses and a darkness rises in the woods around them, James begins to suspect that the very forces he studies may hold enmity against Beau and his family for their crimes against nature.

254 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2025

Reviews

[Austyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was hard to finish for me. I saw a comment he left on one of his TikToks saying he spent a month and a half working on this book, and in my opinion, it really shows. The book feels like stream-of-consciousness writing. I feel like the book, while well-written, had issues with the story itself. The part where the police show up and they won't let them in without a warrant, like that seems like a very high-stakes thing, but it doesn't really feel like any of the characters care. They look for drugs for a while before getting distracted and forgetting about it, holding a masquerade instead, which feels odd. It talks about all the crazy drugs that could be hidden somewhere in the house, which could land them all locked up, but no one really cares. It seems like the little search they did have was just a way to get the vile of acid for the solstice. In the end, a lot of things that he wrote about felt forgotten about. In the end, the police give them a pass for the drugs because Abraham and Beau died. However, I have issues with Abraham's death as well. It felt anti-climactic. The man who has been somewhere in the forest for days, who you all think is trying to kill you, just cuts the phone cords and swings his axe once before he gets killed, and then you drag his body into the woods because you can’t look at it. I feel like once again, that’s strange and harder to get the police to give you a free pass if a man gets killed and you’re dragged his dead body into the woods. Wouldn’t you think the police would at least go through rigorous questioning before they decided to give a free pass? All in all, I think the writing itself was good. The story itself, though, was lackluster and confusing at best. And the majority of the book was them all drinking and doing every drug under the sun.

[Chris Riffle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very impressed by this debut novel from Tommy Swartz. In this slow burn of a novel, the author managed to make me feel connected to this group of 5 college friends who went into the woods for a season of drinking and partying. The narrator’s time is split between academia and the human need to have a good time, not to mention discovering the haunting secrets the forest has to offer.

It had me eager to keep reading to discover the truth behind what was happening, and I was left satisfied by its ending.

[Mia Sidoti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this made me think of the first time I watched Mother! or The Invitation. It was stifling, like actual heat and sticky and sweaty and you want the characters to leave even though they can’t. This was truly something. Like a sweater you’re wearing even though it’s not cold out yet.

[olivia ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

INSANE debut !!!
genuinely, was so engrossed in this novel and i loved every minute of it.
i can’t wait for more from the author

[Kyler Tolman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed thoughts about this read.

For a self-published debut, the book does a lot of things right. Swartz's descriptions are vivid, and the writing itself is rife with imaginative, original figurative language. The overall concept is intriguing, and the characters and their relationships with one another are compelling. The book also doesn't read as classical mythology or a more modern retelling of myth; instead, it adds an atmosphere of believable mysticism to an otherwise realistic work of fiction.

Content-wise, further editing and troubleshooting would've been valuable. There were character arcs that felt unfinished, relationship dynamics that stayed two-dimensional, pacing inconsistencies, and narrative confusion that all could have used some ironing out. I also felt that the presence of homophobia and the (infrequent) use of homophobic and ablist terminology was unnecessary as they did not add thematically to the storytelling development. I also feel a content warning for drug use, violence, and sexual interactions would be appreciated by many readers.

From a compositional perspective, I think this book would have benefitted from external proofreading. The prose often felt overdetermined and a bit repetitive, and the sentence-level composition could have used some fine-tuning. I understand that there are certainly challenges to self-publishing as there isn't a professional team to polish the manuscript for publication, but perhaps some freelance assistance should be considered for future texts.

Overall, I mostly enjoyed Dark Things and Wild. It was a valiant effort for an independent, first-time author, and I'm interested to see what Swartz does next.

[Jaxson Dietz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super good for a debut novel. Horror was top tier and kept me on edge while still being mysterious and always in wonder. Characterization was amazing along with complex relationships. Good plot and overall super fun to read!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a debut novel and it being independently published it is good!
Interesting plot and kept me intrigued

[August · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an insanely good debut. I literally just finished it so my thoughts are a bit incoherent at this point but overall I would highly recommend this book.

[Sarah Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book if you like anything strange that leaves you with questions. Honestly one of the best books I’ve read since Secret History. Tommy, you’re amazing my dude.

[Bob Swartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a complicated brew of emotions and events tied together with mythology. The novel also bring to the fore some really important environmental themes so relevant to where we are today. This book brings together so many gripping elements, I couldn’t put it down. Just a great read. I can’t wait to read his next novel.

[k · Rating 3 out of 5]

I debated between 3 and 4 stars, but leaning towards 4. I have my criticisms, but they’re overshadowed by the fact that this is a strong debut. The pacing was a bit questionable towards the end, some characters fell a bit flat for me after it all, and I question a few choices regarding how intimate relationships were addressed. But Beau was a favorite of mine. I wish we had seen a bit more of him, but that’s a personal preference. The prose itself is strong, many lines left me considering far more than the content of the book itself. I look forward to seeing more in the future.