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Wolf Land
An unholy predator on the prowl!
The small town of Lakeview offers little excitement for Duane, Savannah, and their friends. They’re about to endure their ten-year high school reunion when their lives are shattered by the arrival of an ancient, vengeful evil.
The werewolf.
The first attack leaves seven dead and four wounded. And though the beast remains on the loose and eager to spill more blood, the sleepy town is about to face an even greater terror. Because the four victims of the werewolf’s fury are changing. They’re experiencing unholy desires and unimaginable cravings. They’ll prey on the innocent. They’ll act on their basest desires. Soon, they’ll plunge the entire town into a nightmare. Lakeview is about to become Wolf Land.
The small town of Lakeview offers little excitement for Duane, Savannah, and their friends. They’re about to endure their ten-year high school reunion when their lives are shattered by the arrival of an ancient, vengeful evil.
The werewolf.
The first attack leaves seven dead and four wounded. And though the beast remains on the loose and eager to spill more blood, the sleepy town is about to face an even greater terror. Because the four victims of the werewolf’s fury are changing. They’re experiencing unholy desires and unimaginable cravings. They’ll prey on the innocent. They’ll act on their basest desires. Soon, they’ll plunge the entire town into a nightmare. Lakeview is about to become Wolf Land.
459 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2015
59 people are currently reading
1260 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Janz
60 books2,089 followersJonathan Janz is an author and public schoolteacher. His sci-fi horror novel VEIL is now available, and you can find his story "Lenora" in THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND. He’s represented for Film & TV by Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment, and his literary agent is Lane Heymont. His ghost story The Siren and the Specter was selected as a Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Horror. Additionally, his novels Children of the Dark and The Dark Game were chosen by Booklist and Library Journal as Top Ten Horror Books of the Year. Jonathan’s main interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children. You can sign up for his newsletter (http://jonathanjanz.us12.list-manage....), and you can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, and Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
December 15, 2015
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!
January 9, 2016
I don't usually read books about werewolves or vampires. I like my horror to be more unusual or psychologically driven. My first exception was Glen Hirshberg's imaginative and heartbreaking vampire novel, Motherless Child. It blew me away. My second exception is now Jonathan Janz's novel, Wolf Land. Mr. Janz gives the werewolf genre a refreshing makeover. While there is plenty of action, violence and gore to be experienced, this story shines by bringing it's characters to the forefront. Each individual affected by a vengeful werewolf has a different reaction to their own consequent transformation. Each must decide how best to accept and use their newly found strengths. The story proceeds at a furious pace, and I was rooting for my favorite characters with both trepidation and delight. I enjoyed the hell out of this book! Now, I understand that Mr. Janz has written a vampire novel... Dust Devils, I believe it's called... time for me to go shopping.
Want to read
February 1, 2018This hardcover copy is numbered 14 of 60 signed and limited editions printed and is signed by Jonathan Janz.
September 14, 2015
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Jonathan Janz continues to amaze me with how he can take creatures that we have read and watched hundreds of books and movies about, and yet still manage to create something completely "new"! In WOLF LAND, Janz takes on the werewolf lore, and gives us an entirely unique perspective on their origins and behaviors.
"But whatever the species, it all boiled down to the same thing.
Death."
As I've come to expect from this author, his characterization is top-notch. From the good-boy, Duane (Short Pump), the creepy man obsessed with young kids, Weezer, to the horribly abused and misunderstood, Melody, I felt all of the emotions that they were intended to evoke. Even his portrayal of the werewolves showed individuality, personalities, and goals of their own.
The action starts off right away. Although carnage and some incredibly intense scenes are all throughout the novel, I really felt that we got to know the primary characters in greater emotional depth around the middle point. The last two-thirds were nothing less than one spectacular, awe-inspiring thrill ride==as long as mutilations, gut clenching scenes, and rivers of blood and other bodily fluids are your thing. "...before ...could scream, his eyes had exploded from his skull." I couldn't tear myself away for anything at that point! One character's personal--unrelated--take on the matter: "Of course, she hadn't had a werewolf chasing her last time. That tended to make the experience a little more harrowing."
I have been impressed with Janz's writing and creativity from the first book I read of his, SAVAGE SPECIES; however, I continue to be absolutely awed by the new twists that he can put on just about any topic. Jonathan Janz is now one of the top authors on my "following" list, and WOLF LAND has certainly proven that it is very well deserved.
Highly recommended!
*I received an advance e-copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Jonathan Janz continues to amaze me with how he can take creatures that we have read and watched hundreds of books and movies about, and yet still manage to create something completely "new"! In WOLF LAND, Janz takes on the werewolf lore, and gives us an entirely unique perspective on their origins and behaviors.
"But whatever the species, it all boiled down to the same thing.
Death."
As I've come to expect from this author, his characterization is top-notch. From the good-boy, Duane (Short Pump), the creepy man obsessed with young kids, Weezer, to the horribly abused and misunderstood, Melody, I felt all of the emotions that they were intended to evoke. Even his portrayal of the werewolves showed individuality, personalities, and goals of their own.
The action starts off right away. Although carnage and some incredibly intense scenes are all throughout the novel, I really felt that we got to know the primary characters in greater emotional depth around the middle point. The last two-thirds were nothing less than one spectacular, awe-inspiring thrill ride==as long as mutilations, gut clenching scenes, and rivers of blood and other bodily fluids are your thing. "...before ...could scream, his eyes had exploded from his skull." I couldn't tear myself away for anything at that point! One character's personal--unrelated--take on the matter: "Of course, she hadn't had a werewolf chasing her last time. That tended to make the experience a little more harrowing."
I have been impressed with Janz's writing and creativity from the first book I read of his, SAVAGE SPECIES; however, I continue to be absolutely awed by the new twists that he can put on just about any topic. Jonathan Janz is now one of the top authors on my "following" list, and WOLF LAND has certainly proven that it is very well deserved.
Highly recommended!
*I received an advance e-copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
June 19, 2019
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.
March 14, 2019
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!
August 19, 2015
The wild get extremely weird and the blood drenched fur flies when the survivors of a werewolf attack find themselves losing control......and their small town finds itself in a battle for survival between the unwitting spawn of lycanthropic evil.....and the source of the bloodline.
Janz pulls no punches, balancing action, horror and a healthy dose of humanity like a master in this feral fiend of a tale, along with nods to every shade of werewolf from poor old Larry Talbot to the latest flavor of furry sociopath.
Highly recommended!
This was an eARC from Netgalley.
Janz pulls no punches, balancing action, horror and a healthy dose of humanity like a master in this feral fiend of a tale, along with nods to every shade of werewolf from poor old Larry Talbot to the latest flavor of furry sociopath.
Highly recommended!
This was an eARC from Netgalley.
November 7, 2015
This fast-paced read was a frenzy of carnality in epic proportions. Visceral and surreal, Janz has outdone himself with this newest title.
All I can tell you is to throw on the nearest raincoat and grab some boots because Jonathan is hailing blood and body parts non-stop! You're sure to get soaked by all the horrors between these pages.
An A+ read. Mr. Janz has really grown as an author. If he wasn't already on your auto-buy list, well, he should be.
Recommended for everyone, especially splatter-punk fans!
All I can tell you is to throw on the nearest raincoat and grab some boots because Jonathan is hailing blood and body parts non-stop! You're sure to get soaked by all the horrors between these pages.
An A+ read. Mr. Janz has really grown as an author. If he wasn't already on your auto-buy list, well, he should be.
Recommended for everyone, especially splatter-punk fans!
August 30, 2022
Read this in 2020 just before I started to sitter reviews and was curious to see what I think of it now as the cover still intruiged me. I was pleasantly surprised and ended up liking it more than last time. An engaging horror story and it made me realize how much I missed biting into horror novels
February 3, 2018
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Jonathan Janz continues to amaze me with how he can take creatures that we have read and watched hundreds of books and movies about, and yet still manage to create something completely "new"! In WOLF LAND, Janz takes on the werewolf lore, and gives us an entirely unique perspective on their origins and behaviors.
"But whatever the species, it all boiled down to the same thing. Death."
As I've come to expect from this author, his characterization is top-notch. From the good-boy, Duane (Short Pump), the creepy man obsessed with young kids, Weezer, to the horribly abused and misunderstood, Melody, I felt all of the emotions that they were intended to evoke. Even his portrayal of the werewolves showed individuality, personalities, and goals of their own.
The action starts off right away. Although carnage and some incredibly intense scenes are all throughout the novel, I really felt that we got to know the primary characters in greater emotional depth around the middle point. The last two-thirds were nothing less than one spectacular, awe-inspiring thrill ride--as long as mutilations, gut clenching scenes, and rivers of blood and other bodily fluids are your thing.
"...before ...could scream, his eyes had exploded from his skull."
I couldn't tear myself away for anything at that point! One character's personal--unrelated--take on the matter: "Of course, she hadn't had a werewolf chasing her last time. That tended to make the experience a little more harrowing."
I have been impressed with Janz's writing and creativity from the first book I read of his, SAVAGE SPECIES; however, I continue to be absolutely awed by the new twists that he can put on just about any topic. Jonathan Janz is now one of the top authors on my "following" list, and WOLF LANDhas certainly proven that it is very well deserved.
Highly recommended!
**The Thunderstorm Books Shadow Side Series version has some bonus content in the form of "deleted scenes" that are well worth reading!!**
Jonathan Janz continues to amaze me with how he can take creatures that we have read and watched hundreds of books and movies about, and yet still manage to create something completely "new"! In WOLF LAND, Janz takes on the werewolf lore, and gives us an entirely unique perspective on their origins and behaviors.
"But whatever the species, it all boiled down to the same thing. Death."
As I've come to expect from this author, his characterization is top-notch. From the good-boy, Duane (Short Pump), the creepy man obsessed with young kids, Weezer, to the horribly abused and misunderstood, Melody, I felt all of the emotions that they were intended to evoke. Even his portrayal of the werewolves showed individuality, personalities, and goals of their own.
The action starts off right away. Although carnage and some incredibly intense scenes are all throughout the novel, I really felt that we got to know the primary characters in greater emotional depth around the middle point. The last two-thirds were nothing less than one spectacular, awe-inspiring thrill ride--as long as mutilations, gut clenching scenes, and rivers of blood and other bodily fluids are your thing.
"...before ...could scream, his eyes had exploded from his skull."
I couldn't tear myself away for anything at that point! One character's personal--unrelated--take on the matter: "Of course, she hadn't had a werewolf chasing her last time. That tended to make the experience a little more harrowing."
I have been impressed with Janz's writing and creativity from the first book I read of his, SAVAGE SPECIES; however, I continue to be absolutely awed by the new twists that he can put on just about any topic. Jonathan Janz is now one of the top authors on my "following" list, and WOLF LANDhas certainly proven that it is very well deserved.
Highly recommended!
**The Thunderstorm Books Shadow Side Series version has some bonus content in the form of "deleted scenes" that are well worth reading!!**
August 5, 2016
A drunken beach party gets a wee out of hand as a vengeful pissed off werewolf crashes the bonfire and starts eating the guests. That is a party foul of the first magnitude!! Major party pooper. Not to mention the fact that it is run off before it can finish off the guest list, leaving several friends to turn on their own. Thank goodness there isn’t another gathering in the near future like a High School reunion which would be an opportunity to finish what was started. Oh…wait…come to think of it…crap.
This is one action packed bloody werewolf mother fucking roller coaster ride thru hell. Jonathan pulls out all the stops for this one and lets copious amounts of blood and body parts fly. A carnivorous, masturbating possum eater, a pirate in a piece of shit Ford Ranger, a sexually repressed librarian with a taste for periods, a castrating, fisting, golden showering slutty gal out for retribution (good for her!), and Duane McKidd aka Short Pump, Werewolf Slayer who desperately wants the local hot chick with a kid. Who doesn’t?
A very solid entry into the werewolf genre for Jonathan Janz. I am beginning to wonder if there is anything that this dude cannot write. He is kicking out quality horror reads like crazy. Exorcists, sinister cults, wild west vampires, crazed creature features and now werewolves. Janz is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with and is definitely on my must read author list. I highly recommend anything that Jonathan puts out there. I’m giving this one a solid 4+ stars and the only reason I’m not going 5 is that it was a bit “action” heavy in parts for me. Not a bad thing by any means, just not entirely my bag.
This is one action packed bloody werewolf mother fucking roller coaster ride thru hell. Jonathan pulls out all the stops for this one and lets copious amounts of blood and body parts fly. A carnivorous, masturbating possum eater, a pirate in a piece of shit Ford Ranger, a sexually repressed librarian with a taste for periods, a castrating, fisting, golden showering slutty gal out for retribution (good for her!), and Duane McKidd aka Short Pump, Werewolf Slayer who desperately wants the local hot chick with a kid. Who doesn’t?
A very solid entry into the werewolf genre for Jonathan Janz. I am beginning to wonder if there is anything that this dude cannot write. He is kicking out quality horror reads like crazy. Exorcists, sinister cults, wild west vampires, crazed creature features and now werewolves. Janz is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with and is definitely on my must read author list. I highly recommend anything that Jonathan puts out there. I’m giving this one a solid 4+ stars and the only reason I’m not going 5 is that it was a bit “action” heavy in parts for me. Not a bad thing by any means, just not entirely my bag.
November 17, 2019
I meant to review this book sooner but here we are. Let's see what I can remember...
I enjoyed the depth to the characters. This is a gory werewolf horror story but it doesn't skimp on character development. If you can think of a trigger warning, it's probably in the book so be warned of that.
It kept me interested, rooting for the characters (or loving to hate them). My fave character is Barb, a 50 something bad-ass woman.
Sorry I didn't review it sooner but it's a solid 4 stars for me, definitely glad I read it and plan to read more by this author. :)
I enjoyed the depth to the characters. This is a gory werewolf horror story but it doesn't skimp on character development. If you can think of a trigger warning, it's probably in the book so be warned of that.
It kept me interested, rooting for the characters (or loving to hate them). My fave character is Barb, a 50 something bad-ass woman.
Sorry I didn't review it sooner but it's a solid 4 stars for me, definitely glad I read it and plan to read more by this author. :)
September 14, 2015
Jonathan Janz is something of an enigma. Not only is he one of the nicest writers you could hope to correspond with, but if his writing is anything to go by, he also has some seriously deranged ideas running around in his head. He has also moved away from quiet, unsettling horror to in-your-face, visceral horror, whereas most authors tend to chart a path in the opposite direction.
And his latest release from Samhain Publishing, Wolf Land, only emphasises his progression down this blood-drenched path.
Telling the story of a set of characters who are about to attend their ten-year high school reunion when they are set upon by a werewolf in extreme-revenge mode, Janz layers on the gore thick and fast in the opening fifth of the book, barely giving the reader time to catch their breath before the first face is crushed between slavering jaws.
Only then does he give his characters a chance to breathe, as four survivors of the initial massacre begin to undergo their transformation into inhuman beasts, and all progress through this process in their own individualistic manner. Janz's character development excels in these scenes, as I came to truly care about one of the four, whilst loathing another (exactly as I was supposed to). At the same time, Janz thrusts a non-typical pair of friends into the limelight as his main characters, with Short Pump in particular, being varied enough from the usual hero to be interesting.
Before I knew it, these characters were engaging in a gore-drenched battle for survival, with not only the original werewolf but other threats coming into play. To say the final third of this novel is anything less than extreme would be to do a disservice to the Acknowledgements Janz included at the start of the book which started off by identifying how dark he went with this one and wanting people to know what they were getting themselves in for. Of course he was not just referring to the gore, but also to some of the disturbing themes found within.
If it's not clear, I really enjoyed Wolf Land. Perhaps not quite as much as The Nightmare Girl(which remains a Top 3 read of 2014 for me), but more than enough for Janz to retain his place as one of my favourite ten currently active writers. This is a wonderful werewolf novel that is savage in its intensity, and unforgiving in whom it dispatches. It is, however, long for a horror novel, so the middle sections of the book do lag a little pace-wise and the climax is exhausting in how long it goes on for; but at the end of the read, this is one that will stand out in the minds of anyone who hates the idea of werewolves being noble warriors, pure of heart and regal in bearing. It is well-written, extremely dark, and incredibly gory.
4 Torn Off Heads Bouncing Away for Wolf Land.
The preceding review was based on an eARC made available through Netgalley by Samhain Publishing.
And his latest release from Samhain Publishing, Wolf Land, only emphasises his progression down this blood-drenched path.
Telling the story of a set of characters who are about to attend their ten-year high school reunion when they are set upon by a werewolf in extreme-revenge mode, Janz layers on the gore thick and fast in the opening fifth of the book, barely giving the reader time to catch their breath before the first face is crushed between slavering jaws.
Only then does he give his characters a chance to breathe, as four survivors of the initial massacre begin to undergo their transformation into inhuman beasts, and all progress through this process in their own individualistic manner. Janz's character development excels in these scenes, as I came to truly care about one of the four, whilst loathing another (exactly as I was supposed to). At the same time, Janz thrusts a non-typical pair of friends into the limelight as his main characters, with Short Pump in particular, being varied enough from the usual hero to be interesting.
Before I knew it, these characters were engaging in a gore-drenched battle for survival, with not only the original werewolf but other threats coming into play. To say the final third of this novel is anything less than extreme would be to do a disservice to the Acknowledgements Janz included at the start of the book which started off by identifying how dark he went with this one and wanting people to know what they were getting themselves in for. Of course he was not just referring to the gore, but also to some of the disturbing themes found within.
If it's not clear, I really enjoyed Wolf Land. Perhaps not quite as much as The Nightmare Girl(which remains a Top 3 read of 2014 for me), but more than enough for Janz to retain his place as one of my favourite ten currently active writers. This is a wonderful werewolf novel that is savage in its intensity, and unforgiving in whom it dispatches. It is, however, long for a horror novel, so the middle sections of the book do lag a little pace-wise and the climax is exhausting in how long it goes on for; but at the end of the read, this is one that will stand out in the minds of anyone who hates the idea of werewolves being noble warriors, pure of heart and regal in bearing. It is well-written, extremely dark, and incredibly gory.
4 Torn Off Heads Bouncing Away for Wolf Land.
The preceding review was based on an eARC made available through Netgalley by Samhain Publishing.
November 14, 2019
I recently discovered this author and I am glad I did. Horror is my favorite genre, and sometimes I feel like I have exhausted the supply of good books, especially after I hit a few duds in a row. Janz has a writing style that appeals to me and has genuine talent.
His main strength is in character building. He spends a little extra time in creating the characters in the beginning, and the payoff is worth it. Often their back story is what really shapes them as the story proceeds, and Janz is consistent in his application of specific personality quirks or tendencies, despite the changes they may undergo (look at the cover for a hint).
The violence is graphic, which is fine as long as it is necessary for the plot to continue and for the development of suspense. This book is not for the squeamish. The author thanks other writers at the end, among whom we find Jack Ketchum and Bryan Smith. Anyone familiar with their writing will immediately grasp the significance of the influence.
Some of the scenes seem cinematic in their shock value and abruptness, and have the potential to be adapted to film. Once the action begins in the novel, it maintains a steady pace until the end. While the writing is excellent in this section also, I personally prefer the slow build and character driven chapters that precede it.
Overall, I was amazed that anyone could take a concept like the werewolf, which seems to have been done a million times, and make it fresh, new and exciting, but that is exactly what Janz does. This book proves that the art of story is in the telling.
4.5 stars
His main strength is in character building. He spends a little extra time in creating the characters in the beginning, and the payoff is worth it. Often their back story is what really shapes them as the story proceeds, and Janz is consistent in his application of specific personality quirks or tendencies, despite the changes they may undergo (look at the cover for a hint).
The violence is graphic, which is fine as long as it is necessary for the plot to continue and for the development of suspense. This book is not for the squeamish. The author thanks other writers at the end, among whom we find Jack Ketchum and Bryan Smith. Anyone familiar with their writing will immediately grasp the significance of the influence.
Some of the scenes seem cinematic in their shock value and abruptness, and have the potential to be adapted to film. Once the action begins in the novel, it maintains a steady pace until the end. While the writing is excellent in this section also, I personally prefer the slow build and character driven chapters that precede it.
Overall, I was amazed that anyone could take a concept like the werewolf, which seems to have been done a million times, and make it fresh, new and exciting, but that is exactly what Janz does. This book proves that the art of story is in the telling.
4.5 stars
March 27, 2019
A werewolf novel by Jonathan Janz? Sign me up. It's odd, but I've probably read more werewolf novels in the past two years than I have my entire life. I have no idea why. I think they make an excellent story, I just apparently haven't dug deep enough until now to encounter them. And I'm so, so glad I finally have.
WOLF LAND sets the stage with a bonfire the night before the ten-year high school reunion for some of the residents of the small town of Lakeview. Duane, Savannah, Glenn, and Weezer drink and try to stumble through awkward conversation with their classmates when suddenly as strange man appears and begins to attack the partiers. A number of students are killed, but four of them are badly injured and soon being a miraculous recovery from their wounds. And then they begin to change.
Wolf Land is a creature feature with all the blood and carnage I have come to expect from Janz. I like the way he plays with werewolf tropes, and adds his own signature style to those fantastic mythological creatures. Once again Janz has a knack for creating some truly deplorable characters, and I think it's important to note that this story has triggers for incest and rape. Honestly I found the human element to the story way more disturbing than the creatures. Usually Janz balances those awful individuals with some characters that you really root for, but sadly I just didn't connect with Duane and Savannah. Savannah is a drop dead gorgeous single mom, and Duane is the overweight loser from high school who has pined for Savannah for more ten years. These two are friends, but Savannah knows how Duane feels about her, and it causes a lot of tension and arguments between them, even when they are fighting off werewolves. Sadly, I just didn't care if they became a couple or not.
I did love what Janz did with the ending of the novel. After all the will they, won't they build up, I think it was perfect. This is a creature feature with tons of gore and pretty much everything you expect from Janz. I think this is an excellent werewolf novel, and one that adds some interesting elements to the lore.
WOLF LAND sets the stage with a bonfire the night before the ten-year high school reunion for some of the residents of the small town of Lakeview. Duane, Savannah, Glenn, and Weezer drink and try to stumble through awkward conversation with their classmates when suddenly as strange man appears and begins to attack the partiers. A number of students are killed, but four of them are badly injured and soon being a miraculous recovery from their wounds. And then they begin to change.
Wolf Land is a creature feature with all the blood and carnage I have come to expect from Janz. I like the way he plays with werewolf tropes, and adds his own signature style to those fantastic mythological creatures. Once again Janz has a knack for creating some truly deplorable characters, and I think it's important to note that this story has triggers for incest and rape. Honestly I found the human element to the story way more disturbing than the creatures. Usually Janz balances those awful individuals with some characters that you really root for, but sadly I just didn't connect with Duane and Savannah. Savannah is a drop dead gorgeous single mom, and Duane is the overweight loser from high school who has pined for Savannah for more ten years. These two are friends, but Savannah knows how Duane feels about her, and it causes a lot of tension and arguments between them, even when they are fighting off werewolves. Sadly, I just didn't care if they became a couple or not.
I did love what Janz did with the ending of the novel. After all the will they, won't they build up, I think it was perfect. This is a creature feature with tons of gore and pretty much everything you expect from Janz. I think this is an excellent werewolf novel, and one that adds some interesting elements to the lore.
November 25, 2019
A serious werewolf romp that is not for the faint of heart, not for those who don't like reading about some sexual abuse, some violence against children or who don't like lots of graphic, gory violence. Despite having all of these things, this book really was a very good creature feature. Most of the characters were relatable, and I did sympathize with them. Vivid descriptions and lots of action made it a fast paced read, and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. This was my second book by Mr. Janz, and I'm looking forward to reading more.
November 15, 2015
Jonathan Janz has hit another home run of horror, and this novel is my favorite of his so far. I'll admit it, werewolves are the coolest creature in the pantheon of horror fiction monsters, but it's satisfying when an author comes along with a spin or twist, or different angle, on something that's been done numerous times before (although I'd argue that the number of vampire and even zombie novels far outweighs that of the shapeshifter). And Janz does that extremely well.
The town of Lakeview, Illinois, is beset with bloody violence during an outside class reunion party, in which numerous people are murdered, and the survivors left to pick up the pieces. Only thing is some of these poor souls are now cursed with becoming like the terrible and fearsome creature that wreaked havoc in the woods that night. The five friends left deal with the ramifications of their decisions, with old wounds from the past still hurting, but these things are the least of their worries. For a horror far worse than the lone werewolf is coming to Lakeview...and they must prepare or die!
What works so well in this novel is how Janz deftly moves along the story, while building the character relationships, which I found to be realistic and relatable. These were real people with real problems and faults, suddenly dealing with an unimaginable threat. Both horrific and heartbreaking at times, the story never faltered (for me) even as the action slowed as it usually does midway through. And trust me, the gore fest at the book's conclusion is enough to satisfy the most ardent hardcore horror freak.
Howlingly recommended!
The town of Lakeview, Illinois, is beset with bloody violence during an outside class reunion party, in which numerous people are murdered, and the survivors left to pick up the pieces. Only thing is some of these poor souls are now cursed with becoming like the terrible and fearsome creature that wreaked havoc in the woods that night. The five friends left deal with the ramifications of their decisions, with old wounds from the past still hurting, but these things are the least of their worries. For a horror far worse than the lone werewolf is coming to Lakeview...and they must prepare or die!
What works so well in this novel is how Janz deftly moves along the story, while building the character relationships, which I found to be realistic and relatable. These were real people with real problems and faults, suddenly dealing with an unimaginable threat. Both horrific and heartbreaking at times, the story never faltered (for me) even as the action slowed as it usually does midway through. And trust me, the gore fest at the book's conclusion is enough to satisfy the most ardent hardcore horror freak.
Howlingly recommended!
January 24, 2016
Ahh...Jonathan Janz. This guy is like a fine wine. He simply gets better with age. Anyone that has followed my reviews knows that I was already a big fan of his. With Wolf Land, my fandom is approaching man-crush territory. Before I start sounding like Annie Wilkes here, let's move on. 2015 seemed to be the year of the werewolf for me. I read some absolutely amazing lycanthropic tales in 2015. From Bill Schweigart's excellent, The Beast of Barcroft, to the gem-laden short-story collection, Best New Werewolf Tales, Volume One, to Ray Garton's wonderfully vicious, Ravenous, to Glenn Rolfe's coming out to the big time classic, Blood and Rain. Four tales that simply took me by the throat and didn't let go. But, I saved the best for last with Janz's Wolf Land.
An upcoming ten-year high school reunion brings many back to celebrate in the small Indiana town of Lakeview where a kegger is being held out in a vacant field. When a strange and odd man crashes the party offering prophetic warnings to the group, little did they know all hell was about to break loose. The stranger transforms into a furious abomination of teeth and claws right before their very eyes. Many died that night, but a few survived. For the ones that survived, they are about to be plunged into a world that they thought only existed in the movies. But this evil is ancient and has quietly been roaming in the shadows of the Indiana prairie since the Native Americans ruled the land. Now, Lakeview is about to be engulfed in a horrific bloodbath.
With Wolf Land, not only does Janz create a blood drenched and wildly entertaining story, but he also flexes his literary muscle and explores sociological themes of a small-town's dark sided underbelly. This creates multiple layers within the story and brings a realism to the characters and their settings that totally immerses the reader. This is where I give Janz kudos. He could've simply made a werewolf story with non-stop action with cardboard cut-out characters that we wouldn't care about and try to dress it up by splashing blood all over the pages. But, in Wolf Land, he does so much more by creating layer after layer and breathing life into the cast very reminiscent of Straub's finest works. Well done, my friend. Well done.
5 blood dripping muzzles out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com
An upcoming ten-year high school reunion brings many back to celebrate in the small Indiana town of Lakeview where a kegger is being held out in a vacant field. When a strange and odd man crashes the party offering prophetic warnings to the group, little did they know all hell was about to break loose. The stranger transforms into a furious abomination of teeth and claws right before their very eyes. Many died that night, but a few survived. For the ones that survived, they are about to be plunged into a world that they thought only existed in the movies. But this evil is ancient and has quietly been roaming in the shadows of the Indiana prairie since the Native Americans ruled the land. Now, Lakeview is about to be engulfed in a horrific bloodbath.
With Wolf Land, not only does Janz create a blood drenched and wildly entertaining story, but he also flexes his literary muscle and explores sociological themes of a small-town's dark sided underbelly. This creates multiple layers within the story and brings a realism to the characters and their settings that totally immerses the reader. This is where I give Janz kudos. He could've simply made a werewolf story with non-stop action with cardboard cut-out characters that we wouldn't care about and try to dress it up by splashing blood all over the pages. But, in Wolf Land, he does so much more by creating layer after layer and breathing life into the cast very reminiscent of Straub's finest works. Well done, my friend. Well done.
5 blood dripping muzzles out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2019
** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews!**
“She shivered and let her eyes rove over the partygoers.”
It pains me at just how long it takes me to read physical books these days. I can read an ebook on my Kindle in two-three days typically, sometimes in one sitting, but I typically can get in maybe 15-30 mins of actual physical copy reading a week.
Which is why it took me sooooo long to get through Wolf Land.
I was over the moon to snag 5 Flametree books in their Fourth of July sale and had been wanting to read Wolf Land for some time. So, I jumped on this one ASAP.
As you may know from reading my reviews/interviews etc, I’m a big-time werewolf fan and Janz delivers an epic tale of werewolf carnage.
We start off with a great opening, giving us some folklore to ease us in and then Janz literally throws us into the fire. The book brings us to a small town, back yard field party where the bonfire is raging and alcohol is flowing. I enjoyed how we were introduced both to the bit players but also the main characters and Janz intertwined their histories nicely.
What I loved about Wolf Land was how Janz gave us the George RR Martin treatment – no characters were safe. The ones you think will undoubtedly be around for all 300ish pages are slaughtered left and right and it worked really well to keep the reader on their toes.
I wish we were given more of the original back story/folklore, but by the end of the book, Jonathan had filled in a lot of the gaps and really gave us the origin story as well as the present-day story.
The climactic scene is an action movie lover’s paradise, with the descriptions coming fast and furious. I felt the tension build and rise as it played out and you could always feel how giddy the author was while writing much of this book.
I’ve joked on social media a bunch of times about this being the year Janz has 642 releases, but the fact he keeps putting out such high-quality stuff is very inspiring to writers but also makes for a fun time for fans and readers. If you’re not reading Janz yet, this would be a great spot to start the journey, and if you’ve been a longtime fan, but this is still sitting on your TBR, now’s a great time to bump it up to the top.
Insanely, I still have to read ‘The Siren and the Spectre’ and ‘Exorcist Falls,’ but also snagged ‘Dust Devils’ and ‘Savage Species’ in paperback from the Flametree sale, so have those two physicals to read!
Janz has catapulted himself high up my “an author I’m guaranteed to read” list and he should be on your list as well.
“She shivered and let her eyes rove over the partygoers.”
It pains me at just how long it takes me to read physical books these days. I can read an ebook on my Kindle in two-three days typically, sometimes in one sitting, but I typically can get in maybe 15-30 mins of actual physical copy reading a week.
Which is why it took me sooooo long to get through Wolf Land.
I was over the moon to snag 5 Flametree books in their Fourth of July sale and had been wanting to read Wolf Land for some time. So, I jumped on this one ASAP.
As you may know from reading my reviews/interviews etc, I’m a big-time werewolf fan and Janz delivers an epic tale of werewolf carnage.
We start off with a great opening, giving us some folklore to ease us in and then Janz literally throws us into the fire. The book brings us to a small town, back yard field party where the bonfire is raging and alcohol is flowing. I enjoyed how we were introduced both to the bit players but also the main characters and Janz intertwined their histories nicely.
What I loved about Wolf Land was how Janz gave us the George RR Martin treatment – no characters were safe. The ones you think will undoubtedly be around for all 300ish pages are slaughtered left and right and it worked really well to keep the reader on their toes.
I wish we were given more of the original back story/folklore, but by the end of the book, Jonathan had filled in a lot of the gaps and really gave us the origin story as well as the present-day story.
The climactic scene is an action movie lover’s paradise, with the descriptions coming fast and furious. I felt the tension build and rise as it played out and you could always feel how giddy the author was while writing much of this book.
I’ve joked on social media a bunch of times about this being the year Janz has 642 releases, but the fact he keeps putting out such high-quality stuff is very inspiring to writers but also makes for a fun time for fans and readers. If you’re not reading Janz yet, this would be a great spot to start the journey, and if you’ve been a longtime fan, but this is still sitting on your TBR, now’s a great time to bump it up to the top.
Insanely, I still have to read ‘The Siren and the Spectre’ and ‘Exorcist Falls,’ but also snagged ‘Dust Devils’ and ‘Savage Species’ in paperback from the Flametree sale, so have those two physicals to read!
Janz has catapulted himself high up my “an author I’m guaranteed to read” list and he should be on your list as well.
November 6, 2015
For years now, the werewolf has been hijacked by the shifter romance genre. Well, Jonathan Janz has claimed a bloody morsel back for the horror genre!
There has been a bit of a drought in the horror genre for the classic monsters. Sure, if you go looking you will find vampires and werewolves all over the place, but these books generally treat the monster as something more human than beast, a tortured soul looking for a mate to ease the torment that the character has experienced in their interminable life. Wolf Land is old school horror, the type of story that would have terrified and enthralled me as a youngster sitting by the campfire. These monsters are true monsters – bloodthirsty beasts that operate solely on base emotions.
Jonathan Janz has stayed true to the classic, animalistic werewolf that every horror fan loves, but he has added to it. In Wolf Land, we have an all new and well developed mythos, we learn about the history of the werewolves in this world. They have their own strengths and weaknesses that give them a little something different, yet still keeping them truly horrific.
Wolf Land has a fantastic ensemble cast. Each character was well developed, they all (mostly all) had redeeming qualities, and each had their own personal demons. Each player’s story was an integral part of the whole story, and some disappeared far sooner than expected.
But what really upped the ante for me was the details and the masterfully created tension. I saw the whole book in my head as I read it. I jumped in my seat and kept telling the characters where to run. Nothing beats a story that gets the reader that involved. Best chase scene ever!
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
There has been a bit of a drought in the horror genre for the classic monsters. Sure, if you go looking you will find vampires and werewolves all over the place, but these books generally treat the monster as something more human than beast, a tortured soul looking for a mate to ease the torment that the character has experienced in their interminable life. Wolf Land is old school horror, the type of story that would have terrified and enthralled me as a youngster sitting by the campfire. These monsters are true monsters – bloodthirsty beasts that operate solely on base emotions.
Jonathan Janz has stayed true to the classic, animalistic werewolf that every horror fan loves, but he has added to it. In Wolf Land, we have an all new and well developed mythos, we learn about the history of the werewolves in this world. They have their own strengths and weaknesses that give them a little something different, yet still keeping them truly horrific.
Wolf Land has a fantastic ensemble cast. Each character was well developed, they all (mostly all) had redeeming qualities, and each had their own personal demons. Each player’s story was an integral part of the whole story, and some disappeared far sooner than expected.
But what really upped the ante for me was the details and the masterfully created tension. I saw the whole book in my head as I read it. I jumped in my seat and kept telling the characters where to run. Nothing beats a story that gets the reader that involved. Best chase scene ever!
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2015
I am not a big fan of Werewolf stories but I have read other books by Jonathan Janz and have not been disappointed. Duane, Weezer and Savannah and their friends were going to attend their class reunion. There is a outside gathering of all the classmates to celebrate their 10 year reunion. Things go quickly downhill for here and they will never be the same again. A Werewolf breaks up the informal gathering and starts to murder the innocent bystanders. After the first attack, there were seven dead and four wounded. With the Werewolf still on the loose, more blood will spilled in the small town of Lakeview. Of the four that were wounded, some will go through the change quicker than others and will hunger for the taste of fresh meat and blood. This book is filled with plenty of blood and guts, with no holds bared. Not once during the story does Janz mention, that a Werewolf can be killed by a silver bullet. He does not use the old traditional ways about Werewolf's but comes up with fresh new idea's of his own. Janz development of the characters is done very well. In my opinion this helps to make the story even stronger. I am looking forward to reading other books by this author. I highly recommend this book!
Read
March 3, 2016I finally decided to simply not rate this one. I had the audio book and I hated the narrator. His normal speech was done well enough but far too often he would use this low, growly, (werewolfy?) voice that came across as partly silly and partly irritating. I couldn't get past that nails on a chalkboard voice far enough to comment on the actual story.
I'm happy to be putting this behind me so I can move on to the other Janz books already lined up on my Kindle - Exorcist Road and The Nightmare Girl which I'll be reading instead of listening to.
For thoughts on the story itself, I defer to everyone else.
I'm happy to be putting this behind me so I can move on to the other Janz books already lined up on my Kindle - Exorcist Road and The Nightmare Girl which I'll be reading instead of listening to.
For thoughts on the story itself, I defer to everyone else.
December 22, 2015
I discovered Jonathan Janz about one and a half, maybe two years ago when I read his novel, THE SORROWS. Brian Keene called that book the best horror novel of the year for 2012, and for good reason. It was the best horror novel I had read in years. Since then I’ve had the pleasure of reading pretty much every book Janz has written and have been pleasantly surprised to watch him grow and get better with every book he writes. His newest novel, WOLF LAND, continues that trend.
WOLF LAND is a bloody, harrowing, sensual, and brutal creature feature of a book, infused throughout with Jonathan’s trademark, often heart-breaking emotion and unapologetic violence. It’s easily the darkest, most disturbing gore-fest of a novel Janz has written, and that’s saying a lot. His vampire novel, DUST DEVILS, was a brutal son of a bitch, but WOLF LAND makes that book look like a feel good romance novel.
Janz pulls out all the stops with this book, populating his story with convincing characters dealing with real conflicts, both internal and external. And he puts those characters through absolute hell. You can tell by his meticulous attention to detail and masterful character development that Janz loves the characters he creates. But he’s a ruthless god and no one is safe from his blood-stained pen. At times I found myself enraptured by the beautifully choreographed, brutally bloody action scenes. He constructs each scenario sentence by harrowing sentence, developing tension and conflict with excellent pacing and razor sharp, captivating prose.
Before I wrap this up, I want to talk about Jonathan’s werewolves. He does monsters as well as he does anything, taking the classic werewolf legend and transforming it into something entirely his own. When I think of werewolves from now on, I’ll be thinking of Jonathan Janz’ werewolves. His larger than life monsters have a humanity about them that is heart-rending. The grief and pain the characters experience during the change is vivid and agonizing to behold, and the lust for sex and blood and human fear is edge of your seat, fight or flight terrifying. Believe me when I say that these creatures are the real deal. This is horror with carrion reeking, sharp-as-knives teeth and claws.
Jonathan Janz is one of my favorite authors and WOLF LAND is the best werewolf novel I’ve ever read, bar none. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this beautiful, ground-breaking horror story.
WOLF LAND is a bloody, harrowing, sensual, and brutal creature feature of a book, infused throughout with Jonathan’s trademark, often heart-breaking emotion and unapologetic violence. It’s easily the darkest, most disturbing gore-fest of a novel Janz has written, and that’s saying a lot. His vampire novel, DUST DEVILS, was a brutal son of a bitch, but WOLF LAND makes that book look like a feel good romance novel.
Janz pulls out all the stops with this book, populating his story with convincing characters dealing with real conflicts, both internal and external. And he puts those characters through absolute hell. You can tell by his meticulous attention to detail and masterful character development that Janz loves the characters he creates. But he’s a ruthless god and no one is safe from his blood-stained pen. At times I found myself enraptured by the beautifully choreographed, brutally bloody action scenes. He constructs each scenario sentence by harrowing sentence, developing tension and conflict with excellent pacing and razor sharp, captivating prose.
Before I wrap this up, I want to talk about Jonathan’s werewolves. He does monsters as well as he does anything, taking the classic werewolf legend and transforming it into something entirely his own. When I think of werewolves from now on, I’ll be thinking of Jonathan Janz’ werewolves. His larger than life monsters have a humanity about them that is heart-rending. The grief and pain the characters experience during the change is vivid and agonizing to behold, and the lust for sex and blood and human fear is edge of your seat, fight or flight terrifying. Believe me when I say that these creatures are the real deal. This is horror with carrion reeking, sharp-as-knives teeth and claws.
Jonathan Janz is one of my favorite authors and WOLF LAND is the best werewolf novel I’ve ever read, bar none. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this beautiful, ground-breaking horror story.
February 19, 2022
This might just be the best werewolf novel I’ve ever read. Actually, scratch that, it IS the best werewolf novel I’ve ever read and I have read a lot, I’m just a bit obsessed with the idea of lycanthropy. This book is just unlike ANY werewolf novel I’ve read, it’s a completely different take on the werewolf myth and I couldn’t have loved it more. I just love the way the story was based around a high school reunion, it added a level of camp that I really adored. It gave me serious Friday the 13th but make it werewolf vibes and you don’t need me to tell you how perfect that is to me. Janz has yet again written one hell of a book that I will now and forever recommend as the best werewolf book I’ve ever read (at the risk of sounding like a broken record because I’ve said that already).
February 19, 2019
My review of Wolf Land can be found at High Fever Books.
Let me put it up front here that Wolf Land is not one of my favorite Jonathan Janz books. Mind you, it’s still a good read, even it didn’t quite land for me the way his other releases have and I didn’t find it quite as compelling as Children of the Dark (my first Janz book, and the title that made me an instant fan and follower of this author) or, his latest, The Siren and the Specter.
At a bonfire party held days before their 10-year-reunion, a group of friends meet up only to have their lives turned entirely upside down by the appearance of a mysterious stranger, who proceeds to crash the party and launch a deadly attack upon these Lakeview grads. Oh, and did I mention the attacker is a friggin’ werewolf!?
As usual, Janz display an uncanny knack for staging and delivering a brutal horror show. The opening assault on these party-goers is absolutely vicious, as are several of the follow-up scenes as those newly gifted with werewolf powers become consumed by their inner beast and torment innocents to slake their fresh bloodlust. It’s interesting to see how these figures adapt and respond to their changing situations, as some become emboldened by it, while others are more afraid and cautious of, or even curious, about their own situations.
Weezer, in particular, is one of the more interesting examples. He’s the type of bad guy Janz is so damn proficient at creating, somehow making him immediately deplorable. Weezer is a big-mouth, an entitled, sexist, misogynistic, no good little prick right from the outset. You know every douchebag you wanted to punch in high school? That’s Weezer. Becoming a werewolf doesn’t make him any better from a humanitarian perspective, but I’ll admit that once he lost his overly crass ways in favor of adopting a more cunning, animalistic personality he became much more palatable. Which is a really weird thing in and of itself, to appreciate a quieter, more sociopathic evil than the annoying, loud-mouthed schmuck of a bad guy, but whatever… I guess these are just the times we live in now! His character has an interesting evolution, even as I must question what, exactly, it says about me. When Weezer was first introduced, I almost immediately wanted him dead, but as he grew into a more powerful force, I found myself curious what awful things he would do next and grudgingly accepted that he was going to be around for a while.
Unfortunately, most of what I didn’t like about Wolf Land comes down to the dynamic between lead characters, Duane and Savannah. I’m not the type of reader who needs to like an author’s cast, but I do appreciate not being annoyed by them. My biggest hurdle in all this was our main protagonists and, in the case of Savannah, our obligatory unrequited love interest. Oddly, I liked both of these characters on their own, but when put together with the potential for romantic entanglements, I found myself increasingly annoyed at the one-note tone to their relationship. Duane has pined for years over Savannah, but, frankly, given the way their relationship was portrayed, I have no idea why he’s so head over heels for her. Savannah is a single mother, and her past relationships with men have left her seriously burned and distrustful. Pretty much every conversation she and Duane have devolve into her complaining about men in general, with Duane fueling the fire with his Not All Men! arguments. I got tired of these two pretty quickly, and I wanted Duane to hurry up, get a clue, and go take a shower to wash off all that stinky desperation. She’s not interested in you, dude! Move on! Unfortunately, Janz drags out the will-they or won’t-they for nearly 300 pages, and it gets pretty damn exhausting.
I was also exhausted by the book’s climax, which goes on and on and on and on. Rather than feeling like an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed rush to the end, I found myself bored with the repetitious man versus werewolf scenarios and the very, very late-game addition of new villains, which only added even more scenes of been-there, done-that werewolf action. I can only read about so many different werewolves, all of whom end up suffering from various eye injuries of some kind, before the shine wears off. While I typically love the chompy bits of a creature feature horror novel such as this, as well as Janz’s novel settings in which to stage the action, the scenes themselves ultimately felt too similar and carried on for way too long.
On the whole, though, Wolf Land kept me engaged even as it’s most central protagonists frustrated the heck out of me. On the other hand, the supporting cast is strong and well rounded, and I found myself rooting hard for Melody, a young, traumatized woman who is abused in the sickest ways possible by her own family. Melody is like a character from a Jack Ketchum novel, plagued by sadists who you badly want to see torn apart in the worst and meanest ways. I also found Glenn and Joyce to be pretty compelling figures in their own regard. In terms of werewolf mayhem alone, Wolf Land certainly delivered with plenty of grandly violent and sadistic scenes throughout, even if the grand finale got a little too long in the tooth for my tastes.
[Note: I received an advanced reading copy of this title from the publisher, Flame Tree Press.]
Let me put it up front here that Wolf Land is not one of my favorite Jonathan Janz books. Mind you, it’s still a good read, even it didn’t quite land for me the way his other releases have and I didn’t find it quite as compelling as Children of the Dark (my first Janz book, and the title that made me an instant fan and follower of this author) or, his latest, The Siren and the Specter.
At a bonfire party held days before their 10-year-reunion, a group of friends meet up only to have their lives turned entirely upside down by the appearance of a mysterious stranger, who proceeds to crash the party and launch a deadly attack upon these Lakeview grads. Oh, and did I mention the attacker is a friggin’ werewolf!?
As usual, Janz display an uncanny knack for staging and delivering a brutal horror show. The opening assault on these party-goers is absolutely vicious, as are several of the follow-up scenes as those newly gifted with werewolf powers become consumed by their inner beast and torment innocents to slake their fresh bloodlust. It’s interesting to see how these figures adapt and respond to their changing situations, as some become emboldened by it, while others are more afraid and cautious of, or even curious, about their own situations.
Weezer, in particular, is one of the more interesting examples. He’s the type of bad guy Janz is so damn proficient at creating, somehow making him immediately deplorable. Weezer is a big-mouth, an entitled, sexist, misogynistic, no good little prick right from the outset. You know every douchebag you wanted to punch in high school? That’s Weezer. Becoming a werewolf doesn’t make him any better from a humanitarian perspective, but I’ll admit that once he lost his overly crass ways in favor of adopting a more cunning, animalistic personality he became much more palatable. Which is a really weird thing in and of itself, to appreciate a quieter, more sociopathic evil than the annoying, loud-mouthed schmuck of a bad guy, but whatever… I guess these are just the times we live in now! His character has an interesting evolution, even as I must question what, exactly, it says about me. When Weezer was first introduced, I almost immediately wanted him dead, but as he grew into a more powerful force, I found myself curious what awful things he would do next and grudgingly accepted that he was going to be around for a while.
Unfortunately, most of what I didn’t like about Wolf Land comes down to the dynamic between lead characters, Duane and Savannah. I’m not the type of reader who needs to like an author’s cast, but I do appreciate not being annoyed by them. My biggest hurdle in all this was our main protagonists and, in the case of Savannah, our obligatory unrequited love interest. Oddly, I liked both of these characters on their own, but when put together with the potential for romantic entanglements, I found myself increasingly annoyed at the one-note tone to their relationship. Duane has pined for years over Savannah, but, frankly, given the way their relationship was portrayed, I have no idea why he’s so head over heels for her. Savannah is a single mother, and her past relationships with men have left her seriously burned and distrustful. Pretty much every conversation she and Duane have devolve into her complaining about men in general, with Duane fueling the fire with his Not All Men! arguments. I got tired of these two pretty quickly, and I wanted Duane to hurry up, get a clue, and go take a shower to wash off all that stinky desperation. She’s not interested in you, dude! Move on! Unfortunately, Janz drags out the will-they or won’t-they for nearly 300 pages, and it gets pretty damn exhausting.
I was also exhausted by the book’s climax, which goes on and on and on and on. Rather than feeling like an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed rush to the end, I found myself bored with the repetitious man versus werewolf scenarios and the very, very late-game addition of new villains, which only added even more scenes of been-there, done-that werewolf action. I can only read about so many different werewolves, all of whom end up suffering from various eye injuries of some kind, before the shine wears off. While I typically love the chompy bits of a creature feature horror novel such as this, as well as Janz’s novel settings in which to stage the action, the scenes themselves ultimately felt too similar and carried on for way too long.
On the whole, though, Wolf Land kept me engaged even as it’s most central protagonists frustrated the heck out of me. On the other hand, the supporting cast is strong and well rounded, and I found myself rooting hard for Melody, a young, traumatized woman who is abused in the sickest ways possible by her own family. Melody is like a character from a Jack Ketchum novel, plagued by sadists who you badly want to see torn apart in the worst and meanest ways. I also found Glenn and Joyce to be pretty compelling figures in their own regard. In terms of werewolf mayhem alone, Wolf Land certainly delivered with plenty of grandly violent and sadistic scenes throughout, even if the grand finale got a little too long in the tooth for my tastes.
[Note: I received an advanced reading copy of this title from the publisher, Flame Tree Press.]
April 8, 2025
*4.5 stars *
Read this ten years ago when it first came out and I had such a blast rereading it. One of my favorite creature features of all time. Janz is the man!
Read this ten years ago when it first came out and I had such a blast rereading it. One of my favorite creature features of all time. Janz is the man!
November 26, 2019
One Hell of a werewolf story. About as visceral as they come. Very well paced and action packed.
January 23, 2016
My second book of 2016 - which I read partly in parallel to the brilliant Summer of Night - turned out to be another great one! Jonathan Janz, writer of Exorcist Road and Dust Devils, which I read and enjoyed last year and Savage Species, which took a great leap upwards in my to-read-pile, offers his take on the werewolf legend and it is really a great one! But let's start at the beginning, because, much like Dust Devils, the best part is the one before the full-on bloody mayhem...
It's the 10 year high school anniversary and reunion party for a number of people in the small town of Lakeview and we get to meet a cast of characters that are pretty much like you would expect if you rounded them up in real life. No character are like the other and all are not likable - furthermore, all are highly complex and very vivid in your mind. The differences in personalities gets even more evident following the initial attack on the beach party for the celebrating people; a monster with a revenge plan succumbs to his own blood thirst and a number of people are gruesomely killed - others are injured. What's worse depends on who you ask, but certain is that the survivors will never be the same again.
Great narrative and story, this one was a pleasure to read! Some things stood out for me; The baseball jargon was a bit tedious for a non-American, no sinker, but a bit much... secondly, the horrible abuse story that is part of this left me numb and gutted - this is due to it being brilliantly (if awfully) told and with details and insights that makes it ring far too genuine. I have the highest respect for the skill in telling this, but I kind of wish I hadn't had to read it. The werewolf theme and legend have seldom (if ever) been better, more insightfully or more attractively (for a horror fan, that is) told, but lastly - the final confrontation and battle(s) with the monsters are way too long and complicated (and the single reason to why the fifth star isn't up there as it really should be for such a brilliantly written book). The battle scenes are very graphic and detailed and to begin with this works beautifully seeing all the action for your inner eye, but after a while - when the characters got their fourth or fifth gruesome (debilitating) injury and were still twisting, turning, falling, reaching, stretching and running - I found myself drifting off a bit and going "come on Jonathan! Just let me know if this poor sod makes it!" Don't for a second think, however, that this makes it not worth reading.
Adding to the experience is that this was (is! you can still make it!) an author-participated group read over at the Horror Aficionados group in January 2016, where Jonathan Janz have been (- still is - well you understand how this works now, right?) sharing a multitude of background and insights and answering (every single as far as I've seen) question, input or critique and just basically been a great sport and a very nice guy.
Grab it, brace yourself and meet the people (and others) of Lakeview. Oh, my fav character? Barb of course, isn't she everyone's?
It's the 10 year high school anniversary and reunion party for a number of people in the small town of Lakeview and we get to meet a cast of characters that are pretty much like you would expect if you rounded them up in real life. No character are like the other and all are not likable - furthermore, all are highly complex and very vivid in your mind. The differences in personalities gets even more evident following the initial attack on the beach party for the celebrating people; a monster with a revenge plan succumbs to his own blood thirst and a number of people are gruesomely killed - others are injured. What's worse depends on who you ask, but certain is that the survivors will never be the same again.
Great narrative and story, this one was a pleasure to read! Some things stood out for me; The baseball jargon was a bit tedious for a non-American, no sinker, but a bit much... secondly, the horrible abuse story that is part of this left me numb and gutted - this is due to it being brilliantly (if awfully) told and with details and insights that makes it ring far too genuine. I have the highest respect for the skill in telling this, but I kind of wish I hadn't had to read it. The werewolf theme and legend have seldom (if ever) been better, more insightfully or more attractively (for a horror fan, that is) told, but lastly - the final confrontation and battle(s) with the monsters are way too long and complicated (and the single reason to why the fifth star isn't up there as it really should be for such a brilliantly written book). The battle scenes are very graphic and detailed and to begin with this works beautifully seeing all the action for your inner eye, but after a while - when the characters got their fourth or fifth gruesome (debilitating) injury and were still twisting, turning, falling, reaching, stretching and running - I found myself drifting off a bit and going "come on Jonathan! Just let me know if this poor sod makes it!" Don't for a second think, however, that this makes it not worth reading.
Adding to the experience is that this was (is! you can still make it!) an author-participated group read over at the Horror Aficionados group in January 2016, where Jonathan Janz have been (- still is - well you understand how this works now, right?) sharing a multitude of background and insights and answering (every single as far as I've seen) question, input or critique and just basically been a great sport and a very nice guy.
Grab it, brace yourself and meet the people (and others) of Lakeview. Oh, my fav character? Barb of course, isn't she everyone's?
September 24, 2022
Picked this up from the author at Authorcon.
This is my fifth read from the author and you can really see the growth as an author and storyteller. This was clean, smooth writing with a interesting and different take on werewolves.
8/10
This is my fifth read from the author and you can really see the growth as an author and storyteller. This was clean, smooth writing with a interesting and different take on werewolves.
8/10
December 4, 2015
Jonathan Janz is an amazing author and a really nice guy, so when I saw that he had a blog tour coming up with Hook of a Book - and for Wolf Land - I jumped on board. (Book tours always give me a reason to move books I have on hand further up on my TBR list haha.)
Janz has a talent that, unfortunately, most writers do not have. He not only knows how to write a story that stays with you and gets into your head, but his use of characters and setting are simply spot on in every book I have read of his. His characters, even the bad ones, have a way of grabbing your attention (and sometimes your heartstrings), and I'm always surprised to see who makes it through the story (they really are never the ones I expect). His settings could be anywhere; you could walk past "this place" everyday of your life and never even think about it until you start reading his latest... and that's where he first gets me every time. His description of events are powerful - and sometimes so gory - but so... perfect.
From the very first page, I was drawn into a story that, to be honest, scared me. I mean REALLY scared me. And not just while I was reading it. Even after I put the book down, the story remained right there on the very outskirts of my thoughts, waiting to sneak back in when the lights were out, when I was walking past a large grouping of trees down the road from my place, when I came home from the grocery store in the dark. I'll be honest: When I finished this book last night, I sat there for a good half hour taking it all in. This was after two days of sleepless nights, of not getting to bed until really late (like 3am and after) unable to put the book down. And, after enjoying my view of the trees behind my building... and being convinced that I saw something moving in them, something large and... We'll just say that all my lights stayed on last night.
As usual, I enjoyed his characters - and was a tad disappointed when some of the characters (the ones that typically survive these kinds of things) died early on. I really liked Duane and Joyce - Duane because he grew after the horrific event, and Joyce because I completely relate to her.
Janz has a talent that, unfortunately, most writers do not have. He not only knows how to write a story that stays with you and gets into your head, but his use of characters and setting are simply spot on in every book I have read of his. His characters, even the bad ones, have a way of grabbing your attention (and sometimes your heartstrings), and I'm always surprised to see who makes it through the story (they really are never the ones I expect). His settings could be anywhere; you could walk past "this place" everyday of your life and never even think about it until you start reading his latest... and that's where he first gets me every time. His description of events are powerful - and sometimes so gory - but so... perfect.
From the very first page, I was drawn into a story that, to be honest, scared me. I mean REALLY scared me. And not just while I was reading it. Even after I put the book down, the story remained right there on the very outskirts of my thoughts, waiting to sneak back in when the lights were out, when I was walking past a large grouping of trees down the road from my place, when I came home from the grocery store in the dark. I'll be honest: When I finished this book last night, I sat there for a good half hour taking it all in. This was after two days of sleepless nights, of not getting to bed until really late (like 3am and after) unable to put the book down. And, after enjoying my view of the trees behind my building... and being convinced that I saw something moving in them, something large and... We'll just say that all my lights stayed on last night.
As usual, I enjoyed his characters - and was a tad disappointed when some of the characters (the ones that typically survive these kinds of things) died early on. I really liked Duane and Joyce - Duane because he grew after the horrific event, and Joyce because I completely relate to her.
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