The Raven
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- £6.99
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
“If you’re searching the horror horizon for a dark star, your next must-read, the silhouette you see coming your way is Jonathan Janz." - Josh Malerman, New York Times best selling author of Bird Box and Malorie
Fearing that mankind is heading toward nuclear extinction, a group of geneticists unleash a plot to save the world. They’ve discovered that mythological creatures such as werewolves, vampires, witches, and satyrs were once real, and that these monstrous genetic strands are still present in human DNA. These radical scientists unleash the bestial side of human beings that had been dormant for eons, and within months, most people are dead, and bloodthirsty creatures rule the earth. Despite the fact that Dez McClane has no special powers, he is determined to atone for the lives he couldn’t save and to save the woman he loves. But how long can a man survive in a world full of monsters?
FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The promising premise of this horror extravaganza from Janz (The Dark Game) a near future in which rogue genetic experiments have liberated traits latent in human DNA and turned many people into creatures out of monster stories is underserved by the novel's thin, meandering plot. Crossbow-wielding Dez McClane nicknamed Raven from his days teaching English students the works of Edgar Allan Poe traverses the post-apocalyptic terrain of northern Indiana searching for his kidnapped girlfriend, Susan. Along the way, he has dustups with cannibals, lycanthropes, and, finally, the were-minotaur who abducted Susan to sell as livestock months earlier. The action scenes crackle with considerable energy, but as the tale careens from one moment of mayhem to the next it becomes repetitive, as does Dez's nonstop self-flagellation over how he believes he failed both Susan and his family. The novel ends with several subplots unresolved and no clear indication that they'll be tied up in a sequel. The gore is successful, but readers hoping for robust scares should look elsewhere.
