Savage Species

by Jonathan Janz

"Jonathan Janz does several things immaculately well in Savage Species, primarily crafting high-octane action sequences and creating antagonists that you can easily hate in the span of only a few short paragraphs...Overall, Savage Species delivered the goods." - High Fever Books



Jesse thinks he’s caught a break when he, Emma (the girl of his dreams), and her friend are assigned by their newspaper to cover the opening weekend of a sprawling new state park. But the construction of the park has stirred an evil that has lain dormant for nearly a hundred years, and the three young people—as well as every man, woman, and child unlucky enough to be attending the Algonquin Falls grand opening—are about to encounter the most horrific creatures to ever walk the earth.  
 
FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

• ISBN10: 178758108X
• ISBN13: 9781787581081
• Publish Date: 10 January 2019 (first published 1 September 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Flame Tree Publishing
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[zooloo1983]

Okay so I am going to sound like a massive fangirl now (Sorry Eva pinching your saying now!) but my god can this man do any wrong! As you are all aware I would totally say I am in love with Jonathan Janz and his books! In my eyes, he IS the KING OF HORROR! Don’t believe me, then you need to check out his books and see why Flame Tree Press have brought up most of his back catalogue! Says it all in my eyes, an awesome partnership, my favourite publisher and favourite author. Anyway enough gushing (kiss assing some may think) you want to know about the book!!

This book reminded me so much of Richard Laymon (my other favourite author of the blood gore and guts) and his gruesome messed up worlds without the sex. This did feel like a love letter to him and I think he would be in awe of the writing. The beasts were freaky as hell, absolutely savage and as just as scary, there is just SO MUCH BLOOD and gore! You have your jack ass men, the pretty women and the car crash horror! EPIC!

It takes 50 pages, that is it, 50 pages out of the 292 pages for it to all go to hell! I just could not see how this could carry on for so many pages, but it did. I found I had to keep re-reading paragraphs because the book is so high tempo with the carnage I felt my eyes blitzing the pages in the same state of frenzy to keep up. So really it was my own fault, not to do the writing.

The book is unrelenting! You have a few stolen moments of calmness where the characters interact when they are not screaming at each other, learning about each other, their desires of course and learn a bit more about the savages but the main body of the book is a high octane gorefest. Also, like Laymon, Janz has thrown in some comical moments and some sexually charged moments, all to keep the reader interested and lighten the dark moments. But in these calm and peaceful moments, you are on edge waiting for the next intense massacre which you know is around the corner.

There are the characters I was hoping would see the light of day and others you could not wait to be caught and ripped to pieces…ok that was harsh….maybe characters you hoped that the big beasties might want to play a game with for a while, how is that? All of these people were realistically written, Janz made them come alive on the pages, with us the reader, urging them to safety.

My next read for Mr Janz is Wolfland and I have my eye on the next four books to be read too. I love how he can flit from the gore and gruesome over to the paranormal and the terrifying and it all seems so seamless and easy for him.

Hmmmm….I think this sounds more like a love letter to the author, whoops!