Jonathan Janz Books In Order

Publication Order of Children of the Dark Books

Publication Order of Raven Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Jonathan Janz

The American writer Jonathan Janz is a world renowned horror novelist, creating suspense fuelled novels filled with terror and intrigue. Knowing exactly how to keep his audience gripped, he manages to produce stories that really grab their attention immediately, holding it throughout and not letting up. Making his mark in a relatively short amount of time, he has produced a number of novels and novellas that have gone on to achieve success both nationally and internationally worldwide.

Early and Personal Life

Born in Monticello, Indiana, in the United States, Jonathan Janz would show a strong passion for all things literature from an early age. Particularly drawn to the horror genre, he would draw inspiration from such writers as Stephen King, putting their ideas back into his work. Fascinated with the genre and how it works, he would continue to develop his ideas throughout his upbringing, evolving his style and approach to the form.

Growing up in a dark forest with a graveyard, he would grow up with the ideal surroundings for a career inspired by horror. Taking inspiration from the world around him, he would put it all back into his work, creating a style quite unlike any other, something which he would continue throughout school. Still writing to this very day, he lives with his wife and their three children, continuing to write regularly, something which will continue for a long time to come.

Writing Career

Bringing out his first novel in 2012, Jonathan Janz would mark his debut on the literary scene with the horror title ‘House of Skin’. Not focusing on creating long-running series as such, he would concentrate on creating self-contained horror stories that drew the reader in holding them there. Maintaining a strong presence both online and off, he would also go on to become a keen advocate for his craft and genre too.

With many of his peers and contemporaries singing his praise, he would make a name within the industry that was appreciated by both critics and the general public alike. Producing a number of shorter novellas too, he would also write a number of non-fiction pieces regarding how he conducts himself writing. Still with a lot more to come, he continues to win awards for his work, as there’s plenty more titles planned upon the horizon.

House of Skin

Coming out through the Samhain Publishing label, this would mark the first stand-alone novel from Jonathan Janz, with it not being a part of any series. Originally released on the 2nd of October in 2012, this would set the tone for many of his books to follow, marking the arrival of a major new literary talent. It would also provide a great spooky novel for horror fans, with it knowingly using the excesses of the genre at the right times, whilst also knowing exactly when to reign them in.

With a brooding air of suspense and blood curdling horror hanging over the novel, this first effort really shows a true master at work. Creating characters that are strong and resilient, they all manage to stay with the reader long after they have put the book down. Its use of setting also helps to add to the overall ambiance and atmosphere of the book, allowing it to truly come alive off of the page.

A dark cloud has hung over the estate of Watermere for a long time now, especially given the fact that its owner Myles Carver has only recently passed. The estate awaits for a new Carver to make the home their residence, allowing a new cycle of terror to commence once again. Marking a strong presence over the ancestral home, the wife of Myles Annabel has also passed away, having herself held a reign of terror over the estate from beyond her grave in the woods. Now, with her nephew Paul looking to make his home there, she hopes to live once again, using Paul as the unsuspecting conduit to being reborn. Julia Merrow also hopes to put the past behind her too, with secrets all of her own, but, as she and Paul aim to make a new life at the Watermere mansion, they may find that things might not go according to plan. Can they ever hope to make a new life there, putting the past in the past? Will Annabel live again? What will happen in the house of skin?

Exorcist Falls

This time coming out through the ‘Sinister Grin Press’ publishing outlet, it would mark a clear sense of development for Janz as a horror novelist. Not only that, but it would also provide another strong horror story with its own self-contained narrative, following on from the previous novella ‘Exorcist Road’, with this full novel being released on the 15th of March in 2017. Introducing dark and foreboding characters, it really would work at creating a dark and mysterious atmosphere with a strong sense of ambiance shadowing over it all.

Taking a number of horror tropes, Jonathan Janz really knows how to turn them on their head and really shed a whole new light on them. A master of his craft, the characters are all also extremely well drawn, creating an air of suspense and evil hanging over the whole story. Once again using each of the locations to full effect as well, Janz manages to make the most of each and every element within his story.

It appears that ‘The Sweet Sixteen Killer’ is currently on the loose, killing young women and holding Chicago in the cloud of sheer and utter terror. That’s when, with the police at wit’s end as to who is committing the murders, are called to the house of a fourteen year old boy who has attacked his family. Seemingly normal prior to the incident, the boy appears to be in the grip of some kind of demonic possession, leading to Father Jason Crowder being called in. Hoping to save not just the boy, but the whole city, Crowder soon learns that it may be his own soul that needs rescuing, as the darkness from within the boy threatens to consume them all. Will he manage to defeat whatever forces have taken the boy? Can he keep himself safe in the process? What will happen when the exorcist falls?