Hey, friends. Booklist is one of the most important review sites in America. And the March 15th issue will include a starred review of CHILDREN OF THE DARK with the following quotes:

“This is the perfect book for those who love classic Stephen King. Think Stand by Me meets Something Wicked This Way Comes with a generous helping of the pulp sensibility of Brian Keene and you have Janz, a horror storyteller on the rise.”

Seeing as how Stephen King is my favorite writer of all time (and the reason I’m a reader and a writer), that Ray Bradbury is the man who wrote both my favorite novel and short story, and that Brian Keene is also one of my favorite authors ever and a major influence on my work, the above quote blew my mind.

Here’s another:

“The strong narrative voice, a recently awoken ancient evil, and a terrifying serial killer with surprisingly strong ties to Will combine forces to deliver a story with an old school horror feel that is in no way derivative. Heart-pounding action, well developed characters (both good and evil), and just the right amount of gore drive this fast paced story to its unsettling conclusion.”

The above quotes are from the Booklist review (which is included at this link). On the RA for All blog, the review’s author Becky Spratford also adds the following:

“I read a lot of horror books, and when it comes to newer voices, I always go in with a skeptical eye, meaning I was predisposed to not being impressed here. That fact makes how much I was blown away by this novel even more impressive. Janz has been receiving praise in the horror community for about a year, but now is the time for the wider world to start reading him.”

Becky goes on to mention Nick Cutter’s THE TROOP, Jeff Strand’s DWELLER, and Nate Kenyon’s SPARROW ROCK as novels that CHILDREN OF THE DARK brought to mind.

Thank you to Becky for this amazing review and this wonderful honor.

Oh…and I guess I should mention that CHILDREN OF THE DARK releases TOMORROW!