Customer Reviews

Demon's Night, a Jason Dark supernatural mystery

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Heard about Jason Dark from a friend. Decided to test my new Kindle with this and the other JD title "Theater of Vampires." A fun, quick read. Lots of historical and literary references put JD several "cuts" above your average slasher-on-the-loose plot. Kinda nice to see horror back in a Victorian setting. There's something about fog-shrouded streets with Big Ben in the distance and shadowy people riding horse-drawn carriages. Not that it's only atmosphere -- plenty of action and even some martial arts thrown in.

Can't wait to read Jason Dark's further adventures.

Horror is a genre usually way outside my comfort zone, but the author assured me that his Gothic horror stories are more about the atmosphere and mood rather than violence or gore.

And he's right. The writing is evocative and draws you in. I was right there alongside Jason Dark on those fog-shrouded cobbled streets, wondering when and where the green mist would appear next.

A fast-paced and entertaining read. Recommended for those who enjoy their horror without the nightmares.

UPDATE MAR'11: I originally rated Demon's Night 4 stars, but having just reread the new version, have upgraded my rating to a well-deserved 5 stars.

When Jason Dark, a ghost hunter, learns of a series of mysterious deaths in London, his interest is immediately peaked. He sets about investigating the deaths, discovering that his instincts were correct and that a paranormal force, a demon, has caused the deaths. He takes it upon himself to hunt out and destroy this evil force.

Guido Henkel did a great job of introducing this reader to a new genre of reading. I enjoyed Guido's descriptive and imaginative writing, his story drew me right in, without any resulting nightmares. This novella is a nice, short introduction into a promising series.

Jason Dark comes from a long line of ghost hunters. His knowledge and skill are unsurpassed. So when mysterious deaths start occurring in London, complete with dried and shriveled bodies, Jason knows that evil is afoot. With the help of a young Asian woman named Sui Lin, Jason tracks down the demon that is stalking the foggy streets, and attempts to send it back to hell. Jason learns that the demon is on a mission; will he be able to thwart this evil plan?

Guido Henkel draws his inspiration for his modern horror pulp fiction from monster movies of old, and does so quite successfully. As I read this novella, I could draw from the same movies to allow myself to picture the story's action in my mind. The scenes are well developed, with the action and mystery drawing you in right from the first page.

I personally liked the fact that not too much was revealed about Jason Dark's backstory, as this is to be a series. I hope we learn about him little by little along the way. Even with that air of mystery, Dark is a formidable character right from the get go. I am anxious to read more of the volumes to see where Henkel takes Dark next.

I was impressed with the way this story captivated me. As a seasoned reader of horror film and fiction, I can often anticipate plot lines in the horror genre, but this one was a fresh take on an old monster, a trend I hope to see continue in Henkel's work. With the recent resurgence in certain aspects of horror fiction, I like an author who sets himself apart from the pack, and Henkel appears to be just such an author.

I would highly recommend this to any fan of the horror genre. Because of it's relatively short length and lack of gratuitous violence, I would even say this is appropriate for young adult fans of the horror genre. In short, if you like short stories by Stephen King, I think you will love this novella by Guido Henkel. I am excited to read more of this series.

A copy of this e-book was provided for review courtesy of the author.

Guido Henkel has Authored a Horror novel that still brings shivers up my spine while thinking about it. A location piece - Victorian England with the Cottages and Cobblestone thoroughfares make this tale an especially creepy and creative one. 'Demon's Night' is more than your average Horror story. There is a veritable feeling of doom throughout the nooks and crannies of these pages and the writing is top notch all the way through this terror filled novel. A recommended read for all readers who love this genre.

Guido Henkel gets it. He knows exactly what the Indie revolution in publishing is all about. His Demon's Night novella is like popcorn cinema in the most flattering sense of the term. Reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the Green Hornet and Kato, with a classic monster movie twist. I loved this first entry. Jason Dark and his sidekick, while not explored thoroughly in this opening chapter, are fun and fascinating and have plenty of room to grow. Henkel's prose delivers a full blooded dose of horror without wasting your time on unnecessary details. Still, scenes are vivid with a ghastly ghostly charm, and the action comes with never a dull moment to spare. The dynamic between Dark and the women in his life is fascinating and refreshing and doesn't go to the places you think it might go, at least not right away. The prose respects the intellect of the reader and hearkens back to a simpler time when imagination was valued above all else. A truly professional piece of work that makes the most of the character and the format. One book down, nine to go, and thank God for it!

--Aric Mitchell, author of The Congregation

I was really impressed with this novella and am excited to read all of Guido's work after having read this first installment in the Jason Dark series. Guido is a fabulous writer, and this novella is like a Sherlock Holmes story intertwined with paranormal elements and demon activity.

Guido doesn't waste any time with preliminary information, but rather jumps right into the action of the story, making it the reader's job to keep up. While the reader isn't given any background information concerning who exactly Jason Dark is, or where he hails from, it becomes quickly apparent that Dark is a kick butt character intent on saving others and ridding the world of evil demons, one at a time. I liked the idea that Dark isn't completely known to us either as Guido presented him in a rather shrouded light, creating even more elements of gothic mystery as the story unfolds.

I especially enjoyed the multiple perspectives of this story as Guido shifts between Jason and the demon he is in pursuit of, giving the reader more glimpses into the story to aid the plot along. I haven't yet pinpointed the time period of this series, as I've only read this first piece, but I'm thinking it's sometime in the early 1900s based on the carriages and other context clues Guido adds to his story, and that is a time period I vastly enjoy! Four stars.

This book was very well written. The characters are very believable and the descriptions of England make you feel like you're there. The action sequences were well described and the story was very entertaining.The story has a great flow that makes you want to keep reading it. I would tell anyone who likes this genre to read this book. I will definitely get more books in this series to see what Jason Dark and Siu Lin are up to. Thanks again for writing a great book.

This decently entertaining short novel is the first installment of Guido Henkel's supernatural adventure series starring his Jason Dark, Ghost Hunter creation. Though the writing in this self-published offering is sometimes a little repetitive and clunky, it never sinks to sloppy or slapdash levels. Besides, the scene setting and descriptions of Victorian London more than compensate: both aspects are moody and effective, nicely drawing the reader into Henkel's world of demons and supernatural investigation.

My other criticisms are basically quibbles. I would have liked to see more dialogue between Dark and his supporting cast members; it would have enabled us to get to know everyone a little better, as well as break up the large blocks of dense description (usually of streets and buildings) in the prose. Also, an occasional plot twist or dramatic revelation would have punched things up a little, especially at the end, where all we get is a long fight scene (though not a bad one). But, again, I liked the moody, creepy vibe Henkel delivers throughout, and more importantly, I cared about Jason Dark and the people around him.

From reading Mr. Henkel's book description here on Amazon (as well as his recent blog postings), I learned that I apparently just missed a revised version of "Demon's Night", which includes a new cover, a lower price, and a polishing of the prose. So the most recent version of this book might be better than I'm giving it credit for here. It's certainly cheaper.

Will I come back for more? Sure. While perhaps lacking the crispness and total polish of a novel one might pick up at your local book store, the sudden availability of interesting self-published offerings like Guido Henkel's Jason Dark books on the Kindle more than compensates for any slight shortcomings in the final product, at least in this case.

And, as we all well know, it's not like "officially" published books are perfect, either.

Jason Dark: Ghost Hunter is a series of novellas with an intriguing premise. The main character, Jason Dark, is a paranormal detective who fights demons, ghosts, vampires and other supernatural beings. But the twist that sets it apart from other popular paranormal detective stories (such as Supernatural or The X-Files) is that it takes place in Victorian era London.

Demon's Night is the first volume in the series. In this novella Jason Dark investigates mysterious deaths where the victims' bodies are found shriveled like raisins. His detective work leads him to a dangerous demon who sucks the life out of its victims. With the help of Siu Lin (a woman he saves from the demon) and his special demon-slaying sword, he sets out to stop the demon before it kills again.

The plot leans more toward action/adventure than horror and it's very different compared to the usual gory stories I favour, but it still held my interest. There is a ton of action, suspense and mystery to make this an interesting - and quick - read. Normally I'm not a fan of historical fiction (it reminds me of boring history class), but I thought I would give this a shot since it involves the paranormal and I was pleasantly surprised. The time period actually makes it more interesting and unique than if it had a contemporary setting.

But the characters left a little to be desired. Jason Dark could have been fleshed out a bit more and given more of a back-story. I'm hoping that since this is the first in a series we will get to know him better in the other books. Although I guess that in a plot-driven story such as this one, it's not a big deal if the characters aren't deep as long as the story is entertaining - and it is.

So far there are nine volumes in the series.