Look Out For … The Dismembered by Jonathan Janz

With modern sensibilities, Janz tackles the Gothic tale, stamping the genre with his unique spin of blood-chilling horror.

Reeling from a nasty divorce and the public fallout that followed, American writer Arthur Pearce begins to travel abroad to England. It’s the spring of 1912, and while on a London-bound train he meets the lovely Sarah Coyle. While on the train, Sarah tells Arthur a tale that chills him to the bone.

She tells Arthur about her sister Violet, currently entranced by a local count. Charismatic and handsome, the count does have a rather shady reputation. There’s talk of strange religious rites and experimental medicine surrounding Count Richard Dunning, but there’s no proof any of it is true. Of course, Sarah’s family only sees the count as a philanthropist and considers him the perfect match for the young Violet. Sarah wholeheartedly believes her sister is in serious danger, soon to be a major part of Count Dunning’s bizarre ceremonies.

Quite smitten by Sarah, Arthur feels a need to help her and agrees to accompany Sarah to her ancestral home Alterbrook. But Arthur soon begins to realize that perhaps this wasn’t just a chance meeting with Sarah and that maybe his arrival at Alterbrook is part of Count Dunning’s monstrous plans.

Why we’re excited about this book:

Jonathan Janz has quickly become one of the leading writers of horror fiction of his generation. The author of Children of the Dark, Exorcist Falls, The Siren and the Specter, Savage Species, The Sorrows, and The Raven among several other novels, Janz’s short-fiction has appeared in such anthologies and periodicals as Lost Highways, Welcome to the Show, Leaders of the Pack, and Lamplight. With modern sensibilities, Janz tackles the Gothic tale, stamping the genre with his unique spin of blood-chilling horror. Booklist calls The Dismembered “… a creepy, fast read embellished with supernatural elements and over-the-top characters … Readers nostalgic for past literature but in search of fresher reading material with more contemporary details will appreciate this addition to modern horror.”, and Michael Patrick Hicks (The Resurrectionists) says “I was completely enthralled by The Dismembered, and also reminded of just how good Jonathan Janz can be in novella form with a lean story that’s cut right down to the bone.” SF Signal says: “As a fun throwback, The Dismembered works quite well. The plot never drags, and the atmosphere carries well. The goriest sections of the book make for a great pay-off. The characters are well-developed enough that you care for their fates as things get grimmer.”