Jack Sparks is not a very nice man. A rampant ego (this is important later), a cynic and a bully. It’s really hard to like him. Arnopp’s achievement with this full-on and tricksy horror novel is to make you be scared for him, perhaps even, in the end, care for him. One-time music-journo, now bestselling, soon-to-be-dead, author of populist non-fiction, Jack is writing what he plans to be a ruthless expose of the supernatural. But as is the way with horror fiction, the supernatural is not much bothered that Jack doesn’t believe in it.
Arnopp deftly uses the phenomenon of social media to create a “found manuscript” novel for the modern day. We follow Jack’s progress via the pages of his last manuscript as he tweets and videos his way through an increasingly fraught set of encounters that begin with an exorcism in an Italian village church on Halloween and end in You-TubeUSA some time later. What exactly happens during Jack’s last days is at the centre of a plot that reaches way beyond those last days. The narrative circles round Jack and his fraught end-game and gleefully plays with narrative and expectation. Arnopp expertly dangles clues in front of you and maintains the pace and tension brilliantly even if you sometimes feel a bit baffled. But be warned, this book is not just a playful narrative game – there are some visceral moments to be endured. But in the end, it is Jack and the sadness of his predicament that will stay with you, not the shocks. If you like King and Barker you will enjoy this but there’s also a hint of Bret Easton Ellis in this mix. ~ Simon Spanton
THE MOST CHILLING AND UNPREDICTABLE THRILLER OF THE YEAR. Jack Sparks died while writing this book. It was no secret that journalist Jack Sparks had been researching the occult for his new book.
No stranger to controversy, he'd already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed. Then there was that video: forty seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account. Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed - until now.
'This classic supernatural thriller takes a frenetic and self-obsessed modern world in its confident stride. The Last Days Of Jack Sparks gives us ingenious and funny diabolism, repurposed for the 21st Century. A magnificent millennial nightmare' -- Alan Moore
'This is The Omen for the social media age' Chris Brookmyre, author of the Jack Parlabane thrillers
'Super spooky and addictively written' HEAT
'We fell hard for Jason Arnopp's whip-smart and impulsive thriller ... meet your new favourite book' iBooks Store
'Wittier than the lovechild of Stephen Fry and Charlie Brooker; scarier than watching The Exorcist in an abandoned asylum. Fast, furious, original and most importantly, terrifying' Sarah Lotz, author of THE THREE
'Tremendous ... a cracking read' Andy Nyman, co-creator of GHOST STORIES and Derren Brown's award-winning shows
'This is one of those books where I'm sad when I'm not reading it. It manages the rare feat of being both horrific and hilarious, which makes me insanely jealous of Arnopp and has me considering how to kill him and consume his mighty power' Chuck Wendig, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author
Author
About Jason Arnopp
Jason Arnopp is a British author and scriptwriter. His background is in journalism: he has worked on titles such as Heat, Q, The Word, Kerrang!, SFX and Doctor Who Magazine. He has written comedy for Radio 4 and official tie-in fiction for Doctor Who and Friday The 13th, but The Last Days of Jack Sparks is the first novel which is entirely Jason's own fault (though some may prefer to lay the blame on Jack...)
