Leisure Books / January 2009
Reviewed by: Joan Turner

John Skipp made his indelible mark upon the horror genre in the 1980s by co-authoring six books with Craig Specter credited with helping invent the Splatterpunk movement. A screenwriter, film director, and musician, to the delight of horror fans everywhere, Skipp burst upon the horror scene anew in the fall of 2007 with his novel The Long Last Call, proving he had lost none of his shock power during his ten-year hiatus. Now, teamed with relative newcomer Cody Goodfellow, author of the Lovecraftian tales Radiant Dawn and Ravenous Dusk, they serve up a buffet of brutal terror in their new Leisure novel, Jake’s Wake.

Jake Connaway began his career as a small time rock star, but discovered two important truths early on: one, the power of his own charisma, and, two, you can get away with (almost) anything if you do it in Jesus’ name.

Trading his guitar for a Bible, he set out to play the televangelist scheme for all it was worth, and soon contributions rolled in and his flock, including the long line of women he used for his own pleasure, grew accordingly.

When Jake meets his end at the hands of a jealous boyfriend, followers and critics alike believe his ministry over, but when he rises from the dead and disappears from the Alta Vista funeral home following a murderous rampage, those closest to him find his true work has only begun.

Jake, believing he has fulfilled his own prophesy of Christian resurrection, unleashes a night of apocalyptic terror that changes the world we know forever. Suspense mounts to an almost unbearable level as readers follow the trail of blood-soaked pages.

John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow breathe new life into the well-worn theme of the corrupt small-town evangelist people love to hate, adding depths and dimensions of horror better read than described. But far from being simply another mindless, gore-filled fun romp, Jake’s Wake offers lessons to be learned – primarily that monsters are made, not born, and beware intrusting anyone with all your heart and soul.

The film adaptation of Jake’s Wake is currently in production under Skipp’s direction, with his previous novel Long Last Call to follow. The godfather of splatterpunk is back with a vengeance!

If you love hardcore horror, don’t miss Jake’s Wake. It’s one of the best yet to come out of the genre, a genuine tour de force of terror.

Purchase Jake’s Wake by John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow.