Growing up,
I was always fascinated by obscure mythology.
Of course, when you are a child, obscure means anything that is not
directly part of your culture. In the
case of The Dark Servant by Matt
Manochio, the Germanic legend of the Krampus is brought to life to terrorize a
small town and all of those brave enough to pick up this tale.
Santa’s not the only one coming to
town ...
It’s older than Christ and has
tormented European children for centuries. Now America faces its wrath.
Unsuspecting kids vanish as a blizzard crushes New Jersey. All that remains are
signs of destruction—and bloody hoof prints stomped in snow. Seventeen-year-old
Billy Schweitzer awakes December 5 feeling depressed. Already feuding with his
police chief father and golden boy older brother, Billy’s devastated when his
dream girl rejects him. When an unrelenting creature infiltrates his town,
imperiling his family and friends, Billy must overcome his own demons to
understand why his supposedly innocent high school peers have been snatched,
and how to rescue them from a famous saint’s ruthless companion—that cannot be
stopped.
Manochio
crafts an astounding tale of terror and adventure as a sleepy New Jersey town
begins to have some of its teens snatched without any idea of where they might
have gone. From the first page, The Dark Servant grabs you and refuses
to let go. The action is fast-paced and
does not let up for a moment. The book
goes much deeper than that.
Taking on
the ideas of good and evil, of right and wrong, Manochio lays bare the sins of
those taken by the Krampus. While it is
clearly a tale of horror, this book also touches on some of the issues plaguing
high school kids today. While bullying
and school violence are the backdrop for this tale, Manochio weaves these
elements into his story in just the right way in order to avoid overshadowing
the story with the underlying themes. With
a twist that will leave your head spinning at the end, this story successfully
integrates many great elements of writing in order to engage and hold the
reader.
If I have
one issue with the story, it is that I would have liked to see more character
development, especially among the teens targeted by the Krampus. It is difficult to see some of them as more
than just single-minded beings. Make no
mistake, however, as each character serves their purpose in the story to
perfection. By the end, whether you have
been naughty or nice, you will not be able to put The Dark Servant down until the very end.
So what’s
kind of punch does this story pack?
Check out the Rage score:
Story Concept - 4/5
Story Execution - 4/5
Story Flow - 5/5
Character Development (give-a-damn factor) - 3/5
Gripping visuals/details - 5/5
Entertainment Value/Story Engagement - 4/5
Editing (including grammar and spelling) - 4/5
Overall – 4.14/5 – Don’t find yourself on the Krampus’s
list, check out The Dark Servant
today!
Get your
copy of The Dark Servant today:
Matt Manochio, Biography
Matt
Manochio is the author of The Dark Servant (Samhain Publishing, November 4,
2014). He is a supporting member of the Horror Writers Association, and he
hates writing about himself in the third person but he’ll do it anyway.
He spent 12
years as an award-winning newspaper reporter at the Morris County, N.J., Daily
Record, and worked for one year as an award-winning page designer at the
Anderson, S.C., Independent-Mail. He currently works as a full-time editor and
a freelance writer.
The
highlights of his journalism career involved chronicling AC/DC for USA Today:
in 2008, when the band kicked off its Black Ice world tour, and in 2011 when
lead singer Brian Johnson swung by New Jersey to promote his autobiography. For
you hardcore AC/DC fans, check out the video on my YouTube channel.
To get a
better idea about my path toward publication, please read my Writer's Digest
guest post: How I Sold My Supernatural Thriller.
Matt’s a
dedicated fan of bullmastiffs, too. (He currently doesn't own one because his
house is too small. Bullmastiff owners understand this all too well.)
Matt doesn’t
have a favorite author, per se, but owns almost every Dave Barry book ever
published, and he loves blending humor into his thrillers when warranted. Some
of his favorite books include Salem’s Lot, Jurassic Park, The Hobbit, Animal
Farm, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
When it
comes to writing, the only advice he can give is to keep doing it, learn from
mistakes, and regardless of the genre, read Chris Roerden’s Don’t Sabotage Your
Submission (2008, Bella Rosa Books).
Matt grew up
in New Jersey, where he lives with his wife and son. He graduated from the
University of Delaware in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in history/journalism.
See more
about Matt and his book on his website: http://www.mattmanochio.com and follow
him on Facebook, Twitter (@MattManochio), Pinterest.
Tour Giveaway!
For
everyone! CREATE a PINTEREST board by choosing one of the following themes:
Krampus, Old World Legends, Vintage Holiday, Old World Christmas, Christmas
Around the World, Traditions and Legends,
Myths, Monsters, and Horror, or something very similar.
Second rule: You must pin Matt's book cover and Amazon purchase link or
Samhain Horror Purchase link. Third Rule: Follow Matt Manochio and Erin
Al-Mehairi.
Third Recommendation: Extra points for pinning extra things about Matt, such
as tour page, articles, etc.
Your board will be judged on the above PLUS your creativity and effort in
the project! Send Erin at hookofabook@hotmail.com your Pinterest page to enter
by Dec. 8. Of course you can continue to use it through the Holiday if you
wish!
Prize: A "Santa Checked His List and I'm on the Naughty Side"
package. This will include your choice of Krampus themed apparel (t-shirt or sweatshirt,
men or women, visuals to come) and a signed paperback of the book.
There might be shipping limitations. Check back to tour page before entering
if you live outside the U.S. for updated information.
Example:
http://www.pinterest.com/erinalmehairi/its-old-world-christmas/
And a board about Matt:
http://www.pinterest.com/erinalmehairi/the-dark-servant-matt-manochio/
Giveaway for Reviewers!
Anyone on the tour, or outside the tour, who reviews
The Dark Servant
on Amazon and GoodReads and sends their review link into Erin (Publicist for
Matt Manochio) at
hookofabook@hotmail.com,
now through Dec. 31, 2014, will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card.
Like giveaways? Enter to win some more great horror
items:
Enter to win one of two great prizes during the #DarknessEmerges Tour.
Ira is giving away a GRAND PRIZE of a signed print copy of his book,
The
Things in the Darkness, plus a signed copy of his “Office Case” segment
from the movie,
Scarewaves. As a second prize, he’s giving away
another signed print copy! Enter to win through the Rafflecopter below.
Enter now until Nov. 28, 2014. This is a tour wide giveaway, and open to
U.S. Residents only due to shipping. If you want to enter from outside the
U.S., and you can, but if you win, you’ll receive an e-book.
Direct link to Rafflecopter:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/231aa30b13/
Giveaway for Reviewers!
Anyone on the tour, or outside the tour, who reviews
The Things in the
Darkness on Amazon and GoodReads and sends their review link into Erin
(Publicist for Ira Gansler) at
hookofabook@hotmail.com, now through Dec. 31, 2014, will be
entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card.
