JOEL VS. SLASHTAG

Joel took one more book off his TBR and it’s Jon Cohn’s Slashtag. Should the other books on his shelf be jelly?

Slashtag

Jon Cohn

Horror

418 pages

Paperback – $13.99

Welcome back, avid readers! Today I’m taking a look at the genre-bending meta horror book Slashtag by Jon Cohn. I have been a longtime fan of Jon’s but this one had managed to keep slipping down the TBR until this month when I was finally able to dive in … and I’m so glad I did!

The premise is simple—a group of celebrities and influencers are hired to be a part of a game show where they have to survive an immersive haunted house for 72 hours while solving puzzles and riddles. Like a never-ending escape room. The catch? The ghost of a psychopathic serial killer is after them the entire time.

Of course, if you’ve read Jon Cohn’s other works you are quite aware that nothing remains simple in his world. This book really felt like the “everything bagel” of horror books. It managed to combine the nonstop intensity of a slasher, the atmospheric dread of a haunted house, the absolute batshit insanity that comes from cults and demon worship, a series of found footage style interludes to ratchet the tension up in between each chapter … and then if that wasn’t enough, he manages to layer on the real world horrors of corporations, monopolies, and the endless greed of the leeches turning the screws on everyone.

On its surface this book examines influencer culture, the blurred lines between reality and entertainment, and the spectacle our society makes of it all. Like a train crashing into a bus, it will make you sick, but your eyes remain fixed no matter how bad it gets. The deeper we find ourselves in the mansion the more immersed in the traumas, guilt, and grief of each of the contestants we become. Each one carrying a unique and heartbreaking history that reminds us that behind the filters and the thirty second videos of “everything’s awesome,” these celebrities are still just humans trying to reconcile with their past.

This book made me think of Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston, The Housemates by Iain Rob Wright, the Saw franchise, and the Exit board game series. If you’re a fan of horror in general, you will find something to love in Slashtag, which really feels like Cohn’s personal love letter to the genre as a whole. Despite the occasional “Scream” style explanation of rules, this book was able to take tried and true tropes and morph them into something wholly wonderful and unique.

I genuinely did not want this book to end. The characters were top-notch, it was as humorous as it was soaked with blood, and it was equally smart and fun. A one of a kind horror experience that I am truly sad I will only get to read for the first time once.

Be sure to grab a copy wherever you buy books and find all of Jon Cohn’s other works at his website www.joncohnauthor.com

Catch ya next time!

Joel Austin is a lifelong horror fan living in Lawrence, Kansas. Growing up reading King and Palahniuk far earlier than was probably appropriate, shaped his love of the genre from a young age. After the birth of his daughter he rediscovered his love for writing, finding it to be a therapeutic way to cope with countless new anxieties and fears that accompany parenthood. When he isn’t reading or writing, he loves to cook and go on hikes with his family and their black lab, Loki.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.