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The Last Days of Jack Sparks: The most chilling and unpredictable thriller of the year by [Jason Arnopp]

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Jason Arnopp

The Last Days of Jack Sparks: The most chilling and unpredictable thriller of the year Kindle Edition

by Jason Arnopp (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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'MAGNIFICENT' Alan Moore
'I COULDN'T PUT THE BOOK DOWN' Ron Howard
'CHILLING AND UTTERLY IMMERSIVE' M. R. Carey

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.

'Fascinating, hilarious, disturbing, exciting and surprising as hell' Ron Howard, director of Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code

'Brilliantly paced, utterly compelling, I didn't have *a clue* what would happen'Toby Whithouse

'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' Sarah Lotz, author of The Three

'This is The Omen for the social media age' Chris Brookmyre

'Ingenious and funny . . . A magnificent millennial nightmare' Alan Moore

DISCOVER THIS YEAR'S MOST TALKED-ABOUT THRILLER - perfect for fans of Stephen King, Irvine Welsh and Chuck Palahniuk.

Look out for GHOSTER, the new razor-sharp supernatural thriller from Jason Arnopp

Print length

332 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orbit
Publication date

3 March 2016
File size

757 KB
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Review

The Last Days of Jack Sparks was an absolute blast - thoroughly enjoyed it!--Adrian Selby, author of Snakewood

A breath of fresh air, vivid and essential.--John Higgs, author of Stranger Than We Can Imagine

A darkly comic, genuinely unnerving, incredibly well-executed horror novel.--B&N

Bizarre, funny, and at times downright creepy, Arnopp's debut is a worthy entry in the horror field.
--Booklist

Devour it in one sitting.
--Australian Way

Funny, creepy and totally nuts.--Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts

I always suspected Jason Arnopp was a genius, and now, having read his first novel, I know I was right. Jack Sparks is an extraordinary literary creation, clever and awful, loveable and cruel and his story is so terrifying and believable that I could barely bring myself to turn off my lights at bedtime.--Lisa Jewell, international bestselling author

Jack Sparks is a tremendously fascinating, entertaining, and an entirely contemporary movie character. His journey into the supernatural and his clashes with those forces and with himself are hilarious, disturbing, exciting and surprising as hell. I couldn't put the book down and I believe it will be a blast for audiences to experience the movie version.--Ron Howard

Original, clever, scary and funny...It kept me gripped and guessing from page one.--Rebecca Levene, author of The Hollow Gods series

Savagely humorous and very spooky modern morality tale.--Daily Mail

Takes a frenetic and self-obsessed modern world in its confident stride... gives us ingenious and funny diabolism, repurposed for the 21st Century. A magnificent millennial nightmare.--Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta

This is The Omen for the social media age.--Chris Brookmyre, author of the Jack Parlabane thrillers

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

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

Wow. Seriously hard to put down . . . Chilling and utterly immersive.--M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

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 is the author of The Last Days of Jack Sparks, has written comedy for Radio 4 and official tie-in fiction for Doctor Who and Friday The 13th. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B010PIFZMO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (3 March 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 757 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 332 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 342,731 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 950 in Witch & Wizard Thrillers
- 1,111 in Ghost Horror
- 1,253 in Ghost Thrillers

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636 ratings

About the author

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Jason Arnopp

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Jason Arnopp is the author of the new Orbit Books novel Ghoster, which Barnes & Noble's SFF blog has said, "just might qualify as the first true horror novel of the 21st Century." The Three author Sarah Lotz calls it, "a fiendishly smart exploration of obsession and social media addiction", while Cross Her Heat author Sarah Pinborough reckons it's, "twisty, creepy and utterly absorbing."

Arnopp's previous novel was The Last Days Of Jack Sparks (2016), which has been described as "a magnificent millennial nightmare" (Alan Moore), "scarier than watching The Exorcist in an abandoned asylum" (Sarah Lotz) and "The Omen for the social media age" (Christopher Brookmyre). Director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code) optioned the film rights shortly after the book's 2016 release.

Arnopp co-wrote the official behind-the-scenes book Inside Black Mirror with Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones.

Check out his four shorter-form fiction titles:

-- Beast In The Basement, a suspenseful, mind-blowing thriller novella

-- A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home, a chilling and groundbreaking short story set in YOUR home

-- Auto Rewind, a dark, emotionally charged thriller novelette

-- American Hoarder, a supernatural creep-fest available only when you join the author's free mailing list at JasonArnopp.com

Arnopp previously wrote and executive-produced the Lionsgate feature film Stormhouse and script-edited the Peter Mullan feature The Man Inside. He has also written for the worlds of Doctor Who (BBC), The Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC) and Friday The 13th (New Line Cinema).

In his past life as a rock journalist, he interviewed the likes of Bon Jovi, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Guns N' Roses. He was once surrounded by angry guards holding semi-automatic weapons at The Vatican. His Slipknot biography, Slipknot: Inside The Sickness, Behind The Masks, was released in 2001 and is now available as a Kindle Edition. Arnopp has also written a guide to journalistic interviewing, entitled How To Interview Doctor Who, Ozzy Osbourne And Everyone Else, which is also out on Kindle.

Arnopp's latest non-fiction book is From The Front Lines Of Rock. Available in the Kindle Store now, it gathers 30 of his favourite nterviews he wrote as a rock journalist, with the likes of Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Korn, Kiss, Faith No More, Garbage, Nine Inch Nails and Green Day.

When you sign up for Arnopp's free newsletter at JasonArnopp.com, you can also download his short story American Hoarder for free. You might also want to check out his YouTube channel by searching for his name there. What a wonderful world.

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Customer reviews

5 star		56%
4 star		23%
3 star		13%
2 star		4%
1 star		3%

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Monica

Scary stuff

Reviewed in Australia on 15 July 2018

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Great book- hard to put down. Very well written and the pieces all fitted together. A good horror tale that was truly frightening. Highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

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Kindle Customer

Wow!

Reviewed in Australia on 7 October 2017

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I have no words. Just read it. Very hard to put down but sometimes out of pure fear I had to have a break.

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natalie s

But Sparks will suffer from an untimely death and this leaves some suspicious online fans suggesting that the writer had been a victim of foul play. This book pieces together “Sparks’” draft book ...

Reviewed in Australia on 6 October 2017

The Last Days of Jack Sparks boasts one unique and clever premise for a story. The book is written by British journalist and author, Jason Arnopp but is also presented as being the “final” book or epitaph by a controversial journalist and broadcaster named Jack Sparks. This is an unnerving and mysterious tale that throws up a lot of questions.
The story goes that Jack Sparks has carved out an illustrious career as a pop culture journalist and non-fiction author with the tales, Jack Sparks on Drugs and Jack Sparks on a Pogo Stick. Sparks has been labelled and lauded as a “rebel “and dismissed as a “hack”. He certainly has the ability to divide people and in some ways there seems to be a whiff in common between Sparks and the late Hunter S. Thompson. The two would make firm friends – if they were both still around.
It was with some trepidation that Sparks’ brother, Alistair learns about his brother’s latest work, Jack Sparks on the Supernatural. This all begins with Jack Sparks witnessing an exorcism. But he is also a disbelieving cynic who can’t control himself. His YouTube channel has a bizarre video uploaded to it and this could actually prove the existence of ghosts. But Sparks will suffer from an untimely death and this leaves some suspicious online fans suggesting that the writer had been a victim of foul play.
This book pieces together “Sparks’” draft book as well as interviews, emails and other material. This extra stuff shows that there is more than one side to the narrative and it will make the reader stop and question a few things, not least the veracity of Sparks’ own account. While the book starts off with a bang and it has a great idea, it does loose itself a little in the final act. The end does feature some slow pacing and some bizarre curveballs and some readers will find it hard investing time in such a disagreeable lead character.
Jason Arnopp’s debut novel is a quirky one boasting an excellent idea. The whole story is a refreshing take on the comedy thriller genre. Ultimately this is one creepy, weird and unsettling tale which is told in a clever way. Hopefully this is not the last you hear from Arnopp or Sparks because here, Arnopp proves he is bright spark indeed.

One person found this helpful

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Mandy Walkden-Brown

A comprehensively compelling read.

Reviewed in Australia on 3 October 2016

A pretty extraordinary story and very well written. Horror, but only in parts, it was a psychological thriller of the highest ilk.

Suspenseful and downright scary in at times, but it was also laced with humour which nicely balanced the darkness.

Jack is, basically, quite an annoying, egotistical, disrespectful prat, but as the story progressed I found myself strangely drawn to him and actually quite liking him by the end of the book.

The momentum and tension increases and builds to an horrifying climax. And just when you think it's over, something unexpected and even more unpleasant occurs.
Ironically, because the tale illuminates some of the less pleasant aspects of social media and our current tech centred world, I caught myself, on dozens of occasions, poking the book to highlight a passage or jot a note. I need to read paperback books more often. Apparently.

A book well worth reading, preferably in the daylight with other people in the house!
An author to note.
Highly recommended.

*Note: I won this via a Goodreads giveaway, for which I am very thankful as I may never have otherwise found this talented author. *

2 people found this helpful

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Mr R C Adams

'The Last Days Of Jack Sparks' may well be the best and most original debut novel you will ever read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2017

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'The Last Days OfJack Sparks' could well be THE most original and darkly comic horror novel I have read......EVER! The book starts with an introduction from our titular hero's brother, informing us that what we are about to read is the unpublished final book that Jack was writing at the time of his death. He clears up a few facts that he feels his brother has got wrong, before we get to delve into Jack Sparks' mind as he sets about trying to debunk ghosts and the paranormal. It turns out that Jack started out as wild child music journalist,with a very distinctive style,that means that generally HE thinks he's the star of the show rather than whoever he is interviewing. The book rolls steadily forward and,before you know it, you have been sucked deep inside Jack's mind and you can't put the book down. The final third of the book may well be THE BEST thing I have ever read from a first time novelist EVER. Yes, this is Jason Arnopp's first fully fledged novel!! He has written a few short stories previously and worked on stories for Dr Who,but 'The Last Days Of Jack Sparks'is his first fully formed novel. I can't say enough times that this book is FANTASTIC. You obviously don't know me from Adam, so why would you take my word? I understand that completely. So,instead of taking my word, why don't you take the word of Hollywod director Ron Howard? You probably don't know Ron Howard either, but I'm pretty certain most of you will be familiar with his work - The DaVinci Code series etc. Ron Howard was so impressed with 'The Last Days Of Jack Sparks' that he has optioned the movie rights. I know, I know, the success of a book isn't down to the fact that some big shot Hollywood director wants to make a movie out of it, it's down to the fact that IT'S A DAMN FINE BOOK!!! Obviously everything I have written here is just my personal opinion, which can obviously be ignored. I won't sulk like a moody teenager if you choose to ignore this review, after all, that's entirely your prerogative. Figures though, they don't lie and they are not privy to emotions or personal opinion. The figures for this book are quite incredible - No 1 in book charts all over the world!!! Quite an achievement for a debut novel and due to some amazing press upon it's release and thereafter, the power of word of mouth reviews. Former music journalist and now full time author Jason Arnopp, I doff my imaginary cap to you and raise a glass. I for one cannot wait to see what you come up with next!!!

4 people found this helpful

Hillwalker

Not all it's hyped to be

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 April 2020

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I made the fatal mistake of buying this and 'Ghoster' on the strength of such good reviews for this writer's work. I read 'Ghoster' first and found it rather tiresome. But 'Jack Sparks' manages to make the other book look like 'Anna Karenina'. It's meant to be a spoof, presumably. The main character is a bit of a lad, a cross between Russell Brand and every stereotypical waster you have ever met. I managed to hate him even before he eventually appears. Unfortunately, that's the joke. He's a very naughty boy.
The author seems to have one stylistic tic - his main characters address the reader like a vlogger hogging the screen on You Tube. As a book this falls woefully short. The standard of writing is poor, the attempt at humour puerile, the dialogue horrendously bad and the plot is daft. To call this a chilling and unpredictable thriller is a laughable misrepresentation. I'm afraid I found it a waste of money and time.

One person found this helpful

Gorgona

too much hype

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2018

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I think I disliked the book for the reasons others liked it.
First things first: Jack Sparks is such an unlikeable, obnoxious person (hope it isn't based on anyone real, that'd be the kind who elbows you out of the seat on the tube or assaults you in a pub) that I really hoped the devil will take him, and fast. One thing clear though: if you want your book character to be a nasty nonentity with big ego in place of anything else - call him Jack. If you want him to be "hip", add Sparks surname - and hey presto, you've got a revolting antihero some readers will want to see dying. By the time he became a bit better behaving, he was lost on me. Good riddance all the way. And because I hated the character and all he stands for, I didn't warm up to anything around him. Annoying thing is that an atheist is portrayed as such a horrible man. There aren't that many books about atheists, but this one sticks out like a sore thumb.
Second: I don't know about you, but I don't live on social media, so all references to it and all the hype were lost on me. Ok, it's some parody on "the modern age", but if I find something silly (like people being glued to their phones 24/7), then the parody on that falls flat too. I just don't want to know.
Third: I actually could predict a lot of turns, which usually rarely happens to me.
Forth: weird deaths and blood. Oh dear. What looks okeish on TV, after million times you watched it mind, reads very tired and lame in a book.
Fifth: language. For god's sake, it was written by an English dude, so why "walking out the door" when it is "walking out OF the door"??!! We get a lot of grating American stuff, so if you're English, please be a dear and write properly. Nope, it should be 2 stars instead, but I'll be kind.
Sixth: national stereotypes. Aussie lass is sooo relaxed, somewhat Asian - and as all Asians are into martial arts, of course, so she is a "combat" shost-buster; as an Asian she obviously lives in some uber modern "space", offers guests tea [how did he forgot sitting on a floor mat?] and just so very cool. American man, Astral, just HAD to be morbidly obese and eating all the time. True Brit Alistair is very "proper". Jack is as annoying as any Hackney-living hipster /'cool" person can be, and he is just the type who'd write for music magazines.
Finally, "time travel" stuff didn't help the plot.
The good bits were the description of a clip, some genuine rational thinking on Jack's part before he got his brains coked out completely in the second half of a book - the kind of questions the reader will ask as they go along.
So, after all these stereotypes, grotesque deaths, sweet idea to make a reader think "What if the Devil is real?" (like, really revolutionary groundbreaking and brave question, right?) all I'm thinking is "The real message is: "kids, don't do drugs" :))) and "Stay away from the Jacks of the world".

5 people found this helpful

George Kelly

Jack Sparks, an egotistical former drug-addict and much-loathed journalist ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2017

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Jack Sparks, an egotistical former drug-addict and much-loathed journalist, is dead.

That’s not a spoiler. He’s dead from the start, and The Last Days of Jack Sparks is “found material” showing what happened leading up to his death, ostensibly taken from a book Jack Sparks was writing about the supernatural: most notably, whether or not ghosts exist, which is what sends him down a disturbing and horrifying path towards his death.

I'm not usually into ghost stories, but the central mystery (whether a chilling YouTube clip is real or not) drew me in, and the rest of the spooky supernatural stuff is portrayed in a plausible way, without attempting to scare with shock tactics or cheap thrills. There’s a genuine sense of uneasiness which creeps through the pages and gets more ominous as the story progresses.

There are some who'll find Jack Sparks truly unlikeable (and in places that seems to be the point), but if you can get past Sparks’ arrogance and apparent lack of care for anyone but himself, you’ll be rewarded with a humorous and clever book that alternates between mocking the self-indulgence of celebrities, and scaring the s*** out of the readers.

Weirdest book I've read for a while - but brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2017

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Wow. I was enthralled from page one and that doesn't happen very often. From there, the story just kept me spellbound, right to the end. AND THEN I just wanted to read it again, straight away.

Okay but why? The writing is excellent and it made me feel I was there and very much a part of Jack Sparks' life. Did I like Jack? Not so much but I couldn't help but be mesmerised by him. The fact he is so egotistical is one of the things that drew me in. It is like watching the beginning of an accident where you cover your eyes but in the end you separate your fingers just to see how bad it is.

I always read the poor reviews before I buy a book because knowing how hard to please I am, these are most likely to be my thoughts too. Unusually, I still bought this book and I'm really glad I did. This is a book I'm still going to be thinking about for quite a while.

The book incorporates e-mails, texts and transcripts and in other books that have gone down this route, they have either done so much of it that it becomes irritating or it is for show rather than being an imperative element that adds to the story's directness, as it does in this case.

I haven't told you what the story is about as you can read the blurb for that, however if you are of a nervous disposition perhaps this isn't a good book for you, as it has plenty of blood, gore and malicious spirits. Or did I just envision that? 😈

Definitely recommend to those of you brave enough. 😟

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