Episode Thirteen

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good ghost story, and there’s a reason for that. The genre has become so defined by its tropes that it’s formed its own subgenre of reality TV, which itself has tropes. Genres evolve, but between evolutions, they fall out of favor, the proverbial haunted house going inactive during the daylight hours.

Now, I’m loving what Mike Flanagan is doing with ghost stories on film. He seems to be progressing the genre into character-driven territory in which the horror is driven by environment instead of gorey thrills. As above, so below, what Flanagan brings to film, Craig DiLouie is bringing to literature.

His latest, Episode Thirteen is a further evolution to the ghost story genre, taking a ghost show more hunting reality TV show and fictionalizing one particular hunt where the show maybe gets a little too real.

The Episode Thirteen pitch goes something like this: An ensemble cast of characters producing a ghost hunting TV show (called Fade to Black) have had a successful debut season but are searching for a place to shoot their finale, which could give them the best chance of being renewed for another go-around. At Foundation House, in rural Virginia, where a team of paranormal scientists once conducted torturous experiments and then disappeared, our heroes may have found what they were looking for. The ghost hunters try their playbook at Foundation House, but as pressure from the studio increases and bizarre encounters and discoveries occur, they start to suspect they’re going to need some new tools for this one.

One of the things I find interesting about Craig’s work, in general, is he’s always trying something new. His novels aren’t challenging, per se, to the reader, but he’s challenging himself in ways many writers don’t. Instead of playing it safe and simply sticking to what he’s good at, Craig seems to be working his way down a literary bucket list, and for my money, he nails every one. Supernatural ghost thriller Episode Thirteen is another testament to his ability to try new things and execute well on the first try.

Written in epistolary form, Episode Thirteen presents itself as a story told through found documents. The intent here is apparently to model itself off of a found-footage film, but a book obviously can’t replicate that (that’s just physics). Cleverly, Craig works in a kind of ghost character who performs the role of the narrator, a meta-fictional “editor,” who opens the book with a note. This character has transcribed the found footage and occasionally breaks in to offer context, description, and even some insight. What I appreciated about this is the narrator has a presence in the story, something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently (the narrator as character). It’s subtle, but sometimes Episode Thirteen’s narrator breaks through with a quip, observation, or flash judgment. He appears to be totally objective, but his subjectivity sometimes breaks through just enough to give the narration some seasoning so as not to be bland, something that can trouble reported stories in epistolary form.

What always gets me about Craig’s novels is they are incredibly well focused, and that is true in Episode Thirteen. It seems to me, as a faithful reader, the writer knows precisely the story he’s telling me, something so many writers seem to struggle with. Ask almost any writer what they’re story is about, and they’ll almost invariably fumble. At least when reading the finished product, Craig’s books never seem that way to me. There are two things that are very important about this: 1). As I get older, my patience with literature is waning, so meandering stories sometimes feel like they are wasting my time. It isn’t that I can’t appreciate the journey; it’s that I want to know we have a destination. 2). Trust.

Trust is something I’m not sure we talk about enough with regard to the writer-reader relationship. Too many authors take my interest for granted, assuming since I picked up their book, I must be willing to follow them unquestioningly wherever they go. I never feel that way about Craig’s books, not even the ones you might describe as a “slow burn.” Intent is always apparent, and Episode Thirteen’s pitch all but bakes that in as the story unfolds in ways that maybe aren’t terribly surprising but are no less satisfying and fulfilling.

More to the point regarding the reading experience, I thought the allure of it all was infectious. Craig made me feel for the story what the characters feel for their investigation. That kind of parity is something I think every author chases with every story they tell, but so few of us actually achieve it. There’s empathy, and then there’s transcendence and transfer, empathy triggering something greater. I was utterly immersed in and engaged with Episode Thirteen. The whole thing is a marvelous meta experience in what draws us to the dark, and there’s a really fascinating revelation to be had at the end of this one. Maybe, Episode Thirteen suggests, we’re drawn to the darkness with the promise of illumination.

Yep, that’s a metaphor for knowledge. As I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately (why I’m compelled toward dark fantasy and horror), Episode Thirteen provided the right epiphany at the right time for me.

Beyond the grand scale, one of the most fascinating aspects of Episode Thirteen is the characters in the book are all identifiably pieces of a singular human identity. Don’t mistake that as a suggestion that they’re stereotypes. They are never stereotypes. But we do see spotlights shined on finer points of them, the stuff that’s important for the story Craig is telling. Fundamentally, the Greeks pondering about rhetoric might have classified some of these characters in a certain way: We have logos, the character who approaches hauntings through science and reason. We have pathos, the character who infuses the investigation with their passion and open-mindedness, the one who gets us to care about a question we may never be able to answer. We have ethos, the veteran who’s tangled with the darkness before and lends some credibility to phenomena. We also have the audience incarnate in the cameraman, and maybe this idea falls apart with the fifth character, an actress who may actually be the most reasonable of the ensemble and who has the greatest personal stake in a son she needs to get back to. There was a time while reading I thought she would be our avatar, the one person in the story who would do what we would all hope we’d do. Maybe she’s the context or the purpose of the rhetorical situation.

But anyways, examining Episode Thirteen this way, we can view these characters as pieces of ourselves (
As criticisms go, the book handles one of my biggest ones: the stakes. The team here has had a good first season, but their odds of renewal seem long. The trouble with that was I didn’t understand why I should care. Three of our five main characters aren’t particularly invested in the show, and the other two seem like they will continue ghost hunting regardless of whether they're filming (one of them seems to actually prefer the cameras to be off). The team’s leader, however, is so likable that he was enough to get me invested at least for the time it takes for the question of, well, are there ghosts in Foundation House? to present itself. The book evolves and raises the stakes as you hope and expect, so no worries there. If you pick this one up and feel the drag through the first act, stick with it. Trust Craig.

Episode Thirteen isn’t a book that offered me some grand insight into humanity that will stick with me for years. It’s too subtle for that. There’s an idea that’s quite compelling regarding knowing the impossible, and it rears its ghostly little head later in the book. Thing is, Episode Thirteen could get oppressively philosophical with that idea very quickly (either a bug or a feature of my own writing that I continue to struggle with), but I think Craig is too disciplined and focused for that. The novel gives you just enough to chew on so that you can take it with you if you want, but it doesn’t force that upon you by any means.

What will stick with me, though, is the experience. Utterly engaged, I felt for this book what the characters felt for their investigation, and in a book comprising literal documentation, I find that an accomplishment worthy of appreciation. The trouble with the epistolary form is it can so often fall to the extremes: either mind-numbingly boring and distant or awkwardly intimate and raw to the point of violation. Episode Thirteen never wavers toward either side. It may sometimes approach the edge and peek over it, but perhaps as a product of the trust Craig builds with the reader, there’s never a hint of vertigo.

If you’re looking for a ghost story, something like the Blair Witch meets Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House in book form, I whole-heartedly recommend this one. show less

This was something right up the "ghost story junkie's" alley...a haunted house story recommended by a good friend who I'm sure must eat ghost stories for three meals a day and a snack:) I had never read anything by this author, but I will be finding more. From the very first...I was hooked. The house was playing games. At first, it was little things, like objects being moved, electrical fluctuations, and other anomalies. Soon though, the residents discover the house has a lot more planned for them, and its powers are beyond anything they can, or could ever imagine. I wouldn’t say this book scared me, I've read to many ghost and haunted house stories to be very scared, but it had its moments that could produce a good case of show more goosebumps. Mostly its strengths are in the atmosphere of the story. I couldn't stop reading...I simply devoured it because the entire thing was simply...addictive. Things moved...no pun intended... at a quick pace and there were never any slowdowns. Episode Thirteen was a lot like Shirly Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. You knew that something was in the house that had taken up residence and had no desires or expectations of leaving. It was a fun story if you are a ghost story enthusiast...a gripping read that will absolutely leave a lasting impression. Craig Delouie has masterfully built an atmosphere of dread and unease from page one but also develops the characters into fully fleshed and relatable figures that you just want to help or at least warn. If you are also a "ghost story junkie" and you love ghost and haunted house stories...and don't mind looking over your shoulder a few hundred times while reading...then I highly recommend this one. show less

Having not gotten to the two Fracassi books in my TBR pile yet, I'll go on record for now stating this is easily my favourite horror novel of the year (and yes, I'm quite aware that we're not even through February as yet).

I'll state one thing right up front...the first big "event" (no spoilers) in the book made me really question whether I wanted to go on. It's trumpeted by the characters as "solid proof" and I was over here thinking, nope, that's clown shoes, kids. There's a bunch of very unsupernatural reasons that could have happened and it made me question how good the rest of this novel was actually going to be.

When I got to the next event, that's when I realized that DiLouie was messing with us, giving us a false sense of security show more before he whacked us over the head.

The rest of this book is just unbelievably fantastic. Someone else says it's the cross of Hell House and House of Leaves, with a little bit of Event Horizon tossed in. And that's actually a really good set of comparisons.

It starts as a decent haunted house story, with the weirdness of the hippie scientists from 1972 (and captured really well, by the way) but then slips into this far weirder and scarier thing. While I compare it to those other novels, I must point out that this is unlike any other novel I've ever read. This is one of those rare haunted house novels (along with the aforementioned Hell House , Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and of course, King's The Shining) that both set up the promise, then actually deliver on it and do it well. I can't think of any others that do it as well.

I know some are complaining about the epistolary format, but honestly, I actually quite enjoy that, so it worked really well for me. Individual results may vary.

This is the first DiLouie novel I've read, but it won't be my last, if he can pump out brilliance like this. show less

Some of my favorite things are found footage stories and creepy old houses in isolated settings. Craig DiLouie brings these things together in Episode Thirteen. A husband and wife ghost-hunting team lead a TV show crew that investigates haunted houses. Matt is a believer looking for proof of the supernatural and wife Claire is a scientist and skeptic looking to debunk claims. Episode Thirteen of the show takes them to a potential gold mine. A haunted former paranormal research facility that's been abandoned since the 1970s. Bizarre experiments, a team of scientists who disappeared, and evidence of haunting in the subsequent years. Episode Thirteen of Fade to Black is told from recordings, journals, emails, and texts. They start with the show more excitement of everyone involved before things steadily go downhill.

Craig does an excellent job of setting the mood with his evocative description of the place which is both intriguing and unsettling. Along with Matt and Claire, the crew includes an actress/investigator, a tech manager, and a cameraman. The diversity of their backgrounds and their placement on the scale from believer to skeptic make a nice contrast as you see the events unfold from each of their perspectives. The layout of the house is eerie, particularly the basement where bizarre experiments were performed in the past. A sense of unease permeates every page.

The structure of the story, with descriptive video transcripts of the events interspersed with journal entries capturing the feelings of the participants lends a sense of reality to what transpires. The journals also highlight the fractures within the group and their individual internal struggles. Curiosity wars with fear in each of the characters leading them deeper into the mystery pulling the reader in deeper with them. Events continue to escalate until the inevitable climax. The story meanders a little near the end, but the final few pages will send a shiver down your spine.

The writing style is very approachable reminding me of Devolution by Max Brooks. The dramatic tension reminded me of movies like the wonderful Session 9. This is a very entertaining book with great pacing and atmosphere. Fans of ghost stories and psychological suspense will enjoy!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. show less

Okay, it's just a picture, but those hands in the window creeped me out. And that's before I even turned a page of Craig DiLouie's new book Episode Thirteen.

I like 'intelligent' horror - a story that doesn't rely on a slash and burn rampage, but instead is a slow burning path to the 'don't go in the basement' moments. And DiLouie is one of those authors who hits all the right notes for me.

So, you may have watched one or two of those paranormal phenomenon and ghost hunters shows. Episode 13 takes us to an abandoned mansion that was used for some questionable testing forty years ago. There have been reports and sightings over the years. As the building is to be demolished, the Fade to Black paranormal research team have a small window for show more their investigation.

Episode Thirteen is told using an epistolary style - which is one of my favourite methods of story telling. We meet and come to know the five members of Fade to Black through a series of journal entries, magazine articles, memos, memories, texts, transcripts and more. I like that we get to know each of the players through their own words, instead of through the eyes of just one main character. There are some very differing personalities - I think every reader will find one that resonates with them.

I will say that the tension, uncertainty, creepiness and fright factor insidiously grows with every chapter. Things get a bit heavy at the end, but I really enjoyed the journey there.

But...what about the house? Is it haunted? Well, I'm not to spoil the book for you, so you'll have to find out for yourself! show less

If you are looking for a ghost story with a bit of an esoteric twist or if you really enjoy the ghost hunting shows, you should give Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie a read.

I don’t watch ghost hunter shows because I just don’t find them that exciting… but I would go on a ghost hunting expedition in a heartbeat. When I read the synopsis for Episode Thirteen I was a bit intrigued, but I was also concerned I would get bored, but the way that DiLouie wrote the story with journal entries, text messages, emails, and video journals/camera footage recaps made for a very entertaining book that kept me engaged and wanting to see where the story would lead.

While the creepy old house does play a character in the book, the human and ghost show more characters are very well developed and each adds a perfect layer to the story. You have the true believer, the skeptic, the one who’s there for the money, etc… but I feel each one was needed to give the haunted house trope the emotions for it to really connect with the reader.

I read a lot of horror and watch even more, and while few actually leave me unsettled (and I don’t remember the last one that scared me), towards the end of Episode Thirteen when they delve into the basement realm did have me feeling unsettled at times and left me with some questions about the ghost world that I didn’t even know I had. For me that makes for an excellent read. show less

I was skeptical that a found footage "film" could translate into book form, but I was very happy to be wrong. The epistolary style of this book was the perfect choice for this story, it made it more real and more interesting with all the different perspectives. I loved all the characters and how fleshed out and realistic they are, especially Jessica, the communication between her and her sister was priceless. I also enjoy the behind the scenes look at a genre of show that I do watch in real life, paranormal shows are a great time; I do understand that this may not be accurate for all shows, but I do believe it's not too far fetched either. I read some reviews stating they thought this book was boring and while I can see why someone show more might think that, I personally loved all the set-up and backstory. It helped fully realize the characters, the house, and how a reality show works in ways we don't always see. The only reason this wasn't a five star for me is because the ending was both a bit anticlimactic and also so exciting I wanted a little bit more. That final "Five Years Later" chapter, I wanted more from that...Tell. Me. All. The. Things! If you read it you will know exactly what I'm talking about. I wouldn't call this a horror so much, more a speculative thriller, at no point was I scared or horrified. This was my first time with this author, but I will be reading more because they have a head full of great ideas and I want to know more. show less