Fear often revolves around certain sights, feelings, and anticipations made possible through our human senses. When one of those core senses is lost, fear seems to grow, filling that space with trepidation and a desire to understand the missing sensations we have come to rely on day in and day out. In fact, some of the most frightening things are the things we cannot see, cannot feel, or cannot understand, a fact that Jonathan Janz knows well as evidenced by his upcoming release, Veil.
People are going missing at an alarming rate in the pages of this novel, here one moment and simply gone the next. John Calhoun, unfortunately, is faced with this reality as his son vanishes on a routine nightly walk in their own neighborhood. It is soon revealed that it’s not just the Calhoun family impacted by disappearances; shockingly, this seems to be a national phenomena, with news of these vanishings spreading far and wide. As the days begin to pass, the world becomes a stranger and stranger place with no way, no place to hide from these abductions. Determined to find his family, John stops at nothing to find the truth of what is transpiring, finding a group of people who may just have the answer, a solution that is not of this plane of existence.
A novel of multilayered functioning, Veil is not a story that fits neatly into one box. The sci-fi elements are clear to see from the synopsis, and horror runs rampant with the levels of loss, fear, and dystopianism at play. And, as is Janz’s signature, there is no section of this book that is lacking for action. While some novels may fall in between the cracks of genre classifications as if the story does not know what it wants to be, I can say with utter confidence the very opposite is true of Veil thanks to its deeply emotional strengths.
Perhaps the most enthralling aspect of Jonathan Janz’s work is the sheer amount of heart and presence in every line of his writing. Yes, of course, he gives us entertaining, wicked-fast plots that hold our attention raptly, but the one thing that keeps me coming back time and time again, no matter the premise, is the promise of sincerity within Janz’s pages. Whether it’s aliens, serial killers, subterranean beasts, or any variation of the above, the intentionality behind every character, plot point, or piece of dialogue is crystal clear, instilling increased amounts of investment and care.
What makes this most impressive is Janz’s ability to pull this off in a genre (sci-fi) that is normally known for its science, action, and, sometimes, sterility in the name of sheer entertainment. The use of fear through the characters’ inability to see the threats that actively pursue them ramps the stakes of this story to one hundred without ever losing sense of the things that matter most, family, love, and connection. In fact, it feels as though Janz is wrestling with life’s unseen, emotionally-laden moments, these monsters simply a metaphor for the changes we must all endure but can never fully visualize.
A sublime blend of horror, sci-fi, and great story-telling, Jonathan Janz is operating at the top of his craft with Veil. A book that is so uniquely his, this is a story that is more than a thrilling bout of survival in a seemingly apocalyptic world. No, Veil is a work of love, a testament to the lengths we’ll go to for those we care for, complete with a tear-jerking conclusion. Containing multitudes, this is a book that belongs on every genre-reader’s radar.
Veil by Jonathan Janz releases on September 16, 2025 from Blackstone Publishing. The audiobook, narrated by John Pirhalla, is available for preorder via Libro.fm!
