Alder, Somerset, a small town in Britain has always had weird things happening. From sights of the archangel Gabriel on the hill, to stray bombs falling on that same spot. There are supposedly leylines – supernatural veins in the earth – crossing the town, so that could very well explain the supernatural phenomena, but nobody expected Hell on Earth when the annual music festival came around again. Anthony William Jago is known to his followers as ‘Beloved’ and they all live in the Agapemone in Alder, Somerset. Not many people had beef with the seemingly harmless cult, but of course people from the government infiltrated their ranks in order to make sure it doesn’t turn out to be another Jonestown episode. However, as time passes and the truth reveals itself, things quickly turn out to be far worse than anything they ever expected from Jago and it’s up to a small group of people who are immune to his influence to save Alder, the town and the thousands of people who had come to see the music festival.

Jago by Kim Newman (Anno Dracula) is a book that brings together so many elements that it’s sometimes hard to keep up, but it’s immediately apparent that the main elements have religious annotations filled with horror and monsters, which always makes for intriguing tales. That being said, it would be much better if you realise that fiction is fiction and doesn’t mean anything other than that, because believe me when I say that Jago has a mind of its own and it doesn’t apologise for being crude. In other words, this is my type of book. With characters that are easily distinguishable from one another and an antagonist that puts normal cult leaders to shame, Jago has its charms.

Let’s be honest, from time to time the language use in Jago can be somewhat nasty, with filthy jokes and some odd characters who needs to get their mouths washed out with soap, but as with the good vs. evil theme, we also have our prim and proper characters, giving the book balance. With modern vs. non-modern and young vs. old, Jago touches many subjects whilst keeping its eye on the prize, which turns out to be none other than the bringing the Book of Revelations to life… literally.

Newman is a seasoned author wit quite a few titles under his belt, and yes I have reviewed Anno Dracula and Dracula Cha Cha Cha in the past on the site, which were both excellent books, but this baby… boy oh boy did I enjoy it. When I picked Jago up, I couldn’t put it down and for two days I was reading every waking minute to get to the end. The climax was awesome and as far as horror goes, it’s got just the right amount of suspense and blood to keep a girl happy. Frankly, I find it to be one of Newman’s best works and a must-read to anyone who enjoys a bit of Bible horror. Also, seeing as The Following, starring Kevin Bacon has made cults a little cooler again, and seeing as some may not be getting enough of it, you might like to fill the void with Jago.

(Review originally posted on www.killeraphrodite.com ) ( )

I won this book in a First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads.

This book took me a while to finish because it is so long. There were a lot of surprises along the way, it just seem like twist after twist. Also, there are also a lot of weird stuff that happens that I did not expect (let me just say "tree people" and I will leave it at that). The twist that shocked me the most was one of the people Jago gets to join his flock of followers.

There are a lot of characters and sometimes it can be hard to keep them all straight in my mind from the third person narrative constantly switching what character it is focusing on. Like, one chapter may focus on Paul and his girlfriend Hazel then the next will switch to let's say one of Jago's followers.

Anyways, Jago was an interesting, unique read that kept my mind guessing the entire time. ( )

*note to self. Copy from A. scan cover later.