I loved how this book blended horror, suspense and the supernatural. The pacing was terrifying and incredible, and the reveals came at all the right times.

The reality show "Fade to Black" has found its niche not only in its team's easy rapport, but in the unique back-and-forth format: there's Matt, the true believer who is trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that ghosts and the afterlife exist; his wife Claire, a skeptic who reads the data and debunks most of the "ghostly experiences" of the team; Jessica, who was brought in to add more flair; Kevin, the grumpy, traumatized ex-cop; and finally Jake, the cameraman. The thirteenth episode of their first season was set to take place at Foundation House, where a group of scientists conducted paranormal experiments in the 1960s and 70s before disappearing without a trace. It was Matt's ultimate adventure. But something went wrong. And through a series of diary entries, video clips and texts/emails, the story of the fated thirteenth episode is revealed of the first time.

The description for this book caught my attention right away and immediately I was drawn into the writing and the unique premise. When I came up for air, I was not at all surprised to see it was written by Craig DiLouie, who wrote the amazing "Children of Red Peak," so it's no surprise that this book had such a darkly atmospheric story filled with tension and enough chills to send shivers up my spine.

The book isn't written in a traditional way, as it says in the description, but I really got into it the further into the book I got. It really gives you the feel that you are there with the group as they are going through this experience that gets more and more intense as time goes on. We also get to experience their intense emotions through some really great writing that makes you feel like you're watching their video confessionals as they run/scurry in terror Blair Witch style. It was just impossible for me at a certain point to put this book down.

And the ending was simply ON. POINT. It was just enough to keep the horror vibe, in my opinion.

This was another hit from Craig DiLouie, and he's quickly becoming a horror star, IMHO. I'll be looking out for more of his work in the future.

The cast members of Fade to Black, a team of ghost hunters (and one skeptical scientist) converge on the infamous Foundation House for their thirteenth episode in the hopes of finding the holy grail of hauntings that will allow their show to be renewed for a second season in Craig DiLouie's latest offering, Episode Thirteen. Told in epistolary format, we're shown journal entries from each of the crew members, as well as newspaper articles, podcast transcripts, and interviews that give backstory and life to the mysterious events surrounding the shooting of the episode.

Pros:
- The epistolary format works amazingly well with haunted house tropes in my opinion, and it shines here.
- The characters are all strong and have real reasons for antagonism towards each other.
- Strong dread throughout.

Cons:
- Conversely, the feelings of dread are so acute early on that, when finally revealed, the haunting can only seem slightly like a let down. It's only very slight, however.

Five stars. Episode Thirteen is a haunted house tale with an interesting enough spin that it stands out from a crowded pack. Check it out.

FFO: haunted house tropes, metaphysics, Blake Crouch.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Redhook Books and Netgalley*

EPISODE THIRTEEN
by Craig Dilouie

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to review!

Great book for paranormal enthusiasts!

Episode Thirteen is about a group of paranormal investigators who have one last chance to thrill their audiences and keep their TV show, Fade To Black, from being canceled.

The team goes to Denton, Virginia to investigate an old mansion known as “The Foundation” which was used for parapsychology research in 1972. The former researcher's performed unusual and unethical experiments and suddenly just disappeared never to be seen again.

Unknown to the general public, The Foundation has not seen many visitors in the past 4 decades and much of the previous research is awaiting the new team in old rooms and metal file cabinets. Upon exploring the dwelling and studying old documents from former scientists, the team uncovers much more then a typical haunting.

Episode Thirteen is a thrill with well developed characters and an edge of your seat story line.

5 Stars !

The immense fun of EPISODE THIRTEEN is you have NO IDEA what's in store for this naive ghost-hunting reality crew, but you're as rapt as they are as it unfolds. Craig DiLouie delivers the scares and builds tension as things escalate from intriguing to scary af. Out now and a blast!

Episode Thirteen chronicles the exploration and study of a reportedly haunted house by the cast and crew of a reality television series called Fade to Black, done in the style of Ghost Hunters. They are following in the footsteps of a group of scientists/researchers known as The Paranormal Research Foundation who disappeared during their time in this same house in the 1970's.

The story is told using daily "hot sheets" for the show, text messages, journal entries, emails etc. While I understand the sound reasoning behind this, and yes, it makes perfect sense for the story, I found it, for lack of a better term, distracting. I would just start becoming invested in what was being shared/presented in one way and then have to switch to another. I eventually got used to it but it took me awhile.

I found the horror aspects to be few and far between. While the characters were fairly well fleshed out, there were far too many personal issues being dealt with that had nothing to do with a reported haunting. I would've liked to have known more about the first group that disappeared in the 70's, the experiments they were conducting, actual ghosts/spirits/entities, and far less personal drama. The ending was...different? I finished it last night and I'm still kind of scratching my head.

With all of that said? Episode Thirteen was an enjoyable read that was very easy to get lost in while on the treadmill! I would have no qualms about picking up another book by Craig DiLouie in the future.

Many thanks to Redhook Books for providing an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A found footage documentary, in book form!

I’ll be honest; I was initially a bit thrown off by the format of the book, I don’t usually read a lot of epistolary novels and it took a few entries… chapters? For me to really be able get immersed into the story. Episode Thirteen is a found footage documentary in book form, it’s told after the fact in a series of texts, emails, journal entries, and raw video dailies from the show. What show? Fade to Black is a ghost hunting show hosted by a husband (the believer) and wife (the scientist) team as well as a retired cop, an actress looking for her big break, and a very committed cameraman. They are investigating the holy grail of all hauntings a creepy old house where scientists did some far out paranormal experiments in the 60s at least until they all disappeared. At one point in the story White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane starts playing, do yourself a favor and listen to it as you read that part… Trust me!

Overall I really liked the book, it was scary and immersive, I will say that towards the end it got really heavy and otherworldly but I do mean that in the best way possible. Days after I finished it I find myself thinking about it and wanting to read it again. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

As far as the plot of the book goes:
I felt like it was lacking in a lot of ways. In my opinion, not much of anything happens throughout the entire book until it's conclusion. I found myself bored more often than not, wanting to read about something scary happening and ultimately just got to read about these characters constantly bickering and over-explaining their reasoning for being a part of FADE TO BLACK in the first place. However, I did really like the third act and the final page of the book because, like I said before, that's when most of the action happens.

As far as the formatting goes:
I am all for switching up how a book is written, but the formatting of this book was a bit too heavy-handed for me. It felt fun and fresh in the beginning, but quickly became annoying. FULL DISCLOSURE I did read a chunk of the book before the day of its release, but became close to DNFing - because of the formatting - so I instead switched to listening to the rest on audio on the release day. I do highly recommend the audiobook for this because there were sound effects, songs, and multiple narrators. But, not even the audiobook production could completely make-up for the fact that this book felt like a mix between The Blair Witch Project (one of the most boring movies I have ever seen) and As Above So Below (which I do really like). I guess the good news is that if this ever gets an adaptation, the screenplay is literally already written...

I was instantly intrigued by this book. A reality tv crew are filming their thirteenth episode of fade to black in possibly americas most haunted home. This is the first I’ve read from this author and I enjoyed it. The only thing is a bit of the science talk was a bit much for me but the way this story was told and that ending?! You are all going to love it.

3.5 stars

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie is a horror/paranormal/sci-fi novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Redhook Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Fade to Black is a hit television show.  It investigates haunted houses, and is led by Matt Kirklin and his skeptic wife Claire, who is a scientist.  Kevin Linscott is their Tech Manager (a retired police officer), Jake Wolfson is their cameraman, and Jessie Valenza is a professional actress, but quickly becoming an investigator.

Episode Thirteen will be filmed at the old Paranormal Research Foundation, where it is said that the researchers held bizarre experiments in the 1970's.   They all disappeared.  The building is said to be haunted, and the team is hopeful.  Initially things go as they normally do....not much of anything.  But then all hell breaks loose.  The team finds itself out of their league, and disagreements become the norm. Fear also becomes the norm.



My Opinions:
This was an interesting way to tell a story.  It was told through magazine articles and interviews, as well as tapes, journals and correspondence.  The use of these different mediums and different POV's kept me interested.

The characters were all very different, all really compelling.  As in any good book, there was one that is so antagonistic (to me, anyway), that I was hoping for an early death - not mine.

Just a heads up -- this book is long.  Interesting enough that I was fully immersed in the story, but long enough that I started to wander off.  I think that is my biggest complaint.  My second would be that there was a little too much scientific babble from Claire which took away from the paranormal angle that she was trying to explain away.

Overall, though, it was quite good, with enough "ooh, what's going to happen next" to keep me interested (through most of the almost 500 pages).

I was unable to finish this book. I didn't like the format at all, I want to read a book not a script fir another predictable "found footage" film.

Thank you to Redhook and NetGalley for this ARC!

Matt and Claire are husband and wife co-hosts of the ghost hunting show “Fade To Black.” Matt is all about chasing ghosts, while Claire comes from a background in science and ultimately aims to debunk claims of a haunting. Their crew is made up of Jessica- an actress waiting on her big break, Kevin- the head tech hand, and Jake- the cameraman.

“Welcome to Foundation House.” We’re in Denton, Virginia at a well-known paranormal site built by an heir to a sugar company in 1920, left vacant in the 60’s after his death until the Paranormal Research Foundation moved in. They performed experiments on human subjects until all of the scientists vanished in 1972. “They envisioned a world where people could talk to the dead. Could read mind, control objects remotely, travel out of their bodies, know the future.”

Fade To Black got approved to shoot at the house and are hoping to get the footage they need to get renewed for a second season. Soon, it is apparent that they got that and more- potentially more than they bargained for. The house is alive with paranormal activity, including the finding of full psychological profiles of each of the team found in the office- supposedly written by two of the doctors/scientists (who again, disappeared in 1972).

I absolutely loved the style of writing in this book- the “chapters” were in varying formats: raw video footage, journal entries, text messages, and emails. The prologue is in the form of an “Editor’s Note” setting the scene for the book and explaining the use of the found footage to tell this story. I enjoyed the multiple points of view through different forms of media. This kept me very engaged in the book, and I liked that this gives the reader some breaks between all the action. You’ll read about insane raw audio footage, then read an email from Matt to the show’s producer. I think it flowed very well and didn’t make the book feel like non-stop horror.

I enjoyed the story line, but if it had been written in the standard style of a novel, I think that it honestly would have been too scary for me to finish. I kept wanting to get to the next page to see what I was going to get to read next. The author did an amazing job at keeping the story interesting and keeping me engaged. The plot was enjoyable, but I again have to commend the author for the way that he shared the plot.

The ending of this book was good and really made me think. To be honest- I had no idea what to expect from the ending. It got intensely paranormal (not surprising!) but it was just a lot for me to take in. There was some truly beautiful writing from Claire towards the ending- thoughts about life and what happens to us after we die and the depths of the universe…

Would really recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in the paranormal, especially if you used to watch Ghost Hunters in middle school.

This is an interesting story. It is told through different modalities and will probably be even better in audiobook format. The premise is a reality television show based on ghost hunters, called "Fade To Black", and the team is excited about the upcoming filming of Season 1, Episode 13, which is to be featuring "Foundation House", a haunted house that has garnered a lot of lore. Each team member brings a backstory that is unique and interesting. They all have their reasons to participate in the show. The primary cast members are a husband and wife duo who approach alleged hauntings from the opposite mindset. Matt is absolutely convinced of the spiritual realm based on a childhood event and his wife Claire, who has a PhD in Physics, is the naysayer and official debunker of any mysterious events. Her view is to breakdown the supposed supernatural into the science that explains the phenomenon.
When they take on Foundation House they are all expecting and hoping for great things. They are also all aware of the pressure for a final three episodes to close out the season strong and then renewal for another season.
Each character adds a different POV and this adds to the story, especially the way that it is told through the recordings for the show and their personal diaries kept to describe what they are thinking as they are going through the process of experiencing anything supernatural. There are also emails and texts between characters that adds to the story.
Overall, this is not a story that has heart-pounding, sudden, and shocking events, but still manages to allow the reader to be drawn into the story and the tales of the house and the happenings there. This is best to enter without knowing much about the plot or direction. I felt like it was easy to hear the narration and a cast of characters narrating this would be fantastic. I honestly think it would be a 5/5 if I had listened to an audiobook version. I can generally take those on in big chunks and become totally immersed in the story and world. As a written book, I found myself getting distracted at times with the television background direction and similar text. It was important to the story but would be easier to enjoy without reading it physically (for me). I could also completely see this being made into a series or movie with great success. The story is well done and anyone who enjoys both haunted houses and stories told in several different modalities will love this one.
Definitely recommend!
#EpisodeThirteen #NetGalley #RedhookBooks

Craig DiLouie has now joined my "authors to follow" list. The story is great but the way it's presented.....the readers see the story from many POV and hear all the gossip that runs between crew members of a successful serial. The writing is designed to pull you into the story, and it does.

Haunted houses hold fascination for so many people, for so many reasons. The audience for a successful reality show takes something different away from each show. So when the most successful show in media history needs something special for Episode Thirteen, what could be more perfect than a building that was home to experiments that left so many damaged victims and bodies that are still being found. That's the back story and that's all you'll get from me without spoiling the story. BUT....you really should read the book.

Episode Thirteen is a slow burn epistolary horror novel that leads to an inferno of an ending. Written as transcripts, text messages, and journal entries, DiLouie’s newest novel follows the ghost hunting crew of Fade to Black, a paranormal investigative tv show focusing their thirteenth and final season episode on a location known as Foundation House.

Although this one started off a bit slow for me, it quickly picks up the pace and the horror builds from hokey to terrifying with an incredibly satisfying ending. The characters are interesting and although I would have loved even more background on them, what is revealed is sufficient enough to keep track of who is whom.

Highly recommended for fans of Blair Witch Project and Night Film by Marisha Pessl.

Huge Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and Craig DiLouie for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley & Redhook Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I give this book 3.25 stars.

The thing I loved most about this book was the creepy atmosphere it set up especially at the beginning parts of the story. I actually had to stop reading this book at night when I got to the first scary event because some of the descriptions were so creepy!! I also really enjoyed the story unfolding via video transcripts, journals, texts, and emails. I felt like this way of presenting information gave us a full picture of what was going on and provided interesting points of view from all the characters and people who were tangentially involved like the production crew. I found myself wishing I had this as an audiobook and I could totally see this book doing VERY well in that format. I can tell that DiLouie has a knack for creating unsettling environments through his words!

The plot of the story started out strong, and there were areas where I thought it would go one way, but it ended up fizzling out in a different direction. For example, there is a portion where we learn a lot about everyone’s inner demons, and I thought we would dive deeper into each character to fully understand them, and to really tie that in with the Foundation House and the purpose of it, but that didn’t happen. As a reader I didn't fully get a picture of what everyone was grappling with and, as a result, I was left wanting to connect with the characters more. It felt like we scratched the surface on them, and only really got into their stories towards the end when there wasn't enough time to connect deeper. The scientific explanations of how ghost hunting was done took a bit away from the flow of the story for me personally.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, and I would be curious to read more of DiLouie's works (this was my first book by him!)

TL;DR

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie is a character driven story about a missing television crew. It’s highly stylistic presentation makes for a quick read without sacrificing depth of character. Recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: Episode 13 by Craig DiLouie

Stories depend on how they’re told as much as what is being told. The easiest example of this is to take a first person point of view story and switch it to third person. By taking the story out of the character’s head, the unreliable narrator effect is lost. By moving third person to first, readers become limited to only the things the protagonist can notice or experience. But form depends on more than just point of view. Is the story set is the past? The present? The future? Is the prose minimalistic or rich and lush? Does the story start at the beginning, middle, or end? All of these stylistic choices affect the story as much as the plot. In Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie, style dictates when and what type of information flows to the reader. The conceit of DiLouie’s book is that it’s a behind-the-scenes investigation into the disappearance of ghost hunters in the form of a ‘written documentary.’ Basically, DiLouie has ‘compiled’ information from the cast and crew to form the text of Episode Thirteen. It’s a bold choice executed well.

Fade to Black is a ghost-hunting show with a crew of five people. Matt Kirklin is the lead investigator and star of the show; he’s also a true believer. Kevin Linscott is the show’s tech manager; he’s also a true believer and ex-cop who believes a demon forced him to kill a person. Jessica Valenza is the only person of color on the show; she’s an actress, single mother, and voice of common sense. For her, Fade to Black could be the vehicle to launch her career. Behind the camera is Jake Wolfson; he’s a professional camera operator who doesn’t have an opinion. He wants to get the job done and get paid. Rounding out the group is Claire Kirklin, Matt’s wife. She’s a physicist with a Ph.D. and a healthy dose of skepticism who’s grown a little tired of being the killjoy that debunks all the nonsense. These five have put out twelve episodes and are approaching the end of their first season. The network producers aren’t sure that Fade to Black’s formula is working enough for a second season. Pressure is on to deliver something new. Claire is unhappy; Jessica misses her kid; and Kevin thinks he’s the best investigator on the team. Episode 13 needs to be special if Matt and company want to keep their show on the air. For that episode, Matt chose to look for ghosts at Foundation House, formerly known as Wright Mansion. Reports of an abnormally tall woman appeared in the upper windows of the house. In the 70s, a group of paranormal scientists bought, lived, worked, and experimented in the mansion in rural Virginia. This group was known as the Paranormal Research Foundation. Their methodology was parapsychology, pseudoscience, New Age mysticism, and heavy doses of mind-altering substances. The researchers had three test subjects. One refused to be filmed, and the other two died years back. But the researchers themselves went missing in 1972. In episode 13, Fade to Black goes looking for the scientists. Except things begin to break down and, then, go horribly wrong. Episode Thirteen tells the story of the disastrous and infamous final episode of Fade to Black through the investigator’s own words.

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie is a story told in many different styles. From blog posts to emails to text messages to video transcripts, the five characters describe the disaster that befalls them at Foundation House. The multi-stylistic approach makes for quick reading, but DiLouie doesn’t sacrifice character or description. The varying style choices had different impacts depending on who was talking.

Style over Substance?

At heart, Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie is a novel, and certain expectations come with that. There is a plot there, and in a weaker writer’s hands, so much style change would signify a lack of something: character development, plot, world-building, etc. But DiLouie finds a way to fit depth into the various choices. All five characters are explored to different extents, but they all feel like fully realized characters. Claire and Jessica get the most character work, and frankly they’re the most likeable characters. DiLouie builds a good group dynamic among them. They all work well together, but, as with any working group, tensions exists sub-rosa between varying members. It’s well played as their small in the beginning but show more and more as stressors pressure the group.

Setting description is a bit minimal. I would have liked to see more of the house, but really I have no complaints about the amount we got to see. I had a decent picture of each of the scene settings, and I liked what I saw.

The plot was the weakest element. I’m still a bit confused about things that happened at the end of the book. And the haunting aspect seemed to not matter in the last 25% of the book. There are definitely a lot of questions left unanswered, and this could be a side effect of the ‘written documentary’ style choice.

Smart People Do Stupid Things

If I were every to write a book length critique of horror, I’d call it “People Doing Stupid Things.” This tradition continues in Episode Thirteen, but this time it’s smart people doing the stupid things. There’s a cliche that a crowd is only as smart as the stupidest person, and I think that applies here as well. Every single member of the group makes bad choices, and each of these choices pushes the group collectively along towards their horrific fates. DiLouie’s writing and character work makes these bad choices spring from the characters, and it’s only in hindsight do we see them as dumb choices. This is fantastic writing. The bad choices are needed for the plot, but since they spring from the characters, they drive the story as opposed to being forced on it.

Often, the word stupid applies to book learning. But in reality there are just as many kinds of stupid as there are smarts. Jessica may not have the academic credentials of Claire, but she has a common sense level of self preservation that the other four seem to be missing. Claire’s Ph.D. training makes her intelligent but constrains her in a way she doesn’t understand until things start going wrong. Matt has a naivete that makes him a good ghost hunter and a good connection for the audience, but his ambitions blind him to the state of his wife. Kevin might actually be the better investigator, but his need to prove himself makes him reckless. These flaws, these intelligences and stupidities, drive the plot. Their actions dictate the narrative, and the characters are what make Episode Thirteen worth reading.

Conclusion

Craig DiLouie’s Episode Thirteen does feel like a written documentary. The stylistic choices take a bit of getting used to but then open the story up into a richer experience than that of a single viewpoint. The various styles help characterize the Fade to Black crew members. It’s the characters that make the book special and worth your time. Recommended.

Characters of a ghost-hunting show stay in a mansion with secrets. One of the secrets is what happened to the group of 1970 scientist hippies that disappeared there. Told by tapes, journals, and letters, we find out the story of Episode 13.

Let me tell you a story about reading this book. It’s 11:30 pm. Im on my bike trying to get to my 10,000 steps for the day while I read. I hear a creak in the basement, which is open across from me. I stop pedaling and reading and stare. A few seconds later my cat runs up the basement stairs and I scream and almost fall off my bike. This book got me y’all. It was interesting and informative all the way through, but then the ending is just straight spooky! I liked that it wasn’t just simple horror, it had some science to it and was detailed at times. The unique way it’s written adds to the spook because it feels real! The very very end was a bit of an eye-roll for me but I still liked it.

“Not all ghosts haunt houses. Some try to live in your head.”

Episode Thirteen comes out 1/24.

Episode 13 is the written version of a found footage horror flick and I am here for it. We follow around a group of paranormal hunters as they delve into the mysterious Foundation House and the experiments that occurred there, documenting the experience along the way.
I went in thinking that what I was reading had a typical haunted house trope and was firmly corrected, it became so much more. The found footage style writing is amazingly clever and worked out extremely well. “Sound” played a large part of the occurrences, with disembodied voices over the walkie-talkies and suitably creepy songs, all of which creeped me the hell out.
All in all, I had a great time reading this book, rarely putting it down. I highly recommend for anyone who loves a spooky time with a twist!

Happy Pub Day!
I liked it, I didn't love it.
I found myself a little bored throughout the entire novel even though it was written in multi-media type writing (which tbh was a lot of fun).
This almost-500 page novel didn't need to be almost 500 pages. It definitely needed to be longer for the storyline, but not 500 pages. HOWEVER, I do think most will enjoy this as it talks about the science behind the hauntings and the ins and outs of ghost hunting shows. Because it was longer, we do get to see the slow descent into madness for most characters.
If you enjoyed the writing style of Illuminae and genuine haunted houses with a past, this one is for you!