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Douglas Wynne
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Black January (Spectra Files) Paperback – October 21, 2016

by Douglas Wynne (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
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WELCOME TO THE WADE HOUSE WHERE THE DOORS OPEN YOU Two years after the Starry Wisdom Church unleashed their dark gods in Boston, Becca Philips is trying to put the events of the Red Equinox behind her when Agent Brooks tracks her down in Brazil. Becca has been summoned back to Massachusetts by SPECTRA, the covert agency entrusted with keeping cosmic horrors at bay. Her special perception and skills are requested at the Wade House—a transfiguring mansion of portals to malevolent dimensions. Becca would like to refuse, but Brooks believes her estranged father may be lost between worlds at the abandoned estate. As Becca struggles with grief and forgiveness, she joins a team of explorers uniquely suited to decode the secrets of the strange house in the black snow. But what secrets do her companions harbor? And who among them will take theirs to the grave?
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 3
    The SPECTRA Files
  2. Print length
    249 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Journalstone
  5. Publication date
    October 21, 2016
  6. Dimensions
    5.75 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1945373083
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1945373084
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Black January unites the best tradition of thrillers and cosmic horror. Wynne expands upon Lovecraftian mythology with style." -Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase

"Fans of John Connolly and Preston & Child will love Black January, a top-notch supernatural thriller full of suspense, horror, and wonder, with the coolest opening I've read in ages. Douglas Wynne is the real deal."
-Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Snowblind and Of Saints and Shadows

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Journalstone (October 21, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 249 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1945373083
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1945373084
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 62 ratings

About the author

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Douglas Wynne

Douglas Wynne

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Douglas Wynne wrote his first dark fantasy novel at the age of fifteen but took a creative detour soon after to spend the next decade writing songs and singing in rock bands. After music school and a short stint as a recording engineer in Woodstock, NY, he came full circle back to fiction writing and is recently the author of several critically acclaimed horror and thriller novels, including The Devil of Echo Lake, Steel Breeze, and the SPECTRA Files trilogy. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, and his writing workshops have been featured at genre conventions and schools throughout New England. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and son and a houseful of animals.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
62 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Betty
5.0 out of 5 stars Speeding bullet fast action!
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2024
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& Cthulu, too! Book 2 of a trilogy steeped in Lovecraftiana. Loved Books
1 & 2 - couldn’t put them down!
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BWMatthews
4.0 out of 5 stars If you enjoy Lovecraft, if you love spy thrillers
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2017
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In another exciting novel from Douglas Wynne, Black January continues the story he started in his popular novel, Red Equinox. Photographer Becca Phillips, the heroine from Red Equinox, rejoins SPECTRA agent Jason Brooks to investigate Wade House, a repository of otherworldly dangers. While light on horror, Black January's pages crackle with pulse-pounding tension. Wynne delivers an exceptional thriller, adding layers of complexity to his story, throwing obstacle after obstacle at his protagonists, and putting characters you care about in mortal danger--repeatedly. Wynne also displays a subtle touch with his prose, using words not commonly found in contemporary novels, but nevertheless words that fit so perfectly they make you smile. If you enjoy Lovecraft, if you love spy thrillers, if you simply enjoy great writing, this book will not disappoint.
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Vulpine from Innsmouth
5.0 out of 5 stars Great follow up to Red Equinox
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2016
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Black January is a follow up to Red Equinox. Becca Philips, urban explorer and photographer, and the spooks of SPECTRA (spy spooks who deal with spooky) explore Wade House. Just your average New England Colonial house, with a floorplan that doesn't stay the same, and a ring of standing stones in the back yard. Ok, it's normal for Lovecraft fans. If you like your horror with a high techspy agency flavor, and your heroines spunky, you'll like the SPECTRA Files series. I do recommend that you start with Red Equinox, as there are a bunch of references that while explained, are much better to be read.

Also I have to say, this is one of the few books that gave the crazy cultist character a reason for trying to contact the beings from Outside, well besides 'they're insane'. Nice to see character development in what normally would be a throw away character/bad person.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars I liked this book
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2017
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Second in the SPECTRA series. One of the MC's from the prior book is recalled from Brazil to investigate an aged house of dark aspect with multiple gates to other dimensions. Her companions include a hard-nosed SPECTA agent and the deposed leader of the cult that caused so much havoc the previous time.

I liked this book, but have some issues with it. First, while SPECTRA possesses considerable resources, their agents seem oddly ignorant of what they're up against. Second, recruiting one of the bad guys for a mission like this? And third, the prologue character (who died in the first book) made a very poor decision - but he did have the excuse of being mentally unbalanced.
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Bonnie Rovics
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend that the reader start with Douglas Wynne's first Spectra ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016
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I highly recommend that the reader start with Douglas Wynne's first Spectra Files Novel. It would still be a really good read, but there are a lot of elusions to the former novel. That said - I loved seeing Becka again, her hesitancy and yet desire for adventure.. I loved the concept of the alien or quantum worlds in this novel, particularly well done and unique. Just enough to keep me completely immersed without being terrified to read this before bed.. could not put it down!!!
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Frank Errington
5.0 out of 5 stars Modern day Lovecraftian horror done to perfection
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2016
Review copy

Black January is the sequel to Douglas Wynne's Red Equinox which made my top ten list of favorite reads from all of 2015. The new work works well as a standalone novel, but if you haven't read the first book in the series, you are really missing out.

Both books deal with much of the mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft, a world which continues to inspire writers for nearly a century. While I personally find the works of Lovecraft to be a difficult read, I love his ideas and there are some modern day authors continuing the tradition with great success. Brett J. Talley's That Which Should Not Be and He Who Walks in Shadow, come to mind. And certainly, Douglas Wynne falls squarely into that same category.

Central to the story in Black January is the Wade House, built by renowned candle maker and rumored witch Caleb Wade in 1782.

Photographer, Becca Phillips, is called upon once more by SPECTRA, a clandestine government agency charged with protecting citizens from things we're better off not knowing about. She's important to the team because she has EDEP (Extra Dimensional Entity Perception). She can see the things others can't.

The author does a fine job of catching the reader up on the first story through a combination of conversation and exposition, without coming across as preachy.

Douglas Wynne has actually manged to combine the best elements of a haunted house story with a heavy dose of Lovecraftian horror and the result is a remarkable piece of fiction.

If you read Black January keep an eye out for the Stu Redman reference. That made me smile.

Even though this story manages to tie up all of the loose ends, there is a scene which nicely sets the stage for another book in the series and I already want to read that one, as well.

Strongly recommended.

Black January is published by JournalStone and is available in paperback and e-book formats.

From the author's bio - Douglas Wynne is the author of the novels The Devil of Echo Lake, Steel Breeze, and Red Equinox. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and son and a houseful of animals just a stone's throw from H.P. Lovecraft's fictional town of Arkham.
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Chris Hickey
4.0 out of 5 stars and Wynne's stories are some of the best. Taking the original weird creatures and shunned texts ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2016
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Remixes and reimaginings of Lovecraft's mythos are becoming commonplace, and Wynne's stories are some of the best. Taking the original weird creatures and shunned texts of the original stories, stripping out the casual racism and misogyny and infusing the rest with a heaping helping of 21st century paranoia, Black January is an able successor to the excellent Red Equinox. Wynne's voice reminds me of Stephen King's earlier novels--hungry, conversational, and offhandedly brutal. Highly recommended.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An existing modern cosmic horror
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2023
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Fast paced,dramatic and original cosmic horror story.The protagonists are likeable and relatable, all woven into lovecrafts genre I hope the spectre files trilogy is only the beginning.
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