I never know exactly what I’ll get when I pick up a Craig DiLouie book. The genres range from science fiction southern gothic to near-future civil war and beyond. I prefer to go into his books blind and trust that DiLouie takes me for a wild ride filled with visceral human emotion. He has yet to disappoint, and Episode Thirteen is no exception.
The story follows the cast of the reality ghost hunting show Fade to Black as they film their thirteenth episode at the famously-haunted Paranormal Research Foundation, the holy grail for ghost hunting teams that has never allowed a film crew to enter before. And as the building is scheduled for immediate demolition after episode thirteen films, this may be their only chance.
Husband/wife duo Matt and Claire Kirklin are the joint stars of the show. Matt’s infectious enthusiasm is its beating heart, and Claire’s rigid adherence to scientific skepticism gives Fade to Black their unique take on the ghost hunting genre. But unique is not always profitable, and they face increasing pressure from their producers to deliver something… more.
The book is told through journal entries, text messages, and transcriptions of raw footage. It’s found footage horror meets epistolary classic, and DiLouie’s authorial touch finds a way to elevate both genres. The unique style will likely be hit or miss for many, but it most definitely hit for me.
The opening “editor’s note” briefly had me questioning whether or not Fade to Black was a real show and these were events that actually happened. Going into books blind sometimes yields fun surprises. I always thought “this is a work of fiction” disclaimers were unnecessary, but I guess I’m their target audience.
I’m always wary of putting spoilers in my reviews, but I feel that this is a hard story to spoil. There’s a ghost hunting team, they hunt ghosts, and they get more than they expected. That’s pretty much the plot, and anyone who’s seen a found-footage film before has a decent idea of what they can generally expect. But it’s the brilliant characters who you hold your breath for every time they’re in danger, the philosophical questions raised by the resident skeptic, and the intimate nature of the journal entries that make this truly special. You may not be scared of what goes bump in the dark, but you will be scared for these characters.
For those of you who need it: this book is indeed a work of fiction. But the brilliance of DiLouie’s writing is that sometimes, just for a moment, you just might forget that.
I received a free ARC of this book from Redhook in exchange for a fair and honest review. Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie releases January 24, 2023. You can order here or check it out on Goodreads here.
You can read our interviews with Craig DiLouie here and here, or check out our reviews of One of Us and Our War.
