Jason Brant: An Author Not to be Missed
Jason Brant is an author known for his humorous thrillers and horror novels. For me, he ranks amongst the very best authors I have read. Yes, this statement includes King, Koontz, et al. His free and easy writing style, enthralling stories, well fleshed-out and relatable characters make for a spell-binding combination, designed perfectly to awaken, capture and hold the reader’s attention.
He has written over a dozen books, including several series and standalone works. Let’s take a closer look at some of his notable titles:
The Hunger Series:
This series delves into the world of horror, featuring elements like zombies and post-apocalyptic scenarios.
The first book in the series is “Devoured”, followed by other titles like “Ruined”, “Consumed”, “Ravaged”, “Decayed”, and “Shattered”. Oh, and once you’ve read the first book in the Hunger series, don’t forget to check out “Lotion”, a shorter story firmly based in the Hunger series universe. Lotion further enriches the Hunger Series and I suggest, for the best experience, you read Lotion at any point in the series, once you have read the first book, Devoured.
Day One: A series of terrorist attacks spread a cloud of noxious gas over highly populated areas.
Day Two: Higher brain function erodes in those exposed to the gas. Their bodies begin to distort, faces distending, skin sallowing, teeth elongating.
Day Three: The infected disappear into the shadows, fleeing the harsh daylight which has begun to sear their flesh.
Day Four: The world is DEVOURED.
Life isn’t kind to Lance York. A full-time job has eluded him for years, his wife loathes the sight of him, his bank accounts are empty, and his wealthy father-in-law revels in his failures.
After he lunges in front of a car to save a sick and disoriented woman, Lance awakens in a quarantined hospital. A devastating plague is spreading worldwide, driving those infected with it insane. Their bodies begin to mutate into horrors that have haunted mankind’s nightmares for centuries.
The world descends into chaos as the infected flee to the shadows, emerging at night to devour the remnants of civilization.
With the help of an unlikely ally, Lance must navigate through the collapsing city of Pittsburgh, striving to escape the madness of the apocalypse that unfolds around them.
Book blurb for Devoured
As a side note, Devoured was the first book I ever read by Jason Brant and it was the book that made me eager to read more from this exciting author.
Asher Benson Series:
This thrilling series follows the adventures of Asher Benson, a former Chicago cop turned vigilante.
The first book, “Ash – A Thriller”, introduces readers to this intriguing character. Other books in the series include “Madness”, “Asher’s War”, and more.
9 AM EST: A senator shoots himself on national television.
10:32 AM EST: An entire floor of government agents leap to their death from their office building.
12:57 PM EST: All the police officers inside a station murder each other.
And the day has just begun.
Lieutenant Asher Benson left Iraq with a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and a Purple Heart. His doctors warned that the symptoms would be life altering. They had no idea. As his body healed, the thoughts of those around him began to echo through Ash’s mind, stretching the boundaries of his sanity.
Five years later, Ash is drowning the voices with copious amounts of booze and self-loathing.
When unidentified intelligence agents abduct him in broad daylight, Ash is thrust into a world of espionage and assassinations. A unique terrorist is operating on U.S. soil, and the government needs Ash, and the malady that has plagued him for half a decade, to find the killer.
Book blurb for Ash – A Thriller
The Gate:
The Gate is a standalone novel by Jason Brant, it delivers plenty of suspense and supernatural elements.
Bryan Armstrong and Kyle Detwiler, two college students on the cusp of graduation, are the lucky winners of a contest to become interns on the paranormal television show The Specter Slayers.
Their excitement turns to jubilation when they discover that they’ll be aiding in the investigation of The Danver Church, one of the most haunted places in America. Nestled in the remote mountains of Pennsylvania, the church is world renowned for the massacre that occurred there forty years earlier.
Accompanied by best-selling horror author Katie Upshaw, they attempt to survive a dream job that quickly turns into a nightmare. The church, adorned with satanic symbols and imagery, is the home of things far worse than any of them could have imagined.
Book Blurb for The Gate
West of Hell Series:
In this series, Brant explores a blend of horror and western genres.
The first book, “Gehenna,” sets the stage for a dark and gritty tale. Gehenna is followed by “Tartarus” and “Sheol.”
“And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.” – Leviticus 26:29
When two cannibalistic, gravely-wounded men stagger into the town of Gehenna all Hell breaks loose. Infamous outlaw Mad Dog McCall, stuck in the city jail, must fight for his life to escape. The lonely, intelligent, and snarky Karen must make horrific sacrifices to survive the night against the growing army of the dead.
Together they set upon a journey of biblical proportions, fighting against the living and the infected, hoping against hope to find a safe haven in the middle of Hell.
The Old West can’t fathom the zombie hoard that is about to consume it.
Book Blurb for Gehenna
Short Stories:
Not just an expert with a novel, Jason Brant has also penned several short stories, including “The Perfect Crime: An Asher Benson Short Story,” “All I Want for Christmas: A Horror Short Story,” and more.
If you’re a fan of thrilling tales with a touch of humour or enjoy exploring horror fiction, Jason Brant’s books might be right up your alley.
Please give him a try; I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Beyond His Books – So Bad It’s Good and more besides:
Apart from his writing, Jason Brant co-hosts a horror related podcast called ‘Final Guys’ as well as a podcast for Horror authors and readdress called ‘Bleeding Page’.
My personal favourite Jason Brant project is when he reviews bad movies on YouTube with his friends and family on his superbly entertaining YouTube show called ‘So Bad It’s Good’. Superbly entertaining I say? Don’t just take my word for it, at the time I’m writing this, So Bad It’s Good currently has a very healthy 9.4 stars out of 10 rating on the IMDb.
On So Bad It’s Good, Brant’s humour is infectious and he’s often assisted by his lovely wife, Erin – she who apparently has feet many men lust after, well it takes all sorts I suppose.
Jason and Erin are regularly joined by their good friends:
- Brian – the car ‘expert’ who randomly shares facts nobody cares about, and he hates doilies.
- Dave – the hardcore drinker who can often be heard shouting the immortal word, “HUUUUURRRR!!!” and is known to struggle with PTSD; well, he struggles with actually saying PTSD.
- And last but not least, the enigmatic ‘Off Cam Pam’ – another important part of the team, energetically making herself and her opinions heard from behind the camera.
If any of the above cryptic desrciptions of the crew have left you scratching your head, just watch a few episodes and you too will understand these witty inside jokes.
The energy and humour flows as freely as the high-octane beers the hosts regularly consume while watching dire movies sent to them by fans. This all combines to produce a heady cocktail of fun and hilarity. It’s like you’re sitting with some good buddies to watch some truly terrible movies, it’s all guaranteed to brighten the dullest of days. Just remember to bring your own beer!
Amongst so many brilliant episodes, my personal favourite has to be a side-splitting commentary on the movie Champagne and Bullets (AKA Geteven). I’ve watched that episode dozens and dozens of times and it still cracks me up.
I actually stumbled upon So Bad It’s Good on YouTube and it wasn’t until a few weeks later and after enjoying a ton of his videos I realised that it was the same Jason Brant who authored the superb Hunger Series of books I already loved so much. A multi-talented man indeed.
So Bad it’s Good is a permanent fixture on my YouTube ‘subscribed’ list and one of the best shows out there. Jason publishes new content regularly and even his old stuff keeps you coming back for another watch, time and time again. I can’t recommend it enough – please check it out at – https://www.youtube.com/@JasonBrant
And Finally..
Jason Brant’s diverse background also includes studying music composition at USC, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Scottsdale Community College, and UCLA. That might be quite a lot to put into such a short, single paragraph but it felt wrong not to acknowledge these facts.
So whether you are a reader, a writer or a fan of bad cinema, Jason Brant should be a person of interest and he should be firmly on your radar.
Do you have a favourite Jason Brant book? Perhaps you prefer his So Bad it’s Good YouTube channel. Let me know in the comments which book or episode of the show you like best.
On a final, more personal note, I would like to thank Jason for his initial inspiration as an author and for the many, many hours of amusement he has given me via both his talented writing and his highly enteraining and informative YouTube channels.
Until next time, remember to check out Jason Brant – I’m sure you’ll be glad you did!
Suggested Links:
Jason’s Website:
https://www.authorjasonbrant.com/
Jason on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jmbrant
Jason on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jmbrant17/
Follow Jason on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/jason_brant/
Jason’s author Page on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jason-Brant/author/B007OLXYI8
Jason Brant’s So Bad It’s Good on YouTube (highly recommended):
https://www.youtube.com/@JasonBrant
Final Guys Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@finalguys744
Bleeding Page Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@bleedingpagepodcast8582
© Colin Lawson Books