Review: The Unclaimed

Luke C Jackson is the author of the teenage horror novel Summer’s End and co-writer of the independent horror feature When Evil Reigns. The Unclaimed is his debut novel.

Luke C Jackson’s debut novel is a disturbing dark horror/thriller written in the guise of a Scooby Do style mystery.

Written for the teen market, the Unclaimed tells the story of a brother and sister whose holiday turns into a search for the truth when Jenna sees a ghost in the neighbour’s yard. Together with a group of local children they attempt to uncover the mystery behind the sighting, only to stumble onto a dark town secret which puts their own lives at stake.

Like many horror/thrillers the novel uses a number of tonal shifts to achieve the effect of a downward spiral for its characters. The Unclaimed opens with all the elements of a friendly, coming of age teen drama, exploring themes such as friendship, marital breakdown and first love as Andy and Jenna attempt to fit into the town. The tone then slides into a mystery with the apparition of the ghost before a dark twist sends the story spiralling into the suspense horror genre. This final stage is sudden and unrelenting – touching on themes usually dealt with in adult fiction.

While billed as a mystery the book is in many ways darker than the follow up horror novel Summer’s End. The handling of this “dark” material is exceptional. His writing allows us to understand the gravity of the situation, but is restrained enough to sneak through the censors.

Think Goonies meets the People Under the Stairs for kids and you’ll know what to expect.

However, unlike his second book – which was strong in every aspect - the Unclaimed does have some minor flaws that impair the delivery of the story.

Structurally, the story takes longer to get to the action with Jackson spending a lot of time on character development. While this helps you to feel for the characters when they put in peril, it stalls the reader from getting to the real story.

His use of a number of minor characters is also weaker; many including the tour guide and librarian are presented as plot devices and provide cheap and easy answers for the protagonist.

But don’t let these flaws deter you from what is otherwise a competent debut from Jackson and well worthy of your attention if you enjoyed Summer’s End.

The Unclaimed is available through Jackson’s website.