For fourteen years, Dax Howard has lived with the mystery of his mother’s disappearance. He’s tried to put it behind him, but his father couldn’t get over the loss, wallowing in alcoholism and conspiracy theories about the traveling carnival that he believes kidnapped his wife. Now that his father has died, Dax must face the possibility that he may have been right all along…

But what is the connection between the carnival and a sinister cult brewing in his rural hometown, intent on summoning an ancient being down from the stars? If Dax wants to finish what his father started, he’ll have to uncover the secrets of the cult and find the carnival himself… unless the carnival finds him first.

Praise

“Every page of Joanna Parypinski’s latest novel, Dark Carnival, is a ticket for a new ride. As you collect them and weave your way through the various literary attractions, you can only look back in childlike wonder when you reach the end, wanting to return for more.”
– Michael Bailey, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Psychotropic Dragon and Seven Minutes

“I couldn’t put down this story of an astounding, ancient evil, a carnival that appears and disappears, a runaway mother and a man reluctantly returning to the town of his birth. A supernatural mystery reveals itself in layers, page after page, in the skillful hands of Parypinski.”
– Linda D. Addison, award-winning author of How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend and HWA Lifetime Achievement Award winner

“Joanna Parypinski is a rising star in horror, and it’s easy to see why. Dark Carnival is a fantastically strange and wonderful foray into her unforgettable fictional worlds. With fantastic language, enthralling characters, and a taut mystery at the center of it all, this one is highly recommended.”
– Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens and The Invention of Ghosts

“Beautifully descriptive and haunting well past the final page, Dark Carnival cements Joanna Parypinski’s place as the future of horror.”
– Jess Landry, Bram Stoker Award-winning author and editor