The forest is alive.
While visiting fellow writer, Frank Harlan Marshall, Derek Gray senses a palpable dread within Frank's house and the forest that surrounds it; a subtle, malignant sentience. What should be a joyous event, as they await the surprise arrival of a long-lost friend, comedian "Dizzy Izzy" Haberstein, is fraught with unease Derek does not understand.
Derek's confusion is upended by the chance meeting with musician Alethea, formerly of Dark Angel Asylum, a band that dropped out of sight once the leader, Aleister Blut, ended up in an insane asylum. As their relationship blossoms, Derek's disorientation at the hands of the forest manifests as his world turns sideways...and one of Frank's fictional creations—a murderous monster named Average Joe— gains foothold in the surreal, psychological terrain.
As the worlds of reality and fantasy meld, what transpires bounds from deeply profound to pure madness.
"Enthralling, surreal, mystical, and evocative, John Claude Smith's The Wilderness Within is a mind-warping tale for devotees of weird fiction, written by a master of the form. I loved it!" - Tim Waggoner, author of Dark and Distant Voices
"With each new work John Claude Smith combines the psychological, physical and supernatural in ever more subtle configurations. You will lose your bearings in this fictional world of Lovecraftian noir where everything is alive with sounds, sensations and an eerie suspicion that our hero would be much better off if he had never answered the call of a lifelong friend. Marvelously evocative writing." - S.P. Miskowski, author of I Wish I Was Like You & Strange is the Night
"John Claude Smith's fiction is consistently out of this world, and with The Wilderness Within, his second novel, he continues reaching new literary heights. Written in gorgeous, gripping prose, this twisted tale blends music, the surreal, and hints of nostalgia to pull readers deeper into the darkness of the woods until, like protagonist Derek Gray, the forest closes in around them, and there's no chance of escape."--Gwendolyn Kiste, author of And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe
"John Claude Smith works at his wildest fever pitch, channeling a tale of men seeking to reconnect in reminiscence and inspiration out among the trees, and instead finding madness. The Wilderness Within takes a whirlwind dash through the trials of the creative life, the surprises of old friendships revisited, and the way old, lost desires continue to echo into our future. This book is a dark, ecstatic trip."--Mike Griffin, author of The Lure of Devouring Light & Hieroglyphs of Blood and Bone
