This début novel from Jonathan Sims is based in a building in Whitechapel, London called Banyan Court. In the penthouse of the multimillion-pound development, a party is taking place and the guest list is made up of people who all have something in common. Each of the chapters is told from the viewpoint of a different partygoer and details how each guest came to be invited by the building's owner, reclusive billionaire Tobias Fell. The reader is advised via a prologue that Tobias died mysteriously not long after hosting a lavish dinner party. No one knows what happened to Tobias but it certainly gave rise to suspicion. Taking place in the months leading up to the death of Tobias, the reader gets a glimpse of life for the other characters. Banyon Court also takes on its own identity with the lingering creepy and chilly atmosphere. None of the guests knows each other except in passing but they all share an unknown common bond - they've experienced the unexplainable and absolutely terrifying within their four walls. In a wicked and ultrasharp finale, everything is revealed when the characters converge and the truth is exposed. Disturbing and certainly entertaining, this horror story has by been written by Jonathan Sims in such a refreshing fashion that it's impossible not to swiftly become immersed in its weirdness and the gruesome mystery. Some of the characters were more memorable than others but each one added another puzzle piece towards the overall picture. With a narrative instilled with tangible tension that was almost claustrophobic, I was laden with apprehension and a strong sense of foreboding. I can confidently recommend Thirteen Storeys. I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Orion Publishing Group, Gollancz via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Johnathan sims has another beautiful piece in his addicting horror style. If you liked magnus you'll like this Spooky capitalist hellscape!

Maybe I am a little bit biased because I was already familiar with Jon's work through The Magnus Archives podcast (which you should absolutely listen to if you liked this), but I really loved this book. An amazing horror/thriller book and it got me out of my reading slump! A very easy (if not nightmare-inducing) read. Also brings up political issues surrounding billionaires, wealth and class. So excited and hopeful to see more books like this in the future. I will say that there were a fair few typos that took me out of it a bit - hopefully will be fixed in the reprint.

Who doesn’t love a good spooky story, let alone 13 of them with an overarching plot by Jonathan sims! Simply cannot get enough of John, he nails diverse characters and story telling to a T. If u liked the Magnus archives you’ll love this! A beautiful critique of the lack of morals in capitalism and a great bunch of spooky stories!!! Can’t wait for more from him 10/10!

Well... this was a little different - and in a good way. Set in a residential block in London - catering for both the haves and the have nots. Commissioned and owned by billionaire (and then some) Tobias Fell who himself resides in the penthouse. At the start we know he is now dead, the circumstance around this, well, a bit up in the air. We then go back and meet a bunch of characters who all have some connection to the building in the form of short stories, all culminating in the receipt of an invitation to a dinner in the penthouse. Some are residents - from both "sides" of the building, others are connected by trade or work. Each story takes an element of their "personality" and, well, it's hard to describe without going into too much detail and that would spoil things. Suffice to say, nasty things happen, mostly in some form of horrific supernatural way... Anyway... at the end of the book, after we have met each character, there's a dinner party where they are all asked to do something in exchange for their lives... and really, that's all I want to say about that. On the face of things, it's a book of short stories. But it also isn't that at all as they are all connected in some way to what is hinted at in the beginning and expanded on in the final chapters. It's also an extremely hard book to review as it is nothing like anything I have ever had to review before and I am really struggling to formulate my thoughts on what I read. I do know one thing though - I really did enjoy what I read. It was unique and novel and held my attention firmly throughout, leaving me satisfied at its conclusion. Obviously I enjoyed some of the "shorts" more than others as they are all completely different but the fact that they all connected was what really made the book on the whole so much more than the sum of its parts. Especially when we got to the crux of it all. It's gory and ghostly and also quite poignant throughout, especially at the end. If you like your horror with a moralistic bent served up with a supernatural element then you might want to give this a spin.