The Gap

J. A. Thomas

Oct 2024 · BookLocker.com, Inc.

About this ebook

The Darien Gap. A 10,000 square mile rain forest between Colombia and Panama. The most unexplored and dangerous jungle on Earth. Each year, thousands risk their lives in a hellish trek northwards through the Gap, for a chance at something better.

They face unrelenting heat, humidity, venomous animals and insects, poisonous plants, starvation, thirst, disease. The most dangerous creatures are the ones the travelers hire, to guide them through this primeval place.

Migrants are routinely robbed, raped, murdered, or simply lured down ghost trails and left to die. Terror and death are a constant companion.

The migrants are the nameless, known only by their dialects or countries of origin.

Guided through the hellish landscape by three ruthless, amoral human traffickers, each step becomes a struggle for survival as the group discovers the nature of the men to whom they have entrusted their lives. The violence escalates with each passing day, erupting in a shocking act of brutality. And the worst was yet to come.

Awakening from a horrific vision of ancient rituals and malevolent gods, they find themselves in a dreamworld of eldritch gods, old ones from the depths of space and time itself. With four dead at dawn, in the shadow of a malformed and alien edifice beyond reason, the group sets out to find their way back.

Over the course of the next four days, each of them discover that some paths are better left untraveled. That a new life can take on many forms. And that some gaps were never meant to be crossed.

Ratings and reviews

This was a very in depth horror, it really made you think what it's actually like in the gap and what people have to go through to get to this country. The horrors they endure to make it to a better life. The author paints a very thorough portrait of the struggle. I had a hard time getting into the book in the beginning but once it picked up I couldn't put it down. If you like horror you will love this book.

The Gap is a gritty survival horror novel with psychological and supernatural undertones, and it leans hard into the reality that human beings can be more dangerous than any jungle. I’d recommend it to readers who appreciate dark, visceral fiction that doesn’t pull punches, especially those who like their horror rooted in real places and real suffering.

About the author

J.A. Thomas is a retired engineer/small business owner. He has been married to the same kind and patient woman for 24 years, and is a lifelong resident of Colorado. When he isn’t writing, J.A. enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, travel and prospecting for the occasional gold nugget.