Jason X: Death Moon

Lore & Background

The novel follows the New American Republic as it commandeers a space freighter to track Jason Voorhees, an undead cyborg. Nano spiders capture him and deliver him to Elysium, the moon of Earth II, where Doctor Armando Castillo, a one-eyed necrophile, experiments on him for the Teknopriests. Also on Elysium is Moon Camp Americana, a finishing school for teenage daughters of the political elite, overseen by Helga Van Schmerz, a sadistic lesbian Nazi revived from cryonic suspension. The camp's activities are documented by art porn director Roger Bordeaux and his assistant Lisa Foxx.

Castillo murders campers and staff to acquire bodies for his experiments, dressing as Jason and assisted by a zombie-like clone of Jason's mother, Pamela. After Jason escapes and kills hundreds, including April Carlson and Lisa Foxx, he is blown apart by a WMD called the Berzerker. Castillo rebuilds Jason and attempts to fuse him with his A.I. assistant, Major Tom. Hacktivist Juan Jimenez 'JJ' Gonzales, whose parents were killed by Castillo, spies on him and helps Amanda Cartwright, who infiltrated the camp. Jason goes on another rampage, kills Castillo, and is split into his pre-cyborg self and Überjason, who absorbs his past self and is flung into a wormhole by Amanda and JJ. Jason is later deposited elsewhere on Elysium and begins slaughtering the inhabitants of Moon City.

Reader's Guide

Jason X: Death Moon is notable as Alex S. Johnson's first published novel, written after Nancy Kilpatrick, author of the previous Jason X novel Planet of the Beast, had planned to write it but was replaced. The novel received mostly terrible reviews, though Johnson felt he did a pretty damn good job within the series' parameters. In a dual review, Don D'Ammassa found it more amusing and intriguing than Friday the 13th: Hate-Kill-Repeat, though less well written and plausible. Nancy Kilpatrick called it 'pretty damned weird.' Nat Brehmer of Bloody Disgusting noted that Johnson's style made it difficult to know what was happening but enjoyed it nonetheless, concluding it would not be half as memorable if it were remotely digestible. Cole Hediger, writing for Bookstr, described the Jason X series as action-packed with a militarized Jason, suited more for hard science fiction or action fans than those seeking chills. The novel's legacy lies in its extreme, surreal take on the Friday the 13th mythos, blending cyborg horror, political satire, and bizarre elements like a Nazi camp overseer and a virtual state of consciousness called Akasha.net.

Did You Know?

• The novel is set on Elysium, the moon of Earth II, and features a reformatory called Moon Camp Americana.
• Doctor Armando Castillo is a one-eyed necrophile hired by the Teknopriests to experiment on Jason.
• Helga Van Schmerz, a sadistic lesbian Nazi, has been in and out of cryonic suspension since World War II.