David Wong has updated the Lovecraft tradition and infused it with humor that rather than lessening the horror, increases it dramatically. Every time I set the book down down, I was wary that something really was afoot, that there were creatures I couldn’t see, and that because I suspected this, I was next. Engaging, comic, and terrifying.– Joe Garden, Features Editor, The Onion“Wong is like a … Onion
“Wong is like a mash-up of Douglass Adams and Stephen King… ‘page-turner’ is an understatement.”
—Don Coscarelli, director, Phantasm I-V, Bubba Ho-tep
“That rarest of things–a genuinely scary story.”–David Wellington, author of Monster Island, Vampire Zero
“JOHN DIES AT THE END has a cult following for a reason: it’s horrific, thought-provoking, and hilarious all at once. This is one of the most entertaining and addictive novels I’ve ever read.”–Jacob Kier, Publisher, Permuted Press
STOP. You should not have touched this flyer with your bare hands. NO, don’t put it down. It’s too late. They’re watching you. My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours. You may not want to know about the things you’ll read on these pages, about the sauce, about Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it’s too late. You touched the book. You’re in the game. You’re under the eye. The only defense is knowledge. You need to read this book, to the end. Even the part with the bratwurst. Why? You just have to trust me.
The important thing is this: The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I’m sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault.
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This book was thoroughly entertaining. From the prologue, this book captured my attention with a comedic riddle and made want to keep going. There is a movie out there, but I’m afraid to watch it because this book was so wonderfully orchestrated with clever action scenes and unusual creatures. One of the top beasts was probably the meat monster, a b-rated monster with sausages for fingers. I listened to the audible version, and the narrator brought David Wong’s book to life. I would highly recommend.
I read this because one of my former students recommended it. They were fans of Wong over on Cracked.
No regrets. Hilarious, irreverent, cosmically bizarre, and engaging, JDatE is a strange world I was engrossed in. I haven’t had the chance to read the sequel yet, but I’ll be checking it out this summer once I get some free time again.
John Dies at the End
It’s hard to classify this one. Personally, I was hooked by the third line:
“Let’s say you have an ax. Just a cheap one, from Home Depot…”
It’s funny as hell and scary as hell and surprisingly well-written. It also has one of the best dogs in all of Western literature. If you’re craving something utterly unsentimental and laugh-out-loud hilarious for the holidays, dip your toe into the world of David Wong.
The great secret backbone of the JDATE novels isn’t the brilliant comedic bits, the terrifically weird situations, and monsters, or the eclectic storytelling – it’s the tragic beating hearts of its main character. There’s an underlying sadness born of world-weary observation and self-loathing, and the character, despite the insanity of the world around him, comes across somehow as one of the most honest, realistic characters I’ve read in quite some time. That blend, the fight between a man and his troubling personal demons and the battle against very real, very silly external ones, it’s nothing short of brilliant. Cannot recommend David Wong enough.
This book took me out of my comfort zone, but I didn’t mind the detour.
Definitely a weird and twisted novel! If you are into dark humor and quantum anomalies this book will whip you like stage coach driver … and you will like it! It’s the best book I have read in 2020!!
you just got vectored
As a reader who’s been known to skip to the last page first, I appreaciated the heads up of the title. This book is bat-shit crazy. Maybe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets MIB? Or something like that. It’s actually indescribable. You have to read it for yourself. I highly recommend it.
OUTSTANDING! A must, and I mean A MUST read. Just the right amounts of humor, monsters, a whacky obnoxious best friend, and Soy Sauce… lol. Outstanding book! Many many more…. PLEASE
Absurd and hilarious. Honestly one of my favourite books. I want to know John in real life.
I read this book on a whim…I think it was offered for kindle at 99 cents or something. Man, am I glad I did! This is one of the most quirky, well-written, imaginative, and compelling books I’ve ever read. It combines elements of Horror and Humor in a way that is unlike anything else I’ve read in a while. Kind of like if Stephen King had written Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The writing is excellent, and I found myself staying up much later than normal just to see what would happen. That, in a nutshell, is what I look for in a book!
I’d give this 3.5 if I could. I thought JDatE was funny and absurd. I liked the ridiculousness and tone of the story, but there was something about it that didn’t quite live up to the hype I’d been hearing about. At times I felt lost, as things seem to happen for no reason other than, “hey, that’s how it works now.” There were also a few times where I felt the author was trying to outdo his last weird thing just for the sake of doing so, rather than it adding anything to push the story forward. While these were very entertaining to read in the moment, I sometimes found these constant one-uppings distracting. I am planning to read the other two books in the series, in hopes that things start to tie together.
This book is not for everyone, but if you like raunchy humor, mixed with films like Zombieland, you aren’t going to be able to put this book down. Not only did I read this one in 2 days, but I read the 2 sequels over the course of the next week. The characters are fun, the monsters are unique, and jokes are hilarious. I only wish I could wipe my memory and read them all again.
hilarious if you have the personality of someone who can laugh at the ridiculous and monstrous
I’m really not sure what I just read (listened to – I “read” the audio book version). John Dies at the End is an adrenaline-fueled adventure that takes many twists and turns into so many places that it is hard to really put my finger on it. (Edit – I have not watched the movie.)
The story is narrated by the writer (David Wong – and he tells you up front that’s not his real name) and involves Dave and his best friend John (also not his real name) as they deal with unexplained monsters and creatures that are invading our world. Dave and John are able to see these creatures and deal with them because they have taken “Soy Sauce”, an unknown substance (that is apparently alive) and gives them a hyper intelligence and several abilities. Much of the story is recounted by Dave to a reporter to get him to try and believe all of the strange things that has happened to Dave as he’s dealt with the weirdness invading his life. And man, is it weird.
Dave is a likable person, and you can feel for him as he struggles to first figure out what the heck is going on. And once he does you want him to succeed against what is obviously something evil and vile (I’ll spare you the quite literally gory details). Dave is a reluctant hero who seems to be sucked in by the events around him and at times you really wonder if what he describes is real, or all just something he’s made up. (Heck, that’s what the reporter thinks.)
The story moves along rapidly, with curse- and scatological-filled descriptions being the preferred style of narration. The humor is dark, the action bloody, and there are a lot of references to genitalia. (This is not a book for kids.) It was hard for me to understand exactly where the story was going – and maybe that was the intention – because as soon as I thought I had figured it out, Wong would throw in a curve and I’d be scratching my head for a while. By the end of the story it seemed to me that nothing really had been resolved, that a sort of cold war existed between David, John, and the forces of evil. Maybe I missed the point, but the lack of a clear resolution (yeah, I know that there are some resolutions made, but honestly, the way the story ended I was sort of M’eh) is what takes this down a notch for me.
If you like reading a story where you feel you are on a drug-induced trip, filled with monsters, action, and a chance to save the world, then you may enjoy John Dies at the End more than I did. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.
Note: The audio version I listened to was well done. The narration by Stephen Thorne did a good job of capturing the slacker attitude and juvenile mentality of Dave. There were no production problems with the narration; I just wished he had better material to work with.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and especially likes Lovecraft, because there’s a little bit of that in this. The book is well written, so, so funny and just really entertaining. It’s like nothing you have read before.
For those out there who haven’t read any of the gloriously weird, funny/scary work by David Wong, and if you’re ok with gloriously weird/funny/scary, do yourself a big fat favor and start with this one. One of my all-time favorites.