I really enjoyed this re-read of David Wongs debut novel from 2007. Of course, the book has aged, especially the pop culture references feel really old (you guys still remember Fred Durst?), at the same time it takes you down nostalgia lane, because I cannot be the only one remembering listening to Limp Bizkit CDs, right? Right??
But apart from that, it has aged very well. The story itself is still unconventional and out of the ordinary, although it is hard to explain why without giving away too much.

Wong has a great sense for syntax and a black, very dry humour. I am not kidding when I say that this book will make you laugh out loud or at least giggle even while being in public. It is well structured, the episodes are not long-winded (as they unfortunately are in his follow up novels), but above all, I have to praise the atmosphere. He manages to create a realistic uncanny environment that can turn from uncanny to simply horrifying to hilarious within two pages. One of the central statements of John Dies at the End must be (in my opinion), that ghosts, demons and whatnot don’t haunt specific places, but minds. They haunt minds. And this novel kind of does the same to you, it really messes with your brain and with your perception of reality up to a point when you question everything and everyone – and then Wong suddenly cracks some dick jokes so that the world feels alright again.

I really like John Dies at the End, but I have to admit, that I remember loving it the first time I read it. The first time, I was just not expecting half of the crazy plot twists and sudden turns, therefore I was not braced for them and this book left me staring dumbfounded at its pages with my mind going “wtf?!” more often than I like to admit here. Naturally, there were not that many surprises now, but I noticed a lot of details which I completely missed the first time. I still really like it and I can see myself reading it a third time when I need a break from serious literature.
And as far as the title goes… Well, you will just have to find out yourself if John dies at the end or not.

I am currently re-reading John Dies at the End which I first read (and loved) in 2013.

 

I remember that its weird an twisted story blew my mind back then and that every book by David Wong that came out after John Dies at the End was disappointing in comparison to it (though still entertaining to a certain degree).

So far, I still remember some bits and pieces, but even though a lot of the crazy plot twists aren’t surprising to me any more, I still enjoy this novel and it still makes me smile and giggle from time to time.

This is another selection from the Albany Public Library Summer Reading Challenge. (Theme:  "Out of this world.")

 

The audio for this book was over 14 hours long.  I often found myself thinking, "Henry James would call this book "a loose and baggy monster."  Come to think of it, the book actually features some loose and baggy monsters.

 

If this book were a stew, it would contain ingredients from Ghostbusters, Men in Black, Supernatural, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Fringe.  There were parts that made me laugh out loud, but there were also parts that just rambled, on and on.  And way too many dick jokes. 

 

By the time the story got to its big twists near the end, I was exhausted.  I considered abandoning it, but didn't want to because then I'd have to find another "out of this world" book to replace it with.

I've been side-eyeing this novel for a long time, so when a recent trip brought us to a used bookstore I picked up a copy. I usually don't for recent books still in print, but I'm glad I went on the cheap side for this one.

 

'John Dies at the End' is mostly David Wong telling his story to a reporter. After accidentally taking a strange drug known as 'Soy Sauce' he and his buddy John have gained notoriety for their ability to spot and intervene in supernatural problems. Wong, which is an alias for the character as well as the author, can't avoid sharing some details about his troubled youth and lots and lots of details about what a lonely, sad life he has.

 

The humor is juvenile, but effective. Its the language of a bro and loser who got in over their heads. The angle that the demons or whatever have an even lower, racist and homophobic, sense of humor is kind of funny. Any inconsistencies within the logic of the story is played off because of drugs, lies, and other hand-waving - which is also fine. I'm not going to read a goofy horror novel and expect internal consistency. The plot itself has no real momentum, and the book feels like the episodic piecemeal narrative the novel originated as. The real problem with the book is the female characters. There are only two substantial women in the book: 1. Jennifer Lopez who looks like J-Lo from behind and is a love interest; and 2. Amy, the younger sister of an early character, and who becomes a major character herself in the last act. There's also the dog, Molly, who arguably has a more fulfilling character arc then either woman.

 

All other women are either non-entity off-the-camera coworkers, party guests, victims, and girls John is having sex with - one gets a name and a brief speaking role so we can admire her breasts. Which, that's the market for this book, fine.

 

I've read worse, of course, Wong interjects a few paragraphs about women and how they're more than objects of desire, so he tried, I guess. The book had some entertaining absurdist moments. If I come across the sequels for less than wholesale I'll think about it.

 

John Dies at the End

 

Next: 'This Book is Full of Spiders'

So I say this everytime I review a book by this author, this was insane! It's set in the not-so-distant future where the cars are self driving, holograms are a normal thing, and most of the world lives their lives either creating or watching a continuous live stream of their mundane or extreme existences. Zoe gets caught up in a mess of her late absentee father's making. There's his crew, the suits, who all wear actual fancy suits and are equivalent to the futuristic mafia. And then there's the evil villian Molech, who's basically a kid with daddy issues and a god complex. He wants to take over Tabula Rasa (and then the world) and pretty much destroy anyone or thing he deems unworthy. The problem is, that Zoe holds the key to either his success or epic failure. So basically there are people trying to kidnap or kill her, or gain access to the vast fortune her father left behind for her (which includes his company and his "Suits"), or they want to protect her. There are so many left turns in this story it's almost hard to keep up. The author kept me on the edge of my seat for this one. I was never really sure how it was all going to work out. The most important part of this book was that Zoe's cat survived all of the gunfire, explosions--basically carnage. I'm all about the animals people. And it wasn't exactly an open or ambiguous ending, but there was definitely the hint of a sequel. I shudder to think what kind of mess Zoe would find herself in in a sequel!