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John Dies at the End
John Dies at the End · Book 1
A drug called soy sauce gives David and his friend John access to perceptions they would have been better off without. Beings from other dimensions are threatening their town, and the two friends find themselves trying to prevent a much larger disaster.
From the publisher’s blurb
“None of this was my fault.”Read the full description at Publisher description in David’s voice, St. Martin’s Griffin
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What makes it funny?
Extraordinary perception doesn't necessarily reveal anything useful. David can suddenly count the grains in a stranger's meal and discover far too much about where his own fork has been.
The comedy at work
David keeps interrupting the supernatural trouble with ordinary distractions and jokes at his own expense. Horror-film and video-game conventions supply further targets for a narrator who won't maintain a solemn account of events.
Try this if…
Disorienting events, a sarcastic narrator and gross-out jokes make this a fit for readers who like their cosmic threats accompanied by a lot of chatter. The danger remains real within the story.
Good to know
Expect drug use, graphic bodily violence, profanity and sexual jokes. Older editions name the author as David Wong; current editions use Jason Pargin. The 2021 special edition adds author and character commentary.
Keep reading
More in John Dies at the End
The series continues with 3 more books on our shelf.
Book 2This Book Is Full of Spiders
Book 3What the Hell Did I Just Read
Book 4If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe
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A few distinguishing details
- A perception-altering drug reveals humiliating trivia
- Cosmic horror narrated through digressions and self-mockery
More funny cosmic horror
Sources & further reading
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