Review of John Dies at the End (But only the first half)
By David Wong
This book is about a guy named David. And one day his best friend, John, takes some bad drugs from the wrong drug dealer who turns out to be the host for several thousand scary bug-like aliens and now John and David are paranormal ghost busters for the small Midwestern town of Undisclosed Location. You know, that old story.
I guess I would have to say the theme is… hard to pin down. In the best kind of way. There are ghosts, aliens, monsters, monsters made out of cockroaches, interdementional black holes that suck up everything including memories, exploding dogs, flying jellyfish, dirty cops, Elvis impersonators… and this is all in the first half of the book, mind you.
I normally wouldn’t write a review on something I haven’t finished. However, I feel pretty confident about how I feel about this book. Plus I saw the movie a while ago. Plus I didn’t have anything else that I really enjoyed this last week that I wanted to write a review on.
Anyway, lets get right into it. I am truly enjoying reading this book. I stumbled upon the movie a while back on Netflix. I think I checked it out just because of the title. I definitely enjoyed it. But of course, the book is better.
Favorite Character: John
Favorite Scene: This is the only part that I am not sure if I am qualified to write about, considering I haven’t read all the scenes. However, I will do my best, and just realize I am making this call without all the information.
When David explains the unexplainable absence of Todd. Or the first time he takes soy sauce.
Favorite Line: There. Are. So. Many.
“John’s coffee, which tasted like a cup of battery acid someone had pissed in and then cursed at for several hours,”
Or
“The sound of my singing voice could probably draw blood from a man’s ears, and perhaps kill a dog outright.”
Or
“From day one it was like society was this violent, complicated dance and everybody had taken lessons but me. Knocked to the floor again and again, climbing to my feet each time, bloody and humiliated. Always met with disapproving faces, waiting for me to leave so I’d stop fucking up the party.
They wanted to push me outside, where the freaks huddled in the cold. Out there with the misfits, the broken, glazed-eye types who can only watch as the normals enjoy their shiny new cars and careers and marriages and vacations with the kids. The freaks spend their lives shambling around, wondering how they got left out, mumbling about conspiracy theories and Bigfoot sightings. Their encounters with the world are marked by awkward conversations and stifled laughter, hidden smirks and rolled eyes. And worst of all, pity.”
Gore Level: Lots and lots and lots of gore. Silly amounts of gore. Like Sam Raimi, Army of Darkness level of gore (and silliness).
And that is my review (of the first half) of the book, John Dies at the End by David Wong.
Rey Wright 