Review: John Dies at the End

Purchase John Dies at the End here.

Synopsis:

STOP.
You should not have touched this book 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.
Unfortunately for us, if you make the right choice, we’ll have a much harder time explaining how to fight off the otherworldly invasion currently threatening to enslave humanity.
            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 is was my fault.

Review:

What to even say about this book?  I picked it up a while ago, then decided it was time to review as the movie was recently released here in the US.  Enticed by the severed hand on the cover and the spoilerific title, I thought it would be an interesting read.  What followed was a dark and convoluted (and more than occasionally sickening) tale that I assume is comparable to an acid trip.  Especially if you're ill and tired and dizzy while reading the book.

Favorable reviews of John Dies at the End cite a laugh-out-loud and horror-filled novel.  Less favorable ones call it juvenile.  I fall somewhere in between; I have to admit that I giggled and read some of the lines of the novel aloud to my mother or friends while I was reading.  However, the humor of the novel is juvenile in most places, consisting mainly of poorly-timed penis and diarrhea jokes (although the line "SHIT THE BOMB" will never stop being funny to me, I think). 

All in all, this book is right in the middle to me.  There are a very select few people I would recommend it to, based on content and writing style.  However, it was certainly different than anything I've read before, and it did have its moments of humor.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda