John Dies at the End

By: David Wong

Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne

Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

John Dies at the End is a genre-bending, humorous account of two college drop-outs inadvertently charged with saving their small town—and the world—from a host of supernatural and paranormal invasions.

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.

©2007 David Wong and Permuted Press. All rights reserved. (P)2011 BBC Audiobooks America

Yessssss

Holy shit that was such a ride. Never heard so many good nasty horribly amazing jokes in my life

Great book but faulty audio?

I'm pretty sure the end of the book is screwed up- cuts off short- although this book is so out there that who knows, it could be how it goes... Just seemed really off. Otherwise it's wonderful.

Good book, if confusing at times.

Ok. This book is weird. Which is its best feature and at the same time its worst flaw. There are times when David Wong's particular brand of insanity is hilarious or nearly uncomfortably dark. When it works its amazing, it hits just the right note or manages to catch you off-guard and leave you in stitches. That said, that exact same feature at times feels a bit forced and other times just left me scratching my head at the choices of the characters or the way he decided to lay out the story. All in all I think he had more hits than misses when it came to it, but maybe around a 60/40 split.

Told as a Nightmare, in Bits & Pieces

This one is kind of hard to rate. I would give it four stars for ingenuity and inventiveness of the basic story but overall I give it three stars because the story needs to be tighter...I get that it's suppose to be like a nightmare but it meanders all over the place in too many places. A shorter book would have been appreciated, I think.

The narrator did a fine job with the material. I recommend this book to those who liked books such as a 'Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy'...liked, not loved--people who loved that book are absolutely in love with it, I think and might take offense in this one being compared to it...that said, if you liked that book you should at least find this book to be similarly entertaining.

Funny, creepy, outstanding.

I loved it. It has the creep that gets under the skin, which I love, and it's usually followed by solid dick jokes, which I love more. And at no point will you be bored. Rock-solid characters, unpredictable plot line (in the "you-didn't-see-that-coming" type of way), and even a warm-and-fuzzy romance. Great read.

Great Book, Greaty Performance

Would you listen to John Dies at the End again? Why?

Definitely, already have his second book pre-ordered.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tough call. Dave has the everyday persona that you can relate to but John has that charisma that draws you to him as well.

Have you listened to any of Stephen R. Thorne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but will in the future.

Who was the most memorable character of John Dies at the End and why?

Arnie Blondstone. Great character arc for him.

I tried this because I loved the movie

I gave the audio book a try because I had stumbled upon the movie and really enjoyed it. The book was just as enjoyable and so much more. Given the additional time compared to the movie, there were several different story threads and significant characters that weren't in the movie. The book is time well spent. I've finished the 2nd one and loved it also. I've downloaded the 3rd and will tackle it soon.

Fun, exactly what I didn’t know I needed

I’ve been working my way through books you “should” read. This is hilarious, juvenile, and visceral. It’s extremely gripping and oddly heartwarming. Listen to it.

literary gold!

Couldn't stop devouring this book. Read the physical copy years ago and just had to go back and listen again.

Funny and interesting, even with the cliches

Imagine if a 12yr old had to make up a story on the spot for a class presentation where a writer just so happened to be sitting and that writer thought "wow maybe this should be a book, but with more 90s references and self deprecating humor". It's that.