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

Tried something new, and I liked it!

What did you love best about John Dies at the End?

I loved that this story wasn't a formula driven story. No "good guy battles the bad guy and wins because he is the good guy" stuff. The characters are not knights in shining armor, everyone is broken (or at least chipped), but that didn't make them bad people, or especially good people. Just... people. The story was a little crazy... a little funny... a little surprising... And the twists and turns weren't sadly obvious, or so ridiculous that it ruined the story. It all felt like it just fit together. And fit well.

What did you like best about this story?

I was afraid the the story was going to get overly complicated... overlapping time, and different dimensions, and all of the classic over-complications of scifi...

Nope! The story was "filtered" by the point of view of the regular guys on an irregular adventure. They didn't bother trying to explain everything. They figured out what they needed to know, and went with it.

It was an interesting premise, a good story, and a very good performance. Thorne's performance fit the characters perfectly, in all their imperfect glory.

Any additional comments?

I almost hope for a sequel to this book.... but I would be afraid it wouldn't be able to capture the same magic as this one did.

One of the greatest books ever written.

Douglas Adams meets Stephen King. But with more dick jokes. Read it, you won't be disappointed!

smartassed & surrealist humor

What did you like best about John Dies at the End? What did you like least?

The book was funny... "Your dead boyfriend's ghost *hits* you? What a dick."
But after too much over-sarcasm, I realized that the writing style still works as a novel, but works much better as Wong's shorter, cracked online editorial rants.

At some points the book had a similar surrealist humor to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Interesting story. But the cursing is tiresome.

Why does it seem impossible to find a good book nowadays that isn’t saturated with cursing? It gets very tiresome and turns an otherwise entertaining story, into and experience of irritation.

Suspension of Disbelief

What did you love best about John Dies at the End?

This book absolutely does not take itself too seriously. It is infectious from the get go.There are loose ends that I wish were explained, so i could make sense of them but that is honestly just for me. The humor is outstanding, the plot shifts itself into 5th gear from the Prologue and keeps it red-lined all the way through the book. You have to get out of a serious mindset when listening to this, as well as get used to his repetitive way of describing ridiculous scenarios, which there are plenty. But it is worth it just as a breath of fresh air, which this book is.

Which character – as performed by Stephen R. Thorne – was your favorite?

I believe through a combo of how well written it was, and how well performed it was, John is my favorite character. Buy and large most friend groups have a John type and he is just extravagantly well written in this.

amazing story i loved every second of it

wow just fricking wow this story caries itself so well and keeps you enthralled for every second

Really silly but tons of fun.

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

No, because it loses the novelty after the first time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of John Dies at the End?

The doorknob turning into a penis before all the meat in the freezer turns into a demon figure.

What about Stephen R. Thorne’s performance did you like?

His conversational narration matched the book's style.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh a lot from pure randomness and silliness.

Silly and strange and brilliant

Absolutely one of the strangest and funniest horror type books I've ever listened to or read. Mr. Wong and John's adventures in undisclosed are worth a listen.

Amazing

watched the movie first but the book is always better. can't wait to start on the next one.

Hilarious and sometimes terrifying!

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

One of the few books that I would listen too over and over. This book is so completely out of control that I feel like I would catch something new almost every time. That and listening to this book is like watching your favorite comedy movie. Can't get enough!

Who was your favorite character and why?

John, of course. John is completely irresponsible and is not thrown off by anything... the sh*t that comes out of his mouth kills me. haha.

What does Stephen R. Thorne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I had a hard time adapting to Mr. Thorne initially, because I read the book before I listened to it, so I had my own ideas of what the characters would sound like. Once I listened to a couple chapters, however, I was hooked. Mr. Thorne really nailed John's voice, and I found myself talking like him on occasions (drunk) to make a joke even funnier. Classic.

Any additional comments?

Buy this book, and listen to it. Unless you don't like the sound of a witty, come out of no-where comedy that mated with a monster from another dimension to make the most hilarious, unpredictable thrill ride of a life time... if not then go listen to 50 shades of grey.