The Stunted Man

De: Ari Loeb

Narrado por: Jason Douglas

Aging stuntman Lex Mercier battles addiction and his own demons while searching for his last shot at redemption on a dangerous gig with Universal Pictures. But will his fractured mind and broken body allow him to perform? Can he ultimately quell his addictions and conquer his darkest fears? Or will his misery overtake him . . .

Written from an insider's perspective on the stunt industry, The Stunted Man invites you to peek behind the curtain at the men and women who risk their lives to bring you the high-octane cinema you love.

Horror fans, metalheads, and iconoclasts will revel in Lex's journey throughout the dark alleys, haunted film locations, and seedy sub-terrains of New Orleans, as he explores the depths of depression, the haunting allure of stunt work, and the ultimate cost of chasing one’s dreams.

If pop culture makes you uncomfortable, you will absolutely love this book.

WINNER! "Best Psychological Horror 2024" —American Fiction Award
WINNER! —Literary Titan Award

©2024 Ari Loeb (P)2024 Ari Loeb

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Compelling, poetic, and very funny." —Nicolas Cage

Beautiful

The story is captivating. I couldn’t put it down. The narrator did a great job and keeps you engaged. I highly recommend this book!

Wildly Entertaining - Dark and Dangerous

Absolutely gut-wrenching and dripping with style. A thoroughly exciting deep dive into the dark world of stunts. The writing catapults the reader into world. The roller coaster ride is visceral - sometimes nauseatingly so. Loved it from start to finish!

Entertaining the whole way through

It takes a lot to keep me engaged in a story and this one kept me laughing and wondering what ridiculous thing would be coming next. Made my 6 hour drive very entertaining! Highly recommend for a quick and funny read/listen.

Captivating story

This is the second novel I’ve read by Ari Loeb and his writing style is fantastic and engaging. His character and story development in this novel had me wanting to read more. I finished the novel in two days - it had me hooked. And the ending really threw me for a loop. I’d be remiss not to mention the narration which was phenomenal, making this entire listening experience captivating and satisfying. Looking forward to his next novel…

Pour Me a Drink

From the very beginning, this book grabs you by the throat and never lets you go. The protagonist, a down-on-his-luck stuntman with a penchant for drugs and bad decisions, becomes a lovable antihero you just can’t help but root for. It was great meeting Lex Mercier, and his interactions with the world were often hilariously inappropriate, or just weird. But it’s delivered in such a casual, devil-may-care tone of voice that you feel like you’re right there with him, a co-conspirator in all his misadventures.

What struck me most was how this book made me feel like the devil on the dude’s shoulder. With every questionable choice, I found myself not only understanding his motivations but rooting for him to make things worse in the most entertaining way possible. This was unexpected for me. Whether he was taking a hit of something that I wasn’t even sure what it was, or antagonizing someone in a bar or on set, there was a giddy excitement in seeing just how far he could push things before they exploded in his face—and they usually did.

The reader was great. His voice had this scratchy real-life charm that fit the main character perfectly, and the pacing felt like a picture-perfect match for the vibe of the book: fast, reckless, and with just enough swagger to make you forget how close things were to falling apart.

The language, the descriptions, the internal questions struck a perfect balance between foul-mouthed and genuinely funny. I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud, not just because the situations were absurd, but because the humor was quick, unexpected, and cutting.

That being said, there’s an underlying darkness to the story. It doesn’t shy away from the consequences of constantly living on the edge. I’m not giving more away, but I was sorry when this story ended on more than one level.

Ultimately, Lex keeps you riding high on his relentless energy. By the end of each night’s listen, I found myself looking forward to meeting Lex again the next evening, curious to see what misguided turn his life would take next.

In short, The Stunted Man is a raw, vicious, and sometimes sobering journey with a character you’ll hate to love. It’s vulgar in all the right ways, laugh-out-loud funny, and it manages to inject just enough depth to keep the chaos grounded in reality. Whether you’re in it for the stuntman’s antics, the unexpected, or just the sheer thrill of seeing how far things will go before they crash and burn, this book delivers on all fronts.

For anyone who enjoys a story with edge, humor, and characters that live life like a car perpetually skidding around a corner, this is the audiobook you don’t want to miss. The night I finished the last listen, I needed whiskey, bad.