{"product_id":"9781250135315","title":"What the Hell Did I Just Read : A Novel of Cosmic Horror","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eWhat the Hell Did I Just Read\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): David Wong, Jason Pargin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Dies at the End\u003c\/i\u003e's \"smart take on fear manages to tap into readers' existential dread on one page, then have them laughing the next\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e) and \u003ci\u003eThis Book is Full of Spiders\u003c\/i\u003e was \"unlike any other book of the genre\" (\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author David Wong is back with \u003ci\u003eWhat the Hell Did I Just Read\u003c\/i\u003e, the third installment of this black-humored thriller series. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's the story \"They\" don't want you to read. Though, to be fair, \"They\" are probably right about this one. To quote the Bible, \"Learning the truth can be like loosening a necktie, only to realize it was the only thing keeping your head attached.\" No, don't put the book back on the shelf -- it is now your duty to purchase it to prevent \u003ci\u003eothers\u003c\/i\u003e from reading it. Yes, it works with e-books, too, I don't have time to explain how.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile investigating a fairly straightforward case of a shape-shifting interdimensional child predator, Dave, John and Amy realized there might actually be something weird going on. Together, they navigate a diabolically convoluted maze of illusions, lies, and their own incompetence in an attempt to uncover a terrible truth they -- like you -- would be better off not knowing. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour first impulse will be to think that a story this gruesome -- and, to be frank, stupid -- cannot possibly be true. That is precisely the reaction \"They\" are hoping for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eWhat the Hell Did I Just Read\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wong’s wildly mind-bending third installment (after \u003ci\u003eThis Book Is Full of Spiders\u003c\/i\u003e) of the adventures of protagonist David Wong is filled with the humorous horror readers have come to expect.... While the story gleefully wallows in absurdity, thoughtful themes of addiction, perception, and the drive to do the right thing quickly emerge beneath the vivid and convoluted imagery. The plot’s rapid pace holds the reader’s attention to the truly bitter end.\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wong—in reality, Cracked.com executive editor Jason Pargin—burst onto the horror-comedy scene with his phantasmagorical novel \u003ci\u003eJohn Dies at the End\u003c\/i\u003e and has been steadily ratcheting up the madness ever since....  A frenetic, welcome return to Dave and John's grotesque but funny grindhouse nightmare.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Introduced in\u003ci\u003e John Dies at the End \u003c\/i\u003eand last seen in \u003ci\u003eThis Book Is Full of Spiders\u003c\/i\u003e, Wong's (pen name of Jason Pargin) irreverent protagonists return in another action-packed horror adventure full of crude but effective humor. For fans of the humor website Cracked.com, of which Pargin is executive editor.\" —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"What the Hell Did I Just Read\u003c\/i\u003e is reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s work, stuffed with layers of absurd pastiche.\" —\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThis Book is Full of Spiders\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Kevin Smith's Clerks meets H.P. Lovecraft in this exceptional thriller that makes zombies relevant again... From the dialogue to the descriptions, lines are delivered with faultless timing and wit... David Wong (Jason Pargin) is a fantastic author with a supernatural talent for humor. If you want a poignant, laugh-out-loud funny, disturbing, ridiculous, self-aware, socially relevant horror novel than \u003ci\u003eThis Book is Full of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don't Touch It\u003c\/i\u003e is the one and only book for you.” —\u003ci\u003eSF Signal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The comedic and crackling dialogue also brings a whimsical flair to the story, making it seem like an episode of AMC's \"The Walking Dead\" written by Douglas Adams of \"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.\" ...Imagine a mentally ill narrator describing the zombie apocalypse while drunk, and the end result is unlike any other book of the genre.  Seriously, dude, touch it and read it.” —\u003ci\u003eWashington Post \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] phantasmagoria of horror, humor -- and even insight into the nature of paranoia, perception, and identity.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the great things about discovering new writers, especially in the narrow range of hybrid-genre comedic novels, is realizing that they're having just as much fun making this stuff up as you are reading it. Sitting squarely with the likes of S.G. Browne and Christopher Moore, the pseudonymous Wong (\u003ci\u003eCracked \u003c\/i\u003eeditor Jason Pargin) must be pissing himself laughing at his own writing, even as he's giving fans an even funnier, tighter and justifiably insane entry in the series.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eJohn Dies at the End\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The rare genre novel that manages to keep its sense of humor strong without ever diminishing the scares; David is a consistently hilarious narrator whose one-liners and running commentary are sincere in a way that makes the horrors he confronts even more unsettling.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Onion AV Club\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eJohn Dies at the End\u003c\/i\u003e is like an H.P. Lovecraft tale if Lovecraft were into poop and fart jokes. ” —\u003ci\u003eFangoria\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Sure to please the \u003ci\u003eFangoria\u003c\/i\u003e  set while appealing to a wider audience, the book's smart take on fear manages to tap into readers' existential dread on one page, then have them laughing the next.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“...strikes enough of a balance between hilarity, horror, and surrealism here to keep anyone glued to the story. ” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A loopy buddy-movie of a book with deadpan humor and great turns of phrase...Just plain fun.” —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You can (and will want to) read JOHN DIES AT THE END in one sitting.” —\u003ci\u003eBookReporter.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wong blends horror and suspense with comedy--a tricky combination--and pulls it off effortlessly.” —\u003ci\u003eFashionAddict.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It's interesting, compelling, engaging, arresting and--yes--sometimes even horrifying. And when it's not being any of those things, it's funny. Very, very funny.” —\u003ci\u003eJanuary Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This is one of the most entertaining and addictive novels I've ever read.” —Jacob Kier, publisher, Permuted Press\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250135315\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"St. Martin's Griffin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40708935286990,"sku":"9781250135315","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_21ce7d4e-0daa-446d-9ced-b80f0c47daba.jpg?v=1640669244","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250135315","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}