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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Better than the second, but still not as good as the first.
David Wong, the writer (not the character) is at his best when he allows himself room to come up with as many crazy ideas as possible. He’s at his worst when he decides that a character has Something Very Important to say. This book has both of those things in spades, but the zany scary hilarious ridiculousness wins out. As always, in this series, there are some bizarre supernatural events, even ones key to the plot, that just don’t get explained, or don’t get explained well even after the fact. But those explanations would probably just slow it down.
But what ultimately matters is that it’s fun. And yes, it is. This whole series is quotable, gonzo, hilarious, scary, and probably deserving of a movie adaptation with a little more heart.
The only criticisms I have regard things I miss from the first (and best) book. Note that if you haven’t read it there are major spoilers for it below.
In John Dies at The End, Dave is not an Everyman. In fact, by the end of the book we learn he is a person who is far too comfortable with violence, and is even capable of premeditated killing if the circumstance demands it. That darkness inside him is central to the plot, it’s what he has in common with the things he fights. But in the next two books, Dave’s bloody, nasty edge is softened into depression. It’s more relatable, it’s something that a lot of people struggle with, but it’s not the same as what was established prior.
Moreover, before I read the next two books I was convinced, CONVINCED, that any sequel would have to deal with Dave’s unique identity. Namely, that he is not himself, but a copy of himself, and that the real Dave is dead.
But the sequel books for some reason just ignore this, like it never even happened. And that’s frustrating because it’s not the kind of thing a person would forget. I kept hoping that SOMEONE, either Dave or John (because they both know) would acknowledge it in some way. But it’s been pushed under the rug for so long at this point that I’m about ready to accuse the series of breaking continuity. Does it really mean so little that this happened? Especially in a book that deals with human replicants, it seems to be a missed opportunity.
Still, all minor complaints aside, the books are a hell of a ride.
David Wong, the writer (not the character) is at his best when he allows himself room to come up with as many crazy ideas as possible. He’s at his worst when he decides that a character has Something Very Important to say. This book has both of those things in spades, but the zany scary hilarious ridiculousness wins out. As always, in this series, there are some bizarre supernatural events, even ones key to the plot, that just don’t get explained, or don’t get explained well even after the fact. But those explanations would probably just slow it down.
But what ultimately matters is that it’s fun. And yes, it is. This whole series is quotable, gonzo, hilarious, scary, and probably deserving of a movie adaptation with a little more heart.
The only criticisms I have regard things I miss from the first (and best) book. Note that if you haven’t read it there are major spoilers for it below.
In John Dies at The End, Dave is not an Everyman. In fact, by the end of the book we learn he is a person who is far too comfortable with violence, and is even capable of premeditated killing if the circumstance demands it. That darkness inside him is central to the plot, it’s what he has in common with the things he fights. But in the next two books, Dave’s bloody, nasty edge is softened into depression. It’s more relatable, it’s something that a lot of people struggle with, but it’s not the same as what was established prior.
Moreover, before I read the next two books I was convinced, CONVINCED, that any sequel would have to deal with Dave’s unique identity. Namely, that he is not himself, but a copy of himself, and that the real Dave is dead.
But the sequel books for some reason just ignore this, like it never even happened. And that’s frustrating because it’s not the kind of thing a person would forget. I kept hoping that SOMEONE, either Dave or John (because they both know) would acknowledge it in some way. But it’s been pushed under the rug for so long at this point that I’m about ready to accuse the series of breaking continuity. Does it really mean so little that this happened? Especially in a book that deals with human replicants, it seems to be a missed opportunity.
Still, all minor complaints aside, the books are a hell of a ride.
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wild book that was very fun to read! Laughed out loud many times! It was a very good start to my spooky October reading.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There were excellent zingers and ideas that I relished in this book. However, I rated this book as a 4 instead of a 5 because it just seems to be going over a lot of the same ground (and I'm not talking about the town of Undisclosed). The John Dies at the End series must resonant with other readers because there's a short interesting afterword that stresses these books are fictional and the author has never experienced the supernatural. (This may be actually the scariest part. However, I consider it a public service announcement.) My attraction to these are books are 1) they are really, really funny; 2) they are really, really imaginative (although I may have thought it wasn't as innovative plotwise, there's still a lot of innovative zingers); and 3) I relate really well to their lifestyles (well, not John's drug usage but I'm not fighting overwhelming evil things either). I know when/if another in this series comes out, I will be waiting to read it.
More wild madness from David Wong. As Lovecraftian horror, outstanding. As part of a series of books, spends a lot of its word count retconning things that happened in the previous books, so that each book works better as a spinoff to those before it than as a sequel. Still, enjoyable and entertaining.
More like 4.5. Coming straight off a re-reading of the JDATE series (the first 2 books being some of my all time favorites) to read WTH for the first time. Blew through it, was stressed & suspense'd, loved the exploration of Dave's mental health and Amy's realization that she's an enabler, and the narrative parallels around it with the maggots feeding off of their parents and etc. Still, it isn't as gut-punching profound or existential or gripping or trope-subverting as the first 2 books were for me personally, so doesn't reach all-time favorite status, but still a great read. I can't help but feel that I wanted more from WTH, perhaps that it was a little contrived. Maybe I'll notice more depth on a 2nd read, as it certainly deserves one.