John Dies at the End is a novel written by David Wong (Pseudonym for Jason Parguin) that was first published 2007 by Permuted Press.
The book really cannot be described as horror, nor is it really a thriller. There are elements of Sci Fi, Noir, Hard Boiled Detective, Comedy and a few other genres. The book in turns reminds me of Raymond Chandler, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Charles Burn’s comic books, The work of the Church of Subgenus, Jack Chick Tracts, The Outer Limits TV show and more. There are times when the work has stupid dick jokes and quips that make me roll my eyes, other times I’m pasting post it notes to mark a poignant passage. This is possibly the most mixed up and ADHD work I have ever read. (I have ADHD so I can say that.)
I enjoyed the work immensely as I have all of this authors other works. I can’t say I am a rabid fan, but I liked this author’s works enough to seek it out and read it all so that speaks, Pun unintended- Volumes.
I had some times where I was impatient with the book, but eventually these parts always paid off. I was dismayed as the long list of racial slurs that litter this work, some more than others. This book may offend some people, so warning. I don’t mean just a few but some racial slurs I won’t repeat are said so often it made me take pause. I don’t believe that the work is racist in any obvious sense, but there is something there when the words are used so often that it starts to make me feel uncomfortable. Some of Wong’s fans may say I’m making too much of it, but if you have not read the book I want you to know about that beforehand. The fact that a non-Chinese man uses a Chinese name as a kind of fun Pseudonym may offend others as well so that’s something to ponder. I’ve wondered why this author continues to keep the Pseudonym. Only he can say.
I do recommend this work to anyone, it’s very well written and fun. I enjoyed it immensely.
“Scientists talk about dark matter, the invisible, mysterious substance that occupies the space between stars. Dark matter makes up 99.99 percent of the universe, and they don't know what it is. Well I do. It's apathy. That's the truth of it; pile together everything we know and care about in the universe and it will still be nothing more than a tiny speck in the middle of a vast black ocean of Who Gives a Fuck.”
― David Wong, John Dies at the End
The book was followed by a sequel, This Book Is Full of Spiders, in 2012.

JDATE is 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. Plot-wise, for a good two-thirds of the book, it seems like Wong is more interested in piling on weirder and weirder threats than fitting the pieces together, and while his invention never flags, the accumulation of horrors eventually threatens to turn the narrative into a breathless series of “And then?”s. Still, the tone and white-knuckle pacing cover up a lot of sins, and Wong manages to pull everything together for a finale that’s both stomach-churningly freaky and oddly moving. It’s the sort of thing that leaves readers breathless and nauseous, but surprisingly hungry for more.