John Dies at the End

David Wong and his impulsive best friend John live in Undisclosed, a bleak Midwestern town. Their lives change when they come across a paranormal drug called soy sauce, which opens their perception to monsters, parallel dimensions and conspiracies.

The drug pulls the pair into a fight against a malevolent entity named Korrok. Their path crosses with a paranormal lecturer, a journalist and a young woman, Amy Sullivan, each of whom gets tangled up in the strangeness.

This is comic cosmic horror, narrated by Dave in an unreliable, deadpan voice. He insists throughout that none of it is his fault, and the humour sits right alongside the monsters and the threat.

The book began as a web serial in 2001. Permuted Press brought it to print in 2007, and Thomas Dunne Books reissued it in 2009. It opens a series, and Don Coscarelli adapted it into a 2012 film.

The question hanging over the story is whether two friends in a forgotten town, with a drug they barely understand, can stand against Korrok, and how much of the blame Dave will accept.