very funny tale that comes with quite a dark surprise that ...
925381
An intriguing, at times, very funny tale that comes with quite a dark surprise that alters the tone. Well written and constructed and also an interesting insight into the human psyche.
2393214
This was a very fun read. The author tends to wander off the subject or point of his story, if you can find it in the first place! He has a definitely Twisted sense of humor. If you are easily offended by foul language and poking fun at God, the Devil, Jesus, and the whole religion thing in general then you wouldn't be interested in reading this. But if you are a bit warped yourself then you will enjoy this as much as I did. I had a lot laughs and giggles out of it and it was well worth the time to read.
2166725
It is funny in a serious way and tells a tale we are all familiar with but in a different perspective.
4520486
Very dark, and very entertaining. A common man placed in a very uncommon situation.
2941966
I wasn't expecting much from this but I have to say this is one of the funniest and most entertaining Christmas related short stories I've read in a while.  The basic plot is a young girl witch, who isn't a fan of Santa, casts a spell to bring him to her. She plans on holding him captive so he can't do his Christmas deliveries but knows a full grown man will be hard to manage so casts a second spell to turn him into a small child.  However this child is a bit annoying so she makes him younger and younger, which just causes more problems so she decides to turn him into a cat. This doesn't work out either so she keeps changing Santa into a large range of various things. Everything time she changes Santa into something else his new entity either annoys her, injures her, or has unpleasant habits.  What will she do?

The story is quite funny, it is illustrated by various photographs of initially kids dressed up then various animals and objects with a Santa hat of course.  If you want a fun Christmas read, you won't go wrong with this.  I'll definitely check out other books by this author in the future.
3970248
Andrew Peterson has spun an entertaining, humorous and enjoyable tale in "On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness." Apparently this book is based on bedtime stories Peterson told his children--and if that's true, then the sheer imaginative scope and detail of his bedtime stories is astounding indeed!

The main character is Janner, the eldest of the three Igiby children.  Peterson has created a very real boy in Janner, with his combination of bravado and vulnerability, his happinesses and his fears, and he's easy to indentify with and to care about.

On the other hand, the loathsome, disgusting Fangs of Dang--the scaley, venom-dripping lizard-like creatures who rule the conquered land of Skree--are easy to hate.  And yet even they have their humorous moments--as when one Fang commander demands that a servant bring him up a salad, "And make sure the lettuce leaves are brown this time!"  (Not to mention the Fangs' love of maggot-loaf.)

In fact, it's the humor and whimsy woven throughout the story that keep it from taking itself too seriously.  I must admit I loved the frequent foot-notes, which often made me laugh out loud.  Far from being necessary to keep all the places and characters straight, as one reviewer erroneously stated, they're there for sheer enjoyment.

As one reviewer stated, it's no Chronicles of Narnia.  But it *is* a terrific read, laced with some solid values and truths.

While the story ends with a revelation, it doesn't have a resolution, so we're left waiting for the next book in the series.  And I, for one, look forward to the further adventures of the Igiby children.
2540658
If you need a good laugh, you can get one here! The title made me expect satire, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how - well - delightfully twisted this little tale turned out to be.
1179089
This is Friday's second book and it comes packed with more mind games for the reader to try and figure out. I won't give the plot and ending away but it is certainly surprising and somewhat funny. Friday uses a lot of dark humor as she did with "A Stabbing For Sadie". Great read!
912872
Fandom finally gets the skewering it deserves in this funny, inventive, and ultimately quite dark tale of an H.P. Lovecraft convention where real-life horror intrudes on the proceedings in the form of a faceless corpse.

Just like one of Leonardo Sciascia's brainy thrillers, Mamatas doesn't waste time: the murder has happened even before the first sentence of the book. And just like Sciascia, Mamatas is less interested in the formula of the whodunnit than in analyzing the social and political dynamics that made the murder all but inevitable. Except whereas Sciascia poked around the dark corners of postwar Italian politics, Mamatas has trained his baleful gaze on a rather less imposing world: the petty, gossip-obsessed world of socially maladjusted Lovecraft obsessives.

And it is funny, maybe the hardest thing for a novel to pull off: Mamatas, in the person of his luckless narrator, elicited genuine out-loud laughs from me on everything from observations on sharing an elevator at horror conventions to the shortcomings of Lovecraft himself. And while this novel is set in a particular milieu - when a group of oddballs from the convention steal away in the night to try and dig up the remains of Lovecraft's unfortunately named cat, it's both completely hilarious and totally plausible - Mamatas' acidic observations stand just as well when directed at any cloistered, inward-looking "fandom."

But alongside the barbs and quips are plenty of smart, on the money observations about the nature of being a fan, as well as the nature of being a writer, and even some deft literary criticism - Mamatas is clear-eyed about Lovecraft (in the novel, he quotes from a real-life fan letter Lovecraft wrote about Hitler), but he also understands why the man's fiction exerts such power after so many of his contemporaries have been forgotten.

And, at the end of the book, as the loose ends are coming together, Mamatas turns a dial and produces a vision as dark and unsettling as the best of the old gent from Providence; this book is a carnival thrill ride, but one with a sobering lurch at the end. Ultimately, if you're a Lovecraftian capable of laughing at yourself (admittedly a small segment of the market) or just someone who wants to read a wickedly inventive murder mystery set in an unforgettably bizarre subculture, don't miss out on this one.
2450225
A dark and twisted tale that takes you for a wild ride that very intense with very dark themes.
Amazing book!!
346134
A metaphorical and darkly hilarious novella about an environmentally poisoned wood where a ravenous monster awakens.

About:  A young ward of the state decides to leave the safety of her group home to return home to her dying grandmother. Her friend reminds her of the darkness that lurks outside of the doors; a monster is waking up slowly to a deep hunger in the dead woods. There is no food to satisfy its need, not even a starving rat. Where will it feed?

A lonely gay man living on the edge of the woods opens his door for the runaway girl in time to save her from what lurks in the cold darkness. This is their story.

Thoughts:  A story with a moral, its more funny than scary  though thats not to say that I did not get the chills or that my heart remained at its regular pace for the entire novel. It is a chilling tale. But laughing while one has goose pimples is a curious sensation; Wood definitely did this for me.

Even better, its only a 60 page novella with some colorful characters. Socially marginal individuals  these people are loners, orphans, and from the hidden classes of society. They are those that remain in the peripheral of our vision, barely noticed, but have their valid tales to tell. Whats important to their story is that these characters are not victims, creating a different example for those faced with real life horrors.

Intelligent with some snarky dialog, this is not a typical horror story. Its an emotional roller coaster trip through metaphorical darkness and hilarity. A 4-star in my opinion. I recommended it for anyone who likes unusual characters, complex dry humor, and  surprisingly nice endings.
2169991
Suspense, adventure, black humor and a unique tale! I genuinely enjoyed this story for all of its quirks. The tension in this story is razor sharp, and the author is very good at giving a clear picture of what it might be like to survive an earthquake of this magnitude in a huge city. I appreciated how the hero was portrayed, as a normal man with all the possible reactions to such a devastating event. This is the type of story that makes the reader wonder how they'd react to a similar situation. We all think we might know what we'd do during a disaster, but we never know unless it happens to us. And no I didn't guess the ending. It was a great twist.
2864677
I really enjoyed this dark comedy. For some reason dysfunctional families always entertain me. I thought this was a very humorous and often times (but not always) realistic window into the world of your typical dysfunctional family dealing with a father's death. I really enjoyed the characters and their dynamic with one another, and was sad when the 7 days were over!
4635115
Both dark and funny with a narrative that pulls you in from the jump.  Bought the ticket and embarked on a sleep deprived ride that has me wanting more! Bravo Mr. Faustman, Bravo!
2778641
Pressure nicely manages to balance humor with horror without allowing either to overpower the other. The humor is never over the top or in your face, but it will lighten the mood as the horrific elements of the story unwind.  The only reason I held back from 5 stars is that I felt there were aspects of the tale that needed to be told to complete the tale. Darrens character had much more to offer. I would have liked to see his story had been mixed in with Alexs. Still, I highly recommend Pressure if you're looking for a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat and awake at night.
321236
Zeus is Dead is just the sort of quirky, surprising and absurd sort of tale that I love.  It's clever and fun and my relationship with frozen desserts my never be the same again.  I laughed out loud throughout this read and I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of Michael's work.
2948214
It's remarkable the way this writer manages to wring some hilariously funny scenes out of some very dark material and some very twisted characters (though the regular ensemble characters are the most engaging bunch of people I have come across). This book kept me up all night waiting to see what happened next. I found it an amazing mixture of horror, enchantment, pathos, suspense and hilarity. The ending is a wow.