This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (John Dies at the End, #2)

This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (John Dies at the End #2)

4.29 of 5 stars 4.29  ·  rating details  ·  4,252 ratings  ·  690 reviews
As the sequel to John Dies At The End, we find our heroes, David and John, again embroiled in a series of horrifying yet mind-bogglingly ridiculous events caused primarily by their own gross incompetence. The guys find that books and movies about zombies may have triggered a zombie apocalypse, despite a complete lack of zombies in the world. As they race against the clock...more
ebook, 384 pages
Published October 2nd 2012 by Thomas Dunne Books (first published October 1st 2012)
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Goosey
Pre-Read Review: WANT. NOW.

Post-Read Review: I’ve read quite a few books this year - some good, some bad, but nothing that is as near to perfection as this one. Like most fans of “John Dies at the End,” I’ve been waiting for years for Spiders to finally make its way into my hands. And like most, I spent that time wondering if it could possibly be as good as the original. Or… good at all. (Yes, that thought crossed my mind more than once. How could it not?)

Now here I am, having finished Spiders...more
Alan
What ever I am reading on October 2 will be put aside for the day and a half it will take me to read this.

A more mature (well, relatively), and therefore less original, book than his first. Still, a lot of fun. The book seemed always on the verge of making some profound social commentary or of presenting some meta observation on genre convention, but then just thought better of it. Anyway, it should be easier than JDatE must have been to adapt into a movie.
Cheighlee
Sorry, I don't want to be "that guy" but I just didn't "bought" it. First book was narrated flawlessly and purposefully with a lot of going on and with no short of interesting things getting explained and a bunch of holy shit but funny moments.

In this book, however i found it very unpleasant to read and then BAM! - some David Wong Cracked related fact that seems so out of place in the context of the book that it just jolts me from enjoying the narrative itself. Also, it felt like a really detai...more
Evans Light
Going to keep this one short and sweet.

Bottom line: I liked it, and look forward to David Wong's next book.

Did I like it as much as JOHN DIES AT THE END?

No.

Why?

Because even though the story itself was strong, the quality of the writing seemed rushed and the narrative scattered. The personalities of the main characters shifted quite a bit from what I remember in the original book, and the supporting characters in SPIDERS were paper-thin, usually summed up with a description of a celebrity they lo...more
Mayra
I try to stay away from book series in general. First of all, because the experience of waiting three years for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix traumatized me (clearly, I didn't learn my lesson, as evidenced by my spontaneous bouts of anxiety induced by the long wait for The Winds of Winter), and secondly, because the books that follow the first one are never as good as the one that made me want to read the whole series in the first place.

This Book Is Full of Spiders is one of those r...more
Kate
One of the blurbs for this book mentions that the author manages to keep up the horror while also being funny, which is both true and an incredibly good thing, because when you're reading a book that's designed to keep your shoulders tight from the suspense--and this book is designed to keep you in suspense--you really need to be able to laugh once in a while, or a lot, or you're probably going to strain something.

The jerkiness of the storyline got a little frustrating around midway through--the...more
Cameron
Following up the extraordinary John Dies At The End must have been a daunting task. The first in what I'm calling David Wong's David Wong series (the author's name is a pseudonym and is also the main character's name, as the books are written - mostly - in the first person) was a remarkable achievement, blending wit, juvenile and irreverent humor, and a healthy dose of gory horror. The follow-up, with what is one of the greatest titles of any book to date, is the continued adventures of David an...more
Allen Adams
http://www.themaineedge.com/buzz/when...

“TBIFOS” is an unabashed horror novel, packed with visceral imagery, dark undertones and a wealth of scares. The world that Wong has created (and inhabits by proxy with his self-named protagonist) is undeniably frightening. The author’s clear understanding of the genre alone would make this book worthy of a read by any horror fan. However, that’s not what makes this book truly special. There’s one simple factor that allows this novel to transcend simple ge...more
Kristina
I will say this about this book:
It is funny as hell, just like John Dies at the End, it is just the story that misses the mark some how. So entertaining though I have to say 3.5 stars.

Most of the book was like that episode of Blue's Clues where Joe and Steve are trying to find each other but they keep just missing one another, yeah, just like that... for about 70% of the book. It was funny, and chaos ensued, but after a while I just wanted the story to move forward. I did however like how the a...more
Kate O'Hanlon
This book is also full of zombies (sort of) if that's a problem for you.
If you hated John Dies at the End you'll hate this too.
If you thought John Dies at the End was fun but uneven and terribly bloated the same goes.

I wish Wong would make more if his philosophical musings and less of endless stretches of vague action packedness wherein secretly nothing happens. There's are some interesting points about what zombies represent to humans, our desire for justified kills, our hatred of our neighbour...more
Natalie
So yaaaaah. I started this. I was enjoying it much more then the first book. And then I broke my foot. And I left the book in NC with my mom. So... to be continued.

And then my mom wrapped this book up and gave it to me for Christmas. hahaha. So I'm now finishing it. TBC...

OK.. Like JDATE, this was also a smidge too drawn out. It's such a snappy book... I wish it was just.. snappier! A lot of the stuff just draaaaaags. Otherwise, I liked this one a LOT better I think. It was more focused on one t...more
Sandra Grauschopf
I picked this book up from the library, read the beginning, and loved it so much that I immediately put it down and sought out the first book in the series. My library didn't have it, so I bought it, waited for it to arrive, and read the whole thing, even though I have a huge stack of library books out and a deadline to bring them back looming. And... I was a little disappointed.

It's not that I didn't like the first book, it was just that it was a bit short on some kind of important elements. Li...more
Benjamin
Let's hit the obvious question first: is it as good as the first one? HOLY CRAP YES would be the most delicate way I can answer that.

Back for round two are the deeply-flawed, reckless characters we somehow still want to cheer for, and they're opposing a horror more far-reaching and coherent than the nebulous Lovecraftian insanity we saw last time. The previous book was written in a somewhat fragmented style, a byproduct if its years of serial-like publication on Wong's website. This book is less...more
Ed Bernard
Really more like 4.5 stars.
There is no earthly reason why I should like this book, but I do. David Wong is the voice behind Cracked, a very funny and engaging web site. His previous book, John Dies at the End, features the same characters as this one, so it’s a sequel of sorts. However, JDATE was written as a series of installments, so it lack the narrative cohesion one generally finds with a novel; this one was conceived as a complete project from the beginning. That’s the good news, and it sho...more
Chris "Stu"
Unlike the previous book, "John Dies at the End," this book is just one single plot, which makes it more consistent than its predecessor ("JDatE" had three different sections with a frametale, some of which were much better than others.) This book is also darker and less funny. Don't get me wrong, it's still funny. The narrative voice is consistent from JDatE, and is one of my favorites in many years. The books shines the most when the characters of David and John are together and can riff off o...more
Jahlene
Okay. I fell in love with JDaTE after reading what comes after the Prologue? Because I guess it was kind of weird for me at first. Talking meat and all. I just really thought this book is unique.

Well so anyway, after reading every chapter, I start to... let me say this the cheesy way, fall in love with the book and just the whole story and just craziness of it.

The characters are going to be your heroes. That's pretty much it.
I remember being so contented after reading the book, you know?

So then...more
Stefanie
Weeee! I stole this book from Andy, probably a little bit literally. Oops. I couldn't help it! I only made it to page 230 before I had to leave Columbus, and what was I supposed to do? Not read it?

Anyhoo, David Wong (or whatever his real name is; something white; starts with a "J" probably) is, of course, amazing. Horror isn't really my genre, but he makes it so funny and somehow a little bit poignant and thus I am intrigued. This book is a little less off-the-cuff random than its predecessor; t...more
Jeremy
I'll start of by saying that this book is probably not everyone's proverbial cup of tea - it may also fail to be everyone's cup of coffee, cup of water, or fail entirely at the test of being vaguely cup-like. What it is, however, is a great read for those who enjoy their humor dark with a dash of the absurd and liberally peppered with concepts both abstract and sometimes terrifying. Mr. Wong manages to take a concept like an "alien" invasion mixed with a zombie outbreak and make it relatable in...more
Tyler
3.5/5 (close to 4)

I don't feel like writing out a full, well written review right now so these are the bullet points of it:

- Great, conversational writing style. It's very easy to follow, which is nice considering the subject matter is pretty odd. The way Wong goes from really serious to comical is sometimes amazing.

- But it's not all amazing. Sometimes the tone shifts don't work, and take you out of the story. It's not often but it happens.

- People say this is a horror story. I can see it, I c...more
Cassandra
From the reviews that I have read from this book, I knew I was going to either love it or hate it.

I am so relieved that I absolutely loved it! As in, I am going to re-read it many many times and forever think of it as a favorite.

I read John Dies at the End about three years ago, and I had never read anything that simultaneously had me laughing so hard I was crying and also terrified to turn the lights out. SO. GOOD. Also, what an original story.

Now, This Book is Full of spiders will not have t...more
Melissa
"This Book is Full of Spiders" is the sequel to David Wong's John Dies at the End. This book had the benefit of being conventionally written as appose to the first book which started online as short stories, then pieced together. This allowed Wong to write a more traditional story, with a beginning, middle, and an end, and with foreshadowing of the resolution. That said, I'm not sure I liked this book any better than its predecessor, and in some regards I think it was weaker. John dies at the en...more
Rory
Comparison to 'John Dies At The End' is inevitable so I'll do that quickly as preface to my actual review:

Idea: Not as original as 'John Dies At the End'
Execution: Better than 'John Dies At The End' with a more realised plot.
Structure: This is the big advantage 'This Book is Full of Spiders' has over 'JDATE' as fantastic as JDATE was, you could see the seams. It was quite clearly an Internet serial with three stories stuck together. The book had three distinct beginnings, middles, and ends. TBFS...more
Daniel Ferguson
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Chris
I felt compelled to read the first few pages of this book even though I really didn't want to encounter any spiders. Unfortunately, I was already enjoying the irreverent and droll humor and the main character (also the author), from whose perspective most of the story is told, by the time the spiders appeared. "Unknown" is a strange, strange town and a chapter heading on page 6 announces "48 Hours Prior to Outbreak" so we know where this story is headed. The outbreak, of course, is not just your...more
Dan Avera
John Dies at the End was 100% fresh, sometimes disturbing, and always uproariously funny. This Book Is Full of Spiders was as unique as JDAtE, sometimes uproariously funny, always disturbing, and sometimes legitimately terrifying.

Let me start off by saying that I don't love the horror genre. I'm too squeamish to watch the torture-porn that's become popular nowadays, and I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes down to the jump-out-and-scare-you style (though I'll tough it out and act like an old salt...more
Drew Buddie
I wanted SO much to like this book, in fact it is a long time since I have shown such doggedness in sticking with a book, even when, in this case, I truly DISliked it.

Great pedgigree, brilliant reviews, gorgeous cover and cracking opening meant that there was SO much in favour of this book being a hit with me. But it wasn't, it just wasn't. The chatty nature of the narrative grated after a while and I found it impossible to stick with the plot developments and was ultimately disorientated by wh...more
Geoffrey Boyd
This Book is Full of Spiders is an interesting book for many reasons. The poignant and deceptively hilarious narrative is full of provoking ideas and is not at all scared of showing them to you, often alongside descriptions of graphic violence and male nudity. For that reason alone it would be a good book, but there is always more to it.

There's a lot of hidden meat to the story, subtle nods and references that can only be perceived if the reader is paying close attention and has absorbed the boo...more
Andrew
David Wong presents another work of extra-dimensional horror that can only be stopped by two Midwestern slackers in the town of Undisclosed. This one is much more tightly plotted and thought out than John Dies at the End (which of course started out as a web serial); in most respects, this is a good thing, because one doesn't lose the plot thread to the extent that can happen in John Dies. That said, Full of Spiders tends to lack something of the manic intensity that made John Dies such a deligh...more
Vinh Lu
The follow up to John Dies at the End is just as good as the original. If you've read the previous book, you'll get more of the same here. I think the plot is a little more action packed in this one. Though, plot has never been David Wong's strong suit. I thought the plot of both his books were ok, but not terribly original (ie. if you made it into a movie, it probably won't be a very good movie.) However, it is his writing and how he conveys the story that I love about his books. Not surprising...more
Art
One of the best examples of utter lunacy ever written. This absurdist sequel to the even more absurdist "John Dies at the End" is one of the best examples of unrestrained imagination combined with the ability to filter it into a coherent and enjoyable story I've ever encountered.
David Wong's sequel again follows bumbling heroes John and David as they encounter supernatural atrocities in the town of (undisclosed). Due to experimentation with a supernatural drug in the previous book, John and Dav...more
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This Book Is Full of Spiders (John Dies at the End, #2)
This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (John Dies at the End, #2)
This Book Is Full of Spiders (John Dies at the End, #2)
This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (John Dies at the End, #2)
This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (John Dies at the End, #2)

225033
David Wong is the pseudonym of Jason Pargin, online humorist, National Lampoon contributor, and editor in chief of Cracked.com. He is the author of John Dies at the End.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidwong
More about David Wong...
John Dies at the End (John Dies at the End, #1) John and Dave and the Temple of X'al'naa'thuthuthu The Four Humors Complications of Vitreo-Retinal Surgery

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“SHUT UP. Both of you. You're coming with me." To me he said, "Put some pants on."

"Fuck you. This is my house. I make the rules. You take your clothes off. John, get the Twister mat.”
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“There are two types of people on planet Earth, Batman and Iron Man. Batman has a secret identity, right? So Bruce Wayne has to walk around every second of every day knowing that if somebody finds out his secret, his family is dead, his friends are dead, everyone he loves gets tortured to death by costumed supervillains. And he has to live with the weight of that secret every day. But not Tony Stark, he's open about who he is. He tells the world he's Iron Man, he doesn't give a shit. He doesn't have that shadow hanging over him, he doesn't have to spend energy building up those walls of lies around himself. You're one or the other - either you're one of those people who has to hide your real self because it would ruin you if it came out, because of your secret fetishes or addictions or crimes, or you're not one of those people. And the two groups aren't even living in the same universe.” 21 people liked it
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