Meth-heads, man-made monsters, and murderous Neo-Nazis. Blissed out club kids dying at the speed of sound. The un-dead and the very soon-to-be-dead...
read full description
reviews
Nov 27, 2008
Jackson
rated it: 
Here is my review of ADA from Verbicide #14 (summer 2005):
Regardless of whether short story collections are as popular or as lucrative as novels, they are my favorite literary medium. Fellow Verbicide writer Kris Sevillena recently informed me that Edgar Allen Poe — in addition to writing fiction and poetry — was also a literary critic who expressly read and wrote about short stories, as he strongly disliked the lost momentum when he wasn’t able to finish a novel in a single sitting. More...
Regardless of whether short story collections are as popular or as lucrative as novels, they are my favorite literary medium. Fellow Verbicide writer Kris Sevillena recently informed me that Edgar Allen Poe — in addition to writing fiction and poetry — was also a literary critic who expressly read and wrote about short stories, as he strongly disliked the lost momentum when he wasn’t able to finish a novel in a single sitting. More...
Jul 18, 2008
Raegan
rated it: 
What a great title! And an excellent collection of weird stories that defy easy categorization. Jeremy Robert Johnson once offered to buy me a beer in Portland a few years back but like a jerk I declined (because I was on the wagon). I've regretted it ever since.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Aug 14, 2011
David
rated it:
Back in the 80's, Stephen King proclaimed, "I have seen the future of horror... and his name is Clive Barker." Well, there was some good stuff there (Books of Blood, The Inhuman Condition) but I lost interest after The Damnation Game, not that it wasn't a good book. I didn't have any money for any books other than textbooks back then. My friend Paul called him a "weenie" after he blew off a speaking engagement back in college without notice. But I digress....
I think More...
I think More...
Dec 26, 2010
Ben
rated it:
johnson thanks selby, burroughs, vonnegut, barker, king, and ellroy (among others) in the dedication of this book, and i see all of them in his writing, but the guy he most reminds me of is william gibson. he has the same kind of unlimited imagination, same unrelentingly furious forward movement, same dark interest in altered states of consciousness, and, most importantly, the same kind of complete and seemingly unshakable belief in the scientific reality of the world (most obvious in those stor
More...
Apr 16, 2010
Brett
rated it:
Electricity sparkled across the surface of his blackened flesh like so much glitter....
"Angel Dust Apocalypse" is quite possibly one of the best unusual/weird/creepy/hypnotic books of short stories out there!
At the beginning of the book, JRJ says a nice thank you to several authors including, Chuck Palahniuk, Stephen King, Clive Barker and Irvine Welsh for being his inspiration! His short stories show that he is a fan of all those outstanding writers!
More...
"Angel Dust Apocalypse" is quite possibly one of the best unusual/weird/creepy/hypnotic books of short stories out there!
At the beginning of the book, JRJ says a nice thank you to several authors including, Chuck Palahniuk, Stephen King, Clive Barker and Irvine Welsh for being his inspiration! His short stories show that he is a fan of all those outstanding writers!
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 13, 2010
Edmund
rated it:
If there is one aspect of storytelling which Jeremy Robert Johnson has mastered, it's in creating and following memorable characters. Having read this a while back, I re-read this collection and immediately felt at home with my old gateway book. Whether it's Jake playing in the nuclear ash mistaken for snow, Curt playing surgeon on himself, or James being fed and morphed by Nurse Sebac, there's a lot to be compelled by. Hell, the latter story ("Amniotic Shock in the Last Sacred Place")
More...
Jun 26, 2011
Garrett
rated it:
I don't know if post Gen X/Gen Y middleschoolers still have to go through the DARE program and hear the local constabulary fum faw through how marijuana makes you forget things and crack and heroin mean certain death. At my DARE graduation, I got to hear one member of the Kingston Trio perform. He didn't even play Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley. Several kids in the same DARE class as me laughed through it, did drugs and went about their lives as if it didn't happen. This wasn't an honest portray
More...
Feb 04, 2010
Amanda
rated it: 
I'm torn. I've only ever found one short story collection where I enjoyed enough of the stories to say I liked the whole book (By Blood We Live). There were quite a few stories in Angel Dust that I liked, but there were more that I just didn't care for. The stories that were more Bizarro, I tended not to like. I'll say the same for the ones that were mainly about drugs. There were quite a few that I enjoyed. Precedents starts with the character in jail. It then backtracks to show how she got the
More...
Mar 24, 2010
Matt
rated it:
Just as one of Stephen King's best short story collections encourages the reader to work the "Night Shift," this riveting anthology from Jeremy Robert Johnson encourages the reader to enter the "Angel Dust Apocalypse." Reading this book does indeed have the feel of entering a newfound, blissful end of the world (or, more accurately, of the world as we know it). Johnson's writing clearly pulls influence from not only great horror authors such as King but also great satire auth
More...
Feb 05, 2010
scott
rated it:
This short story collection opens with a pair of tales ("The League of Zeroes" and "Dissociative Skills") which made me uncomfortable much like Chucky P's "Guts" chapter in Haunted did (especially the latter). That immediately earned my respect, as I'm far from squeamish. From there, JRJ conducts us through stories of medical experiments, nuclear winters, murderers, misfits, and drug (ab)use, all written compellingly, expertly, with dark humor rippling throughout.
More...
More...
Mar 20, 2011
Natalie
rated it:
When I started this book, I was just coming off of the Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars and was slightly concerned that this would be similar. (Not because I didn't enjoy the previous book, but I'm looking to explore several different directions at once, as indicated by the variety in my "currently reading" books)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - some more than others. It felt as though it built up, mild crescendos and delicate decrescendos to the final story - which were absol More...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - some more than others. It felt as though it built up, mild crescendos and delicate decrescendos to the final story - which were absol More...
Oct 14, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
"Angel Dust Apocalypse" is an fantastic, dark, and smart collection of short stories and flash fiction. Most of the pieces explore the human quest for acceptance, affirmation, self worth, and love. A man undergoes an insane body modification. A woman grows to rely on her abductor for companionship. A boy performs surgery on himself and wonders at the immediate effect that his actions have on his family. Each story is unique in its voice, but they all come together to create a unified b
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 14, 2011
Eric
rated it:
This collection of short stories is now five years old, and it shows its age. The style and spirit of this book is maybe 15 to 20 years out of fashion. Really, the sensibility of this book is firmly tied into the Cyberpunk and Mirrorshades style that flourished in 80s scifi writing and reemerged in movies of the late 90s and early 00s. This doesn't bother me in the least. I love that stuff.
Johnson does not love his characters. That is interesting to me because so many of them go to ext More...
Johnson does not love his characters. That is interesting to me because so many of them go to ext More...
Sep 06, 2010
Nicole
rated it:
I still don't remember what author/review/ad lead me to this book, but I'm utterly blown away by the author's tight, visceral way with words.
I'll warn you it borders on splatterpunk - but damn, does he walk in some beautiful nightmares... it's like the intestinal drip of a drug trip apocalypse. But it makes you THINK.
Still... best in small doses. Lest your eyeballs and brain burst.
I'll warn you it borders on splatterpunk - but damn, does he walk in some beautiful nightmares... it's like the intestinal drip of a drug trip apocalypse. But it makes you THINK.
Still... best in small doses. Lest your eyeballs and brain burst.
Feb 17, 2011
Kathryn
rated it: 
2 1/2 stars.
Dissociative Skills, Precedents, Luminary, Saturn's Game, and Swimming in the House of the Sea were all worth the short time it took to read. I would happily recommend these stories to anyone slightly interested in this book. Amniotic Shock in the Last Sacred Place, Stanley's Lips, Ex-Hale, Priapism, Branded, Sparklers Burning, Last Thoughts Drifting Down, and Wall of Sound: A Movement in Three Parts I disliked, completely, for a variety of reasons, the main one being th More...
Dissociative Skills, Precedents, Luminary, Saturn's Game, and Swimming in the House of the Sea were all worth the short time it took to read. I would happily recommend these stories to anyone slightly interested in this book. Amniotic Shock in the Last Sacred Place, Stanley's Lips, Ex-Hale, Priapism, Branded, Sparklers Burning, Last Thoughts Drifting Down, and Wall of Sound: A Movement in Three Parts I disliked, completely, for a variety of reasons, the main one being th More...
Dec 17, 2010
Lukeetc
rated it:
Crazy, sometimes hard to read--in a good way. Not many books are grotesque enough to make say "Oh, fuck" out loud several times per story, let alone accomplish that without leaving me disgusted. 'ADA' is original, engrossing, and, well, even if it's not your thing, worth checking out.
Jun 29, 2009
Ronya
rated it:
If you are looking for stories that reaffirm your faith in humanity and give you a warm fuzzy feeling.... uh, this one isn't it. But if you are looking for dark, weird, cutting edge stuff in terms of science fiction/horror... ya found it. Definitely a read-in-the-daytime book. Woo.
Jan 28, 2012
Steven
rated it:
One of the cornerstones of the Bizarro genre, Jeremy Robert Johnson's Angel Dust Apocalypse is a powerhouse of a book. Inside this tome are stories that pay homage to Bradbury, Barker, and King as well as a trove of strange and disturbing treats. You want to know what Bizarro is? This is it baby, accept no substiutions!
Nov 23, 2010
Matt
rated it:
Probably shouldn't have read this in one day, I feel like I need a shower. Some of the stories showed promise, two were downright excellent, and some are just excruciating.
Aug 09, 2010
Bill
rated it: 
the book is a compilation of short stories pertaining to bizarre or supernatural fiction. The bland writing contrasted with the failed attempts at shock value, which is unfortunate because aside form that, some of the stories introduced some cool concepts that simply faltered.
Mar 01, 2010
Glenn
rated it:
Short story collection containing VERY VERY weird and dark disturbing themes. Jeremy has a great imagination, I must give him that.
Jan 02, 2010
Hossthomas
rated it:
this is quite simply the best collection of short stories i've ever read. i don't have the words to describe it, but i recommend it more than any book i've ever read.
Jun 10, 2009
Nick
rated it:
This collection of short stories was just what I was looking for - cutting edge, original, my generation can easily relate to many of the premises, stories are weird enough to have you hooked on the "weird factor" alone, but also offer great plots and resolutions. In short, this book was just the right combination of originality and talent that I was looking for to get me back in to writing myself. Plus, the author is readily available - if you order the book from his site directly he
More...
May 26, 2010
Chris
rated it:
Bizarre, bizarre book, but the short stories will stick with you - you won't be able to NOT think about them.
May 01, 2009
Ashley
rated it:
Great short stories for those who like the weird stuff. And by "weird" I mean wweeeeeiiiiiiiirrrdddddd!!!!!!
Aug 23, 2008
Braden
rated it:
I couldn't finish this book, the terrible reader that I am.
Normally I am adamently against not finishing a book, especially something like this which is really not very long.
But man oh man, the writing is terrible, the ideas are adolescent, and it's just not good.
"Snowfall" is the book's one saving grace, a short story with some good imagery and a sombre twist of an ending, but even here the writing is very amateurish.
I need to find a boo More...
Normally I am adamently against not finishing a book, especially something like this which is really not very long.
But man oh man, the writing is terrible, the ideas are adolescent, and it's just not good.
"Snowfall" is the book's one saving grace, a short story with some good imagery and a sombre twist of an ending, but even here the writing is very amateurish.
I need to find a boo More...
Oct 08, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
Angel Dust Apocalypse is a lurid, intense headlong rush into psychosis. Forget impulse control, what if you were to do the first thing that came into your mind? What if the person NEXT to you were to do the same? Hopefully I don't find myself next to any of Jeremy Robert Johnson's characters any time soon because they are out of control and racing towards oblivion. This book is a fast, super-charged jolt of a read but the afterburn on your retinas will linger. If you're looking for something out
More...
Sep 01, 2010
Martin
rated it:
The only short story collection that has given me nightmares... awesome!
May 21, 2010
Rodney
rated it:
One of the best short story/vignette collections I've ever read. Jeremy Robert Johnson shows himself amazingly talented with this book, providing stories that are skillfully scary and funny when not simply unnerving. These are eerie visions of a world "not post-apocalyptic, but post-yesterday." It's a dark, creepy world seemingly inconceivable with its absurdities, but real enough to be looming just off in the distance, a world quickly falling on all of our shoulders. Intriguingly biza
More...
