Questions About John Dies at the End (John Dies at the End, #1)

by David Wong (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (8)

Does John die in the end?

Bradford D We all die at the end.

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I do not wish to be rude, but ya know, so many books so little time. So my question (at 10 pages in): Does it ever get less twee?

Jordan Wk I'm not trying to be rude to you either, but it seems like you managed to pick the single adjective that in absolutely no way describes this book. Hm.…moreI'm not trying to be rude to you either, but it seems like you managed to pick the single adjective that in absolutely no way describes this book. Hm. It's a lot of things and the things it is, it is extremely.

Meandering? Yes
Self-aware? Self-indulgent
Sophomoric? Definitely
Convoluted? Surely

But in spite of all of that, I really enjoyed it and think you should give it a chance. You will also probably enjoy the sequel more if your complaint is about the narrative flow. The sequel is far more cohesive, sober and focuses on a single story in the universe rather than following two deadbeats for over a year.(less)

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Was the movie based on this book?

Tim Yes. It is a reasonably faithful adaptation. Like most novel to film adaptations, the book has more detail and more plot than a film can contain.

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Is anyone else thrown by the structure of the book? In the current Kindle addition, you first get the preface that sounds like a cheap plug for the movie, then you get the prologue and books 1 and 2, which are all somewhat independent. Is it really just a collection of related short stories?

Matthew L Davidson To explain a bit of why the book is so incohesively structured, you should know that it was never planned as a book. It started life as a short story,…moreTo explain a bit of why the book is so incohesively structured, you should know that it was never planned as a book. It started life as a short story, iirc, that Pargin just kept adding to, turning into one VERY long web page. It started making the viral rounds (that's how I first read most of it), and eventually, publishers took note and offered him a deal to turn the web page into a book.

The second two books are a bit tighter.(less)

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Was there much animal cruelty in this book? I’m in the early stages & note they sent Molly the dog in to see if she’d explode so they wouldn’t be the ones exploding. So far I love the book, but if it’s gonna be all exploding dog jokes & glib sadism, it will be quite annoying. So are these protagonists really jerks to animals, or what?

Tim It is difficult to answer without spoilers. I do not think John & David are significantly worse jerks than would be typical for comedy/horror 20-somet…moreIt is difficult to answer without spoilers. I do not think John & David are significantly worse jerks than would be typical for comedy/horror 20-something protagonists in about 2011. Molly does get into some dangerous situations. I don't think John & David ever intend her to be harmed.(less)

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