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World of Deadheads #1
(Marvin's) World of Deadheads
Twenty-eight-year-old Marvin Broudstein meets an early demise when he accidentally steps in front of a bus leaving his fiancée, Jenna Wilson, behind. The world continues to turn but, as Marvin discovers, it's full of the dead as well as the living. He re-connects with Mike Hamilton, a college buddy who recently died in a plane crash, and finds a new friend in Tommy Sinclair, a young hippie who has been dead for years. But, his longing for Jenna drives Marvin to distraction.
PW Select " "Ghost" meets "The Hangover" in this humorous romp through life after death, when Marvin conspires with his new friends to kill his girlfriend - but there are rules in the afterlife!"
PW Select " "Ghost" meets "The Hangover" in this humorous romp through life after death, when Marvin conspires with his new friends to kill his girlfriend - but there are rules in the afterlife!"
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2012
About the author
Paul Atreides
13 books11 followersPaul Atreides is an author and playwright, living in Las Vegas, Nevada, a former theater critic for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, now writes for EatMoreArtVegas.com.
He is the coordinator of the Las Vegas Writers' Conference, and an Advisory Board member of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas College of Fine Arts.
He is the coordinator of the Las Vegas Writers' Conference, and an Advisory Board member of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas College of Fine Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 18, 2015
Surprise, Surprise!!!
I hesitate to write too much about the story except to say that it was delightful. But then it wouldn’t be a helpful review so I must let at least one cat out of the bag. It’s a ghost story! There! If that’s a spoiler, so be it, but not in the vain of “The Amityville Horror”, but in the spirit (no pun intended) of “Ghost” (Demi moore would’ve made a great Jenna in her younger years) or “Always” (Same goes for Holly Hunter). I digress.
We jump right into this story and setting, page one, with the “Deadheads” as our narrator and our snarky protagonist, Marvin Broudstein term the inhabitants of this ghost-filled world. There’s a lot here in this easy, must read, as our ghosts interact with each other as well as the living in often times funny and unexpected ways. We travel to exotic lands and find ourselves in charted territories in both the physical and paranormal planes.
At the heart of it all, this is a love story that not only keeps the reader involved on a deep emotional level, but asks them questions of morality not grounded in black and white. I found myself pulling for Marvin to do the right thing throughout.
Paul Atreides shows his skill as a writer as his prose is filled with beautiful passages like “Their wet footprints mingled with those left by the living and went unnoticed. The palm trees and grasses waved in the breeze and from the top of the rise near the southern end, smaller neighboring keys could be seen. A flock of gulls floated on the wind currents above.” Something else Atreides does that is rare of authors is giving his characters unique contrasting personalities of their own. Marvin, Mike, and Tommy were made different in their actions and dialogue and I was never confused as to who was speaking regardless if all three were in the conversation and their was no dialogue attribution. The same goes for Jenna, Colleen, and Joanne.
(Marvin's) World of Deadheads is a welcome surprise!
I hesitate to write too much about the story except to say that it was delightful. But then it wouldn’t be a helpful review so I must let at least one cat out of the bag. It’s a ghost story! There! If that’s a spoiler, so be it, but not in the vain of “The Amityville Horror”, but in the spirit (no pun intended) of “Ghost” (Demi moore would’ve made a great Jenna in her younger years) or “Always” (Same goes for Holly Hunter). I digress.
We jump right into this story and setting, page one, with the “Deadheads” as our narrator and our snarky protagonist, Marvin Broudstein term the inhabitants of this ghost-filled world. There’s a lot here in this easy, must read, as our ghosts interact with each other as well as the living in often times funny and unexpected ways. We travel to exotic lands and find ourselves in charted territories in both the physical and paranormal planes.
At the heart of it all, this is a love story that not only keeps the reader involved on a deep emotional level, but asks them questions of morality not grounded in black and white. I found myself pulling for Marvin to do the right thing throughout.
Paul Atreides shows his skill as a writer as his prose is filled with beautiful passages like “Their wet footprints mingled with those left by the living and went unnoticed. The palm trees and grasses waved in the breeze and from the top of the rise near the southern end, smaller neighboring keys could be seen. A flock of gulls floated on the wind currents above.” Something else Atreides does that is rare of authors is giving his characters unique contrasting personalities of their own. Marvin, Mike, and Tommy were made different in their actions and dialogue and I was never confused as to who was speaking regardless if all three were in the conversation and their was no dialogue attribution. The same goes for Jenna, Colleen, and Joanne.
(Marvin's) World of Deadheads is a welcome surprise!
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July 14, 2019Paul Atreides is a frickin' riot. I already knew that from a handful of encounters I've had with him, but when I read - Marvin's World" I was sure. Not only is he delightfully creative and funny, he seems to come from a place we all have within our humble trappings but choose to seldom visit.
Uh-Oh, Yep...I do believe that I am reviewing the author, not the book. Yikes Hee
Trust me -Living Beings- this World-Creator (ATREIDES) ability to write and the awesome characters he will introduce you to are well worth the visit. I expected the usual, dead person walking, haunting, etc., NO - NO - NO Atreides takes on life and death, then and now, before and after, (o.k. I could go on- Nope).
His ability to capture the things that matter in life and take them on to matter after is genius. I applaud this man, author, being, who lives and writes so well of life/death/love. Folks, Atreides humor and playful acceptance of our vunerable humanity is refreshing, not to mention a heartfelt fun romp through...WHAT IF?
Uh-Oh, Yep...I do believe that I am reviewing the author, not the book. Yikes Hee
Trust me -Living Beings- this World-Creator (ATREIDES) ability to write and the awesome characters he will introduce you to are well worth the visit. I expected the usual, dead person walking, haunting, etc., NO - NO - NO Atreides takes on life and death, then and now, before and after, (o.k. I could go on- Nope).
His ability to capture the things that matter in life and take them on to matter after is genius. I applaud this man, author, being, who lives and writes so well of life/death/love. Folks, Atreides humor and playful acceptance of our vunerable humanity is refreshing, not to mention a heartfelt fun romp through...WHAT IF?
December 10, 2016
After a morning filled with anger, Marvin Broudstein quickly leaves his nagging fiancée, Jenna, behind in their apartment in the hopes that he does not miss the bus. As he approaches the curb, Jenna gets his attention one last time through the window, resulting in Marv’s instant demise when he is hit by a bus. While watching his crushed and bleeding body, Marv is greeted by Tommy Kinkaid and welcomed to the afterlife, in a world filled with the spirits of those who have died but have not moved on. Marv refers to these spirits as deadheads. His anger towards Jenna fluctuates like the tide, as he sees her make poor decisions after his death, but also witnesses her sorrow and broken heart now that he is gone. Marv is able to feel the pain Jenna experiences and finally understands the full extent of her love. His funeral is attended by many, both living and dead. After Marv witnesses a miracle occur between Jenna and his family, who not only loathe her but also blame her for Marv’s death, he realizes that anything is possible. As he socializes with more and more deadheads by going to the movies, to bars and restaurants, Marv makes many friends. But little does Marv realize that Jenna has quickly moved on to the next warm body, which may well cause her to have an out-of-body experience of her very own.
While quite gruesome at the start, Paul Atreides’ book quickly becomes one of hilarity as Marvin observes the lives of his family and friends after he has died. The cost of Marv’s funeral almost knocked the wind out of me, but seeing how that particular detail was handled, both by Jenna and his father, was quite touching and remarkable. Marvin’s World of Deadheads goes into great detail regarding not only the thoughts that go through Marv’s mind, but also the feelings and sensations he experiences when he comes into contact with people or objects. As he discovers what he can and cannot do, he has many-a-laugh at the expense of those who’d hurt him in his life, or who hurt or try to deceive those he loves after he has died. Filled with a pinwheel of emotions, I was unable to put Marvin’s World of Deadheads down once I started reading. The action and adventure in Marv’s antics and those of his Deadhead friends must be seen to be believed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading such a well-written, exciting and suspenseful book filled with a great deal of laughs, and recommend it to those who like to step outside the box and see what possibly lies ahead after we have gone. I look forward to reading the highly-anticipated sequel.
- Rosie Malezer for Readers’ Favorite
While quite gruesome at the start, Paul Atreides’ book quickly becomes one of hilarity as Marvin observes the lives of his family and friends after he has died. The cost of Marv’s funeral almost knocked the wind out of me, but seeing how that particular detail was handled, both by Jenna and his father, was quite touching and remarkable. Marvin’s World of Deadheads goes into great detail regarding not only the thoughts that go through Marv’s mind, but also the feelings and sensations he experiences when he comes into contact with people or objects. As he discovers what he can and cannot do, he has many-a-laugh at the expense of those who’d hurt him in his life, or who hurt or try to deceive those he loves after he has died. Filled with a pinwheel of emotions, I was unable to put Marvin’s World of Deadheads down once I started reading. The action and adventure in Marv’s antics and those of his Deadhead friends must be seen to be believed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading such a well-written, exciting and suspenseful book filled with a great deal of laughs, and recommend it to those who like to step outside the box and see what possibly lies ahead after we have gone. I look forward to reading the highly-anticipated sequel.
- Rosie Malezer for Readers’ Favorite
February 16, 2015
A 29-year-old professional meets an untimely end. Only it's not the end.
In this dark comedy, the afterlife isn't much different from regular life, as Marvin learns with the assistance of veteran deadheads. Mike is an old friend from college. And Tommy's a chipper hippie. They take Marvin under their (non-angelic) wing, easing him into a regular routine of movie-going, deli breakfasts, and (live) people watching. But the fun and games take a sinister turn when Marvin decides that he can't live without his girlfriend Jenna. He begins plotting her...shall we say...."transition"...unaware of the dark (and eternal) consequences.
Marvin has a strong voice. His sardonic wit adds a nice bite to the story. I wasn't crazy about him or Jenna at first. They aren't a warm-and-fuzzy couple. They're hard-edged and tough on each other. Yet over the course of book, we see how truly attached they were to one another and how well matched they are. I didn't want Jenna to die, but I was rooting for a happy ending.
Things morph from funny to creepy to outright scary as Marvin becomes more and more obsessed with having Jenna join him. He haunts her every move, interfering with her life and attempting to hasten her death. Even as his friends take a step back, he's incapable of seeing how he's endangering himself and everyone around him. I won't spoil the ending, but the author found a clever way to resolve the seemingly unresolvable.
Other than a trip to Florida, which went on a few pages longer than it had to, (MARVIN'S) WORLD OF DEADHEADS kept me engaged from page one until its unexpected...and spirited...end.
In this dark comedy, the afterlife isn't much different from regular life, as Marvin learns with the assistance of veteran deadheads. Mike is an old friend from college. And Tommy's a chipper hippie. They take Marvin under their (non-angelic) wing, easing him into a regular routine of movie-going, deli breakfasts, and (live) people watching. But the fun and games take a sinister turn when Marvin decides that he can't live without his girlfriend Jenna. He begins plotting her...shall we say...."transition"...unaware of the dark (and eternal) consequences.
Marvin has a strong voice. His sardonic wit adds a nice bite to the story. I wasn't crazy about him or Jenna at first. They aren't a warm-and-fuzzy couple. They're hard-edged and tough on each other. Yet over the course of book, we see how truly attached they were to one another and how well matched they are. I didn't want Jenna to die, but I was rooting for a happy ending.
Things morph from funny to creepy to outright scary as Marvin becomes more and more obsessed with having Jenna join him. He haunts her every move, interfering with her life and attempting to hasten her death. Even as his friends take a step back, he's incapable of seeing how he's endangering himself and everyone around him. I won't spoil the ending, but the author found a clever way to resolve the seemingly unresolvable.
Other than a trip to Florida, which went on a few pages longer than it had to, (MARVIN'S) WORLD OF DEADHEADS kept me engaged from page one until its unexpected...and spirited...end.
February 6, 2017
Marvin dies and leaves his fiancee behind. He has many unaswered questions about life and love. Overall, it is a humerous romance novel where Marvin needs to choose between his heart and head. This book reminds me of the movie Ghost with added humor. Fun and touching read.
June 18, 2013
This book is a fun and entertaining read. We get to meet Marvin but Marvin gets hit by a bus. You would think life would be over for him but instead he is taken on an adventure of misshapen and escapades he even plots the death of his girlfriend. All is done is a light humorous view. Most authors write about death with sadness and tears and it is done in a serious tone but with Paul he gives us a light hearten look at the after life. I found myself drawn in, smiling, giggling and feeling like I was part of this gang of people trying to maneuver the here after. I highly recommend this wonderful story.
If you want a book that will keep you smiling and even give you a few giggles out loud then go get this book I promise you won't be disappointed.
If you want a book that will keep you smiling and even give you a few giggles out loud then go get this book I promise you won't be disappointed.
October 29, 2012
It's mine - so I'm biased! But, reviews of early an early draft said:
"It starts with a bang ... crisp and believable ... a lot of fun."
"A fresh take on the traditional ghost story ... with a great deal of style."
"...captures interest immediately..."
Hope ya'll will give it a shot!
"It starts with a bang ... crisp and believable ... a lot of fun."
"A fresh take on the traditional ghost story ... with a great deal of style."
"...captures interest immediately..."
Hope ya'll will give it a shot!
November 9, 2012
This book was funny,and very believable! Laugh out loud sections with a very unexpected ending.Kept me wanting to continue reading.Hard to put down.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews