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Exploding Bears: A Savage Comedy

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Welcome to Wyld Louie's Exploding Bears Experience where every hour, on the hour, you can witness one of Wyld Louie's genuine, one-of-a-kind Exploding Bears blow up right before your very eyes! 

MARVEL at the awesome power of a bear detonating into thousands of pieces.

RELISH the opportunity to be impaled with fragments of an exploded bear carcass.

TASTE a genuine, strawberry-flavored, beaver butt at Wyld Louie's Petting Zoo.

ENJOY the hospitality of Wyld Louie's courteous and friendly staff.

CHERISH the memories you'll leave with for a lifetime, including the bear claw impaled in your skull.

Spend the day at Wyld Louie's Exploding Bear Experience and have a Dynamite Time!

91 pages, ebook

Published January 18, 2022

26 people want to read

About the author

Frank J. Edler

36 books130 followers
Frank J. Edler is the author of many twisted novels and uncanny short stories often cited as 'laugh out loud' dark comedies. His writing walks the fine line between horror and the bizarre. He resides in New Jersey, a land that is both horrific and bizarre.

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Mort.
Author 3 books1,625 followers
March 6, 2022
3.5 Stars

I make no secret of the fact that I don’t like animal cruelty in the stories I read, so when Frank asked me to edit EXPLODING BEARS there was a slight reluctance on my part. And, as the title suggests, there are a lot of bear exploding in this story.

However, this book is either bizarro or slapstick – so much so that the scenarios are just too ridiculous to be offended by. Of course, there will be those who will be offended, that is a given, and about more than just the animals, so…fair warning, if you can’t read this one tongue in cheek, don’t read it, because it will upset you.

Years ago, a friend told me about a cartoon series called HAPPY TREE FRIENDS. If you haven’t seen it, every episode features dozens and dozens of animals getting killed – however, the ways in which they die are often so utterly impossible, it was humorous. Yes, even I had a few chuckles, but after about four episodes the novelty wore off and I haven’t even thought about it in years. Until now…

The best description I can give is probably something like HAPPY TREE FRIENDS meets DUMB AND DUMBER meets BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY meets ANCHORMAN meets TELETUBBIES…or something.

So, if you go into this one with the right attitude (and a juvenile sense of humor), you will probably enjoy it. Personally, it made me giggle in places but, like HAPPY TREE FRIENDS, but it was too slapstick for my personal taste.

Bizarro fans who loves to laugh will probably be the main audience for this one.
Profile Image for Peter Topside.
Author 6 books1,450 followers
July 9, 2025
3.5 stars. I saw some other reviewers use the word slapstick to describe this book, and that really does sum it up. There are characters, but they’re just used as placeholders for the jokes and puns. No development, no underlying themes or anything, and the plot is hard to decipher through the nonstop barrage of inappropriate humor. It really just hops to a new humor but every few sentences throughout, a lot of which felt forced. But overall it’s not bad. It’s short, silly, and has some funny moments, which is about all you can expect to find here.
Profile Image for Hunter Shea.
Author 66 books1,008 followers
March 2, 2023
Depraved. Twisted. Bizarre. Funny as hell. These are the things I expect from a Frank Edler book and Exploding Bears delivered on all fronts. His best yet!
Profile Image for Armand Rosamilia.
Author 257 books2,745 followers
March 18, 2022
Not normally my cup o' tea (to o' the mornin' to ya) but it was recommended by a couple of other readers I trust, and... wow. This is so over the top and insane it is good, and over before you know it. The story is raunchy, funny and full of random pop culture references. And (spoiler alert) exploding bears.
Profile Image for Ryan.
Author 1 book30 followers
July 13, 2022
Absolutely buckwild and more brazen, more ridiculous than any of Edler’s other novels. It’s lacking in the affecting core and character arcs that those other books have, but it makes up for that with some unrestrained insanity.
Profile Image for Dakota Dawe.
195 reviews11 followers
January 24, 2022
Come one, come all to Wyld Louie's Exploding Bear Experience! Come meet the rare species of exploding bear, something you can't see anywhere else on God's green Earth (Mostly due to US law). Watch as bears of all shapes, sizes, and species explode right before your very eyes! If you're one of the lucky few, you may even walk home with a piece of said bear that we will happily glue to your body! Bring the kiddies along with you and let them have at it at the petting zoo, featuring such attractions as the dancing hamster and our beaver, who is SURELY a beaver, who has been blessed by Mother Nature herself with an anus that tastes exactly like strawberries!

Exploding Bears is an experience like no other. Edler brings us into the world of Wyld Louie, a roadside attraction owner who finds all sorts of ways to extort his customers and employees alike, all while dishing out ass eatings to any who dare question his ways. The story is chock full of jokes, celebrity appearances, dry humor, witty humor, humor humor, you name it, it's here! This book is just plain ol' fun, you won't find another like it, especially one that can promise THIS many bears exploding! I can see myself revisting this story again and again whenever I need myself a good laugh.
Profile Image for Matthew Clarke.
Author 59 books181 followers
January 24, 2022
Forget the Tiger King. Edler is the Exploding Bear King! He certainly knows his stuff when it comes to tongue lashings. There were so many I almost felt as if I was on the receiving end at times!

Hilarious, well developed characters and a strong plot make this a strong contender for my top 3 books of this year.
Profile Image for Aaron McQuiston.
594 reviews21 followers
February 2, 2022
When I think back to the experience of reading Exploding Bears: A Savage Comedy, I cannot help but hark back to all of the classic literature I have read in my life. Exploding Bears is almost the same length as Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, with a main character, Wyld Louie, who has the same ambitions for success as the characters in The Great Gatsby. A Hemingway influence can be from blowing things up like in For Whom The Bells Toll (where it is bears instead of bridges), or maybe A Farewell to Arms. The biggest parallel to Frank J Elder’s book and classic literature is of course James Joyce. With Exploding Bears: A Savage Comedy we have a story told mostly in one day, like Ulysses, but there are also puns and invented language (particularly when the employees are doing mushrooms they found growing behind the outhouses) like in Finnigan’s Wake. Is Frank J. Elder the leader of a renaissance of literature, turning back the clock and reinventing all of those boring books by adding exploding bears and ass-licking characters? It is very possible.

Wyld Louie’s Exploding Bears Experience is started by a man with a dream. The dream is to watch bears explode and to make as much money as possible off of it. Throughout the day Wyld Louie runs into the normal rigors of owning a bear exploding theme park, but this is a day that will change Wyld Louie’s park and Wyld Louie himself by sunset. He entertains the crowds with exploding bears, but also a petting zoo where people line up to lick a beaver’s anus because it tastes like strawberries (which the truth is the goo that comes from a beaver’s anus tastes like vanilla and is sometimes used in artificial vanilla extract. Enjoy!) While the customers come in and out, Wyld Louie needs to keep the park stocked with bears to explode, all of the customers happy, and of course turn a profit.


Part classic literature, part business study, part exploding fucking bears, the entire novella is fantastically funny and entertaining. I know Frank J Edler by listening to his podcast Bizzong! for the past couple of years. He ended the podcast in January to focus more on his family and his writing. If he is exchanging his podcast to write stories as good and funny as this, we can see it as a fair trade. I have made a few of my reading friends buy and read Exploding Bears: A Savage Comedy with me because this really is an experience that I could not keep to myself. If you have a few hours to spend reading, I recommend this much higher than Finnigan’s Wake.
Profile Image for Christina Pfeiffer.
396 reviews39 followers
January 19, 2022
How do I start my review of Exploding Bears: A Savage Comedy by Frank Edler? I guess I’ll jump right in. It’s the only way.

Wyld Louie (pronounced Lou-uh for all you uncultured swine), just wants to bring exploding bears to the masses and he does. Him and his troop of insane lackeys. Wyld Louie has a tried and true method of discipline that shows his dominance while also showing his unmatched punishment creativity. Jenny wants in on the punishment but Wyld Louie treats her differently… why? Oh, and exploding bears happen, a lot.

I don’t read just for fun. I have to find a deeper meaning and be all analytical. Not with this one. I have not had this much fun with a novella in a long time. If Frank was trying to get something across, I wasn’t having it. I was here for the exploding bears, weird punishments, and the strawberry tasting assholes. … I know, you are confused, go pick it up! It has self-inflicted bear/human body horror, narwhals, dancing hamsters, EXPLODING BEARS, and “beaver” assholes.

Edler does not disappoint. This is so much gotdamn fun and I really want to reread it as soon as possible. It’s only 96 pages so you can knock this out in less than 2 hours.

10/5 tongue lashings

Available on Godless.com for $0.89!
Profile Image for Lexie McDonough.
100 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2023
You know Joe Exotic, but do you know Wyld Louie? This was hands down one of the most crude, bizarre, hilarious things I've EVER read. We have exploding bears, a dancing hamster, and even romance? If you're a fan of Happy Tree Friends, give this one a go. It's so over the top ridiculous that you can't take a moment of it seriously. Some people are definitely going to be enraged over the exploding bears, so trigger warning, I guess? But every situation is so insane there's nothing realistic to it. You really just have to laugh, but, hey, I warned you. This is one of those books that's going to stick with me after having me laughing out loud multiple times through out. I keep saying bizarro isn't really my type of writing, but I think Mr. Elder proved me wrong within the first few pages.
Profile Image for Tom Duffy.
Author 12 books8 followers
January 19, 2022
No bear goes unexploded in this savage, fun, and bizarre release. We deal with the trials and tribulations of insubordinate employees, running a small business, and unruly customers named Jerry. If I found myself working here I would make sure never to correct the pronunciation of my name, Tommy…or would I?
Profile Image for Norman Miller.
Author 30 books12 followers
April 2, 2022
I don't swear often on social media, but this was fucked up...in the best way possible. Over-the-top with tons of laugh and healthy tossed salads.
Profile Image for Danielle Yvonne.
306 reviews32 followers
July 10, 2025
EXPLODING BEARS: A SAVAGE COMEDY
By Frank J. Edler

“Sea World has Shamu. The whole point of going to see Shamu is to get drenched when the orca belly-flops into his tank. Well, when you went to Wyld Louie’s, you expected to be impaled with exploding bear parts.”

Edler is quickly becoming a fast fav author for me. His sense of humor and wittiness is top tier. I love a good horror comedy and I love some good savagery, and as the title says, this one is savage as ever.

So, lol. This is actually a hard one to review because it really is that unhinged and I don’t want to ruin the plot completely. It gives Tiger King vibes in the best way possible, and the MMC gives Joe Exotic vibes (Haha). There was a shroom scene in this story that made me question if I was the one doing drugs, and as random as that sounds… I love when an author can pull that off.

While there are exploding bears and some other very odd animal stuff going on, I really do recommend this book to everyone. It has a bunch of gag worthy moments so beware of that, otherwise just go for the ride and enjoy what chaos ensues!!

Book is available on Godless and gets an infinite number of chuckles and stars!


Profile Image for Todd Love.
Author 40 books99 followers
February 3, 2022
Well there goes strawberries 🍓 off the menu. This was the craziest, weirdest, most bizarre story I have ever read. Holy rusty sherif badges and ballon knots. This is so fun, laugh out loud, tell your friends - hey you will never guess what I’m reading - KABOOOOOOOM!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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