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A Bad Case of Tinnitus
Arnold Masterson had always been a bit of a hypochondriac, so when he woke up one morning with a strange and unexplainable ringing in his right ear, the first thought that entered his mind was that he must have a brain tumor.
Why not? Everything else in his life had gone south. His wife paid little to no attention to him anymore (in fact, he had a sneaking suspicion she was having an affair with Brian, one of her hunky coworkers), he had no real friends, and he absolutely hated his job. Tack on a now bulging gut and several randomly placed bald spots on his head that made him feel like a mangy dog, and the sound of a brain tumor didn’t really seem all that bad.
But, upon further investigation, Arnold quickly discovers that brain tumors aren’t the only thing that can cause this strange ringing in his ear…and in his case, the cause may just lead to a very unlikely friendship that turns out to be the solution to all of his other problems.
“I haven’t had so much fun reading Satan infused perverse horror since I discovered Edward Lee.” – Charlie Glover, Author of The Soul Organization
“Tony Evans continues to demonstrate why he is one of the best new voices in the horror genre.” – Matthew Lemay, Goodreads and Bookstagram Reviewer
Why not? Everything else in his life had gone south. His wife paid little to no attention to him anymore (in fact, he had a sneaking suspicion she was having an affair with Brian, one of her hunky coworkers), he had no real friends, and he absolutely hated his job. Tack on a now bulging gut and several randomly placed bald spots on his head that made him feel like a mangy dog, and the sound of a brain tumor didn’t really seem all that bad.
But, upon further investigation, Arnold quickly discovers that brain tumors aren’t the only thing that can cause this strange ringing in his ear…and in his case, the cause may just lead to a very unlikely friendship that turns out to be the solution to all of his other problems.
“I haven’t had so much fun reading Satan infused perverse horror since I discovered Edward Lee.” – Charlie Glover, Author of The Soul Organization
“Tony Evans continues to demonstrate why he is one of the best new voices in the horror genre.” – Matthew Lemay, Goodreads and Bookstagram Reviewer
- GenresHorror
118 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2022
6 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 8, 2022
Next time you get an unwanted painful ringing in your ear, just reach in and haul it out… see what happens 😈
August 5, 2022
Long time fan here, but omg I laughed so hard at this one! I'm used to Tony's Appalachian horror tales with badass witches and scary hollers, they're all great spine tinglers. This one... I mean, the description of Arraleg's arrival had me laughing out loud! Main character Arnold is as annoying as he's supposed to be, and Tony's version of Satan made me think of a smarmy used car salesman, but Arraleg... I kind of want him as a pet. If you've watched Matt Groening's show "Disenchantment", you'll know who Bean's personal demon Luci is. I'd bet money that Arraleg is Luci's southern cousin. Tony has brought to life the most loveable, dispicable little monster you'll ever want to adopt. This book has big dongs, demons, laughs and thrills. What more could you want? It's a quick read, extremely well-written, and there's nary a typo to be found. Get on it.
February 25, 2023
What a fun read! Not what I was expecting from Evans, but I really enjoyed it. I would almost say it's a bit of bizarro. Hopefully the author will write more books like this. It's nice to read a light hearted horror every now and then.
November 7, 2024
This was my first ride along with this author, and this one caught my eye because i happen to have tinnitus, and I'm like perfect.
oops, now I'm paranoid but this was hilarious horror, and i love it.
From what I've read, his other collections have the same fun horror vibe, and i will be adding those to my tbr list asap.
oops, now I'm paranoid but this was hilarious horror, and i love it.
From what I've read, his other collections have the same fun horror vibe, and i will be adding those to my tbr list asap.
August 8, 2022
Have you been having a bad time lately?
Has your wife of 18 years, who used to be so in love with you now constantly putting you down?
Is there even an itching suspicion shes sleeping with another man?
On top of that, has there been a ringing in just one of your ears almost constantly thats driving you insane? Your wife constantly makes fun at your worrying about it.
Could you be Dying? Maybe Sick? Or what of you're just Crazy? She doesn't care. Maybe she even goes you'll die.
What can you do when the woman you are in love with, aka your wife, no longer loves you and instead hates you.
What can you do if your wife is out throwing herself at everything with a wiener while you're home faithful just wanting to love her?
Our main character, Arnold, is about to find out. As it turns out, that annoying ringing in his ear has all the answers. And "it" has a name. Arraleg.
And youll love him.
Are you a fan of horror with a fun touch of comedy? What about horror with a flavor of revenge? Do you love a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing what is going to happen next? What about stories where you're literally rooting for "the bad guy?"
If you said "yes" to all of these, then you will want to purchase yourself a copy right now !
Has your wife of 18 years, who used to be so in love with you now constantly putting you down?
Is there even an itching suspicion shes sleeping with another man?
On top of that, has there been a ringing in just one of your ears almost constantly thats driving you insane? Your wife constantly makes fun at your worrying about it.
Could you be Dying? Maybe Sick? Or what of you're just Crazy? She doesn't care. Maybe she even goes you'll die.
What can you do when the woman you are in love with, aka your wife, no longer loves you and instead hates you.
What can you do if your wife is out throwing herself at everything with a wiener while you're home faithful just wanting to love her?
Our main character, Arnold, is about to find out. As it turns out, that annoying ringing in his ear has all the answers. And "it" has a name. Arraleg.
And youll love him.
Are you a fan of horror with a fun touch of comedy? What about horror with a flavor of revenge? Do you love a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing what is going to happen next? What about stories where you're literally rooting for "the bad guy?"
If you said "yes" to all of these, then you will want to purchase yourself a copy right now !
August 3, 2022
It has not been a fun time for Arnold lately. His wife basically ignores him, he's gotten a bit round in the middle and his hair is balding. So when he had this horrible ringing in his ear, he thought the worst was happening. After a trip to the doctor and coming home with a bad case of tinnitus all hell breaks loose!
This book was a good fast read, and I thought it was very well written. From the character build up to the plot of the story. I laughed to my self often through this story, yet it had a good amount of gruesome discriptions as well. I was able to read this one in one setting on a plane ride from Boston to Las Vegas, that's how we'll it reads.
This book was a good fast read, and I thought it was very well written. From the character build up to the plot of the story. I laughed to my self often through this story, yet it had a good amount of gruesome discriptions as well. I was able to read this one in one setting on a plane ride from Boston to Las Vegas, that's how we'll it reads.
August 3, 2022
Arnold is a middle aged man and down on his luck. His once athletic body is now going to pot. Worse still is the fact that he thinks his wife is quite possibly having an affair with her hunk of a coworker. Arnold wakes up one morning to a constant ringing in his ear. Could it possibly be tinnitus, a brain tumor, or something much more sinister and diabolical?
I had a lot of fun with this story. Quick and to the point with a smattering of humor through out. This is one you don't want to miss out on. Do yourself a favor and read this one immediately, you'll be glad you did.
I had a lot of fun with this story. Quick and to the point with a smattering of humor through out. This is one you don't want to miss out on. Do yourself a favor and read this one immediately, you'll be glad you did.
August 4, 2022
Friends, Readers, Countymen…lend me your overly ringing ears…Tony Evans’ latest scrawlings on dead trees and terrifying nanobyte technology has arrived. Just in time for the dog days of Satan’s reign on America’s southeastern corner (AKA Summer In Tennessee). Arnold’s like in a word, sucks. Balding, overweight etc. He awakens to a horrendous ringing in his ears. He goes to the doctor…bad idea, Arnie. Well, as the title infers, this is a BAD case of…nope, no spoilers from this boy.
As usual, Tony builds his characters and scenes with a neat and deft style. If your looking for a great horror comedy to get your mind off the outdoor temperatures, pick it ip. You won’t be disappointed.
As usual, Tony builds his characters and scenes with a neat and deft style. If your looking for a great horror comedy to get your mind off the outdoor temperatures, pick it ip. You won’t be disappointed.
July 27, 2025
I'll start by saying I'm always skeptical of short horror, but as someone who suffers from the occasional bout of tinnitus, I felt compelled to give it a try. Horror novellas can be wildly underwhelming; it's difficult to build fear and bring characters (and their demons) to life within so few pages. Although it did not strike fear in my heart, this book was focused, sharply funny, and painfully relatable. The author did an excellent job of building unconventionally lovable characters who'll have you cheering for their misdeeds in under 100 pages.
November 3, 2022
Poor Arnold Masterson. An aging hypochondriac whose past his prime, he’s about to have his life turned upside down when the ringing in his ears is something far worse than the suspected brain tumor.
Equal parts gore and laughs, this quick read will have you cringing and laughing the whole way.
Equal parts gore and laughs, this quick read will have you cringing and laughing the whole way.
October 10, 2022
One of the best books I've read this year! Loved the mix of humor in this! Highly recommend!!!
November 1, 2024
I was really hoping Arnold would get what's coming to him cuz of how much of a shitbag he is. Still a wild and fun ride from start to finish tho and a great short read!
October 12, 2022
A light easy read that really had me laughing out loud!
December 29, 2023
I’ve run into Tony Evans at horror events: he’s a funny guy with a sharp wit, so I knew his fiction would be a good time. This book did not disappoint. As someone who still has nightmares about the ear bug scene from Star Trek Wrath of Khan (y’all know the one), the initial explanation for Arnold’s ear “issue” gave me the creeps. However, Evans really pulled the rug out from under me by the time Part II began.
Readers, you’ll think the story is going one way, and you’ll be dead wrong. Evans has both an ear (pun in intended) for whipsmart dialogue and a f*cked up imagination in the best possible way. Flame semen. ‘Nuff said.
Readers, you’ll think the story is going one way, and you’ll be dead wrong. Evans has both an ear (pun in intended) for whipsmart dialogue and a f*cked up imagination in the best possible way. Flame semen. ‘Nuff said.
April 8, 2025
This is my first book by Tony Evans and it was certainly a good first impression. Short, effective, and plenty of room for things to go poorly from the initial setup.
Arnold is having issues with a ringing in his ear and when a doctor doesn’t seem to offer much help things escalate when he pulls a small living person out of his ear—only it’s not a person, it’s a demon named Arraleg.
This book is fantastic in the setup without feeding the reader a bunch of boring details about medical jargon with the ear. One thing that did surprise me was that the later parts of the book took on a much more comedic element than I was expecting. All in all I still very much enjoyed it and learned that Satan actually hates goats and how humans portray him is just silly.
This is worth a read and I think the author should consider a follow up where Arraleg and Arnold buddy up to do cool stuff.
Arnold is having issues with a ringing in his ear and when a doctor doesn’t seem to offer much help things escalate when he pulls a small living person out of his ear—only it’s not a person, it’s a demon named Arraleg.
This book is fantastic in the setup without feeding the reader a bunch of boring details about medical jargon with the ear. One thing that did surprise me was that the later parts of the book took on a much more comedic element than I was expecting. All in all I still very much enjoyed it and learned that Satan actually hates goats and how humans portray him is just silly.
This is worth a read and I think the author should consider a follow up where Arraleg and Arnold buddy up to do cool stuff.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews