This Book is Full of Spiders, by David Wong (aka Jason Pargin)

(hb; 2012: sequel to John Dies at the End)


From the inside flap:

"Warning: You have a huge, invisible spider living in your skull.  THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR.

"You will dismiss this as ridiculous fearmongering.  DISMISSING things as ridiculous is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection - the creature secretes a chemical into the brain to stimulate skepticism, in order to prevent you from seeking a cure.  That's just as well, since the "CURE" involves learning what a chainsaw tastes like.

"You can't feel the spider, because it controls your nerve endings.  You can't see it, because it decides what you see.  You won't even feel it WHEN IT BREEDS.  And it will breed.  So what happens when your family, friends and neighbors get mind-controlling skull spiders?  We're all about to find out.

"Just stay calm, and remember that telling you about the spider situation is not the same as having caused it.  I'm just the messenger.  Even if I did sort of cause it.

"Either way, I won't hold it against you if you're upset.  I know, that's just the spider talking."



Review:

Excellent, genre-twisty, gory, zinger line-laden apocalyptic and imaginatively funny novel with a tight, clever storyline, whose often-bizarre thrills are fresh and quietly landmark in its multigenres. 

Worth owning, this.