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Justin Alcala

Goodreads Author

Born

in Chicago, The United States

Website

http://www.justinalcala.com

Twitter

https://twitter.com/JustinAlcala

Genre

Fantasy, Humor and Comedy, Horror

Influences

Jim Butcher, Andrew Smith, Christopher Moore, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan ...more

Member Since

January 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/justin_alcala

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Justin Alcala is a novelist, nerdologist and Speculative Literature Foundation Award Finalist. He’s the author of four novels including Consumed, (BLK Dog Publishing) The Devil in the Wide City (Solstice Publishing) Dim Fairy Tales (AllThingsThatMatterPress) and A Dead End Job (The Parliament House). His short stories have been featured in dozens of magazines and anthologies, including It Snows Here (Power Loss Anthology),The Offering (Rogue Planet Press Magazine) and The Lantern Quietly Screams (Castabout Literature). When he’s not burning out his retinas in front of a computer, Justin is a tabletop gamer, blogger, folklore enthusiast and time traveler. He is an avid quester of anything righteous, from fighting dragons to acquiring magical ...more

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Justin Alcala’s books

Average rating: 4.1 · 347 ratings · 179 reviews · 19 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Dead-End Job 4.02 avg rating — 223 ratings — published 2021 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Consumed 4.12 avg rating — 51 ratings — published 2014 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dim Fairy Tales 4.29 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Devil in the Wide City 4.50 avg rating — 16 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	101 Proof Horror by Tyler Jones (Goodreads Author), Edward Ahern (Goodreads Author), Justin Alcala (Goodreads Author) 4.67 avg rating — 9 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Power Loss: What Happens When the Lights Go Out Forever? by John Wait (Editor), Todd Cinani, Amber Benbow 3.45 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond the Levee and Other Ghostly Tales by Peter Talley, David Antrobus (Goodreads Author) (Contributor ), Justin Alcala (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Forest Only Whispers: A PNR Short Story 4.80 avg rating — 5 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Running Wild Anthology of Stories Volume 3 by Barbara Lockwood, Justin Alcala (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Citizen Survivors: The Red Book by Various, Richard Denham (Goodreads Author), M.J. Trow 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Justin Alcala's Blog

A BIG Giveaway Thank You!!!

We want to thank everyone who entered our goodreads "A DEAD END JOB" giveaway. We had an enormous response, and are delighted that so many of you wanted to get a free copy. Stay tuned for more chances, and as always, thanks for being a weird-reader...like me!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

A Dead-End Job

by Justin Alcala

Giveaway ends October 31, 2021.

See the giveaway d

Justin is Currently Reading

Justin Alcala is currently reading

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 15, 2025 11:39AM

Justin Alcala is currently reading

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

by Sangu Mandanna (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 19, 2023 08:26AM

Justin Alcala is currently reading

No Secrets Allowed

by Kana Wu (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Aug 05, 2021 04:52AM

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Justin’s Recent Updates

Justin Alcala rated a book it was amazing The Shades of Magic Series (Shades of Magic, #1-3) by V.E. Schwab	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 11:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala rated a book it was amazing A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3) by V.E. Schwab	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 11:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala rated a book it was amazing A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2) by V.E. Schwab	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 11:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala rated a book it was amazing A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1) by V.E. Schwab	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 11:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala has read A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3) by V.E. Schwab	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 11:40AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala has read A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2) by V.E. Schwab	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 11:40AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala has read A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1) by V.E. Schwab	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 11:39AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala rated a book it was amazing Echoes of Erasure (Signal & Static #1) by Sterling Vance (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I love cyberpunk. It’s a "premonition" rather than just fiction, reflecting modern fears about corporate power, environmental decay, and social alienation. Echoes of Erasure: Book One of Signal & Static is just that. Port Nòc’s distinct aesthetic, a ...more
Apr 14, 2026 07:13PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Echoes of Erasure by Sterling Vance. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Echoes of Erasure by Sterling Vance <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Justin Alcala rated a book it was amazing Replaced: Sacred Duet by Jordan Leger (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
One spicy meatball of a book! Replaced: Sacred Duet Book 2 is a fast paced, emotionally charged book by Jordan Leger. The author continues their story with Cambrea, a broken hearted character who is heartsick after the loss of Rett, Seeking revenge f ...more
Mar 17, 2026 11:25AM · like · see review
Justin Alcala rated a book it was amazing A Harmony of Hells (The Paris Trilogy #3) by Yves Fey (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A Harmony of Hells: A love story of Paris...with murders. (The Paris Trilogy Book 3) is a clean, well written third book in a built series. It follows Averill, whose sister (Jeanette) has been stolen by their father. To save their sister, Averill has ...more
Feb 15, 2026 10:41AM · like · see review

More of Justin's books…

Quotes by Justin Alcala (?)

“Which is the true nightmare, the horrific dream that you have in your sleep or the dissatisfied reality that awaits you when you awake?”
― Justin Alcala

tags: authors, horror, life-lessons, nightmares, nightmares-fear, reality-of-life

239 likes

“Non fiction? Non fiction?! Listen, reality is what got me into this mess in the first place.”
― Justin Alcala

tags: authors, imagination, non-fiction, reality

42 likes

“I don't remember ever signing up for weird. It just sort of happened.”
― Justin Alcala

tags: authors, horror, humor, weird

9 likes

See all Justin Alcala's quotes »

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A Million More Pages: Rocket City Trash Pandas	59	34	Jul 30, 2022 11:27PM
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The Challenge Fac...: 100 Book Genre Challenge 2021	51	192	Mar 08, 2023 12:00PM

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Justin’s Quotes

“We love the night and its quiet; and there is no night that we love so well as that on which the moon is coffined in clouds.”
― Fitz-James O'Brien, Classic Ghost Stories by Wilkie Collins, M.R. James, Charles Dickens and Others

tags: moon, night, quiet

170 likes

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”
― Edgar Allen Poe

2009 likes

“Experts in ancient Greek culture say that people back then didn't see their thoughts as belonging to them. When ancient Greeks had a thought, it occurred to them as a god or goddess giving an order. Apollo was telling them to be brave. Athena was telling them to fall in love.

Now people hear a commercial for sour cream potato chips and rush out to buy, but now they call this free will.
At least the ancient Greeks were being honest.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Lullaby

tags: comercials, consumerism, free-will, god, goddess, greek, p20

423 likes

“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!”
― Bram Stoker

tags: dracula

2417 likes

“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family. ”
― Jim Butcher

tags: family

2946 likes

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