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The Spinal Cord Perception
There is something that makes David Rivers, a cynical and apathetic twenty-four year old substitute teacher, very different. It could be the depression or the hallucinations, or it could be the little black creature that crawls in his window at night. Whatever the case, it is becoming a problem.
The debut novel from Joshua S. Porter is a dark, comic and moving story of self-realization in a contemporary moral free zone.
The debut novel from Joshua S. Porter is a dark, comic and moving story of self-realization in a contemporary moral free zone.
First published January 1, 2006
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199 people want to read
About the author
Joshua S. Porter
10 books216 followersJoshua S. Porter is pastor of teaching and creative vision at Van City Church in Vancouver, Washington. He is also a former member of the experimental art-punk band, Showbread, and the author of With All Its Teeth, Death to Deconstruction, novel Punk Rock Vs. the Lizard People.
Find out more and connect with Joshua at joshuasporter.com.
Find out more and connect with Joshua at joshuasporter.com.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 14, 2013
Perhaps one of the first "christian" novels that (to me) felt like it had any heart. Most of the stuff I read before had a lot of great content for spiritual growth. Most of those books you could hear in any sermon where the bible is being taught, and so buying those kinds of books (to me) are somewhat null.
This book uses allegory as only the holy spirit can do. Men's struggles and desires are highlighted and expanded upon in ways that truly helped me to understand the sin problem in every human heart. At a time in my life that I was utterly bitter and full of hate towards anyone and everyone, tSCP helped me to re-evaluate my heart and find the pharisee in my own heart. I have since been repenting of it daily. I wish everyone could read and understand the message that I received from this book, alas it cannot be so.
Despite its minor typos, and the graphic nature throughout the entire book, I've recommended it to a friend or 2 that I thought should and could read this.
I love Josh and his band and I am very thankful for all of the wisdom and heart that Jesus has given to him.
This book uses allegory as only the holy spirit can do. Men's struggles and desires are highlighted and expanded upon in ways that truly helped me to understand the sin problem in every human heart. At a time in my life that I was utterly bitter and full of hate towards anyone and everyone, tSCP helped me to re-evaluate my heart and find the pharisee in my own heart. I have since been repenting of it daily. I wish everyone could read and understand the message that I received from this book, alas it cannot be so.
Despite its minor typos, and the graphic nature throughout the entire book, I've recommended it to a friend or 2 that I thought should and could read this.
I love Josh and his band and I am very thankful for all of the wisdom and heart that Jesus has given to him.
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December 7, 2008I'm very torn with this book. I wanted so badly to fall in love with it, but I just couldn't pull it off. It was very confusing for over half the book but I'm sure Dies poured a lot of himself into this story because you can see a lot of the same sort of writing between this and many Showbread songs.
Many times you want to feel for the main character but other times you just end up hating him because he has allowed his bitterness to fuel his being. though this is a negative thing, it also makes him easier to relate with. We all have had times in our lives where we are tramatized by something from our past.
Needless to say, if you can get past some of the messed up situations it's a very abstract symbol of a humans life because of sin.
Many times you want to feel for the main character but other times you just end up hating him because he has allowed his bitterness to fuel his being. though this is a negative thing, it also makes him easier to relate with. We all have had times in our lives where we are tramatized by something from our past.
Needless to say, if you can get past some of the messed up situations it's a very abstract symbol of a humans life because of sin.
February 15, 2012
There were a couple chapters in this book, especially at the beginning, and with Hannah's Christmas story, that showed the pitfalls of an independently published book. However, as the story got going, I was to busy sifting through the ravings of a madman to notice the prose.
SPOILER:
It wasn't until the last few chapters that I stopped falling for the unreliable narrator's story. Well played Joshua S. Porter, well played.
SPOILER:
It wasn't until the last few chapters that I stopped falling for the unreliable narrator's story. Well played Joshua S. Porter, well played.
October 13, 2010
One of my favorite novels. The protagonist is a psychotic murderer, yet somehow you begin to relate to him in ways that are very unsettling. Differentiating between reality and hallucination becomes quite a chore and it keeps you from becoming complacent in the storyline- curveballs come at seemingly ever chapter.
March 29, 2010
Freakin AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 5, 2022
I love horror and have enjoyed many splatterpunk-style books.
The gratuitous gore isn’t what makes this book so awful. It’s the bad editing, the complete lack of character-development, the convoluted plot, the constant repetition and unnecessarily verbose descriptions, and most importantly, the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a point.
It also has one of the most despicably judgmental, unrelatable, and exhausting main characters I’ve ever encountered. He has zero redeeming qualities and hates pretty much everything and everyone, at least up until the last quarter of the book.
Even when he does eventually “find love,” things only get worse and he drags this poor woman (and a young, innocent girl with Down Syndrome!!!) down with him.
I understand that he’s extremely mentally unstable, but there was no attempt to help the reader feel pity or empathy for whatever he’s going through. And with the blood trail left in his wake, he never takes any accountability or displays an ounce of remorse.
Maybe I just didn’t “get it,” but I wish I’d just DNFed it when I knew it wasn’t going to get better.
The gratuitous gore isn’t what makes this book so awful. It’s the bad editing, the complete lack of character-development, the convoluted plot, the constant repetition and unnecessarily verbose descriptions, and most importantly, the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a point.
It also has one of the most despicably judgmental, unrelatable, and exhausting main characters I’ve ever encountered. He has zero redeeming qualities and hates pretty much everything and everyone, at least up until the last quarter of the book.
Even when he does eventually “find love,” things only get worse and he drags this poor woman (and a young, innocent girl with Down Syndrome!!!) down with him.
I understand that he’s extremely mentally unstable, but there was no attempt to help the reader feel pity or empathy for whatever he’s going through. And with the blood trail left in his wake, he never takes any accountability or displays an ounce of remorse.
Maybe I just didn’t “get it,” but I wish I’d just DNFed it when I knew it wasn’t going to get better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2025
I can't recommend this book to anyone, but as a Showbread fan, I kind of loved it. So many lines reminded me of Age of Reptiles lyrics, and come to find out this was released the same year Showbread released their Age of Reptiles album. It was weird, mind-bending, a little gory, and a great read for October. Reminiscent of Kafka's the Metamorphosis and pairs well with the 1980s The Fly (as mentioned in the book). Very curious to read Josh's more recent nonfiction works now, especially With All Its Teeth.
Had a few typos and agree it could benefit from an edit, but I take it as a sign of a good book that I'm still left wondering "Did I read that right?"
Had a few typos and agree it could benefit from an edit, but I take it as a sign of a good book that I'm still left wondering "Did I read that right?"
November 6, 2022
I really did not like reading until I chose to read this book. I read this about 10 years ago but it’s still my favorite novel. I’m due for a re-read but I remember twists and turns of trying to figure out what is happening to the main character. I was also probably influenced by the writing style as I was a huge Showbread fan growing up.
May 4, 2015
This book reminded me of a modern day The Metamorphosis. It was vague, deep, people turned into strange creatures with no explanation other than to convey some obscure message.......that sorta thing. But I definitely would say this book needs more attention. Not only is it just a good story, but the representation within this book is remarkable.
I read a lot of reviews on this book saying that the gore unnecessary, and I could see where they were coming from, but I really didn't find there to be that much. There were some graphic scenes, albeit, but, in my opinion, nothing overdone.
In some senses this is a story of isolation. We see the effect of David's negative solitude in the lives of his friends, including everything from being turned into a reptile to being gruesomely murdered.
But isn't this really what happens to us all? We bring our darkness into other people's lives, we hurt them, we bitterly end relationships...and that's where the remarkable representation part comes in. We more than see the effect of our darkened human nature on the world, but we don't attribute it to our inherent darkened natures. I don't know, maybe this book is an eye opener?
Satire? I would say yes. I would say yes, and brilliantly done. Porter takes all sorts of negative aspects of the self and dramatically drags them into daylight where we don't want them to be.
The ending was frustrating, but in a good way. Personally I think I would've been even more frustrated if the story had continued (I mean, who wants to end the book with the main character getting unnecessarily arrested?) so I was relieved that it ended where it did. But now that I think about it, isn't it only frustrating if I take it literally? Isn't this what happens to us all? All of our actions will eventually catch up with us in the end.
Like most great books, I would lean toward saying that this book is not for everyone. From being a Showbread fan, I knew that Josh was an extraordinary lyricist, but this book more than blew my expectations away, and they were some high expectations. This was the most stirring book I've read in a long time, and I found it much more emotional than I would ever expect. It's rare that I even tear up during books, and I'll admit that this one had me sobbing. All in all, whether you're looking for something of this type or not, I'd encourage you to give this a read.
(this was my first my review on this site so I'm sorry if it's not that great)
I read a lot of reviews on this book saying that the gore unnecessary, and I could see where they were coming from, but I really didn't find there to be that much. There were some graphic scenes, albeit, but, in my opinion, nothing overdone.
In some senses this is a story of isolation. We see the effect of David's negative solitude in the lives of his friends, including everything from being turned into a reptile to being gruesomely murdered.
But isn't this really what happens to us all? We bring our darkness into other people's lives, we hurt them, we bitterly end relationships...and that's where the remarkable representation part comes in. We more than see the effect of our darkened human nature on the world, but we don't attribute it to our inherent darkened natures. I don't know, maybe this book is an eye opener?
Satire? I would say yes. I would say yes, and brilliantly done. Porter takes all sorts of negative aspects of the self and dramatically drags them into daylight where we don't want them to be.
The ending was frustrating, but in a good way. Personally I think I would've been even more frustrated if the story had continued (I mean, who wants to end the book with the main character getting unnecessarily arrested?) so I was relieved that it ended where it did. But now that I think about it, isn't it only frustrating if I take it literally? Isn't this what happens to us all? All of our actions will eventually catch up with us in the end.
Like most great books, I would lean toward saying that this book is not for everyone. From being a Showbread fan, I knew that Josh was an extraordinary lyricist, but this book more than blew my expectations away, and they were some high expectations. This was the most stirring book I've read in a long time, and I found it much more emotional than I would ever expect. It's rare that I even tear up during books, and I'll admit that this one had me sobbing. All in all, whether you're looking for something of this type or not, I'd encourage you to give this a read.
(this was my first my review on this site so I'm sorry if it's not that great)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2016
I want to say so much about this book but I can't without giving it away. There are still so many unanswered questions that I linger with. The tragedy and feeling outlined in this book are all too real and unnerving. I have been all too familiar with the pain of depression, so this book hit me on a deeper level. But to see the suffering that David endured was far worse than I have ever imagined. I feel like the Lapasallaly was basically the representation of David's sin, and how it came to consume him. Did he kill his friend, parents, and Emma? Or did the Lapasallaly? I think the ending was the big giveaway that David was schizophrenic because no one saw the Lapasallaly. I think David made it a figure of his imagination. Another think that made me just think he was crazy was his overly infatuated love of Samantha.
Overall I REALLY enjoyed this book. I feel that it has addressed something that isn't easily talked about (depression and schizophrenia) and I loved that this book frightened me the entire way through.
Overall I REALLY enjoyed this book. I feel that it has addressed something that isn't easily talked about (depression and schizophrenia) and I loved that this book frightened me the entire way through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2013
It has been a long time since I've read this book, but I found it to be a very remarkable read. I personally enjoyed the jumbled mess that the book was, because it displayed the state of the character's mind. It showed that he may not have been all there. Also, the deep connection you had with his emotions and thoughts brought you into his state and his atmosphere, and it allowed you too see the openness of David Rivers and to see him struggle through life. Even though I was a senior in high school when I last read it, I still own it and sometime when I get the chance I'll have to crack it open again and enjoy it for a second time.
July 23, 2010
I think that this was a vanity press publishing. There were some great things in it. Honestly, how the protagonist experiences society couldn't have been closer to the mark with me. I related to him in a frankly kind of scary way. But that said, this seemed like a first or second draft. It could really do with a very good edit. That's what keeps me from rating it higher. It was too long and the insignificance of some of the events in the story clouded the significance of some of the others. But the writing was really good.
August 20, 2007
I finally picked up a copy of this book at the Rival Factions tour. It is the debut novel from Josh Dies (the lead singer of Showbread). He's an awesome guy and I've been very curious about what kind of author he is. I'll update and let you know when I'm done.
September 22, 2012
Although Josh's writing leaves much to be desired and there are several grammatical errors, his mind is brilliant and I could not put this book down. I now know to follow my spinal cord and not my heart.
August 11, 2014
I could not stop reading this book. It is very dark, almost to a sickening point, but it seems to hold a mirror up to the darkness that actually exists in life. Full of emotions, mostly pain and confusion, it ties you very close to the main character and turns you introspective.
September 25, 2012
One of the most disgusting, gruesome, haunting, yet deeply moving and emotional books I've ever read. This is a book that amazingly paints a sympathetic portrait of a character who would normally be branded by society as a monster.
November 10, 2008
This is a terrible terrible book. sorry. i love showbread, hate this book.
October 31, 2012
Probably one of the best books I have ever read.
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September 11, 2015One of the scariest and most lovely books I've ever read.
February 10, 2012
Incredible, mind-bending, inspiring, gut-wrenching, empty, beautiful book.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews