The Last Bad Job

by Colin Dodds

The Last Bad Job is the story of a reporter on a hell of an assignment: Five months on a New Mexico desert compound to cover the next Jonestown. For the reporter, it could be a career-maker. But when a cult member close to him drowns herself, he decides to run for it, and sets unimaginable events into motion. What ensues is a dark and comic journey through sex, drugs, cults, suicide, the apocalypse, and what comes after it.

Available for the first time from the author of the widely acclaimed novels Another Broken Wizard and What Smiled at Him comes The Last Bad Job—a book the late Norman Mailer touted as showing “something that very few writers have; a species of inner talent that owes very little to other people.”

Genres: Fiction, Ebooks, Contemporary, Science Fiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 29, 2011

About the author

Colin Dodds is an award-winning author and filmmaker, whose works include Pharoni, Ms. Never and The 6th Finger of Tommy the Goose. He grew up in Massachusetts and lived in California briefly, before finishing his education in New York City. Since then, he’s made his living as a journalist, editor, copywriter and video producer. His work has appeared in Gothamist, The Washington Post and more than three hundred other publications, and been praised by luminaries such as David Berman and Norman Mailer. Forget This Good Thing I Just Said, a first-of-its-kind literary and philosophical experience (the book form of which was a finalist for the Big Other Book Prize for Nonfiction), is available as an app for the iPhone. He lives in New York City, with his wife and children.

Reviews

[J. Laing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throw convention out the door and tape mayonnaise-coated aluminum foil over the windows and appliances. Things are going to get real...and then get real weird.

When the cat is at the doggy door barking to get in and the cabby is honking from the curb to shuttle you to a flight you never booked, it's then that you'll know you're full and settled deep into a read that is at turns puzzling and all the while back of your brain provoking. That, and that mayonnaise-coated aluminum foil window treatments should not have been your first choice. Or third.

Despite its out of the gate comfortable read, as well done as those initial chapters come together, this is not your standard by the numbers fiction. Things get odd. Nonetheless, the strange path that ensues is executed with precision, strange vision, and here's the biggest most of all...true voice. A deep, in the woods, late at night ululation that could have only gurgled forth in a Sasquatch's mating call kind of true voice. That kind of unique.

If ever there was a book club where I wanted to meet with friends and foes with halitosis perhaps only slightly worse than mine, and where I'm certain some nervous fellow would ramble too long and with a lazy eye that drifted out as if desperate to be rid of him, focusing all on its own onto the fire escape fat feathered rat pigeon blinking in wonderment to fret its knot of nerves called a brain to work over the why we apes stayed stupid and flapping our face holes at the air.... Well, as long as this was the kind of book on the menu, then that's a club I hope would have me.

Until my invite to that fine collective comes around I'll try Tabasco-coated foil, mustard having proved as poor a choice as the mayo.

[Kevin Kosar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books that I really had a hard time putting down. The story takes crazy turns and the novel is hugely entertaining, albeit in a sardonic way. I buzzed through this novel in four nights.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really know what to say about this book, so I'll keep it short and simple. It reads like a story one of my patients who is high out of their mind would tell me. Regardless, it was an interesting ride.

This was a goodreads giveaway book.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out interesting but really dragged once he left the cult. Could not get past this part. Gave up.

[Mary Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sex, drugs, and... a cult? Dodds takes us on one hell of an adventure. Seen from the first person perspective of a journalist, (a recovering alcoholic and somewhat self-absorbed, self-destructive persona) we are thrown into the story by observing the suicide of the girl he's been sleeping with, who also happens to be a member of a insane end-of-the-world cult. The journalist, who is not named, has been sent on assignment to observe the cult master "Dizzy" and his loony pseudo religious ways out in the desert. There are rumors of a soon to be mass suicide by members of the cult in anticipation of the coming of the end. The journalist is torn between disgust and enjoyment of the sexually free and absolutely manic atmosphere. His reality is shaken with the suicide and he grapples with the decision to stay and get a career making story or to leave and wash himself clean of the crazy. The choice is made for him by one of Dizzy's henchmen, and the journalist ends up fleeing a murder scene with blood stained hands. He seeks refuge in a small roadside hotel deep in the California valley and cocoons himself in paranoia and his old friend alcohol. From that point things keep unraveling as he gets tangled with an arms dealer and coke whore. As his world gets smaller and he keeps running, the journalist discovers maybe Dizzy's crazy apocalyptic premonitions weren't so crazy after all.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was a nutty whirlwind of a novel, reminding me of A. C. Weisbecker's "Cosmic Banditos" but with a much darker and hellish undertone. The main character is totally unsympathetic and you know it's not going to end well, yet as a reader you stick with him, screaming the whole way down. The writing is masterful, thus I was not surprised by Dodd's impressive writing resume.

The end left a little to be desired. It was one of those vague and foggy ending where you are not sure what actually happened, or who was behind it, and you really wanted to know, but the journey to the end was so enjoyable that it didn't really matter.

I would highly recommend this to fans of dark humor and dystopian futures.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and a request for a review.

I had a really difficult time deciding how to rate this book because this is not the type of book I would normally read and I didn't want that to negatively impact the rating. It's well written. The story is well told.

That said, this is the weirdest story I've read in a very long time. I don't really care much for weird stories. And yet... I realized that while I was trying to figure out whether or not I'd finish the book, and whether I'd review it or send the author an e-mail and say I wasn't going to review it because it's not my cup of tea, I couldn't put it down. On the other hand, I skimmed over a lot of it. Just because I want to find out what happens doesn't mean I want to spend time reading the details of the weirdness.

If you want a Hunter S. Thompson-esque romp through the apocalypse, you'll probably love this story. If you just like weirdness, you'll love this story. Just don't take lightly every reviewer's use of the term "weird" when referring to this story!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another goodreads Win! I had a really difficult time deciding how to rate this book because this is not the type of book I would normally read and I didn't want that to negatively impact the rating. It's well written. The story is well told. I don't really care much for weird stories. And yet... I realized that while I was trying to figure out whether or not I'd finish the book I couldn't put it down. If you just like weirdness, you'll love this story.

[Robbi Leah Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay but too much rambling, May 31, 2013

This review is from: The Last Bad Job (Kindle Edition)
Another end of the world book. Started good but then got into a bunch of rambling, drunken, drug high thoughts that didn't make a lot of sense. Then got interesting again but too many questions left unanswered. I wouldn't recommend.

[Cnelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely unexpected were the twists and turns of this one. Started slow, then got weird. And weirder.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as a goodreads giveaway...

This book was a ride. I was excited when it started out strong but then it seemed to really drag once the protagonist left the cult. It became harder to read and eventually I just felt like I had to push through because it was a giveaway. Like many other reviewers I was hopefull in the beginning but halfway through it went off the rails and I just couldn't connect.

[Christopher Keeble · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best endings I've read in a long time. Funny, interesting, and very different.
Pick it up if you need a breath of fresh air.

[David Blaylock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite the odd story.

[Caleb Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cross-posted from Papyrus Independent Author Reviews (http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2013/06/01/the-last-bad-job-by-colin-dodds/)

A suicide cult nearing its fate, a reporter tumbling towards self-destruction and a world spinning towards its end. When the dominoes start falling and mayhem reigns, who will be left to laugh at the result?

There’s only a few things that need to be understood about the plot in The Last Bad Job. A reporter is sent by a magazine to cover a suspected suicide cult. When things become dangerous, he escapes, hides out, and then everything is turned upside down.

Along the way we experience sex, drugs, more sex and then more drugs and a bizarre pseudo-religious epiphany in a supermarket. This is followed by chaos, punctuated by death, destruction and the unlikely elevation of a deranged cult leader to that of major prophet, his throning an accident of perfect timing.

The author has chosen not to enact an apocalypse, but all apocalypses, an aim as ambitious as it is ludicrous. So if a kaleidoscope of destruction is likely to leave you with motion sickness, this may not be the book for you. For myself, I found the plot to be largely enjoyable, although I usually find it more difficult to enjoy absurdism in novels. Between the cult and chaos there is a rather long period of good old fashion self-destruction, which I was beginning to find a bit tedious. Luckily, I was saved by the end of the world.

Although we bump into many interesting characters along the way, our intrepid and nameless reporter is the main show. He is the synthesiser of all that we encounter, and perhaps the lesson.

I love how the author gives the reader an already broken character. For a few chapters he keeps his head barely above water, but under the slightest stress he returns to a kind of self-obliteration. I’ve heard it said that human wreckage is ripe for religious conversion, but somehow our nameless hero remains completely hedonistic. His immersion in the cult he investigates is only as deep as its sexual promiscuity. At a point of early danger, the feel of new white cotton briefs become a panacea for his fear. He hides from his predicament in a cesspool of alcohol, narcotics and meaningless sex. And his only religiously ecstatic moment exists in a bizarre delusion that equates consumerism with universal love.

So what happens to the worldly when the world is taken away? This is what I found quite interesting about our hero. When chaos takes the place of order, he simplifies drastically. Suddenly a companion becomes the only goal he has. We witness a demonstration of just how much he is willing to drink of the world only to turn his back on it – not towards religion, or spirituality, or some “meaning”, but rather towards simple existence.

Although there are so many quotable passages and a main character who seems to be transitioning through states as the story progresses, I’m not so sure I could prescribe a meaning behind the story.

The author uses the apocalypse much like Bulgakov’s Behemoth uses the primus; perhaps not because of any inherent meaning, but simply because it can burn things. And so we watch the author burn the world, not as a serious ritualistic statement, but more as a prank. It’s difficult not to giggle even as characters tell their horrific stories, the death and destruction nullified by the absurdity of the context.

Whether the author is making a statement about apocalypse, religion or about finding meaning in life, I may be hesitant to make a claim. However, I was happy to warm my hands with the bonfire he created and chuckle at the world’s misfortunes.

It’s a bit difficult for me to firmly establish who should and should not read this book. I think it suits mischievous readers, those not put off by an absurd plot and those who can peer into the face of apocalypse and laugh. Having said that, I’m not necessarily that type of reader myself, but I still managed to get enjoyment out of The Last Bad Job.

One thing I can share is that I don’t think I’ll ever look at an apocalypse the same way. Then again, maybe that was the point.

[Marissa Uden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted at http://www.marissavu.com/2014/01/the-...

“For certain people and in certain times, self-control is a luxury, not a virtue. And I have never been rich enough to afford it consistently.”

The Last Bad Job is a dark, weird apocalyptic trip with profanity, paranoia, and comedy–a beautiful elemental mix.

The protagonist, who kinda oddly goes nameless for the whole book, is a detached, cynical journalist embedded in a suicide cult at a ranch in New Mexico. He’s hoping to get the scoop on a possible mass suicide and maybe win himself a Pulitzer.

The character is no sympathetic hero–he’s arrogant, manipulative, and a vulture of human tragedy–but he’s fascinating to read because he’s so self-aware of his flaws (and of other’s). Even though he’s prone to lying to other people, he attempts a blunt honesty in telling his story:

“I’d already begun rehearsing the sober, close-cropped sentences and pop culture references I’d use to express my phony anguish and righteous indignation over Dizzy’s Depraved Death Cult.”

Despite daydreaming about winning the Pulitzer, he spends most of his time with the cult making use of their liberal sex culture and waiting for ‘the jackasses’ to die instead of writing. The cult leader, Dizzy, is not fooled of fazed by him, and openly acknowledges his MO:

“You use death to sell newspapers and the newspapers use death to sell cars and shoes and watches. Beneath all your shallow protests about ‘helping people,’ or ‘saving people,’ death is just a currency to buy people’s attention. And so you want to protect the currency, like any businessman would.”

I read many books at once, but found myself constantly drawn back into this one. Colin Dodds has a talent for comic observation and rhetorical timing, and his protagonist’s views and philosophies on life are woven seamlessly into the narrative via internal and external dialogue, giving him a strong and distinctive voice.

Structurally, the novel is chaotic and weird, which might not be for everyone. I loved it’s unpredictability: not knowing where things were going helped me get through some of the sections where the protagonist isn’t really doing much at all except hiding out and waiting when he should be running. Every now and then, the lull is broken with an amazing WTF scene or new mystery to build up on the tension and make you question the narrator’s reliability, even as he tries to convince you he’s not hallucinating.

Most of the suspense comes from wondering what’s really going on and what information is missing, and the narrator’s doubts about his own sense of reality carry you through. The book is also filled with interesting secondary characters and beautifully strange and vivid interactions.

There were a couple of weak points: I almost didn’t get past the first chapter because it felt soft: the opening scene presents a large group of people on a boat, but they remain mostly out of focus, description-wise. Out of the two characters who are described in detail in the first chapter, one was not even present (the cult leader), so squishing his backstory in right at front felt a bit out of place.

Another of the opening characters came across as clichéd: a henchman type who throws a woman around, flexes his muscles, and then gets ruffled when she mocks his manhood. But the events were original and interesting enough to keep me going, and I’m glad I did because the writing just got stronger and stronger after that.

Some threads and coincidences were left hanging by the end, or at least weren’t tied up clearly enough for me to get them, but I definitely enjoyed trying. Besides, the ending was so weird and memorable I can easily forgive this.

I loved this book for many reasons: the detached but paranoid tone, the comedy and strong voice, the unpredictable turns and switchbacks, and the gonzo-style narrative. This is definitely a writer I want to read more from.

“This thing you call reality is just six billion completely insane people fucking each other with differing degrees of consent. And you really want back in?”

[Rod Raglin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An apocalyptic story with a sense of humor


Thank you Colin Dodds for your hard work and commitment to this worthwhile endeavor.


The Last Bad Job is an apocalyptic story with a sense of humor. Author Colin Dodds populates his novel with such small “d” despicable characters, seedy settings and immoral scenarios this reader didn’t really care that the majority of them would come to a gruesome, meaningless end.

What makes this novel standout, makes it exceptional is the writing – natural dialogue, characterization through action, exact diction and an imaginative plot that doesn’t let you catch your breath.

Our protagonist, best described as an anti-hero, is an investigative reporter assigned to do a story on an apocalyptic cult and it’s leader, Dizzy Sheehan. The assignment entails living with the group and right away he compromises his objectivity by participating in cult activities like having sex with the female members. This is the first, but certainly not the last demonstration of his almost complete lack of any sense of morals or integrity.

As time ticks down toward the predicted dooms day he escapes the compound and, when one of the leader’s bodyguards comes after him, kills him in self-defense.

Rather than give himself up to the authorities and explain what happened he goes on the lam. Why he chooses to become a fugitive isn’t explained? This one of a couple of plot directions that stretched the suspension of belief for this reader.

While the reporter/fugitive is in hiding the members of the cult, anticipating the end of the world, commit mass suicide. He has all the inside information that would make this Pulitzer Prize story and yet he doesn’t write the story or contact his editor. Again, Dodds gives little explanation for this behavior other than he’s an alcoholic whose gone from recovering to rediscovering and isn’t too mentally stable.

As the reporter’s life spins more and more out of control, and Dizzy’s prediction of the apocalypse begins to unfold he comes to believe he has been chosen for some special purpose and, indeed, he has.

Dodds really does a job on journalists depicting them as self-absorbed, cynical for no good reason, arrogant and condescending – hey, I’ve got colleagues like that. None of his characters are likeable which usually is a fatal flaw for a novel, but in the case of The Last Bad Job, the author’s dark humor and unique insights kept me reading.

His phantasmagoria twist on the apocalypse is the work of remarkable inventiveness.

Unfortunately, for a novel so filled with imagination Dodds chose an ending that has become a cliché for novels dealing with this subject matter.


I downloaded this novel free from Smashwords as part of my commitment to review the work of independently published authors. This review will (eventually) be posted on
Not Your Family, Not Your Friend Video Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH45...

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally unexpected and thorougly enjoyable. Reminiscent of the tone in John Dies At the End, if not quite so laugh-out-loud funny (but it did have its moments - there's a lot of reflection on Pringles). There is a lot going on here it begins in a cult and actually gets crazier from there. If you like this type of book giving anything else away would be to spoil the ride, but, at base, the main character (who I don't think is ever named) is a journalist, an observer and "the National Geographic guys don't whistle to warn the wildebeests they're being stalked after all." (7)


And I loved this: "But I can be lazy, lazy to the core. I resent the impositions of the World. The act of tying my shoes saps my will to live most days. It's all uphill-the snooze alarms, pulling on my socks, buttoning my shirts, waiting in the elevator, buckling my seatbelt." (50)

And this: "self-control is a luxury, not a virtue. And I have never been rich enough to afford it consistently." (68)

For fans of the odd, the off-beat, the interesting....well worth the read.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Apocalyptic Novel in Last Five Years

Smart, satirical, edgy and mad look at the end of our world. If you have a pet theory how the world ends, Dodds will have included it. We follow our unnamed journalist through one harrowing ordeal after another, leaving blood, carnage and new underwear in his wake. He is on the trail of the story that will get him a Pulitzer, as he is observing a Death Cult in New Mexico. They predicts the end is nigh. Little does our journalist know, he is the spark that sets the world on fire.

If you are expecting chapters of zombie fest, virus outbreak, alien attack, natural disasters, or cosmic rays and meteor collisions in detail, you won't find them here. This is a different and incredible type of apocalypse story, and while they are all here, you will not predict what will happen in this novel. It was amazing.

Bottom Line: I've never read anything like it. Fabulous protagonist, world-class plot, inspired ending. Best apocalypse novel I have read in last five years. Highly Recommended!

[Nathaniel Tower · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost half of a good book

The first page almost made me quit reading, but I fought through it and started to enjoy this story. It seemed like it was going to be a pretty interesting glimpse into the world of suicide cults. However, the story goes completely off the rails a little over halfway through. It becomes an uninteresting and nonsensical snoozefest of reflection and foolishness. The writing is never that strong, but the voice captured me for a 100 or so pages before it felt like a bad LSD trip written with no tension, fear, or paranoia. It ends up lacking the insight I was hoping for in the first half, and instead takes on a rather directionless journey. Definitely a disappointment.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a dark, exciting, crazy book! The book is clearly about the Apocalypse, but other than that I have no idea what the book is about.

Was there a message I should get out of the book? I'm not sure.

Who is this man who is the narrator of the book and why do the events that surround him happen? I can't say.

Why would anyone care about the narrator? I have no idea--he is not in the least likable.

But the writing is beautiful. The story line is intriguing. I just kept reading--I couldn't figure out where this book was going but I wanted to know. I couldn't put it down! Great book!

[Wayne Klick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your average suspense novel. I enjoyed the story and its unconventionality. (Yes, apparently that is a word. [The spellchecker didn't complain.]) It starts on a cult colony in New Mexico and ends in Alaska. That just should be just enough of a spoiler to not spoil anything, but arouse interest. You might check it out if it's still cheap on Amazon.

[Caesar Warrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suicide cults, bloody murder, tacky roadside motels, all night supermarkets, killer frogmen and clean underwear... so much of this disturbing yet humorous novel reads like the beat literature of the early-60's. A tale of the apocalypse that seems as if it's being directed by a God with one twisted sense of humor.

[Paul Canady · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 60% of the book read like a Hunter S. Thompson book. There are some funny parts and some moments you'll find yourself cringing waiting to see what happens next. About the time you think the protagonist is very unlikeable, the World comes crashing down, literally.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy. Good.

This was a really interesting take on an apocalypse novel. I definitely wasn't expecting it. The humor in it was great, and this author's style actually reminds me of my favorite author. Overall, I thought it was pretty great.

[timj26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your like me and enjoy bizarro type fiction definitely check this one out
A drug fueled ride complete with 6 foot frogs and a 900 foot Jesus
Highly recommended if your looking for something outside the box
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

[Kathy LaMee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming on 2/25.....

[Eliese · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the Road meets the Road meets Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A quick and easy "escape reality" read.

[International Cat Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

WTF? This book was really quite bizarre. The plot goes off in incredibly strange directions, and it never really explains itself. I can't decide if it was brilliant or the ramblings of a madman.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

unusual and oddly addictive. it didn't go quite where I thought it would.

[Robert Vazquez-Pacheco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. I might reread it.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!