Drill

by Scott R. Jones

Magical mailman kills God in this novel of cosmic horror/occult ritual from Scott R. Jones, the author of Stonefish.

YOU ARE IN DANGER. You are afflicted with a mind parasite that feeds on your suffering and destroys your families so it can have something to drink from your ruined energetic body. To burn it out is the only way and it is the fire of your personal apocalypse, or revealing, that will perform this cleansing action. Contact me in any way you can should you require further help in this matter. I am here for you as a fellow human being, with a nervous system and feelings like yours, and as a practicing sorcerer, beyond feeling anything…

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Weird Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

243 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2024

Reviews

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that's a fucking book. I usually prefer Weird Lit to stick to short stories and find the longer attempts frequently drag, but this thing had me hooked. Like, desperate to get home from work to read more, and muttering at family members, "I need to get back to my DRILL." The feel-good beach read of the summer. Read your favorite lines out loud to whoever is parked at the neighboring towel and see how quickly they call a lifeguard and report you for having heat stroke. This was my first Scott R Jones book but definitely won't be the last.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

everybody hungry

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn. Could this be the greatest thing I’ve ever read? Where do I even go from here? I’m not even sure this is fiction now. Everything is Empty and Awake. And, of course, Everybody Hungry.

This book is for certain kinds of readers. If sanity is merely a passing concern, it might be for you.

[Adrian Coombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the angriest books I’ve read. Some parts were good but it was less weird and more biographical than I was expecting.

[Cody Lakin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this unforgettably strange and unique book, told in a narrative voice that’s as vivid and intelligent as it is vulnerable and possibly unhinged, Scott R. Jones has made a fascinating accomplishment. DRILL merges the relatability of everyday life and its anxieties, uncertainties, and grind, with the deeply imaginative metaphysical and weird. Made all the more compelling for its high level of self-awareness and layers of metafiction that make the experience even more mind-boggling than it already is, this work is among the most unabashedly unique reading experiences I’ve had in quite some time. It’s an angry book, depicting the traumatic effects of cults on family dynamics across generation lines, but there’s an undeniable righteousness to the rage, a sympathetic vulnerability, and a desire to either destroy or heal—tied as that is to the novel’s supernatural underbelly and existential stakes. I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything quite like DRILL. What other book can make the post office seem Lovecraftian, while introducing otherworldly elements with an almost deadpan level of casualness, in between sorcery, philosophical playfulness, metafiction, and the real and—in this case—supernatural horrors of the Jehovah’s Witness church? It’s an experience I won’t soon forget.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride of an autofictional book. Not what I went in expecting based on other things I've read from Mr. Scott R. Jones, but it was pretty good stuff over all. I laughed, I learned, I even got some weird, cosmic horror elements along the way. Scott told me at NecronomiCon this year that this book is a weapon, now I understand what he meant when he said that.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Umm...



So, WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK did I just read?!?

First off I'm putting money on this book is Not going to be for everyone. In fact I'm pretty sure you have to be the "right"/(very specific) person for this book.




And since I don't think I can review this book without some swearing (I think in this case a completely clean review would be an "injustice" to the book) and who knows what might actually be considered a spoiler here.. so, continuing behind a

There is so much Anger that radiates from this book. I'm actually surprised I couldn't feel it the second I picked up this book... But I sure as shit felt it almost instantaneously. If you can wade through the anger one is bombarded with sarcasm and massive and constant fuckery. All while spiraling into madness. Who's madness though is the question. Is this the author's, character's, or your own madness that you are experiencing? Again not sure, we just be spiraling.

I did quite enjoy the breaking of the fourth wall in this book. And how it was used had me chuckling at times. That and the strange feeling of the author's/character's madness seeping into oneself. Should I have felt awkward about passively participating in this "ritual" being performed? Should I have stopped reading at some point when it was brought to my attention that I was an active participant in the terrible things happening? Yes! Absolutely! But I was invested by that time. So full speed ahead!

On a serious note though I feel that this is probably a book that I would need to read more than once to pick up on everything that was being laid down. That and perhaps actual read Stonefish instead of just staring at it sitting on my bookshelf. I think that may fill in further gaps. And could result in a higher rating for this book.

[B P · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Random spoilers ahead*

Part autofictional scathing takedown of the cult of Jehovah's Witness, part occult weird fiction goodness that allows Jones to flex his sorcerous writing skills to disorienting narrative places. I honestly fuck with Jones' what I like to call, "Hostile Cosmology" pretty hard (Rule One of the Universe: Everybody Hungry) that it was easy to nod along to the esoteric gospel he was marinating my think meats in. All pain and suffering fuels an extradimensional drill hellbent on killing God (Like the God, with a Big G)? Fuckin metal. Enlightenment serves as a way for individuals to become psychic ordinance against said God? Well shit, Katy Perry was onto something with that fireworks song. Putting aside some of the most esoteric, eldritch, occult concepts that I would kind of follow (Jones did say he had talent as a big cult kahuna), a deeply personal story of betrayal is told along with some of the most uncomfortable vitriol I've witnessed for a real human being. There's a chapter where Jones talks about how he would kill his father if he could get away with it. I read a lot of fucked up books but at that point in the novel it felt like a confession from a friend on their back porch during midnight. Nothing but you boys, the stars, and whatever forsaken deities dare to listen. I have never seen an individual hate someone so much that they would literally and figuratively (the ruling on that is kinda iffy, Jones might be somewhat anomalous imo) curse them and remove what they believe to be the brain God tumor that is the root of all their family suffering.

So yeah, sign me up for Cthulusattvha and I will continue to watch Scott R. Jones in rabid interest.

[Daniel Sebestyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echoing the other reviewer, this was a fucking book alright.

Drill is a sort of traipse into another style of book for Scott R. Jones. Was a huge fan of both his published short story collection Shout Kill Revel Repeat and the novel Stonefish, so scooped this up right when it came out.

The reason this one is different is that it's an extremely personal auto-fictional narrative that ties together Jones's Lovecraftian spirituality, his career with the Canadian postal service, the cosmic horror/futurism trappings of his precious work, and most importantly his experience both as an active and ex Jehovahs Witness. The latter most experience is the central pillar of everything that happens in this book, and the titular Drill is both a literal and figurative weapon/tool outside (or is it inside?) existence for the destruction of the body of God. There is an event in Jones's life involving namely his father Ray and his unnamed mother that is the crux that drives the story forward and the fuel that drives the Drill.

I don't want to give too much else away in regards to the details, I'll just say if you're looking for an extremely creative, extremely personal weird fiction story, this is the place to get it! Now go learn about the Drill.

[Lauren L · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this having hated Stonefish so much that I gave it away (I don't give away many books! Not if I think I'll re-read them)... so really this is on me. On the other hand I enjoyed 'Shout Kill Revel Repeat' and actually really enjoyed some of those short stories, some have been repeat reads for me. So I was rolling a dice I guess.

I've learned I enjoy Scott's short stories (sometimes a lot!) and absolutely haaate his novels.

I found this unreadable tripe - at least to me, if you like seriously weird non-linear anti-stories or something you might love it. I'm sorry, I found it so awful. It was stream-of-conscious weird nonsense and it drove me half insane trying to make sense of it. I will read weird stuff, but I do ask it has some sense mixed in the nonsense and this did not.

Made it to 21% and DNF. And I'm so sad, because that blurb is wild. Unfortunately, it's not a blurb for an actual plot, just surreal ramblings.

[Miroslav · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is not a typical book ... not a typical horror either, or a weird tale for that matter, though that category fits the best I feel.

I honestly wanted to put the book down about a hundred times, but I never did ... it is highly offensive, it feels like it is trying to rape your mind, and the fact that the author is repeatitivly telling you that is just what he is doing does not make the fact OK, yet .. It was fun, it reads like a psychotic stoner's diary and I am very interested whether has Jones gone up the lighthouse with all the loonies or is he going to bring something awesome next time he puts something out .. I hope for the latter.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cosmic horror autofiction that drills right into the meat. Jones compares lifestyle and other aspects of living into this parasitic read that has a short fuse for bad fathers and forced religious beliefs.
It’s like a second trip into Dante’s Inferno yet, Hell is life and not a trip into the burning inferno but the outcome of such events that burns your core.
Recommend Drilling for all readers of weird lit.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I’m a mediocre writer
A so-so husband
An ok dad
And a milk toast sorcerer."

I am not entirely sure how I feel about this one. It was very, very angry in parts and it grated on me a bit and it got to be draining as the story progressed. Not that it was bad necessarily but it was more than I was anticipating.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Fantastically weird.

[Wendi Yu · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is so good i wish jones transitioned

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry Mr Jones I did not enjoy

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF