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American Narcissus
The American dream is dead, and Los Angeles is burning.
Stoned and porn-addicted surfer Baxter Kent is terrified of women and anxious to make things work with a sex robot. Acid junkie Arden Coover has a useless philosophy degree and a doomed relationship he believes might save him. His younger sister Tess is considering, or resisting, a convenient but loveless marriage to a wealthy, narcissistic novelist. Ryland Richter, an alcoholic insurance executive with too much money and too few scruples, is seeking toxic solace in the arms of a dangerously unhinged subordinate. As wildfires rage, this lost and hopeless cast makes their way through the embers of Los Angeles and beyond in a desperate search for meaning and connection in a world without a future.
Chandler Morrison's latest satire explores our search for love in all the wrong places, and what happens when we think we find it.
Stoned and porn-addicted surfer Baxter Kent is terrified of women and anxious to make things work with a sex robot. Acid junkie Arden Coover has a useless philosophy degree and a doomed relationship he believes might save him. His younger sister Tess is considering, or resisting, a convenient but loveless marriage to a wealthy, narcissistic novelist. Ryland Richter, an alcoholic insurance executive with too much money and too few scruples, is seeking toxic solace in the arms of a dangerously unhinged subordinate. As wildfires rage, this lost and hopeless cast makes their way through the embers of Los Angeles and beyond in a desperate search for meaning and connection in a world without a future.
Chandler Morrison's latest satire explores our search for love in all the wrong places, and what happens when we think we find it.
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Published May 27, 2025
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589 people want to read
About the author
Chandler Morrison
18 books786 followersLittle is known about Chandler’s origins. He has claimed, on separate occasions, to be both from Helltown, California, and Cleveland, Ohio. To date, it is still unclear from which locale he actually hails. He currently resides in Los Angeles, but sightings of him are rare.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
May 30, 2024
⛧⛧⛧⛧
Have you participated in a staring contest with the abyss lately after meditating on the current state of our society, realizing that all the glory and strength of culture are now null and void? Have you felt existence is as meaningless as another footnote on a postcard from nowhere after failing to form a real, intimate connection with someone? Have you taken an AI sex doll with a master's degree in dirty talking as your partner because women can't get you off anymore due to unrealistic expectations caused by porn/social media addiction? Have you had one drink too many or perhaps your hallucinogen drug of choice for breakfast (dinner, too) to numb the itch of existence?
If you answered "no" to all the above, worry not, 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐬 by Chandler Morrison got you covered.
The impinging trumpets of the numbing void cut through the hissing, smoke-filled skies of burning Los Angeles, as the flames of the human condition dance in synchronization, casting eerie shadows on the desperate need for human connection amid the fake, shallow, validation-obsessed Instagram "influencers" infused landscape of modern society.
This terrific novel, which I had to stop myself from wolfing in one sitting, is a dark, satirical take on the search for meaning and a sense of belonging in an age defined by hollowness. It unfurls a tapestry of existential despair and toxic indulgence set against the backdrop of Los Angeles that's both literally and metaphorically on fire. The story zeroes in on a quartet of rich, deeply flawed, lonely characters navigating a world where appearance is everything, authenticity is a rare commodity, and genuine connection is as elusive as a mirage in the desert. Wrapped in a blanket of nihilism as dense as fog, and sardonic, charcoal-black humor that had me laughing like a hyena, Chandler Morrison paints a bleak portrait of a decaying society through the characters as they try to numb the pain of existence by any means possible, to the point they can't even feel their own tears falling like acid rain into open flesh. I truly felt for them. Unlikely his gore-filled previous work which I enjoyed, the horror in this book lies solely in the human psyche. I suppose that human nature is what it is. We cover our eyes in a call to arms and turn the edge of the blade toward ourselves.
Have you participated in a staring contest with the abyss lately after meditating on the current state of our society, realizing that all the glory and strength of culture are now null and void? Have you felt existence is as meaningless as another footnote on a postcard from nowhere after failing to form a real, intimate connection with someone? Have you taken an AI sex doll with a master's degree in dirty talking as your partner because women can't get you off anymore due to unrealistic expectations caused by porn/social media addiction? Have you had one drink too many or perhaps your hallucinogen drug of choice for breakfast (dinner, too) to numb the itch of existence?
If you answered "no" to all the above, worry not, 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐬 by Chandler Morrison got you covered.
The impinging trumpets of the numbing void cut through the hissing, smoke-filled skies of burning Los Angeles, as the flames of the human condition dance in synchronization, casting eerie shadows on the desperate need for human connection amid the fake, shallow, validation-obsessed Instagram "influencers" infused landscape of modern society.
This terrific novel, which I had to stop myself from wolfing in one sitting, is a dark, satirical take on the search for meaning and a sense of belonging in an age defined by hollowness. It unfurls a tapestry of existential despair and toxic indulgence set against the backdrop of Los Angeles that's both literally and metaphorically on fire. The story zeroes in on a quartet of rich, deeply flawed, lonely characters navigating a world where appearance is everything, authenticity is a rare commodity, and genuine connection is as elusive as a mirage in the desert. Wrapped in a blanket of nihilism as dense as fog, and sardonic, charcoal-black humor that had me laughing like a hyena, Chandler Morrison paints a bleak portrait of a decaying society through the characters as they try to numb the pain of existence by any means possible, to the point they can't even feel their own tears falling like acid rain into open flesh. I truly felt for them. Unlikely his gore-filled previous work which I enjoyed, the horror in this book lies solely in the human psyche. I suppose that human nature is what it is. We cover our eyes in a call to arms and turn the edge of the blade toward ourselves.
May 25, 2024
Bravo to this author for never allowing a participle to dangle. Dark as a cavity, brighter than an engulfing flame. An engaging update to a theme of which I never tire.
October 6, 2024
Somber, gloomy, American Narcissus…
Chandler Morrison surprises with an unusually grim novel about the vapid, vile, self-serving, chain smoking, and rich people of Los Angeles. Against the backdrop of the wildfires that consume the city, we follow four people who are both part of this empty, shallow, cruel social system but also struggle to fit in: Arden Coover, rich junkie and proud owner of a useless philosophy degree from Berkeley; his sister Tess who tries to figure out if her affair with a narcissistic writer (“the” Writer , mind you) is worth it; Ryland Richter, an insurance executive, addicted to coke, to work and the new employee in his company who turns out to be unhinged and dangerous. And finally sweet Baxter Kent, surfer boy addicted to porn and afraid of real women, who meets an unlikely person to soothe his loneliness.
Every character is a caricature in American Narcissus, which is nothing new for a Morrison book, it’s his normal to plunge into the shallows of empty eyes behind mirrored sunglasses to show us there’s nothing there. His characters usually binge into some kind of excessive perversity to numb themselves against the absurdity of the world they live in. That “excessive” part is what draws me to Morrison’s books, he can show how ridiculous this world is by making his narrative ridiculously over the top, making it funny, making it comedy. There’s not much funny in American Narcissus, the only thing excessive is the mind-bogglingly lavish amount of drugs they all do.
The only person who reminds of former Morrison books such as Dead Inside in which this excessiveness takes control, is Baxter, who falls for his father’s sex-AI, Mechahooker. She can offer him everything the world around him can’t – she has no imperfections that distract him, in a confusing world, she is clear and precise in the way she expresses herself (well, because all she can talk is dirty sex talk). The crassness of her talking is hilarious when placed in random situations, like when Baxter tries to take her to a romantic beach walk among people or he tries to genuinely talk about his feelings and she answers with a suggestion of him doing things to her.
All four characters are dealing with an obsession they think will save them in a way or another, but to the reader who can see the bigger picture it is clear they are all basically doomed and can’t be saved; Baxter and his sex doll, Arden and his drug use, Tess and her idealized feelings for the author and Ryland and his new romance. When finally some sincerity shimmers through and they are confronted with the cruelty of the world they have been enjoying, it is too late, they have already been ruined, and the flames have taken over Los Angeles.
A couple of scenes in this book are dedicated to the poorer, the “uglier” side of LA, showcasing an understanding on the author’s part that we always suspected is there, but was never spoken out loud. Yes, the mere existence of his vain, narcissistic, vapid characters is an affront, but now we are also shown the cost at which this system rolls – a documentary-maker filming the homeless in LA, a woman refusing to succumb to the beauty industry, a young girl not being able to go to college because she needs to take care of her sick mother, an ex-girlfriend who got infected with HIV and now lives in a trailer, one of the characters waking up in bed with a ten year old girl after a wild night out… These characters are disgusting at the cost of these people and deep down they know it – Arden’s selective memory and his forgetting things he wants to forget, things that have nothing to do with the lifestyle of the rich and famous is a telling symptom of their repulsiveness. Of course, there are the drugs who help.
A careful dissection of the society he lives in, Morrison shows an unusually serious and dark side of himself, maybe a side he was hiding behind freakish exaggerations that prompt a laugh in his previous books, but were none the less there all along. I think I will chew on this book for some time.
Chandler Morrison surprises with an unusually grim novel about the vapid, vile, self-serving, chain smoking, and rich people of Los Angeles. Against the backdrop of the wildfires that consume the city, we follow four people who are both part of this empty, shallow, cruel social system but also struggle to fit in: Arden Coover, rich junkie and proud owner of a useless philosophy degree from Berkeley; his sister Tess who tries to figure out if her affair with a narcissistic writer (“the” Writer , mind you) is worth it; Ryland Richter, an insurance executive, addicted to coke, to work and the new employee in his company who turns out to be unhinged and dangerous. And finally sweet Baxter Kent, surfer boy addicted to porn and afraid of real women, who meets an unlikely person to soothe his loneliness.
Every character is a caricature in American Narcissus, which is nothing new for a Morrison book, it’s his normal to plunge into the shallows of empty eyes behind mirrored sunglasses to show us there’s nothing there. His characters usually binge into some kind of excessive perversity to numb themselves against the absurdity of the world they live in. That “excessive” part is what draws me to Morrison’s books, he can show how ridiculous this world is by making his narrative ridiculously over the top, making it funny, making it comedy. There’s not much funny in American Narcissus, the only thing excessive is the mind-bogglingly lavish amount of drugs they all do.
The only person who reminds of former Morrison books such as Dead Inside in which this excessiveness takes control, is Baxter, who falls for his father’s sex-AI, Mechahooker. She can offer him everything the world around him can’t – she has no imperfections that distract him, in a confusing world, she is clear and precise in the way she expresses herself (well, because all she can talk is dirty sex talk). The crassness of her talking is hilarious when placed in random situations, like when Baxter tries to take her to a romantic beach walk among people or he tries to genuinely talk about his feelings and she answers with a suggestion of him doing things to her.
All four characters are dealing with an obsession they think will save them in a way or another, but to the reader who can see the bigger picture it is clear they are all basically doomed and can’t be saved; Baxter and his sex doll, Arden and his drug use, Tess and her idealized feelings for the author and Ryland and his new romance. When finally some sincerity shimmers through and they are confronted with the cruelty of the world they have been enjoying, it is too late, they have already been ruined, and the flames have taken over Los Angeles.
A couple of scenes in this book are dedicated to the poorer, the “uglier” side of LA, showcasing an understanding on the author’s part that we always suspected is there, but was never spoken out loud. Yes, the mere existence of his vain, narcissistic, vapid characters is an affront, but now we are also shown the cost at which this system rolls – a documentary-maker filming the homeless in LA, a woman refusing to succumb to the beauty industry, a young girl not being able to go to college because she needs to take care of her sick mother, an ex-girlfriend who got infected with HIV and now lives in a trailer, one of the characters waking up in bed with a ten year old girl after a wild night out… These characters are disgusting at the cost of these people and deep down they know it – Arden’s selective memory and his forgetting things he wants to forget, things that have nothing to do with the lifestyle of the rich and famous is a telling symptom of their repulsiveness. Of course, there are the drugs who help.
A careful dissection of the society he lives in, Morrison shows an unusually serious and dark side of himself, maybe a side he was hiding behind freakish exaggerations that prompt a laugh in his previous books, but were none the less there all along. I think I will chew on this book for some time.
August 22, 2024
Early Bret Easton Ellis spunk is all over this novel. However you choose to interpret that statement, it will be accurate and appropriate. In particular, the rich and the famous wallowing in their exuberant misery, in a perpetual daze of pharmaceuticals, stimulants, booze, and wanton, casual sex.
But Chandler Morrison is his own beast. At first, a seemingly acid hate letter to the Los Angeles lifestyle; American Narcissus is an acerbically hilarious, cataclysmic tale of dread and desolation as four interweaving characters burn toward ruin, incapable of distinguishing reality from their respective self-induced stupors.
All the while, a grinning menace and a spreading wildfire auger the inevitable.
Full review encroaching…
But Chandler Morrison is his own beast. At first, a seemingly acid hate letter to the Los Angeles lifestyle; American Narcissus is an acerbically hilarious, cataclysmic tale of dread and desolation as four interweaving characters burn toward ruin, incapable of distinguishing reality from their respective self-induced stupors.
All the while, a grinning menace and a spreading wildfire auger the inevitable.
Full review encroaching…
April 16, 2024
Full review here:
Rage or rave? American Narcissus by Chandler Morrison | reading vlog & review (feat a special guest)
https://youtu.be/NWpzYqbe1z4
This is so different from his other books and I LOVE IT. This is giving sad, hot, messy, rich people drama vibes and could not put it down. The overall bleakness and hopelessness in this book were so cathartic to me. Chandler’s ability to write such flawed characters that have depth and layers to them is unmatched in my opinion. I’ve been thinking about this book nonstop since finishing it.
Rage or rave? American Narcissus by Chandler Morrison | reading vlog & review (feat a special guest)
https://youtu.be/NWpzYqbe1z4
This is so different from his other books and I LOVE IT. This is giving sad, hot, messy, rich people drama vibes and could not put it down. The overall bleakness and hopelessness in this book were so cathartic to me. Chandler’s ability to write such flawed characters that have depth and layers to them is unmatched in my opinion. I’ve been thinking about this book nonstop since finishing it.
May 25, 2024
I FINALLY gave a 5 star rating to one of Chandler's novels even though he's my favorite horror writer. Why this book? Well, it's not extreme horror, so none I wasn't at all uncomfortable giving it 5 stars.
If you want a way more in-depth conversation about Chandler's newest book, check out my review on my BookTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1o_...
If you want a way more in-depth conversation about Chandler's newest book, check out my review on my BookTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1o_...
April 10, 2025
You all know that Dead Inside is my favorite novel. I hate how much I love it! But I love that reading that novel introduced me to Chandler Morrison's writing. He writes satire so well!
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American Narcissus isn't a horror novel- it's more of a burning love note to millennials. I connected to the writing in this novel very easily. The characters are all very flawed, but written in a way that makes you want to root for them. One character in particular is so afraid of women he starts a relationship with a sex doll. I think what Morrison is really getting at with that is that technology has really taken the physical social aspect out of human day to day activities. It's easier to rely on your phone, computer or a sex doll to fulfill your needs.
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I really enjoyed this novel. I highly recommend reading it if you're a forty something human. I think you'll be able to relate to a lot of the satire in the book.
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American Narcissus isn't a horror novel- it's more of a burning love note to millennials. I connected to the writing in this novel very easily. The characters are all very flawed, but written in a way that makes you want to root for them. One character in particular is so afraid of women he starts a relationship with a sex doll. I think what Morrison is really getting at with that is that technology has really taken the physical social aspect out of human day to day activities. It's easier to rely on your phone, computer or a sex doll to fulfill your needs.
.
I really enjoyed this novel. I highly recommend reading it if you're a forty something human. I think you'll be able to relate to a lot of the satire in the book.
October 28, 2025
It didn't seem like a horror novel to me. It was more like a slowly developing disaster.
April 15, 2024
Nothing matters, the sky is burning, love isn't real.
Those are the vibes for American Narcissus and they are immaculate. Everyone in these pages sucks and yet you can't help but route for them to just stop thinking about themselves and make a solid choice for once.
Alas, I read this in one day and now I'm sad it's over. Other thoughts I had while reading this:
This book could make smoking cool again
Wow, this dude really thinks he's something
That's absurd deranged. I love it.
WTF is up with these bartenders?! Adult black eyed kids? Conspiracy theories are real.
Those are the vibes for American Narcissus and they are immaculate. Everyone in these pages sucks and yet you can't help but route for them to just stop thinking about themselves and make a solid choice for once.
Alas, I read this in one day and now I'm sad it's over. Other thoughts I had while reading this:
This book could make smoking cool again
Wow, this dude really thinks he's something
That's absurd deranged. I love it.
WTF is up with these bartenders?! Adult black eyed kids? Conspiracy theories are real.
May 17, 2024
One of my favorite books that I have read in a while. Sometimes you read something so bleak that it pulls you out of your own nihilistic soup hole you've been wallowing around in and this did that for me.
August 4, 2024
A lot more melancholic than expected
But definitely less dark than usual.
The splatterpunk/extreme horror elements expected from Chandler Morrison are nowhere to be found, it's transgressive from cover to cover.
Is it good ? Yes, very much so
But pretty slow paced. Might be hard to get into, if you're expecting Along The Path Of Torment.
But definitely less dark than usual.
The splatterpunk/extreme horror elements expected from Chandler Morrison are nowhere to be found, it's transgressive from cover to cover.
Is it good ? Yes, very much so
But pretty slow paced. Might be hard to get into, if you're expecting Along The Path Of Torment.
May 22, 2024
It's hard to pick a favorite Chandler Morrison novel, but I think I have to go with this one. A devastating novel about looking for love in all the wrong places.
April 12, 2024
You know when you’re watching the news and there is a police chase and it’s edging on borderline dangerous due to being in a residential area?
That’s how this book felt.
A Tesla filled with a cast of unlikeable, narcissistic, LA degenerates going head on into a collision of Hollywood Hills, looking for something or someone to fill the hollowness of their souls. The backdrop of a smoky and lit up Los Angeles carved the mood for this book so perfectly, anyone who’s ever stepped on Sunset Blvd would agree.
I hate using the word unputdownable, but it legit was.
That’s how this book felt.
A Tesla filled with a cast of unlikeable, narcissistic, LA degenerates going head on into a collision of Hollywood Hills, looking for something or someone to fill the hollowness of their souls. The backdrop of a smoky and lit up Los Angeles carved the mood for this book so perfectly, anyone who’s ever stepped on Sunset Blvd would agree.
I hate using the word unputdownable, but it legit was.
August 31, 2025
4.5 for me as this is an almost perfect novel for fans of Morrison. And I am a huge fan. It tells the tale of present time Los Angeles. It’s not really a horror story in the sense of chills and thrills but it tells the story of the real horror of lost souls. Because Los Angeles will eat you up. It is the most narcissistic place I know of and even though even Morrison tries to defend the reality of a place being something, it truly is something, and he knows it and weaves his tale around it.
I took off half a point because I got a little perturbed by the ending. I felt he got a bit too mysogynistic with it but having said that it certainly made sense.
Highly recommend
I took off half a point because I got a little perturbed by the ending. I felt he got a bit too mysogynistic with it but having said that it certainly made sense.
Highly recommend
October 10, 2024
Still wrapping my mind around this one but what I do know is that Chandler has solidified his place as one of my favorite authors. I love that each book I’ve read so far is so drastically different from the other one. Truly a brilliant writer. Full review to come in Cemetery Dance.
June 10, 2024
Bleak as fuck.
August 9, 2024
Edgy and unique, fans of Chuck Palahniuk will enjoy this. 4.5⭐️
May 26, 2024
oh my god!! what a book
I have DEVOURED chandlers books. I love how he writes despicable people with unnatural, yet somehow believable elements. The thing is.
All the people in this book suck. They are all bad people. Yet you root for them anyway. You want something for them, the rainbow at the end. A light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck, never going to happen for his characters.
Chandler paints a gritty, unrelenting drug fueled haze in los angels, where the devil is basically free to roam and do what he will. This is the story of these few characters, that are in the endless torment of LA.
Loved it. Amazing, you could benefit from reading his canon.
I have DEVOURED chandlers books. I love how he writes despicable people with unnatural, yet somehow believable elements. The thing is.
All the people in this book suck. They are all bad people. Yet you root for them anyway. You want something for them, the rainbow at the end. A light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck, never going to happen for his characters.
Chandler paints a gritty, unrelenting drug fueled haze in los angels, where the devil is basically free to roam and do what he will. This is the story of these few characters, that are in the endless torment of LA.
Loved it. Amazing, you could benefit from reading his canon.
April 20, 2024
Reviewed as a guest post on Chandler Morrison's Substack, "Designer Sadness." Read here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-1434....
June 21, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
This was… depressing. We follow different characters all in search of love amidst a burning LA hellscape (literally). This is a literary and character driven book, basically revolving around a lot of dialogue between characters and their complex relationships. All characters have independent storylines that tend to collide in some areas through mutual friends and etc.
I want to say this author reminds me a lot of stephen king. He uses themes in his books and weird symbolism like the berkley bear mascot with a scarlet covered jersey, the slender bartender with the unnerving smile, a pain in a character’s left arm that wont go away, and other recurring symbolism. That and his literary grace in the way he describes things reminds me a lot of king. I recommend this book as long as you’re okay with being potentially depressed the hell out… probably better in small doses <3
This was… depressing. We follow different characters all in search of love amidst a burning LA hellscape (literally). This is a literary and character driven book, basically revolving around a lot of dialogue between characters and their complex relationships. All characters have independent storylines that tend to collide in some areas through mutual friends and etc.
I want to say this author reminds me a lot of stephen king. He uses themes in his books and weird symbolism like the berkley bear mascot with a scarlet covered jersey, the slender bartender with the unnerving smile, a pain in a character’s left arm that wont go away, and other recurring symbolism. That and his literary grace in the way he describes things reminds me a lot of king. I recommend this book as long as you’re okay with being potentially depressed the hell out… probably better in small doses <3
May 31, 2025
After reading this book I feel like I need a hug. It’s very sad, very dark, very well written.
November 15, 2025
A depressing slice of life. Made me want to read some more B.E.Ellis. Must have been pretty good.
May 29, 2024
I read a lot of HEA type shit, so this was a real nice change of pace.
June 20, 2024
Supremely bleak satire that contains a few more serious ideas under the surface than it initially lets on. A crave-able literary smash burger with someone's teeth buried in the meat. Overall a fun, raunchy, depressing ride. I think the lady sitting behind me on the plane saw the word "c*ck" printed over and over on the page I was reading and decided she wanted to read along.
April 19, 2025
Bret Easton Ellis Fan Fiction
1.5 stars rounded up. Honestly, if it weren't for the name on the cover, you'd think this was a first draft of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. Hell, Chandler Morrison could be Ellis's Richard Bachman for all we know. This is what he'd hand his publisher if they kept hounding him for pages. This is The Rules Of Attraction without the wit and stream of conscious style. These are the people mingling in the background of the more interesting people in Less Than Zero. Patrick Bateman refuses to be seen at the bars and restaurants these people frequent. The three male point of view characters could all work at Pierce and Pierce and everyone would confuse them for that dickhead Marcus Halberstram. This book would be better if it solely focused on the Lars and The Real Girl story going on with Baxter and forgot the rest.
1.5 stars rounded up. Honestly, if it weren't for the name on the cover, you'd think this was a first draft of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. Hell, Chandler Morrison could be Ellis's Richard Bachman for all we know. This is what he'd hand his publisher if they kept hounding him for pages. This is The Rules Of Attraction without the wit and stream of conscious style. These are the people mingling in the background of the more interesting people in Less Than Zero. Patrick Bateman refuses to be seen at the bars and restaurants these people frequent. The three male point of view characters could all work at Pierce and Pierce and everyone would confuse them for that dickhead Marcus Halberstram. This book would be better if it solely focused on the Lars and The Real Girl story going on with Baxter and forgot the rest.
May 14, 2024
Chandler Morrison is best known for Dead Inside. He has been discussed in chat forums at length, with comments about his sanity, choice of topic, and gross descriptions. Dead Inside has become one of those books that get passed around, under the table, like your father’s porn. You have to read it, just to know what the fuss is about. This is how I came across it, and I read it just to see if it was a gross as everyone said. Well it was, and I didn’t know if I would read Morrison again after it.
Morrison has changed his style with American Narcissus. He is still unapologetically breaching boundaries, but also going to a deeper level I didn’t think was possible. In this book, he focuses on the characters thoughts and motives. All of them are entitled wealthy youth, existing on drugs and sex. As you get further into their stories, you see the commonality between them all, and empathize with them. This an unexpected emotion, that starts moving your thoughts around. I realized that the story really was about society’s expectations, the quest for love, and finding the limit to your neediness. This is so incredibly deep, I was more shocked by this than Dead Inside.
I think Chandler Morrison has used this book as a stepping stone to great things. It clearly shows he is capable of writing beyond his reputation.
Morrison has changed his style with American Narcissus. He is still unapologetically breaching boundaries, but also going to a deeper level I didn’t think was possible. In this book, he focuses on the characters thoughts and motives. All of them are entitled wealthy youth, existing on drugs and sex. As you get further into their stories, you see the commonality between them all, and empathize with them. This an unexpected emotion, that starts moving your thoughts around. I realized that the story really was about society’s expectations, the quest for love, and finding the limit to your neediness. This is so incredibly deep, I was more shocked by this than Dead Inside.
I think Chandler Morrison has used this book as a stepping stone to great things. It clearly shows he is capable of writing beyond his reputation.
November 23, 2024
AMERICAN NARCISSUS [2024] By Chandler Morrison
My Review 4.5 Stars
I finished reading this novel of satire from Morrison on Thursday evening of this week. “American Narcissus” was just published by Dead Sky Publishing in mid-May of this year roughly six months ago. The readership was low on both Amazon and Goodreads with the former reporting 38 ratings and the latter indicating 133 ratings over the same time period. That said, readers who did buy the novel reported positive reviews. Interestingly enough, the ratings from both sources opted for high marks with overall 4.4 and 4.3. That 0.1 point does not tell us much though since the sample was frankly low on both book venues.
There is no doubt that when you open a novel by Morrison you can expect to burst a bubble of originality and open the door to an addictive writing style that welds your full attention to the written pages and keeps you “logged in” until the final period of the last sentence. There are authors who appear to be authentic master story tellers who grab you by the throat or by the heartstrings whichever is applicable to the story content. Readers who purchased this novel who were expected to like it, that is Morrison’s fan base and more generally his fans from the popular sub-genre of extreme horror, loved it. His voice has been deemed to be “unique, stylish, and powerful” [Brian Keene].
My favorite quote from his fellow authors was a blurb by Ryan Harding who I really like. He wrote: “American Narcissus” is Morrison at his scathing, satirical best…a darkly comic search through the spiritual decay of LA---and our modern age---where there may be no soul to find at all.”
Personally, I could not fathom a bleaker backdrop than the streets and mansions which are the homes and playgrounds of LA’s elitists, the youth who have all of the toys that wealth can afford them and additionally were gifted by fate to be gorgeous and handsome to meet anyone’s facile description of “perfect”.
All of the characters in the novel are despicable and unworthy of pity. It is a statement to attest to their very hollow cores and blind eyes that in the literal background of their accumulative “crises”, as they walk around in their existences like zombies, huge wildfires are approaching Los Angeles.
The novel is written in colorful enigmatic titles such as “Only Lies”, “The Lanky Fellows”, “An Exhibit in the Museum of a Slaughterhouse” and more. The characters who occupy this LA landscape of modern utopia with its immediate gratification of the baubles, sleek cars, perfect male and female bodies, name brand clothing, expensive accessories, exquisite gourmet food, and more only find the experience of having “everything” not simply unfulfilling but leaving each of our characters with a painful emptiness inside they are unable to extinguish.
The author wrote realistic and richly detailed personalities, and I found that it was interesting how the “beautiful people” were entangled with each other in one way or another. Every single one of the young beautiful people, a few the good side of 40, immersed themselves in alcohol, lines of coke, handfuls of prescription meds like opiates, muscle relaxants, and at parties “just a handful of pills” from a bowl filled with who knows what prescriptions. It follows that our characters were “stoned” or incoherent a lot which as the story progressed morphed into “blackouts” with variable disastrous results.
These immoral disciples of the modern-day equivalent of sheer paganism and narcissism are like lost souls looking for love in all the wrong places. It may be more accurate to say they were all looking for “meaning” to justify his or her own existence---in all the wrong places. There was the one narcissist left standing who was an example of being incapable of missing something he never had. This character was the enviable writer whose critics adored him, and he went through nubile young groupies like popcorn. The other character who deviated from the lost number of soulless kids still searching for meaning was the malignant narcissistic Lyssi who was not difficult to learn early on that you had a potentially fatal scorpion in your head and in your bed. I held out a bit of cautious optimism for the intelligent manipular Tess who was attempting to snag “The Writer” but when she ran the gamut of sadistic games it was apparent that she was more corrupt than several others.
I really liked the book. I actually loved the black humor that Chandler injected into Dead Inside. Fans of “Dead Inside” should read this novel of Chandler’s to see how great a writer he truly is. This darkly comic novel is a treasure, and every time I think of it, I will remember Baxter Kent’s answer to sexual satisfaction with a flawless woman, namely the elaborate realistic sex robot. The young man actually cared for the working sex toy, and her speech was programmed with only sex talk:
Baxter took her to the Boardwalk, and they were alone, so Baxter whispered,
“You make me so happy” and pulled her closer.
He was surprised when she spoke right up in response: “You make my ----- so f-------g wet”
A tourist with his four- or five-year-old son both heard the exchange. That prompted questions from the boy to his dad. The kid finally began to cry, “Do we need to help her?”
I tried to avoid spoilers but any savvy reader going in is going to know right off the bat that nothing is going to be all right for this hedonistic group of well-heeled LA players.
MORRISON PENS SURPRISINGLY EFFECTIVE NOVEL IN THE SARCASM GENRE
My Review 4.5 Stars
I finished reading this novel of satire from Morrison on Thursday evening of this week. “American Narcissus” was just published by Dead Sky Publishing in mid-May of this year roughly six months ago. The readership was low on both Amazon and Goodreads with the former reporting 38 ratings and the latter indicating 133 ratings over the same time period. That said, readers who did buy the novel reported positive reviews. Interestingly enough, the ratings from both sources opted for high marks with overall 4.4 and 4.3. That 0.1 point does not tell us much though since the sample was frankly low on both book venues.
There is no doubt that when you open a novel by Morrison you can expect to burst a bubble of originality and open the door to an addictive writing style that welds your full attention to the written pages and keeps you “logged in” until the final period of the last sentence. There are authors who appear to be authentic master story tellers who grab you by the throat or by the heartstrings whichever is applicable to the story content. Readers who purchased this novel who were expected to like it, that is Morrison’s fan base and more generally his fans from the popular sub-genre of extreme horror, loved it. His voice has been deemed to be “unique, stylish, and powerful” [Brian Keene].
My favorite quote from his fellow authors was a blurb by Ryan Harding who I really like. He wrote: “American Narcissus” is Morrison at his scathing, satirical best…a darkly comic search through the spiritual decay of LA---and our modern age---where there may be no soul to find at all.”
Personally, I could not fathom a bleaker backdrop than the streets and mansions which are the homes and playgrounds of LA’s elitists, the youth who have all of the toys that wealth can afford them and additionally were gifted by fate to be gorgeous and handsome to meet anyone’s facile description of “perfect”.
All of the characters in the novel are despicable and unworthy of pity. It is a statement to attest to their very hollow cores and blind eyes that in the literal background of their accumulative “crises”, as they walk around in their existences like zombies, huge wildfires are approaching Los Angeles.
The novel is written in colorful enigmatic titles such as “Only Lies”, “The Lanky Fellows”, “An Exhibit in the Museum of a Slaughterhouse” and more. The characters who occupy this LA landscape of modern utopia with its immediate gratification of the baubles, sleek cars, perfect male and female bodies, name brand clothing, expensive accessories, exquisite gourmet food, and more only find the experience of having “everything” not simply unfulfilling but leaving each of our characters with a painful emptiness inside they are unable to extinguish.
The author wrote realistic and richly detailed personalities, and I found that it was interesting how the “beautiful people” were entangled with each other in one way or another. Every single one of the young beautiful people, a few the good side of 40, immersed themselves in alcohol, lines of coke, handfuls of prescription meds like opiates, muscle relaxants, and at parties “just a handful of pills” from a bowl filled with who knows what prescriptions. It follows that our characters were “stoned” or incoherent a lot which as the story progressed morphed into “blackouts” with variable disastrous results.
These immoral disciples of the modern-day equivalent of sheer paganism and narcissism are like lost souls looking for love in all the wrong places. It may be more accurate to say they were all looking for “meaning” to justify his or her own existence---in all the wrong places. There was the one narcissist left standing who was an example of being incapable of missing something he never had. This character was the enviable writer whose critics adored him, and he went through nubile young groupies like popcorn. The other character who deviated from the lost number of soulless kids still searching for meaning was the malignant narcissistic Lyssi who was not difficult to learn early on that you had a potentially fatal scorpion in your head and in your bed. I held out a bit of cautious optimism for the intelligent manipular Tess who was attempting to snag “The Writer” but when she ran the gamut of sadistic games it was apparent that she was more corrupt than several others.
I really liked the book. I actually loved the black humor that Chandler injected into Dead Inside. Fans of “Dead Inside” should read this novel of Chandler’s to see how great a writer he truly is. This darkly comic novel is a treasure, and every time I think of it, I will remember Baxter Kent’s answer to sexual satisfaction with a flawless woman, namely the elaborate realistic sex robot. The young man actually cared for the working sex toy, and her speech was programmed with only sex talk:
Baxter took her to the Boardwalk, and they were alone, so Baxter whispered,
“You make me so happy” and pulled her closer.
He was surprised when she spoke right up in response: “You make my ----- so f-------g wet”
A tourist with his four- or five-year-old son both heard the exchange. That prompted questions from the boy to his dad. The kid finally began to cry, “Do we need to help her?”
I tried to avoid spoilers but any savvy reader going in is going to know right off the bat that nothing is going to be all right for this hedonistic group of well-heeled LA players.
MORRISON PENS SURPRISINGLY EFFECTIVE NOVEL IN THE SARCASM GENRE
June 25, 2025
3.5 stars
I originally didn’t know how to feel about this book or if I was even going to be able to finish it, but it grew on me and the last 20% or so 🫠 Yh.
I originally didn’t know how to feel about this book or if I was even going to be able to finish it, but it grew on me and the last 20% or so 🫠 Yh.
July 5, 2024
I really love Morrison's writing, so I jumped at the opportunity to get this book. I was not disappointed in his writing.
Baxter is probably the least developed character in this book, so I never really cared what happened to him. But the rest of the characters are more developed. The second least developed character is probably Arden, but I do care about him. He is in a sort of relationship with Rebecca, who begrudgingly tolerates his addiction, but often makes comments that if he keeps going, she won't stay. He keeps going, and she does leave, but Arden is a likeable character, so it feels crushing when it happens. Tess has a boyfriend, but she doesn't love him and considers leaving him to find actual love. However, when she finds out he cheated on her, and on top of that her mom cheated on her dad, Tess decides to end it all. Her brother is the one who finds her. Richard is a lonely guy with no friends but Lyssi, who he's sleeping with. His ex is extremely sick, and his family hates him for moving to LA and leaving her. Lyssi seems nice at first, but she's definitely not well mentally. After Richard finds his ex in the hospital with her name carved in her arm, he finds that she planted a camera in his house and ruined his car.
While most of the characters are unlikeable, Tess and Richard really stood out to me as the ones I cared the most about. No characters are perfect, and no characters are happy.
Baxter is probably the least developed character in this book, so I never really cared what happened to him. But the rest of the characters are more developed. The second least developed character is probably Arden, but I do care about him. He is in a sort of relationship with Rebecca, who begrudgingly tolerates his addiction, but often makes comments that if he keeps going, she won't stay. He keeps going, and she does leave, but Arden is a likeable character, so it feels crushing when it happens. Tess has a boyfriend, but she doesn't love him and considers leaving him to find actual love. However, when she finds out he cheated on her, and on top of that her mom cheated on her dad, Tess decides to end it all. Her brother is the one who finds her. Richard is a lonely guy with no friends but Lyssi, who he's sleeping with. His ex is extremely sick, and his family hates him for moving to LA and leaving her. Lyssi seems nice at first, but she's definitely not well mentally. After Richard finds his ex in the hospital with her name carved in her arm, he finds that she planted a camera in his house and ruined his car.
While most of the characters are unlikeable, Tess and Richard really stood out to me as the ones I cared the most about. No characters are perfect, and no characters are happy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2024
Sigh. I swear I'm not a Tessa or Lyssi, but I have a total literarary crush on Morrison. I discovered him when I stumbled upon Along the Path of Torment. I was absolutely blown away. I then began reading CM's canon in order. American Narcissus was my last read, and it has the same flavor (riptide?!) of his other work. This is a cynical California transgressive filled with empty, Less-Than-Zero characters that will shock, depress, and disturb you (::salivates::). This book doesn't wrap everything up in a nice package, and will leave you craving more (the good news is that his characters are reoccurring - so you may find out what happens to everyone). However, it does so in a satisfying manner. And be warned- though this is L.A., there are NO Hollywood endings to be found in CM books.
Enjoy. :)
A note about similar authors:
If you like Bret Easton Ellis, Samuel Delaney, Hubert Selby Jr., Irvine Welsh, Dennis Cooper, Matthew, Stokoe, J.T. LeRoy, Lynda Barry, A.M. Homes, Kathe Koja, Katherine Dunn, and well-written, doom ride transgressive fiction in general, pick this up. Note: Dead Inside is by far his worst book. If you're not into over-the-top splatterpunk, know that his other words do not fall into this sub-genre (but if you ARE into splatterpunk, you will love Dead Inside, as it's not stupid, unedited, silly gore-for-the-sake-of-gore mess).
Enjoy. :)
A note about similar authors:
If you like Bret Easton Ellis, Samuel Delaney, Hubert Selby Jr., Irvine Welsh, Dennis Cooper, Matthew, Stokoe, J.T. LeRoy, Lynda Barry, A.M. Homes, Kathe Koja, Katherine Dunn, and well-written, doom ride transgressive fiction in general, pick this up. Note: Dead Inside is by far his worst book. If you're not into over-the-top splatterpunk, know that his other words do not fall into this sub-genre (but if you ARE into splatterpunk, you will love Dead Inside, as it's not stupid, unedited, silly gore-for-the-sake-of-gore mess).
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