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Lazarus' Kool-Aid:
From the best-selling author of Supersize Island.
Henry Hubble woke up this morning to find three cherubic rag dolls trying to kill him. And it’s been downhill since then.
Henry's life has taken a turn for the weirder. His reality has been gamified—and the game’s architect seems to be a few stats short of a full character sheet. With his nephew's life hanging in the balance, Henry will face off against bosses, minions, and more, mined from his own memories, where D&D game dynamics, eighties-era action tropes, and vegetable phobias reign supreme.
He’ll only begin to understand what’s really going on when he runs across Darla Cunningham and her clairvoyant computer. Unfortunately, what’s really going on is even crazier and scarier than the murder dolls who want him dead.
“The Matrix gone mental.”
-Royal Road Reader
“One of the craziest and most entertaining stories I’ve ever read . . . wildly imaginative and engaging.”
-Reader’s Favorite
“A perfectly baked slice of madness . . . a thoroughly enjoyable ride..”
-Royal Road Reader
Henry Hubble woke up this morning to find three cherubic rag dolls trying to kill him. And it’s been downhill since then.
Henry's life has taken a turn for the weirder. His reality has been gamified—and the game’s architect seems to be a few stats short of a full character sheet. With his nephew's life hanging in the balance, Henry will face off against bosses, minions, and more, mined from his own memories, where D&D game dynamics, eighties-era action tropes, and vegetable phobias reign supreme.
He’ll only begin to understand what’s really going on when he runs across Darla Cunningham and her clairvoyant computer. Unfortunately, what’s really going on is even crazier and scarier than the murder dolls who want him dead.
“The Matrix gone mental.”
-Royal Road Reader
“One of the craziest and most entertaining stories I’ve ever read . . . wildly imaginative and engaging.”
-Reader’s Favorite
“A perfectly baked slice of madness . . . a thoroughly enjoyable ride..”
-Royal Road Reader
- GenresScience Fiction
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2025
18 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Walsh
3 books23 followersJ.J. Walsh is a novelist and owner of San Francisco-based advertising agency, Iron Creative Communication. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, two boys, and their Labrador Retriever. So far, his comic book knowledge has not been called upon to save the world. But he is ready.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 10, 2025
Imagine you were given a chance to fix something that went wrong. Only imagine it was your avatar? Or was it?
The book has one or two things right: We are a collection of our fears, given the chance we probably would make decisions based on survival, and the world may be a simulation.
The world appears to be destroyed in this text. Thought you might want to know that the simulation is holding together at 2042. There is always the rule that the present dimension is being written by one. Turtles, all the way down.
I enjoyed the gaming aspect of the book. The game is buggy and forgetful. So, it reminds me of Red Dwarf meets The Twilight zone.
Give it a read. I’d like to discuss this with anyone.
From Wikipedia
In 2003, philosopher Nick Bostrom proposed the simulation argument, which suggested that if a civilization became capable of creating conscious simulations, it could generate so many simulated beings that a randomly chosen conscious entity would almost certainly be in a simulation. This argument presents a trilemma: either such simulations are not created because of technological limitations or self-destruction; or advanced civilizations choose not to create them; or if advanced civilizations do create them, the number of simulations would far exceed base reality and we would therefore almost certainly be living in one. This assumes that consciousness is not uniquely tied to biological brains but can arise from any system that implements the right computational structures and processes.
THAT explains this book. 50/50 we are in a simulation
The book has one or two things right: We are a collection of our fears, given the chance we probably would make decisions based on survival, and the world may be a simulation.
The world appears to be destroyed in this text. Thought you might want to know that the simulation is holding together at 2042. There is always the rule that the present dimension is being written by one. Turtles, all the way down.
I enjoyed the gaming aspect of the book. The game is buggy and forgetful. So, it reminds me of Red Dwarf meets The Twilight zone.
Give it a read. I’d like to discuss this with anyone.
From Wikipedia
In 2003, philosopher Nick Bostrom proposed the simulation argument, which suggested that if a civilization became capable of creating conscious simulations, it could generate so many simulated beings that a randomly chosen conscious entity would almost certainly be in a simulation. This argument presents a trilemma: either such simulations are not created because of technological limitations or self-destruction; or advanced civilizations choose not to create them; or if advanced civilizations do create them, the number of simulations would far exceed base reality and we would therefore almost certainly be living in one. This assumes that consciousness is not uniquely tied to biological brains but can arise from any system that implements the right computational structures and processes.
THAT explains this book. 50/50 we are in a simulation
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2025
So fun from start to finish! One of the things I'm STARVED for is SURPRISE. So many writers are so predictable and you see the twists coming from page one. Not J.J. Walsh. I've read everything by this guy and he's got that magical ability to deliver unexpected twist after twist that you don't see coming, but make perfect sense in hindsight. Not easy, but SO rewarding. And this book is just so easy to enjoy. Lots of references to classic 80's movies, games, and TV, but with just enough context to either jog your memory or get you comfortable with something you never heard of. Really, if you're looking for a fun, rewarding, action-packed but character-driven story - this won't let you down.
July 29, 2025
I didn't need to read many literary RPGs to get bored with the endless discussions of stats. So I was taking a chance with this one - but it didn't feel like it was true litrpg. And I was right. It uses just enough of the genre to get the fun of it and avoid the monotony. Other than that, it's just a good, quirky, funny book.
October 28, 2025
my new fave author!
I read Super-sized & then something else & now Lazarus Kool-Aid. So well done, hints of previous beloved sci-fi books ( Good Omens for one) , but much better done , more complex & wittier. Cannot recommend enough.
I read Super-sized & then something else & now Lazarus Kool-Aid. So well done, hints of previous beloved sci-fi books ( Good Omens for one) , but much better done , more complex & wittier. Cannot recommend enough.
August 5, 2025
Good, clean fun. Some good dramatic tension, but overall, just a nice, light action adventure with plenty of laughs.
August 24, 2025
Lol well this book was a trip.
August 24, 2025
I really loved this! It was fun and creative. I laughed so much but there were heartfelt moments too. I've read a couple video game involved books, but this was the best.
Read
October 7, 2025Another dull-action packed story for gaming fans.
July 16, 2025
Great book, great narrator! I cant wait to see what is next.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews