MAN VS BEAR

by John Davies

Content This book contains graphic violence, animal attack gore, psychological trauma, child loss, substance abuse, and explicit language. Reader discretion advised. 18+ only.


From the twisted mind behind Hobo with a Shotgun and Kids vs. Aliens comes Man vs. Bear—a blood-soaked, no-mercy nightmare of metal and mauling.
Mitch Jamison, lead guitarist for the toxic sleaze-metal outfit Psycho Dave and the Flying Monkeys, ditches the tour bus for a remote cabin after his psycho frontman forces him to dump the only woman he ever loved.
One drunken swerve later, he flattens a bear cub on a dark forest road.
Mama—five hundred pounds of blind, raging grief—smells the blood and starts hunting.
No escape. No redemption. Just claws, teeth, and a final solo played on shredded flesh.
By sunrise, the only thing left will be blood on the fretboard.

72 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2025

About the author

John Davies (c. 1784-1864) was a Welsh poet, bookseller and publisher. He was a well-known figure in literary circles. Pseudonym: J. Brychan

https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Da...

Reviews

[Alannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It feels bad to write a mostly negative review so I’ll start with the positive. I bought this book to support a local author. I liked the amount of tension and quick pacing of this short read and it was overall engaging.

I’m no stranger to (and quite fond of) thrillers, horror and gore so that wasn’t at all a factor in my lower rating…

A couple things that really swayed me negatively though:

- I feel like the book could have been so much better written from Mitch’s POV in first person. The character “said” too many things out loud when he was alone for 90% of the story. It made a lot more sense to me for these to be thoughts instead.

- The main male character called a girl a slut as a derogatory insult (slut-shaming). The word slut is for the girlies these days, we’ve taken it back

- It also just seemed so aggressively male-centered. The two women referenced in the books were sexualized and every other character in this book was male, including strangers he met in the woods. Girls can be metalheads and hunters too …

[Jonny Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Well, this was a super fun one.

I have been a fan of Hobo with a Shotgun for years. When the author reached out to me to ask about a guest spot on my podcast that was on hiatus, I was absolutely thrilled to find out that the author had just written a debut book.

This book is a short, fast-paced read. It starts and John wastes absolutely no time putting the pedal to the metal. This book is all gas, no brakes and flows just like something you'd expect from the writer of Hobo.

Touching on things like loss, grief and pride, Mitch's story might not necessarily relate with everyone, but I am sure it will echo in ways that will connect with lots of readers.

[Duncan Meece · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid read if you want something fast paced and violent. I read it in one sitting, never bored, and the ending was unexpectedly emotional.

It kind of feels like reading a screenplay, which makes sense given the author’s background. The writing is really visual with a lot of action, and I could easily see this being adapted into a film or even an hour long TV episode.

The pacing is intentionally quick, which keeps the story moving, though there were a few moments where I found myself wishing certain scenes lingered a little longer just to take everything in.

If you want something meatier than a short story but don’t feel like committing to a full novel, this is definitely worth checking out.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ Honestly, kind of sad Mitch survived

[Chris Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man vs Bear is a sprint. It’s a one-sitting read that will take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on how fast you read. Our tale introduces us to Mitch and his bad decision making as they mount one after another until he’s face to face with a bear!

From the mind of John Davies, the writer of Hobo with a Shotgun, this novella is trash cinema at its finest. It is a combination of influences that seem rooted in Grindhouse films, Heavy Metal, and late night 80s HBO.

This story of a man facing a many crossroads of life’s decisions did not lead me to any existential epiphanies, but you might. Mitch did. You will certainly find yourself flipping pages one right after another for an hour or so until you reach the conclusion and catch your breath.

Davies writing is concise, and imaginative, weaving his storytelling and character building with a similar intensity. It reads like watching a movie. At 60 pages these characters are well defined, and the tale is urgent. If all of this sounds like your thing, then you should pick it up and find yourself face to face with a bear.

[Jerika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. I saw the author post on reddit a couple weeks ago about this book and a bear attack short story from the writer of Hobo with a Shotgun just could not sound more wild, I had to buy a copy. It is brutal and uncomfortable and painful at times to read, you really can imagine it perfectly as a horror movie. It mostly follows Mitch, with a few other characters he interacts with; a couple of them, I thought their portrayal was more stereotype than depth, but it's also like, 65 pages long so I wasn't expecting that much, that's just the only thing holding it back from 5 stars. If you know Hobo or you like horror, this is definitely a recommend.

[Linda Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that doesn’t ease you in. It’s intense right from the start and keeps that same energy all the way through.

The premise is simple, but it works. Once everything is set in motion, it becomes more about survival and the consequences of one bad decision. There’s a constant sense of tension, and it doesn’t really let up.

It’s definitely graphic, so the content warning is there for a reason. If you’re not into gore or darker themes, this probably won’t be for you.

That said, if you like fast-paced horror that leans into chaos and doesn’t hold back, this one delivers exactly that.

[Bill Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick easy read that sees a disgruntled member of a successful band, taken over by its lead singer, and in a low place having been forced to dump the love of his life, as not good for the band image, whilst going to a cabin to try to record new songs, he hits a bear cub, whilst drink driving and is then chased down by the cubs mother.

It is Cujo with a bear, with plenty of bear attacks as you would expect from writer of hobo with a shotgun, it fills a lot in the 70 plus pages and was a good read, even if some of the descriptions of the animal injuries are quite nasty

[Renato · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most seminal Canadian book investigating the ever thining ecotope between Homo Sapiens and Ursus Arctos Horribilis since Marian Engel's Bear!

However, I would say a more apt title would be "Man Flees Bear".

[Adam Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

curiously curated story of loss, regret, revenge and freedom
Fun, fast paced and with just enough violence and gore to have you asking for more. The writer of Hobo with a shotgun enthralls the reader with a curiously curated story of loss, regret, revenge and freedom. Do yourself a favor and dive in.

[paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a fun sprint of a book. for the most part i thought it followed through on all of its plot lines well given how short it is. i thought the pregnancy bit was corny but i do think it's pulpy and that's what the book is going for. this guys body count is crazy like idk 5? people died? and he only cared about his hypothetical baby.. really is no redemption for him

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

The story has you on the edge of your seat at every turn. Man vs Bear is a great short story novella that keeps you in suspense at every turn. John Davies has a way of bringing his characters to life and making you feel deeply connected with them.

[matt slaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and intense short read packed with action, gore and dark subject matter but it also has a surprising amount of humour and heart. John Davies has said that he's hoping to release more novellas over the coming months and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us!

[Gregory Chevette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drinking, driving and jerking off at the same time is always a bad idea.

[Maddalin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ☆ rounded to 3

So…everyone is correct about the novella being fast paced.