Bad Hotel

by Dustin Reade, G. Arthur Brown

The whole world is haunted. Ghosts and monsters are everywhere and it's actually kind of irritating. So, two friends take it upon themselves to get rid of the ghosts and set the world right again, even though, they have no clue what they are doing. Like, at all. They set off on an adventure through a world of haunted donut shops, alien department stores, worm-riddled junkyards and possessed schoolhouses until they finally check into the Bad Hotel.

"Bad Hotel is a twisting, turning rabbit hole of a book, shimmering with surreal imagery and paranoia. Bring some drugs."

-David W. Barbee

"Bad Hotel is Ghost Hunters getting trapped in The Twilight Zone, or a stoner version of The X-Files, or Kevin Smith directing The Shining." – G. Arthur Brown, author of Governor of the Homeless and The Long Night of the Eternal Korean War.

Genres: Horror, Bizarro Fiction, Fiction

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2017

About the author

I write weird stories.

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two buddies who live next door to each other find that their possessions as well as their houses are melding together. Things are getting strange in the neighborhood. After reading reports of ghosts, demonic possessions, citizens going crazy and a giant shrimp sighting, the two amigos take a road trip to discover the source of the unusual disturbances. They find themselves caught in a kaleidoscope of landscapes, one more bizarre than the next. A familiar face reappears as a different person in each new convolution of the topography. Spaces get turned inside out and dimensions transform as little girls jump up and down while speaking the language of Cthulhu. In an effort to reach the beating heart of all that is unholy, our heroes must first don acceptable outfits and arm themselves with pens. With likeable characters and believable dialogue, this psychedelic quest is one to savor and read again.

[Danger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really loved this book. Like, a lot. Two amateur paranormal researchers go on a strange journey to figure out why the entirety of America has suddenly become haunted. This was a bizarro cosmic-horror comedy that I feel was tonally perfect, considering how dark and bonkers things sometimes get. Vivid imagery coupled with fast-paced storytelling compelled me to read the whole book in less than 24 hours, and it works on an allegorical level, as well as just being a weird adventure story. This is one of the best books I’ve read all year.

[Douglas Hackle · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever wanted some haunted doughnuts with your cryptid worms, some Bigfoot with your temporally displaced interdimensional tourists, or even just a little porno-weed with your dead-yet-dreaming Cthulhu, don’t miss the campy, weird, fantastical, phantasmagoric treat that is Dustin Reade’s Bad Hotel.

[G. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Hotel is Ghost Hunters getting trapped in The Twilight Zone, or a stoner version of The X-Files, or Kevin Smith directing The Shining.

Everything crazy that can happen does happen in this compulsively readable novella. Dustin Reade is a name to watch.

[Dustin Reade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm pretty biased. I mean, I wrote it. But hey, I thought it was pretty good.

[KnNaRfF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dustin Reade's short story House Party was my favourite one in the excellent Surreal Worlds anthology, so when I heard about Bad Hotel it became a must read for me and did not disappoint.
Bad Hotel is a fantastic bizarro / surreal dream-like Odessey that charges along at a cracking pace that leaves you breathless.

[Matthew Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you happen to stumble across it while browsing you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you don't STOP and pick it up. Reminded me a little of John Dies at the End, crossed with one of my weird dreams about my uncle.

[Carl Fuerst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moody, dream-like, nightmarish, chaotic and poignant--when friends ask for an entry-point to Bizarro fiction, this is one of my go-to recommendations.

[Kimberly N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read. It is full of gore, humor, and things that want to kill.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

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