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Buying Illegal Bugs with Bitcoin
You can buy anything on the Internet these days. Books, electronics, and Chinese takeout are just a few clicks away. If you’re after something more illicit, all you need is a special browser and some bitcoin to spend. Every drug you might want is readily available on the darknet markets. You can also hire a hitman, get a fake ID made, or have an illegal bug delivered to your door.
Ben Samsa is a small-time weed dealer and amateur entomologist. He can’t resist buying a mysterious bug he finds on one of the black market sites where he gets his inventory. The splurge leaves him with only enough bitcoin to purchase lower quality marijuana than he normally sells. Unfortunately, Ben doesn’t realize one of his customers has been flipping his product to a murderous, one-eyed Nazi. He’s soon sucked into a hellish nightmare of dread, drugs and death.
Meanwhile, the bug is growing. Nothing will ever be the same when Ben learns the true, hideous name of the insect.
Ben Samsa is a small-time weed dealer and amateur entomologist. He can’t resist buying a mysterious bug he finds on one of the black market sites where he gets his inventory. The splurge leaves him with only enough bitcoin to purchase lower quality marijuana than he normally sells. Unfortunately, Ben doesn’t realize one of his customers has been flipping his product to a murderous, one-eyed Nazi. He’s soon sucked into a hellish nightmare of dread, drugs and death.
Meanwhile, the bug is growing. Nothing will ever be the same when Ben learns the true, hideous name of the insect.
158 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2017
10 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
George Billions
3 books43 followersGeorge Billions is a writer whose work litters the Internet under various pseudonyms. He's written everything from fake product reviews to unqualified fitness advice, steamy romance novels to straight-up keyword spam. Once he had a gig banging out thousands of short biographies of adult entertainers. These days he's trying to put out the kind of stuff he enjoys reading and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 14, 2017
5 Imagos
Holy Cold Creeps, Batman, this book has it all! Mix a small-time drug dealer, a pinch of Bitcoin, the Dark Web and a mysterious Prosperity Bug, and what do you get? Mayhem, violence and creature/human bonding that will either make you queasy or crave a bug of your own. Our anti-hero has a friend who causes him no end of trouble. When Neo-Nazi drug dealers are summoned, all hell breaks loose. So does the narrator's Prosperity insect. Add a couple of wannabe punks, a reclusive Bitcoin trader and a crooked cop, and we have a recipe for non-stop action. Equal parts horror, noir and science fiction make this novel a quick and enticing read.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks.
Holy Cold Creeps, Batman, this book has it all! Mix a small-time drug dealer, a pinch of Bitcoin, the Dark Web and a mysterious Prosperity Bug, and what do you get? Mayhem, violence and creature/human bonding that will either make you queasy or crave a bug of your own. Our anti-hero has a friend who causes him no end of trouble. When Neo-Nazi drug dealers are summoned, all hell breaks loose. So does the narrator's Prosperity insect. Add a couple of wannabe punks, a reclusive Bitcoin trader and a crooked cop, and we have a recipe for non-stop action. Equal parts horror, noir and science fiction make this novel a quick and enticing read.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks.
February 6, 2018
George Billions is fast becoming my new favourite indie author. This is the third book of his that I've read and I'm happy to say the quality is consistent.
I like how his books all have a similar formula to them: told in first person narrative, simply but expertly written, few characters, with at least one who's a complete dickhead. But although the same rough formula is in place, each of his books have their own flavour, and this one is more farcical in nature; there's a hint of classic farces like The Importance of Being Earnest and What The Butler Saw in how the plot hangs together and develops, but the story itself couldn't be more different to those examples:
A good-hearted stoner makes his living by selling weed, which he buys online from the Dark Net using Bitcoin. He also has a passion for insects, and when he buys an illegal unidentified exotic bug to add to his collection of roaches and spiders, things start to take an unexpected turn. Add to that a pot deal that goes wrong resulting in some Nazi thugs chasing after him and a bent policeman who wants his fix of dope for free, and you have one hell of a great story.
There's also an extra layer to this story which is perhaps missing from Billions' other two books. There are a couple of moments where the chapters are written in slightly different prose, relevant to what's going on, and it's those moments that really show what a talented writer Billions is and just how well-thought out and how well-written his usual simple prose is.
I guess I'm in an analytical mood with regards to how things are written at present, so apologies if I'm not sticking to the main point, which is: this is a highly entertaining, very funny and absorbing story which I loved. You'll also find out some really cool facts about insects too.
I like how his books all have a similar formula to them: told in first person narrative, simply but expertly written, few characters, with at least one who's a complete dickhead. But although the same rough formula is in place, each of his books have their own flavour, and this one is more farcical in nature; there's a hint of classic farces like The Importance of Being Earnest and What The Butler Saw in how the plot hangs together and develops, but the story itself couldn't be more different to those examples:
A good-hearted stoner makes his living by selling weed, which he buys online from the Dark Net using Bitcoin. He also has a passion for insects, and when he buys an illegal unidentified exotic bug to add to his collection of roaches and spiders, things start to take an unexpected turn. Add to that a pot deal that goes wrong resulting in some Nazi thugs chasing after him and a bent policeman who wants his fix of dope for free, and you have one hell of a great story.
There's also an extra layer to this story which is perhaps missing from Billions' other two books. There are a couple of moments where the chapters are written in slightly different prose, relevant to what's going on, and it's those moments that really show what a talented writer Billions is and just how well-thought out and how well-written his usual simple prose is.
I guess I'm in an analytical mood with regards to how things are written at present, so apologies if I'm not sticking to the main point, which is: this is a highly entertaining, very funny and absorbing story which I loved. You'll also find out some really cool facts about insects too.
June 2, 2018
Everybody should have a Migo.
How frickin’ great is the internet. You can get whatever you want. Free porn, Chinese take-out, hire a killer, purchase drugs of all kinds, free porn, fulfill your weirdest sexual fantasies, buy and sell used cars, get fake ID’s and yep, more free porn.
Ben is a slacker. A small-time pot peddler with an impressive collection of spiders and other creepy cool bugs. All he wants to do is sell enough weed to pay the rent and have enough left over to get high on demand while playing Conquest of the Brutalizer and receiving the occasional handjob from Kristi the hippy dippy health food shop cashier. Not a bad life…honestly.
After a bitcoin upswing and cheesing up on Jammy’s weed purchase, he even had enough extra dough to take a chance on buying a new exotic bug for his collection. A FLOWERING IDEAS GOVERNANCE BEETLE. Nice!
Life was easy. Life was good.
Then the fucking Nazi’s show up and ruin everything. I fuckin’ hate fucking Nazi’s. Shit goes to hell in a handbasket very quickly after that and Ben finds himself in some serious trouble.
This is my second read from Mr. Billions and I really dig his work. Dude can write some trippy stories and he is definitely developing his own style and sense of weird. I like it. Very well done. I look forward to more from this author.
A solid 4 Stars and highly recommended.
How frickin’ great is the internet. You can get whatever you want. Free porn, Chinese take-out, hire a killer, purchase drugs of all kinds, free porn, fulfill your weirdest sexual fantasies, buy and sell used cars, get fake ID’s and yep, more free porn.
Ben is a slacker. A small-time pot peddler with an impressive collection of spiders and other creepy cool bugs. All he wants to do is sell enough weed to pay the rent and have enough left over to get high on demand while playing Conquest of the Brutalizer and receiving the occasional handjob from Kristi the hippy dippy health food shop cashier. Not a bad life…honestly.
After a bitcoin upswing and cheesing up on Jammy’s weed purchase, he even had enough extra dough to take a chance on buying a new exotic bug for his collection. A FLOWERING IDEAS GOVERNANCE BEETLE. Nice!
Life was easy. Life was good.
Then the fucking Nazi’s show up and ruin everything. I fuckin’ hate fucking Nazi’s. Shit goes to hell in a handbasket very quickly after that and Ben finds himself in some serious trouble.
This is my second read from Mr. Billions and I really dig his work. Dude can write some trippy stories and he is definitely developing his own style and sense of weird. I like it. Very well done. I look forward to more from this author.
A solid 4 Stars and highly recommended.
January 16, 2018
Another fine story by Mr Billions, I can't find any fault with this book, it has humour, drama, violence and lots of creepy crawlies. I can say that this is a well researched book, because it seems that Mr Billions has a natural love for bugs, check out his blog georgebillions.com/index.php/2018/01/... where he is opening a box of new bugs, watch the video to see just how much he enjoys them.
The plot is of the type where a series of events happens and things start to get crazier and crazier, you can't help but get swept along with the story. A great collection of characters help with the story, not sure I'm too happy about what happens to Jason though :-)
Give this book a go, if you find the video on his blog good then you'll love this one.
My Blog review is here. https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
The plot is of the type where a series of events happens and things start to get crazier and crazier, you can't help but get swept along with the story. A great collection of characters help with the story, not sure I'm too happy about what happens to Jason though :-)
Give this book a go, if you find the video on his blog good then you'll love this one.
My Blog review is here. https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
January 21, 2018
This is a great, entertaining read. The plot is a series of events which turn nastier and crazier with progression. The characters are dodgier than the illegal bitcoin transactions. Plenty of dark humour and violence ensures that you won't want to put this down until you have read to the end. This author definitely has a weird mind, and it's worrying that I look forward to reading more of his work. Highly recommended. *Thanks to the author for the free copy for an honest review*
February 7, 2018
A short read of two halves. Really ramps up midpoint. Starts with a nondescript dealer dealing with shaky people and hassles. The guy likes insects, arachnids, you know, crawlies, in a big way. He has few joys, his consolations consisting of the console and his many legged freaks. One droning day he spies a mysterious offering listed somewhere deep on the darknet, follows his bug love compulsions and okays shipment of an obscurely titled beetle. The beetle arrives and spoilers happen.
I like bugs in art generally so found the insect facts fascinating, and mostly placed naturally within the narrative. The first portion of the book has too much drug description. I know our antihero has a business to run, and that those in that world are preoccupied with measurements. I have never got why it’s acceptable to be anal about figures when dealing with mood enhancers, either in or out of literature or anywhere in-between. It’s bad enough in real life, why carry it on into fiction, I don’t understand. This is a rant outside of this book, so apologies to George Billions as this novel isn’t the worst culprit by a long way, but I’ve seen it too many times. I do get the authenticity, snapshot of mindset/lifestyle argument, I truly do but to me that doesn’t justify listing every sniff-worth on the scales. Anyway, apart from a few instances of drug bore the beginning does a fine job of revealing the personalty of our main man, and the dynamics of his messed up world, nicely setting up the real treat of the second half of the book, where getting down to business escalates into a warped maelstrom of dread, panic and violence. I must say that the violence is brutal and swift, never over-egged in its description, played with a wry darkness, and enjoyable for that.
Now I have the impulse to move into territory that would spoil the reading experience, so I’ll just say that if you look to the past placing of bugs in the literary canon, a strong echo of that heritage manifests between bug and man, a relationship as magical as it is biological. This book will get under your skin, and eat it away.
I like bugs in art generally so found the insect facts fascinating, and mostly placed naturally within the narrative. The first portion of the book has too much drug description. I know our antihero has a business to run, and that those in that world are preoccupied with measurements. I have never got why it’s acceptable to be anal about figures when dealing with mood enhancers, either in or out of literature or anywhere in-between. It’s bad enough in real life, why carry it on into fiction, I don’t understand. This is a rant outside of this book, so apologies to George Billions as this novel isn’t the worst culprit by a long way, but I’ve seen it too many times. I do get the authenticity, snapshot of mindset/lifestyle argument, I truly do but to me that doesn’t justify listing every sniff-worth on the scales. Anyway, apart from a few instances of drug bore the beginning does a fine job of revealing the personalty of our main man, and the dynamics of his messed up world, nicely setting up the real treat of the second half of the book, where getting down to business escalates into a warped maelstrom of dread, panic and violence. I must say that the violence is brutal and swift, never over-egged in its description, played with a wry darkness, and enjoyable for that.
Now I have the impulse to move into territory that would spoil the reading experience, so I’ll just say that if you look to the past placing of bugs in the literary canon, a strong echo of that heritage manifests between bug and man, a relationship as magical as it is biological. This book will get under your skin, and eat it away.
January 9, 2018
Buying Illegal Bugs with Bitcoin is instantly relatable and engaging. Ben’s buddy Jammy is a perfect mess. Odin and his group are so easy to despise. The writing style flows so easily that I was halfway through before I even felt like I had read much. The second half was even better, increasing the weirdness and tension as the protagonist’s situation spirals. I am definitely reading the rest of George Billion’s books, this was great.
P.S. Any darkweb experts out there that know how to get me a flowering ideas governance beetle? I am offering mucho bitcoin.
P.S. Any darkweb experts out there that know how to get me a flowering ideas governance beetle? I am offering mucho bitcoin.
March 13, 2018
my perception resonates with the true name of the idea governance beetle.
Read
July 31, 2018I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this up. Billions has been making his circles in my . . . circles, and I could tell from his interview on Bizzong and his reviews that he’s a thoughtful guy.
But can the fucker write?
That’s what I wanted to find out.
So I picked this book up a while back, but I hesitated on reading it. It’s always the same reason: I’m worried it won’t be as good as I anticipate or it’ll be so good I’ll crawl into myself and never write again.
I have been reading some damned good books as of late though, and I’m now pretty sure books can only inspire me to write more. They don’t deter me, no matter how good or bad.
Anyway, enough about me. I finally read this book. It was well done.
It’s got that fun fact, trivia feel of Palahniuk narratives. It’s got a host of characters living in the underbelly of society, and the dialogue never seems contrived or disingenuous, suggesting Billions has either lived it, or he’s very good at emulating it in fiction.
I almost can’t believe the latter, because the early events in the book seem so believable. To have the scenes down is one thing, but genuine dialogue that is compelling, that’s higher-level.
The protagonist is a fish out of water, the only thing connecting him to his surroundings is his drug habit. This really resonated with me. We all have a social group we only tangentially fit into, but people sort of shoehorn us in anyway, and we do our best to make it work, sometimes with disastrous results.
The story builds nicely, bringing a body horror/sci-fi element to it as it moves forward. I enjoyed that, but would have likely enjoyed the book even if it was just a gritty crime tale. It just worked.
A fun story that taught me a lot. You learn about bugs and bitcoin, and you can tell Billions is never once out of his element sharing this stuff. He knows it and knows it well, and it just sort of gets transferred into his fiction in passing.
Keep this guy on your radar.
But can the fucker write?
That’s what I wanted to find out.
So I picked this book up a while back, but I hesitated on reading it. It’s always the same reason: I’m worried it won’t be as good as I anticipate or it’ll be so good I’ll crawl into myself and never write again.
I have been reading some damned good books as of late though, and I’m now pretty sure books can only inspire me to write more. They don’t deter me, no matter how good or bad.
Anyway, enough about me. I finally read this book. It was well done.
It’s got that fun fact, trivia feel of Palahniuk narratives. It’s got a host of characters living in the underbelly of society, and the dialogue never seems contrived or disingenuous, suggesting Billions has either lived it, or he’s very good at emulating it in fiction.
I almost can’t believe the latter, because the early events in the book seem so believable. To have the scenes down is one thing, but genuine dialogue that is compelling, that’s higher-level.
The protagonist is a fish out of water, the only thing connecting him to his surroundings is his drug habit. This really resonated with me. We all have a social group we only tangentially fit into, but people sort of shoehorn us in anyway, and we do our best to make it work, sometimes with disastrous results.
The story builds nicely, bringing a body horror/sci-fi element to it as it moves forward. I enjoyed that, but would have likely enjoyed the book even if it was just a gritty crime tale. It just worked.
A fun story that taught me a lot. You learn about bugs and bitcoin, and you can tell Billions is never once out of his element sharing this stuff. He knows it and knows it well, and it just sort of gets transferred into his fiction in passing.
Keep this guy on your radar.
February 10, 2018
This author has quickly developed a reputation for drawing readers in, and this book did not disappoint. From well developed characters to a scene that envelopes the reader, I was not surprised that I couldn’t put the book down. It’s creative, intense, and one of the best books I’ve ever read.
January 2, 2018
If Troma produced a Philip K Dick story that Tarantino directed sounds like a movie you'd get into, you'll love the hell out Buying Illegal Bugs with Bitcoin. I know I did. It is hilarious, exciting, original, and well told.
Dark comedies like this can be tough because you need to believe in and empathize with the characters to care about how they end up, but Billions voices the narrator's sympathetic ne'er do well slacker ethos perfectly and sweetly -- you really do want everything to work out, even when you know it probably won't and, more importantly, even when almost nobody in the story deserves a happy ending.
The author continues to be an irreverent, almost subversive, true master of storytelling to keep an eye on and definitely keep reading.
Final note: Watch out for his trademark subtle, casual, almost throwaway joke style. The punches are so last second and unexpected you'd think they're accidental if they weren't so consistently cadenced and expertly delivered. If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself highlighting them for dedicated later LOL appreciation.
Dark comedies like this can be tough because you need to believe in and empathize with the characters to care about how they end up, but Billions voices the narrator's sympathetic ne'er do well slacker ethos perfectly and sweetly -- you really do want everything to work out, even when you know it probably won't and, more importantly, even when almost nobody in the story deserves a happy ending.
The author continues to be an irreverent, almost subversive, true master of storytelling to keep an eye on and definitely keep reading.
Final note: Watch out for his trademark subtle, casual, almost throwaway joke style. The punches are so last second and unexpected you'd think they're accidental if they weren't so consistently cadenced and expertly delivered. If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself highlighting them for dedicated later LOL appreciation.
April 7, 2018
I absolutely love weird fiction. When asked what type of fiction I love to read, my reply is always "something dark, something trippy, something violent, or something humorous". This story had all those things. And since reading this I haven't been able to look at any insect the same way. Which just weirds the hell out of me. Which makes me love it even more.
August 24, 2018
Equal parts quirky and disturbing, Billion's book follows a small time pot dealer who gets wrapped up in the world of the darknet, bitcoin, crooked cops, neo-nazis, and illegal bugs. If insects make you squeamish, you might want to AVOID. The book is brimming with body-horror, lots of gore and action, and dark humor. Plus, the author is from the Midwest--he even drops an I-94 reference. I love reading work by Midwestern authors.
December 29, 2017
This book was super cool, super weird, and gave me the creepy crawlies all at once. There are pot smokers, horrible friends, hillbilly-meth-head-tweakergangsters, and crooked cops with mustaches in this story. (I loved picturing the cop as Seth Rogan from Superbad BTW).
Ben is a small time weed dealer who only sells to finance his lifestyle. When his *ridiculously bad* friend gives him $3500 to invest in buying some for himself, Ben jumps at the chance. He can use the money to buy bitcoin (a form of on-line currency whose value shifts constantly) and buy the product on the dark web. (This part fascinated me because I always heard you could buy little kids on the dark web but here he was browsing high level drugs, cheetahs and spiders the size of house cats from the jungle. Ahh, Ok, that’s where you buy that stuff from!)
So then the weed gets mailed to his house in a discreet package with little effort on his part and he is even able to make some money because of interest on the rising price of bitcoin. TaDAAA! Sounds simple, right? Wrong. One small miscalculation on Ben’s part sets in motion a chain of events that eventually spirals into one of the oddest and most engrossing stories I have read so far this year. I can’t give away anymore of the story than that. Maybe other than it goes from fiction to a little bit mystery to horror/sci-fi real quick, which is a unique combination that totally works here.
There isn’t a lot of junk writing in this story, not a lot of characters ruminating on pointless crap. Every word and sentence is driven toward the plot, or towards fascinating yet creepy facts about bugs. Which still pertains to the plot, because there are lots of bugs in this story. I am completely grossed out by bugs, I hate them and I hate having them on me. I’m a screamer. But I loved the weirdness of this story, the way that it developed into something that I never, ever saw coming. Which is great, because every book I read is predictable and you will never predict the ending to this book.
This book is FREE on Kindle Unlimited, and it’s totally worth the click if you like horror/sci-fi stuff. It’s quick not only because it’s short but because it’s fantastically written. When the story comes full circle at the end and thumps you in the back of the head, you will thank me for recommending this book.
Ben is a small time weed dealer who only sells to finance his lifestyle. When his *ridiculously bad* friend gives him $3500 to invest in buying some for himself, Ben jumps at the chance. He can use the money to buy bitcoin (a form of on-line currency whose value shifts constantly) and buy the product on the dark web. (This part fascinated me because I always heard you could buy little kids on the dark web but here he was browsing high level drugs, cheetahs and spiders the size of house cats from the jungle. Ahh, Ok, that’s where you buy that stuff from!)
So then the weed gets mailed to his house in a discreet package with little effort on his part and he is even able to make some money because of interest on the rising price of bitcoin. TaDAAA! Sounds simple, right? Wrong. One small miscalculation on Ben’s part sets in motion a chain of events that eventually spirals into one of the oddest and most engrossing stories I have read so far this year. I can’t give away anymore of the story than that. Maybe other than it goes from fiction to a little bit mystery to horror/sci-fi real quick, which is a unique combination that totally works here.
There isn’t a lot of junk writing in this story, not a lot of characters ruminating on pointless crap. Every word and sentence is driven toward the plot, or towards fascinating yet creepy facts about bugs. Which still pertains to the plot, because there are lots of bugs in this story. I am completely grossed out by bugs, I hate them and I hate having them on me. I’m a screamer. But I loved the weirdness of this story, the way that it developed into something that I never, ever saw coming. Which is great, because every book I read is predictable and you will never predict the ending to this book.
This book is FREE on Kindle Unlimited, and it’s totally worth the click if you like horror/sci-fi stuff. It’s quick not only because it’s short but because it’s fantastically written. When the story comes full circle at the end and thumps you in the back of the head, you will thank me for recommending this book.
January 24, 2018
Wow! This book was a metric ton of squirm-inducing fun! A gonzo trip through the underworld of the dark net and all its demented deals and complications, Buying Illegal Bugs with Bitcoin isn't your mama's horror story. Or crime story. In fact, not only would she be horrified, there's a good chance most of it would be gibberish to her.
But for those like us (I make assumptions if you are reading this), there are many lunatic goodies inside Billions's action-packed book: Drugs and violence? Check. Weird drugs and violence? Double check. Also seriously inappropriate hilarity, major gross-outs, and some fabulously freaky bugs, as you might infer from the title. Not for the prudish, faint of heart, or anybody who doesn't appreciate pitch-black comedy, this hilarious, disgusting tale is a postmodern tribute to Kafka by way of Hunter S., Tarantino, and "Mr. Robot." Possibly the most fun I've had in months. With a book, that is. 5 super genre-specific stars
But for those like us (I make assumptions if you are reading this), there are many lunatic goodies inside Billions's action-packed book: Drugs and violence? Check. Weird drugs and violence? Double check. Also seriously inappropriate hilarity, major gross-outs, and some fabulously freaky bugs, as you might infer from the title. Not for the prudish, faint of heart, or anybody who doesn't appreciate pitch-black comedy, this hilarious, disgusting tale is a postmodern tribute to Kafka by way of Hunter S., Tarantino, and "Mr. Robot." Possibly the most fun I've had in months. With a book, that is. 5 super genre-specific stars
June 7, 2018
An amazing, action packed techno crime noir thriller... with bugs! And that's not even what I expected when I picked this book up. I got far better.
I bought George Billions BUYING ILLEGAL BUGS WITH BITCOIN because I've developed an interest in cryptocurrency. I was expecting done sort of dark net conspiracy story. Instead, this book provides a fresh take of edgy techno thrill blended with classic crime noir. A modern day masterpiece with a certain Palahniuk flair to the whole affair.
This is easily a candidate for favorite read of 2018. There is no reason why anyone would puck up this book and not be blown away by it. Even if you are squeamish about bugs. Especially if you're squeamish about bugs.
I bought George Billions BUYING ILLEGAL BUGS WITH BITCOIN because I've developed an interest in cryptocurrency. I was expecting done sort of dark net conspiracy story. Instead, this book provides a fresh take of edgy techno thrill blended with classic crime noir. A modern day masterpiece with a certain Palahniuk flair to the whole affair.
This is easily a candidate for favorite read of 2018. There is no reason why anyone would puck up this book and not be blown away by it. Even if you are squeamish about bugs. Especially if you're squeamish about bugs.
June 5, 2022
Wow! This book ruled! Like Sick Girl from Lucky McKee in the sense of a bug collector gets a weird bug sent to them in a package, but right off the bat proved to be its own story with interesting characters and an insane plot. Mostly a crime noir, but BIBWB incorporated almost every genre into it's 219 pages. very fresh and modern. Many parts felt like they would translate very well to a movie!! I'd recommend this to anybody, but I'd give a warning to people who don't like bugs.
May 29, 2018
Buying Illegal Bugs with Bitcoin is a total blast of weirditty. This book begins and spends a lot of time exploring the leaf litter of some crumb-ball’s bedsit and then twirls you around, sucks you down society’s grimy plug hole and then builds into mind-expanding metamorphosis and symbiosis with a bug. Yep, a bug. It’s a real bug, not just a metaphor for waking up with a no-manners mistake of a date. It comes from the personification of the unknown, the place where ideas like gremlins or The Monkey’s Claw originated, where some stranger from a barely understood place (the internet) sends you something that will upturn and flip your world. It’s the extraordinary rising from ordinariness, where you have to hatch a dragon’s egg or plant the tooth in the soil anyway, even though what you are unleashing will inevitable grow beyond your capacity to control. As a second area of interest, his book also provides a snapshot of what it was like to be a player in the early days of Bitcoin, a completely unsecured currency that could collapse at any moment (before you say you don’t take risks, that’s the same as the Euro, Dollar and the Swiss Franc. The only difference is, no government controls the ledger). Symbiosis or parasite? I’m referring to the bug, not those governments, but may as well be sometimes. The bug’s nature is kept uncertain until nearer the end and certainly the human subject, I won’t use the word hero, sees it differently to the readers until the end. He’s got nothing to lose, so this is just another way to chase the dragon. Like an HG Wells short story or Peter Cook’s Bedazzled, the character always gets a disappointing or cynical version of his wishes but that deepens the atmosphere of excruciating, creepy brilliance that pervades the middle to closing stages. There’s no poetry to this novel, just the imagery of creeping, low-life humanity going squirmingly, cinematically dribbling into the play-pit of madness. The bug loves being with you and blocks your pain receptors, then causes acquaintances to fetch what you need, no matter at what cost to themselves. Then there’s a sense that the whole splitting biomass could move into exponential growth, through Bitcoin and the regular postal service. There’s a sense of repulsion and then the surprising realisation that the main character feels no repulsion at all at what is happening in his life. What is this life form doing to him? It’s got a drug dealer and some low-brow racists in it, which is ugly, but they do get their come uppance and I can see every knight needs his monsters. The low life is needed though because who else goes shopping on the dark net? This is written at the interface between known and unknown, or more accurately world and underworld in the Greek sense, so of course the author chose a character who circles on the bottom level boundary between world/underworld and has then eased apart the veil separating them to let something through. So, now there’s a creature in Eden that shouldn’t be there, or maybe it should and the celestial designer knows about it because there’s a bigger scheme that we are not aware of. The worm in the bud feeds on the damask cheek, yin in the yang, always and everywhere. I liked this book very much, even if it was closer to a dot of yang in the yang – painful experiences happen to the kind of people who invite the pain in. It was creepy cool, tarnished purity, bitterly dark with no salvation in places and pet-care friendly in others but it was original and represented an uncharming approach to the fantasy of buying some unique, fey thing, letting it into your home, your life and watching it build a nest, incrementally changing both of you. If you only like to read stories that stay under control, this isn’t one of those. If you want something unusual, shocking, yet also colourful and stimulating in its blatant and fascinating weirdness, you’ve found it. I recommend the book but please don’t post any prosperity bugs to me.
May 5, 2018
George Billions has a way of making you love/loathe his characters very quickly. He also has a wicked sense of humour and can tell a great story. Makes me want to go on the deep web and get some bugs of my own. I fully recommend anything by this author, if you want something hilarious (and dare I say it, educational... I know more about Bitcoin now than I ever did!) he's your man!
April 1, 2018
Kudos to Mr. Billions. I could not put my Kindle down. If I woke up in the middle of the night, I would be searching for my glasses so I could read more. Having been drawn to this title because of my appreciation for alliteration seriously, Buying Bugs Bitcoin by Billions, it doesn't get much better than that.
There were quite a few diverse characters - from a small time weed dealer to a couple of deadly Nazi dudes - each was introduced with enough background to make them memorable. You never have to go back and re-read who's talking to whom, each one was relatable albeit in a twisty kind of way. The description of the main character's Bug Collection was enough to make this arachnophobe's skin crawl, yet I'd get right back to it.
Unless your genres are limited to romance novels, there's something in this B-B-B-b-B-book for everyone!
Highly recommend & ENJOY!
There were quite a few diverse characters - from a small time weed dealer to a couple of deadly Nazi dudes - each was introduced with enough background to make them memorable. You never have to go back and re-read who's talking to whom, each one was relatable albeit in a twisty kind of way. The description of the main character's Bug Collection was enough to make this arachnophobe's skin crawl, yet I'd get right back to it.
Unless your genres are limited to romance novels, there's something in this B-B-B-b-B-book for everyone!
Highly recommend & ENJOY!
April 18, 2018
Demented, but funny
Dark, sick tale of mayhem with insects, drugs, crooked cops, and Neo Nazis. Best enjoyed with some fine bud. 😜
Dark, sick tale of mayhem with insects, drugs, crooked cops, and Neo Nazis. Best enjoyed with some fine bud. 😜
March 30, 2019
My favourite book about buying illegal bugs with bitcoin.
I heard about this book from Mr. Frank on the Bizzong podcast, who named it his favourite bizarro novel of the year. Mr. Frank has good taste.
George Billions has a sort of effortless style that makes the novel easy to read as it moves along at a good pace. I think “pace” applies differently to the bizarro genre. Bizarro stories risk blowing their loads too early, starting off with an outlandish premise, which makes for a flat arc where it’s just weird followed by more weird.
I prefer what Billions has done here, which is to start with a rather innocuous stoner predicament and a trendy topic rooted in the real world, then gradually ramping up the weirdness.
I highly recommend giving this odd little book a chance.
I heard about this book from Mr. Frank on the Bizzong podcast, who named it his favourite bizarro novel of the year. Mr. Frank has good taste.
George Billions has a sort of effortless style that makes the novel easy to read as it moves along at a good pace. I think “pace” applies differently to the bizarro genre. Bizarro stories risk blowing their loads too early, starting off with an outlandish premise, which makes for a flat arc where it’s just weird followed by more weird.
I prefer what Billions has done here, which is to start with a rather innocuous stoner predicament and a trendy topic rooted in the real world, then gradually ramping up the weirdness.
I highly recommend giving this odd little book a chance.
November 25, 2018
Easy fun horror read picked up from kindle unlimited. Small time pot dealer gets in way over his head when he decides to buy a weird bug from an online black market and pass off cheaper weed to a shithead friend. This 'friend' is passing his drugs on to a nazi skinhead who is not pleased with the inferior product. Bugs, body horror, and bitcoin.
April 28, 2019
I had no idea what to expect or where this story would take me. The plot was all over the place and kept me wanting more. For body horror, thriller, crime, and dark humor fans, this is a must read. I think you have to be at least a little crazy to be a writer. Mr. Billions is completely insane... in the best possible way.
June 6, 2020
This is possibly one of the oddest yet most unique books that I have ever read! This is such a mixture of creepy, crawly horror science fiction thrilling ride!
Ben is in his early 20's and is a little bit lazy. He's a small time drug-dealer who is making just enough bank to pay his rent and semi-adult as normal as possible. He's an avid bug collector and is drawn into the allure of easy money with bitcoin. This story easily turns into a creepy mash up of Creepshow, Twilight Zone and Goosebumps.
Although I ended up absolutely loving this book, I wasn't too sure about this at first but the writing is so well done and the world building is completely on point, it just sucked me in. I do believe I ended up reading this in two days. I just needed to know how it would end up.
Ben's friend though, that dude is an imbecile. Sadly, I've dated someone that dumb so they actually exist. This turns into the biggest train wreck for Ben with the "friend" and Neo-Nazi's to boot!
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cross posted to Shh, I am Reading
Ben is in his early 20's and is a little bit lazy. He's a small time drug-dealer who is making just enough bank to pay his rent and semi-adult as normal as possible. He's an avid bug collector and is drawn into the allure of easy money with bitcoin. This story easily turns into a creepy mash up of Creepshow, Twilight Zone and Goosebumps.
Although I ended up absolutely loving this book, I wasn't too sure about this at first but the writing is so well done and the world building is completely on point, it just sucked me in. I do believe I ended up reading this in two days. I just needed to know how it would end up.
Ben's friend though, that dude is an imbecile. Sadly, I've dated someone that dumb so they actually exist. This turns into the biggest train wreck for Ben with the "friend" and Neo-Nazi's to boot!
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cross posted to Shh, I am Reading
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