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I Simply Am Not There
When Alex is fed up with his favorite author continuously snubbing him on social media,the introverted incel has had enough of his dismal life and decides to end things permanently.
But when a psychopathic ally comes from the most impossible of places to stop the young man, he helps bolster Alex into channeling his inner maniac and sends him on a violent killing spree which culminates in the brutal kidnapping of Clay Morris, his literary idol.
Told from the point of view of a very unstable and unreliable narrator, we follow a young man’s decent into murder, madness, and mayhem in the age where your heroes are just within a keyboards reach…
But when a psychopathic ally comes from the most impossible of places to stop the young man, he helps bolster Alex into channeling his inner maniac and sends him on a violent killing spree which culminates in the brutal kidnapping of Clay Morris, his literary idol.
Told from the point of view of a very unstable and unreliable narrator, we follow a young man’s decent into murder, madness, and mayhem in the age where your heroes are just within a keyboards reach…
- GenresHorror
99 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2023
12 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 14, 2023
Otis Bateman, I have a confession to make. I read the first two Maggot Girl books, which I horrifically inhaled. I had no clue how to review them. Give yourself 10 extra stars, mate! I just might review #3 once I have the courage to read it.
I admire the humbleness and honesty that you demonstrated in your Afterward of I Am Simply Not There. The story itself made me laugh out loud in public places. Anyone who can make me laugh like a loon in a waiting room full of grim people is a friend of mine. Wait. Am I being too personal? Don't hate me. I promise not to stalk you. Where do you live?
Thank you for another gory and totally engulfing read. Hey, where do you work out?
I admire the humbleness and honesty that you demonstrated in your Afterward of I Am Simply Not There. The story itself made me laugh out loud in public places. Anyone who can make me laugh like a loon in a waiting room full of grim people is a friend of mine. Wait. Am I being too personal? Don't hate me. I promise not to stalk you. Where do you live?
Thank you for another gory and totally engulfing read. Hey, where do you work out?
May 29, 2024
Original review retracted because that's going to be a no from me bro.
February 2, 2024
I SIMPLY AM NOT THERE [2023] By OTIS BATEMAN
My Review 4.0 Stars
I read one of Bateman’s novels recently [“My Vice Is Your Unfathomable Agony”]. It was a recommended group read with author invite by one of the horror clubs I joined. The outcome for me was equivocal because I liked Bateman’s undeniable writing skills and storytelling talent, but conversely could not cut the assembly line torture deaths of the family members of the bad guys. It was my intention to read another one of his novels that had already gotten my attention with its stunning book cover art. The bleak title of the book pulled me in as well.
This is a short novel and only a sketchy description is provided as to what the story is about. The author deploys the unreliable first-person narrator writing technique; thus, the whole sad-sack saga is relayed to the reader through the distorted lens of an introverted young man named Alex who is mentally disturbed, unbalanced, and teetering on the edge of sanity. The gist of the tale is that he is frustrated by his favorite author ignoring him by snubbing him on social media. The details about the main character of Alex in the “teaser description” characterize him as “an introverted incel” with designs on just chucking it all.
The teaser description is well written and condensed to encapsulate the high points. That said I felt that there was a lot more to say about this piece of disgusting extreme horror than that. In fact, that is the whole point of writing a book review. So, I am going to kind of do a reboot.
In this novel we meet an isolated young guy named Alex, and to be frank about it, he has little to smile about in his day-to-day existence. His backstory is enough to make you keen on jumping off the balcony of a high story building maybe. Bateman writes wickedly well, and there is that underbite of exquisite gallows humor and satanic satire. The dead weight around his character’s neck translates to his morbidly obese mother who relies on both his labor and his time, a veritable leech who is sucking the life blood right out of him. Mom is not a “buzz-kill” so much as she is a locomotive running you over if you try to get up.
There is something about the character’s belief or impression that he is figuratively and literally (if even in his own head) invisible that is heartbreaking. This reflects that he has no meaning, no worth, or even the physicality of an image on the blip of the universe. The incredible highs to soul-crushing lows are the hallmark of manic-depressive out of control and on the trajectory of an ultimate bloody nosedive. In fact, very early in the story the main character is eager to die and put a period. The suicidal ideation largely stems from the recent shunning by his favorite author. One might say it was the pivotal event that started Alex fixating on guns and self-annihilation.
Alex is now veritably reeling from being rejected by his favorite author on the planet “Clay Morris.” The only outlet in his abysmal existence is watching torture-porn videos provided by a sick piece of work on the dark net named “Pat Bale.” Alex pontificates that watching torture-porn inflicted on young, and even very young, females are the most extreme it can possibly get; thus, he had discovered the perfect niche for reveling in horror and eroticism. On that topic, I will admit that I skimmed parts of the storyline which featured Pat Bale’s shenanigans. They were simply somewhat more than I wanted to read.
Bateman’s creative idea of having auditory hallucinations being whispered in his ear by an iconic sexual psychopath from popular fiction was inspired, but it was no less intriguing when the “voice” was ultimately “Pat Bale’s” his online active MC for the torture vids that just “hit the spot.” It figures that his mentor would be the man dictating what deeds that Alex would carry out against the idol he adored and had abandoned him like he was nothing.
Let’s remember that the character of Alex did not become proactive and begin his own reign of torture and unfathomable agony until, significantly, the voices in his head started to demand that he “do stuff” in addition to reinforce any horrific ideas Alex had fantasized about on his own.
Recall that Alex is angry as hell and disgusted with every facet of his life, with the likely exception of Pat Bale’s broadcasts of torture porn carried out against screaming and bleeding young women. But the main beef that is mentally torturing Alex is his rejection by his living idol the author who virtually “threw him away” like he was not even deserving of a final word of goodbye. If no “Clay Morris” existed, I see the character of Alex lacking the emotional strength to pull himself up out his morass of despair and keep going regardless of Pat Bale’s ingenuity in destroying young virgins. However, it is safe to say that Bateman’s readers are most interesting in an unfair world where the pretentious Clay Morris is still out there and enjoying his ten minutes of fame. This altered reality and, in this case, the actual reality, finds a dejected Alex wishing the worst for his former idol, but devoid of any will to make anything happen. He would like to see his former favorite writer Clay Morris suffer “unfathomable pain and agony” (smile) before he died. But then, he is so tired of his meaningless life that he starts leaning toward a bullet.
It is therefore fortuitous for readers of extreme horror which Bateman can wield like a master that there is this character of Alex who is teetering on the edge of sanity. A pivotal event tips that scale, notably the haughty Clay Morris kicking sand in his face on the beach of his life. The scale tips toward delusional psychosis and Alex begins experiencing auditory hallucinations. It is fitting that he hears the authoritative voice of Clay Morris from the dark net who has been feeding him a steady diet of torture porn. It is novel that “Clay” instructs him to get physically fit for the job and Alex follows the “Simon says” beat of the unseen voice of “Clay” with no blips on the radar.
It was predictable that exercise and a proper diet would have an effect on our homicidal shut away. The author throws a curveball into the chaos and a girl at the gym befriends our psychotic killer in training.
There is also the “incel culture” thing and the author’s desire to probe it a bit with a hot poker. It is my opinion that Bateman created a caricature of a domineering young woman whose sole goal of going to his place for pizza was to hook up. The girl was vitriolic and verbally abusive when she did not receive immediate gratification. In the guy’s shoes stood a romantic and idealistic young virgin who wanted his “first time” to be nothing less than perfect. Remember that all you read is from the unreliable narrator of Alex.
Alex has been watching his TV host idol torture young women to death in the most horrible and disgusting ways unimaginable. Alex is an unreliable narrator so the reader knows immediately that it was not some raving nymphomaniac who was antagonistic and defiling him as a man any more than it was a young male virgin straight home from spending the day with John Boy at the Walton farm.
So finally, it is crunch time, and no “spoilers” here! The live destroyer missile is in the air at warp speed and heading straight for Alex’s nemesis “Clay Morris.” Pat Bale is on hand to give voice instructions as necessary and function as a jovial, helpful, life coach.
Finally, I can hardly speak about the body of Bateman’s work. But in this particular instance, it is my opinion that he used his creative freedom and completely, albeit figuratively, destroyed the fictitious “Clay Morris” who was a stand-in for the living, breathing author who demonstrated a cavalier disregard for Otis Bateman, the man…the writer, the devoted friend, the champion of what this author wrote and had written. It was a real person who alienated the flesh and blood Otis Bateman most grievously.
This ostensibly involved an author reaching out to the fan for ways in which said fan might be able to help him. Ultimately, the fan (Bateman) was proverbially ignored as though he had never existed in the author’s life at all. This is an act of erasure that is emotionally impactful for certain, and in a negative exceedingly invalidating way.
I would speculate that the torture methods used to silence his once idolized author provided an outlet for the emotional hurt that any person would feel in his shoes. It is natural in my opinion that given the fact that Bateman is a very talented creative writer whose bread and butter is torture porn that he would turn to the tools of his trade to help him ease the pain of the rejection. It was legal catharsis that Otis incorporated into an interesting tale about “Alex”, a young man whose therapy was going nowhere as Hannibal Lector would quip.
There is also the “incel culture” and the author’s desire to probe it a bit with a hot poker. It is my opinion that Bateman created a caricature of a domineering young woman whose sole goal of going to his place for pizza was to hook up. The girl was vitriolic and verbally abusive when she did not receive immediate gratification. In the guy’s shoes stood a romantic and idealistic young virgin who wanted his “first time” to be nothing less than perfect. Remember that all you read is from the unreliable narrator of Alex. Let's be serious, though, the incel culture is pretty scary and fertile ground for a stoked Edgelord like Bateman.
Alex has been watching his TV host idol torture young women to death in the most horrible and disgusting ways unimaginable. Alex is an unreliable narrator so the reader knows immediately that it was not some raving nymphomaniac who was antagonistic and defiling him as a man any more than it was a young male virgin straight home from spending the day with John Boy at the Walton farm. I have researched it but I think Bateman may view the incel culture as some fertile ground to till for a story of two.
Otis Bateman’s edgelord personae is as graphically violent and in your face disgusting as I have ever encountered in my albeit limited travels through the novels professing to be “extreme horror.” That said, when you read his thoughts and notes to his fans you feel like sharing a beer at his place. I think the gist of this particular novel was to flex his creative muscles, elicit some vicarious thrills from eviscerating a disloyal friend and author who had hurt him emotionally. It just had to be cathartic.
Finally, I did like this book, and it would have rated higher had I not had to paddle through the torture porn presented by the smiling soulless stooge “Pat Bale.”
“I AM SIMPLY NOT THERE” MAY APPLY TO THE DOOMED YOUNG ALEX BUT OTIS BATEMAN’S STAR CONTINUES TO RISE
My Review 4.0 Stars
I read one of Bateman’s novels recently [“My Vice Is Your Unfathomable Agony”]. It was a recommended group read with author invite by one of the horror clubs I joined. The outcome for me was equivocal because I liked Bateman’s undeniable writing skills and storytelling talent, but conversely could not cut the assembly line torture deaths of the family members of the bad guys. It was my intention to read another one of his novels that had already gotten my attention with its stunning book cover art. The bleak title of the book pulled me in as well.
This is a short novel and only a sketchy description is provided as to what the story is about. The author deploys the unreliable first-person narrator writing technique; thus, the whole sad-sack saga is relayed to the reader through the distorted lens of an introverted young man named Alex who is mentally disturbed, unbalanced, and teetering on the edge of sanity. The gist of the tale is that he is frustrated by his favorite author ignoring him by snubbing him on social media. The details about the main character of Alex in the “teaser description” characterize him as “an introverted incel” with designs on just chucking it all.
The teaser description is well written and condensed to encapsulate the high points. That said I felt that there was a lot more to say about this piece of disgusting extreme horror than that. In fact, that is the whole point of writing a book review. So, I am going to kind of do a reboot.
In this novel we meet an isolated young guy named Alex, and to be frank about it, he has little to smile about in his day-to-day existence. His backstory is enough to make you keen on jumping off the balcony of a high story building maybe. Bateman writes wickedly well, and there is that underbite of exquisite gallows humor and satanic satire. The dead weight around his character’s neck translates to his morbidly obese mother who relies on both his labor and his time, a veritable leech who is sucking the life blood right out of him. Mom is not a “buzz-kill” so much as she is a locomotive running you over if you try to get up.
There is something about the character’s belief or impression that he is figuratively and literally (if even in his own head) invisible that is heartbreaking. This reflects that he has no meaning, no worth, or even the physicality of an image on the blip of the universe. The incredible highs to soul-crushing lows are the hallmark of manic-depressive out of control and on the trajectory of an ultimate bloody nosedive. In fact, very early in the story the main character is eager to die and put a period. The suicidal ideation largely stems from the recent shunning by his favorite author. One might say it was the pivotal event that started Alex fixating on guns and self-annihilation.
Alex is now veritably reeling from being rejected by his favorite author on the planet “Clay Morris.” The only outlet in his abysmal existence is watching torture-porn videos provided by a sick piece of work on the dark net named “Pat Bale.” Alex pontificates that watching torture-porn inflicted on young, and even very young, females are the most extreme it can possibly get; thus, he had discovered the perfect niche for reveling in horror and eroticism. On that topic, I will admit that I skimmed parts of the storyline which featured Pat Bale’s shenanigans. They were simply somewhat more than I wanted to read.
Bateman’s creative idea of having auditory hallucinations being whispered in his ear by an iconic sexual psychopath from popular fiction was inspired, but it was no less intriguing when the “voice” was ultimately “Pat Bale’s” his online active MC for the torture vids that just “hit the spot.” It figures that his mentor would be the man dictating what deeds that Alex would carry out against the idol he adored and had abandoned him like he was nothing.
Let’s remember that the character of Alex did not become proactive and begin his own reign of torture and unfathomable agony until, significantly, the voices in his head started to demand that he “do stuff” in addition to reinforce any horrific ideas Alex had fantasized about on his own.
Recall that Alex is angry as hell and disgusted with every facet of his life, with the likely exception of Pat Bale’s broadcasts of torture porn carried out against screaming and bleeding young women. But the main beef that is mentally torturing Alex is his rejection by his living idol the author who virtually “threw him away” like he was not even deserving of a final word of goodbye. If no “Clay Morris” existed, I see the character of Alex lacking the emotional strength to pull himself up out his morass of despair and keep going regardless of Pat Bale’s ingenuity in destroying young virgins. However, it is safe to say that Bateman’s readers are most interesting in an unfair world where the pretentious Clay Morris is still out there and enjoying his ten minutes of fame. This altered reality and, in this case, the actual reality, finds a dejected Alex wishing the worst for his former idol, but devoid of any will to make anything happen. He would like to see his former favorite writer Clay Morris suffer “unfathomable pain and agony” (smile) before he died. But then, he is so tired of his meaningless life that he starts leaning toward a bullet.
It is therefore fortuitous for readers of extreme horror which Bateman can wield like a master that there is this character of Alex who is teetering on the edge of sanity. A pivotal event tips that scale, notably the haughty Clay Morris kicking sand in his face on the beach of his life. The scale tips toward delusional psychosis and Alex begins experiencing auditory hallucinations. It is fitting that he hears the authoritative voice of Clay Morris from the dark net who has been feeding him a steady diet of torture porn. It is novel that “Clay” instructs him to get physically fit for the job and Alex follows the “Simon says” beat of the unseen voice of “Clay” with no blips on the radar.
It was predictable that exercise and a proper diet would have an effect on our homicidal shut away. The author throws a curveball into the chaos and a girl at the gym befriends our psychotic killer in training.
There is also the “incel culture” thing and the author’s desire to probe it a bit with a hot poker. It is my opinion that Bateman created a caricature of a domineering young woman whose sole goal of going to his place for pizza was to hook up. The girl was vitriolic and verbally abusive when she did not receive immediate gratification. In the guy’s shoes stood a romantic and idealistic young virgin who wanted his “first time” to be nothing less than perfect. Remember that all you read is from the unreliable narrator of Alex.
Alex has been watching his TV host idol torture young women to death in the most horrible and disgusting ways unimaginable. Alex is an unreliable narrator so the reader knows immediately that it was not some raving nymphomaniac who was antagonistic and defiling him as a man any more than it was a young male virgin straight home from spending the day with John Boy at the Walton farm.
So finally, it is crunch time, and no “spoilers” here! The live destroyer missile is in the air at warp speed and heading straight for Alex’s nemesis “Clay Morris.” Pat Bale is on hand to give voice instructions as necessary and function as a jovial, helpful, life coach.
Finally, I can hardly speak about the body of Bateman’s work. But in this particular instance, it is my opinion that he used his creative freedom and completely, albeit figuratively, destroyed the fictitious “Clay Morris” who was a stand-in for the living, breathing author who demonstrated a cavalier disregard for Otis Bateman, the man…the writer, the devoted friend, the champion of what this author wrote and had written. It was a real person who alienated the flesh and blood Otis Bateman most grievously.
This ostensibly involved an author reaching out to the fan for ways in which said fan might be able to help him. Ultimately, the fan (Bateman) was proverbially ignored as though he had never existed in the author’s life at all. This is an act of erasure that is emotionally impactful for certain, and in a negative exceedingly invalidating way.
I would speculate that the torture methods used to silence his once idolized author provided an outlet for the emotional hurt that any person would feel in his shoes. It is natural in my opinion that given the fact that Bateman is a very talented creative writer whose bread and butter is torture porn that he would turn to the tools of his trade to help him ease the pain of the rejection. It was legal catharsis that Otis incorporated into an interesting tale about “Alex”, a young man whose therapy was going nowhere as Hannibal Lector would quip.
There is also the “incel culture” and the author’s desire to probe it a bit with a hot poker. It is my opinion that Bateman created a caricature of a domineering young woman whose sole goal of going to his place for pizza was to hook up. The girl was vitriolic and verbally abusive when she did not receive immediate gratification. In the guy’s shoes stood a romantic and idealistic young virgin who wanted his “first time” to be nothing less than perfect. Remember that all you read is from the unreliable narrator of Alex. Let's be serious, though, the incel culture is pretty scary and fertile ground for a stoked Edgelord like Bateman.
Alex has been watching his TV host idol torture young women to death in the most horrible and disgusting ways unimaginable. Alex is an unreliable narrator so the reader knows immediately that it was not some raving nymphomaniac who was antagonistic and defiling him as a man any more than it was a young male virgin straight home from spending the day with John Boy at the Walton farm. I have researched it but I think Bateman may view the incel culture as some fertile ground to till for a story of two.
Otis Bateman’s edgelord personae is as graphically violent and in your face disgusting as I have ever encountered in my albeit limited travels through the novels professing to be “extreme horror.” That said, when you read his thoughts and notes to his fans you feel like sharing a beer at his place. I think the gist of this particular novel was to flex his creative muscles, elicit some vicarious thrills from eviscerating a disloyal friend and author who had hurt him emotionally. It just had to be cathartic.
Finally, I did like this book, and it would have rated higher had I not had to paddle through the torture porn presented by the smiling soulless stooge “Pat Bale.”
“I AM SIMPLY NOT THERE” MAY APPLY TO THE DOOMED YOUNG ALEX BUT OTIS BATEMAN’S STAR CONTINUES TO RISE
October 27, 2025
This was a lot of fun. Pat’s interactions with our lead, Alex, had me laughing. Brought me back to Drop Dead Fred a bit. The mixing of the humor and extreme fetish content was handled well. And this was all as Otis Bateman gave us a wonderfully balanced and developed main character. We got all of Alex and I loved every minute of it. Now, his lady friend, Dasha…phew…what else can I say about her? Some little spitfire, she was. There is a lot of body horror in here, vulgar sexual situations, and even child abuse, so I don’t recommend for anyone squeamish. For those of you like good ol Peter Topside here, it’s right up your alley. Now the major plot point involving Clay Morris felt a little too brief for me. It was almost forgotten about for a while, despite a heavy focus in the beginning and again at the conclusion. I wanted some more depth and consistency on that, but everything else was top notch.
October 9, 2024
Holy Fucking Crap...Otis Bateman has managed to do it once again...this book had me cringing and gagging from start to finish...it was sick, disgusting and disturbing... everything I could possibly ask for and I loved it...the storyline had me hooked and the characters were extremely likeable at times...but also extremely out of control too!!
Otis Bateman is quickly becoming one of my favourite splatterpunk/extreme horror authors....WHY...because he writes books like this!!!
5 Extra Large 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟's because I Simply Am Loving His Work ❤️
Otis Bateman is quickly becoming one of my favourite splatterpunk/extreme horror authors....WHY...because he writes books like this!!!
5 Extra Large 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟's because I Simply Am Loving His Work ❤️
October 6, 2023
Really enjoyed this one. Loved the main character and his descent into pure hatred for the world. Sympathetic at times, but fucking evil too. Great story, fun concept and written with an angry voice filled with film references and callbacks to his previous work. Liking the authors work a lot and looking forward to future stories.
May 30, 2024
0★
Original review deleted.
Original review deleted.
August 3, 2023
A quick and nasty read. I briefly felt sorry for Alex. The beginning of this book reminded me of the countless episodes of My 600lb Life that I’ve watched. You feel for the mother because sometimes life shits on you and there’s nothing you can do but spiral. You feel for Alex because he’s trapped by his obligation to care for her. That goes out the window early on though, as both reveal their true character. The latter half was very American Psycho, minus the rich douchebags. Brutal and unrelenting.
As I read I found myself putting together hints at events and people that this story seems to be based on. The afterword pretty much confirms my suspicions. I love afterwords that give some insight into what was going through the author’s head while writing the book I just read, so thanks for that. I hope that writing this has been cathartic for the author. There is more Otis Bateman in my future for sure.
As I read I found myself putting together hints at events and people that this story seems to be based on. The afterword pretty much confirms my suspicions. I love afterwords that give some insight into what was going through the author’s head while writing the book I just read, so thanks for that. I hope that writing this has been cathartic for the author. There is more Otis Bateman in my future for sure.
August 20, 2023
I loved this quick read! This book has my 600 pound life vibes. I was rooting for Alex thinking ok maybe this chick is going to give him a chance, perhaps a happy ever after? If you have ever read an Otis Bateman book then you know that is not in the cards. The gore is creative and not the same grizzly scenes repeated. My favorite thing though is that this book is on KU. If it wasn't for authors putting their books on KU I would not have as many extreme horror reads to talk about to anyone willing to listen.
<3
<3
March 4, 2024
beware Mr. Bateman…
…I’ve heard this Alex guy is a real fucking psycho! This is a great story with a bunch of fun references. I can’t get enough of this author lately! 5⭐️
…I’ve heard this Alex guy is a real fucking psycho! This is a great story with a bunch of fun references. I can’t get enough of this author lately! 5⭐️
dnf
March 6, 2024dnf at about 36%
Unfortunately I do not like reading about young girls getting sexually assaulted in gruesome detail
Unfortunately I do not like reading about young girls getting sexually assaulted in gruesome detail
April 22, 2023
My first read from this author, and it definitely won't be my last! After reading and loving INCEL by Matt Duchossoy, this one was calling my name.
Alex is enraged over being ignored by his favorite author on social media. He's at his lowest point and is ready to end it until until an ally reveals himself and gives Alex a series of pep talks. With a determined sense of purpose, Alex begins going to the gym so he'll be in shape enough to kidnap his once beloved author.
Holy unreliable narrator, this was a fantastic read! I can see both sides of the coin...being an avid reader and reviewer, it's thrilling when an author reacts to your promotional posts and confusing when your efforts are ignored. However, with everyone just a click away, the line between artist and fan is getting murkier by the minute.
Available on KU and in paperback.
Alex is enraged over being ignored by his favorite author on social media. He's at his lowest point and is ready to end it until until an ally reveals himself and gives Alex a series of pep talks. With a determined sense of purpose, Alex begins going to the gym so he'll be in shape enough to kidnap his once beloved author.
Holy unreliable narrator, this was a fantastic read! I can see both sides of the coin...being an avid reader and reviewer, it's thrilling when an author reacts to your promotional posts and confusing when your efforts are ignored. However, with everyone just a click away, the line between artist and fan is getting murkier by the minute.
Available on KU and in paperback.
May 29, 2024
Alex once wrote a review that got a hundred likes on the ‘Zon back when ‘Clay Morris’ was no big deal. Since his literary idol has rejected him like a lost soul betraying the twin flame. The narrator eats trash on TV trays with dependant mother. His highlights now include jerking off to a ‘familiar face’ doing hurt core on the dark net after the ole casual rustle through candy and cartoons. Alex is also not very well, near boiled in simmering in raging fuckery. This lonely Incel is anything but content with life. What possibly could go wrong here?
January 7, 2024
Holy shit, Otis… talk about balls to the wall from start to finish… THIS is how you do splatter punk! Without spoiling too much, all the bells and whistles are there. This book was a cathartic deep dive into the mind of a lonely soul, emasculated, and hell bent on taking back his power, aided by the hallucinations his failing mental health have conjured up.
Loved the Easter eggs as well.
5/5. Keep up the good work, Bateman!
Loved the Easter eggs as well.
5/5. Keep up the good work, Bateman!
March 2, 2023
Otis Bateman is back with another interesting novella. Some odes to his other stories. Interesting plot, and great afterword.
June 6, 2024
Heavy is the head.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how vile it is. There’s a little of everything horrid in it which makes it pretty damn awesome. I feel like a ton of us can relate to Alex in the story in nearly every way and while we pathetically just wish we could go through with changing and improving our lives, he actually does it and he does not hold back. Hope to see him again in a future story. Also, good riddance to the two cadaverous f***s!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how vile it is. There’s a little of everything horrid in it which makes it pretty damn awesome. I feel like a ton of us can relate to Alex in the story in nearly every way and while we pathetically just wish we could go through with changing and improving our lives, he actually does it and he does not hold back. Hope to see him again in a future story. Also, good riddance to the two cadaverous f***s!
January 7, 2024
The title caught my attention immediately since I really like this famous quote from American Psycho. I picked the book up randomly and it was a wild ride. Not a lot made sense and I had to skip pages of excessive descriptions of violence which do not serve me in any way but I thought that the plot was simple but effective and the main character was an absolute lunatic. Okay read all in all.
December 21, 2023
I seriously dont think there is a book this author has written that I haven't devoured in a few days' time. Otis, keep them coming! Also I need another maggot girl book please 😁😁
March 3, 2024
so who was clay morris based on?
March 30, 2024
Fantastic
Great little book from one of the greatest writers in the genre. Torture and Brutality throughout, and this story ran like a dream.
Great little book from one of the greatest writers in the genre. Torture and Brutality throughout, and this story ran like a dream.
May 17, 2024
I have to deduct points on this because of all the errors in it but it was still pretty good, and I did enjoy it.
June 21, 2024
Another fun book.
May 20, 2024
This was well... let me tell you this was a ride!
The gore was..... pffff, i have to recover from that!!
I am obsessed though with otis bateman's books! They are amazing!
The gore was..... pffff, i have to recover from that!!
I am obsessed though with otis bateman's books! They are amazing!
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July 22, 2024Wow! Bateman has quickly risen in the ranks to one of my favorite horror authors with his consistent, fresh brutality and creative concepts. This story felt deeply personal to the author and once I read the author's notes, it certainly confirmed it. As an avid reader of horror, I picked up on the likenesses of one of the main characters immediately. This was honestly a terrifying look at the mind of an incel that has mentally snapped and I found myself shocked by the amount of violence the character became capable of with just the slightest bit of encouragement. Its like a real "Rocky" story, but Rocky is training to be a world-class psychopath instead of a world-class boxer. To me, this went beyond the already brutal nature of Matt Duchossoy's Incel (which was probably inspired by this story). If you are looking for a brutal read, I recommend literally ANYTHING by Otis Bateman, but if you're looking for a story of an incel's awful come-uppance with the absolutely GNARLY appearance of a particular flame-based tool, read this book. 5/5. Otis is sick and twisted in the best possible way.
January 30, 2025
Just wow, this book hit a little close to home.
It's easy to lose sight of reality in this new world of instant communication and social media. Imagine reading an author and feeling so akin to what they are putting down that you develop some sort of delusional relationship in your mind. What happens when that relationship is not reciprocated, and you are unable to see past you're own ego and emotions. They might seem like they would be your best friend, but people do exist outside your own selfish world.
I've been in the authors shoes online, I read some of the authors in the Splatterpunk / Extreme horror genre and I can sometimes get caught up and relate to them on an entirely different level than just the superficial entertainment level, like they "just get me" or "we could be friends". This book explorers what happens when you're unable to dial it back to reality and realize they are just people like yourself. How far would you take you're obsession.
PS make sure to stay after the story and read the afterword by Bateman, it answers alot of questions you may have had during your read.
It's easy to lose sight of reality in this new world of instant communication and social media. Imagine reading an author and feeling so akin to what they are putting down that you develop some sort of delusional relationship in your mind. What happens when that relationship is not reciprocated, and you are unable to see past you're own ego and emotions. They might seem like they would be your best friend, but people do exist outside your own selfish world.
I've been in the authors shoes online, I read some of the authors in the Splatterpunk / Extreme horror genre and I can sometimes get caught up and relate to them on an entirely different level than just the superficial entertainment level, like they "just get me" or "we could be friends". This book explorers what happens when you're unable to dial it back to reality and realize they are just people like yourself. How far would you take you're obsession.
PS make sure to stay after the story and read the afterword by Bateman, it answers alot of questions you may have had during your read.
August 3, 2023
Iiiiiiii don’t know how to write a review on this. -lol!- I feel like I’m going to be judged giving this gruesome piece of work a 3 star rating, but hear me out: If I remove personal feelings, it was a WILD story, the writing was good, definitely full of an expansive vocabulary that not many authors use, and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. And the twist at the end was genius!
If I put my personal spin on it: I’m concerned for the mental health of the mind this came from, and I read the entire thing nauseous and grimacing. 😂😂 BUT, it came with the right amount of warnings, it for sure lives up to the splatterpunk and extreme horror category it falls in, and I volunteered as tribute to jump into this wild story. -lol!-
This will definitely haunt me, and satisfied my morbid curiosity as to what exactly an extreme horror book is like for a while.
Well done Mr. Bateman, well done!
If I put my personal spin on it: I’m concerned for the mental health of the mind this came from, and I read the entire thing nauseous and grimacing. 😂😂 BUT, it came with the right amount of warnings, it for sure lives up to the splatterpunk and extreme horror category it falls in, and I volunteered as tribute to jump into this wild story. -lol!-
This will definitely haunt me, and satisfied my morbid curiosity as to what exactly an extreme horror book is like for a while.
Well done Mr. Bateman, well done!
February 13, 2023
What a fun ride this was! The Easter eggers run deep in this one. Anyone who is a constant reader of Splatterpunk and Extreme horror will understand. This is one of the reasons I love Bateman. He is a master at intertwining references into his stories for us to enjoy. And enjoy I did!! Nothing like a good ole Bateman book.
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
April 29, 2023
I'm surprised at how much hope I had for this fucked up story. As much as I knew the splatter was coming (and wanting it?), I was still rooting for Alex to do the right thing.
Either way, it was a great story! Written very well and plenty of nasty gore. I also really enjoyed the little deep web part, as I find it so interesting!
Either way, it was a great story! Written very well and plenty of nasty gore. I also really enjoyed the little deep web part, as I find it so interesting!
August 6, 2023
Loved it
I really enjoyed all the Easter eggs! It was nice and vile, the only way a book should be. Can't wait for MG 4.
I really enjoyed all the Easter eggs! It was nice and vile, the only way a book should be. Can't wait for MG 4.
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