Hey Book Buddies,

We’ve made it to the end of the week, hooray! I don’t know about you, but these constant 100 degree days are making me very irritable. The A/C is constantly battling the heat, and I’ve taken to hovering under fans or over vents for a little relief. I may just have to change my middle name to Grumpus. It has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?

Anywho, back to the meat and potatoes of this post. It’s time for another book review!

This time I read Tales from the Gas Station, Vol. 1 by Jack Townsend.

My friend Nathan gave this to me as a birthday gift, and I was so happy someone finally gets what I love most! I’ve never heard of this author before opening this book, so I went in blind. How did I enjoy the journey? Keep on reading to find out!

Blurb

Working at a dead-end retail job in the middle of nowhere can be hard. The long hours. The helpless customers. The enormous eldritch horror living deep below the building…

As the only full-time employee at the twenty-four hour gas station at the edge of town, Jack has pretty much seen it all. But when he decides to start an online journal documenting the bizarre day-to-day occurrences, he unwittingly attracts the attention of much more than just a few conspiracy theorists. With the body count steadily on the rise and a dark, ancient force infecting the dreams of everyone around him, Jack will do everything in his power to stay out of the way and mind his own business.

After all, he’s just a gas station clerk. It’s not like he’s getting paid enough to wage battle against the nightmarish aberrations plaguing his community. Besides, he already has his hands full attempting to manage all those mysterious lawn gnomes, the mutant raccoons, and the charming phantom cowboy who lives in the bathroom.

Based on the award-winning creepypasta by GasStationJack, Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One is a love letter to the pioneers of classic horror tailored to a generation that grew up in the era of smartphones and WiFi.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

This was my first time reading something by this author, and while it started off with a bang, it ended up being a mixed bag for me.

In this novel we follow Jack, the only full-timer at a gas station out in the middle of nowhere near a forest. After a bizarre elderly woman warns him that his life is about to become one hell of a rollercoaster ride, Jack is thrust into a constant battle against bizarre surreal forces while struggling to maintain his sanity.

Alright, so like I said, this started off with a bang. Jack is a fun MC and a reluctant hero. I haven’t had too many of those MC’s recently, so it was a welcome change. The constant sarcasm and humor were great.

The writing on a technical level is done well, and I really liked the build up to the insanity. There’s also a certain novelty to the way the plot progresses seemingly at random and all the otherworldly beings/creatures/monsters were a lot of fun.

That being said, I feel like this story got a little too jumbled by the end of the novel. Otherworldly happenings continue to occur throughout the novel at a fast pace, and worries and doubts are shed about a condition that Jack has, but there aren’t enough answers along the way to make the journey feel worthwhile.

The ending does set things up to continue, but it’s just a bit too much crazy without enough explanation for me to continue. If you like off the wall horror at an alarmingly fast pace, give this a shot. If not, this may not be the book for you.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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