Product Description

Kenrick Brimley, the state prison's official gigolo, hangs over a lava pit on trial for his life in a strange land. He will reveal the course of his life one misguided step at a time for his captors. From his romance with serial arsonist Leena Manasseh to his lurid angst-affair with a lesbian music diva, from his ascendance as unlikely pop icon to otherworldly encounters, the one constant truth is that he's got no clue what he's doing.

As unrelenting as it is original, Last Burn in Hell is John Edward Lawson at his most scorching intensity, serving up sexy satire and postmodern pulp with his trademark day-glow prose.
The Director's Cut includes: deleted scenes, alternate ending, remastering for more enjoyable viewing, and more!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6130874 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
A crazy, fun romp through prison sex psychosis! -- Michael A. Arnzen, author of Play Dead

A hip picaresque novel of the kind recommended by William Burroughs. -- Steve Beard, author of Digital Leatherette

A wonderfully mastered piece of bizarro fiction that will leave you enthralled. -- Midwest Book Review, Novermber 2006

Hip hop sarcastic erotica, sublime and funny. A most unusual combination...a nice literary feat, disturbing, amusing and always entertaining. -- Verbicide, November 2006

Laugh-out-loud funny and nightmarishly scary to the very end. -- The Swallow's Tail, October 2006

From the Inside Flap
"A hip picaresque novel of the kind recommended by William Burroughs." --Steve Beard, Digital Leatherette

"A crazy, fun romp through prison sex psychosis!" --Michael A. Arnzen, Play Dead

From the Back Cover
"This Last Burn in Hell burns with the humor and intensity of hell. From hereon forth, I will not be able to bring up Vonnegut without speaking of Lawson. John Edward Lawson could contest the throne that Chuck Palahniuk sits upon with the masses of college students looking for something different, a voice of the counter-culture." --Skullring.org

"Without a doubt, John Edward Lawson is what Friedrich Nietzsche would have called an "Ubermensch" ("overman," or "superman") of the written word. Last Burn in Hell is a nonstop romp in a bizarre world of a man who has one of the best, and at the same time, worst jobs possible. His landscape is fresh, his strokes are perfect, and the final product is a wonderfully mastered piece of bizarro fiction that will leave you enthralled." --Midwest Book Review

"In Last Burn in Hell, John Edward Lawson takes us on an insane trip where predicting what happens next is virtually impossible. This book draws the reader in right from the beginning and continues to be laugh-out-loud funny and nightmarishly scary to the very end... It ranks right up there with other bizarro cult classics like Satan Burger." -- The Swallow's Tail

"A nice literary feat, disturbing, amusing and always entertaining. I have read a lot of Lawson's short fiction before, and hope his full-length novel is the first of many. I already miss Kenrick and the bizarre crowd he runs with, as well as Lawson's social satire and criticism and his quick wit and clever puns, his erotic descriptions and his hip hop lunacy. A wonderful first novel. Let's hope the rest of the series is as well done and takes us more into Kenrick's bizarre world, and gives us more of Lawson's hilarious, deadly accurate social and cultural commentary." --Verbicide

Customer Reviews

Prison life, Mexico, Pop stardom, and WEIRDNESS...
You know those crime movies you stumble upon late at night? The ones that were made (you assume) somewhere in the late 1990s? There's lots of action, backstabbing, double crossing, and sex? It's the movies that usually star some B actors you see everywhere but can't name. You know the type. The ones that aren't art films or heavy-handed attempts at making a "serious" film but rather fun crime romps through the desert, through Mexico, in and out of dangerous situations? Sexy women, strong men, strong women and action. Lots of action. Well... this is what LAST BURN IN HELL is like.. except the plot is warped with a keen sense of weirdness.

The feel of the novel reminds me of those films (which I love). Like a cross between TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M., RED ROCK WEST, ... and other such neo-noir films.. except LAST BURN IN HELL (director's cut!) has a sense of humor.. and a sense of the bizarre that'll satisfy fans of the odd, the surreal, and the strange.

I won't go into the director's cut angle. Actually, okay, I will. It's a gimmick but a good one. Deleted scenes, alternate ending, and even a soundtrack (well, no, you can't really LISTEN to it but still..).

I'm fairly sure that this is John Edward Lawson's first novel. If it is, well, then pat yourself on the back for even considering reading this. It's exciting, funny, weird, and fast-paced. All good ingredients for an entertaining read.

PROS:
Humor. It's funny.. but not really absurd funny (well, not too much). It takes a lot of shots at pop culture and that makes for some good laughs.
Organization. There are little chapters and blurbs here and there (like a top 10 US singles chart.. which ties in later with the story). They're clever and funny.
Plot. The story moves along and the reader encounters many different characters in many places. If this was a movie, it'd be one where you wouldn't be bored for a minute.

CONS:
Confusion. Especially towards the end. I'm guessing that because the author writes a lot of poetry, he may be use to setting the stage using obscure imagery. That works in poetry but in fiction, it can sometimes make it difficult for the reader to figure out just what is really going on. I don't consider myself an unintelligent person but by the end, I wasn't too sure what exactly happened. I get the gist of it.. but there are just some details and events that confused me. Again, some people may not feel this way. Regardless, it shouldn't stop you from buying and reading this book.

CONCLUSION:
You should read this book. It's fun and entertaining as hell. The fact that it says "Director's Cut" should clue you in to the fact that it flows like a movie albeit one with some weird twists and turns. The set-up is original; the characters are original and/or humorously based on real-type people.

This is a "bizarro" book that you shouldn't miss.

"A Punch Line Aimed at Your Chin . . ."
Without a doubt, John Edward Lawson is what Friedrich Nietzsche would have called an "Ubermensch" ("overman," or "superman") of the written word. Last Burn in Hell is a nonstop romp in a bizarre world of a man who has one of the best, and at the same time, worst jobs possible. His landscape is fresh, his strokes are perfect, and the final product is a wonderfully mastered piece of bizarro fiction that will leave you enthralled. You will be left craving more work of Lawson.

Last Burn in Hell: Director's Cut is s stunning piece of literary creativity; and original endeavor that is both entertaining and genius: a novel written in the format of a DVD.

Director's Cut includes the original novel Last Burn in Hell, along with Bonus Features: the Soundtrack, Deleted Scenes, an Alternative Ending, and Previews. To top it off, this one even comes with "errors" on the disc.

Last Burn in Hell: Director's Cut is a fresh take on the mundane format of the novel. John Edward Lawson has given birth to a greatly needed renegade with a push toward progress and "A punch line aimed at your chin . . . ."

Forget all you know or think you know
Okay--forget for a second that John Edward Lawson is a fantastic writer. Forget that he's assisted in the pioneering of fringe and unusual literature. Forget, too, that his fiction is capable of making you physically recoil in horror one second and eliciting uncontrollable laughter from you the next. For a second, despite all that, let's focus on this book.

The story of a gigilo in a women's prison--when it was originally published, it had everything you'd think such a story would have. Here, the "Director's Cut," plays out like a special edition DVD, replete with bonus scenes, behind-the-scenes, alternate endings, and even a soundtrack (that probably WON'T play in your CD player). Lawson has taken creativity to a whole new level, insisting that the publishing industry as a whole stand up and take notice. The George Orwell of our time, John Lawson illuminates the new direction of fiction...then punches it square in the face.