Fiend: A Novel - Softcover

Stenson, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0770436331 ISBN 13: 9780770436339

Publisher: Crown, 2014

Synopsis

There’s more than one kind of monster.

When Chase first sees the little girl in umbrella socks disemboweling the Rottweiler, he's not too concerned. As a longtime meth addict, he’s no stranger to such horrifying, drug-fueled hallucinations.  

But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived. And with Chase’s life already shattered by addiction, the apocalypse might actually be an opportunity—a last chance to hit restart, win back the love of his life, and become the person he once dreamed of being. That is, if the darkness inside him doesn't destroy everything—again.

About this title

Review:

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, July 2013: Fiend may be his first novel, but Peter Stenson isn't dipping his big toe into the shallow end of the pool here; it's more like he's cannonballing naked into a murky lake of unknown depth, wearing a blindfold just for kicks. The payoff, for those willing to dive in with him, is an exhilarating rush of a first-person read that's rife with graphic violence, riddled with expletives, devoid of quotation marks, and determined to test your sense of squeamishness. Our protagonist, Chase Daniels, is an unlikely choice for a "hero" with an even more unlikely chance of survival--an unabashed addict who has just snapped out of a week-long drug binge to find himself facing a dystopian nightmare. In a world narrowed down to meth-heads and (a refreshingly original take on) zombies, this kid, with his only vaguely remaining moral compass, is our only option for empathy, our only hope for humanity. He's got no special skills, and he's not connected to a crucial government agency. He knows only what he sees or feels, and so do we. It's gritty, it's gripping, and it's a great debut. --Robin A. Rothman

About the Author:

PETER STENSON received his MFA from Colorado State University in 2012. His stories and essays have been published in The Sun, The Bellevue Literary Review, The Greensboro Review, Confrontation, Post Road, Fugue, Harpur Palate, The Pinch, Blue Mesa Review, and elsewhere. He is also a recovering addict and has been sober for 10 years. He lives with his wife and daughter in Denver.

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0770436331
• ISBN 13: 9780770436339
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304