I want to first start by thanking Netgalley, Doom Fiction, and the author William Pauley III for my ALC/ARC. That being said, all thoughts are completely my own.

I just finished White Fuzz by William Pauley III. I was listening to this audiobook at work and the moment I finished it, I looked at the clock—white fuzz—saw I only had a few minutes left of work, opened this notebook on a random page, and started writing this—white fuzz—a review. If you're my boss and you are reading this, no I did not.

First thing first, I did not know this was a sequel, the truth is I went into this book pretty much blindly, but even if it was a sequel I don't think you need to read book one to read this one. Actually, if you want the book to have its true disturbed and unsettling effect—white fuzz—it's better to go in blindly. ***That being said def. check the trigger warnings at the bottom.*** I had read half the synopsis and the effect of wonder, confusion, disgust—white fuzz—, surprise, unsettledness, and weirdness was top-tier.

At one point I was like I need to finish because this is a Netgalley ALC/ARC but the reality is at the same time—white fuzz—I did not want to DNF the book. I wanted to finish it and see how weird it would get. It's kind of like when you cover your face with your hands but then spread the fingers wide open to be able to see. It's like seeing an animal corpse and feeling both disgusted and sad but also—white fuzz—very curious and intrigued.

For context, this book gets Junji Ito weird. If you can’t handle mangas, no judging it happens, but want the Junji Ito experience, this novella is for you. That being said—white fuzz—I also recommend this to fans of Junji Ito and maybe even Joe Hill. I'm looking forward to checking out this author’s other works.

I believe it's better to not know much about this book and just experience it like that but IF YOU HAVE TO KNOW, this is how I would describe it:
Kafka meets Junji Ito with a touch of Joe Hill.

Anyway, if you are a fan of horror, alien movies/books vibes (not saying they’re alien but it gives me the vibes of this media), disturbing, confusing, unsettling, what the fuck am I reading vibes, weird af books then this book is for you.

TRIGGER WARNING:
Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, mention of sexual assault, mention of pedophilia, mention of child abuse, self-harm, graphic sex... I might be missing some.

I felt pretty weird about how the FMC acted and was described. And I do realize that it's a horror novel, and that it was supposed to be disturbing for the sake of being disturbing, but the way the author went about it just didn't sit all that well with me. That being said, I really enjoyed the story, and loved the ending, and everything implied by 'becoming the slug' which is just radical. I also found all the slime descriptions genuinely repulsive, so awesome job on that.

would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook of Book 2 of the Bedlam bible.

“She dissolved just yesterday … “ intriguing words to start a horror book. This story takes place in the same building that was the setting for the first book ; the Eighth Block Tower. This time there is but one crazy story of two random people meeting at random and how their fates crossed paths. Lynda picks a random number and dials to invite the person at the other end of the line to her place. Franklin is the one she called and he happens to have been living in the same building and the same floor as Lynda. They spend time together and madness ensues. Very captivating and grotesque it deserves a read. Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse, rape, trauma, self harm, suicide.

“I clearly had an affinity for the grotesque.”

I really liked this book! It’s not too long, just right. I like the first person dialogue and the randomness. You’ll find many things to think about. I don’t want to give anything away but you’ll see. Great narrator and awesome artwork, as well. Don’t sleep on this one. All the best

Could not get into this story. Also did not like the person reading, they weren’t dynamic enough for the type of story it was.

CHECK OUT THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS BOOK BEFORE READING IT.

White Fuzz reminded me of Kafka's Metamorphosis. If Metamorphosis was narrated in reverse, <spoiler>with the bug appearing at the end instead of at the beginning.</spoiler> This would not have been such a big deal, since I usually enjoy retellings, but here it was done so poorly that I do not know where to start.

First, the narrator is the most boring character ever. Constantly emphasizing how good and nonjudgmental he is while making the most weirdly egocentric choices and judging Linda every step of the way. Franklin also appears to be very dumb, since he does not realize that most of the oddity of the entire situation has to do with his own decisions.

Secondly, mental illness is used both as a plot device and mostly for shock value. We are frequently told of Franklin's problems, which he quickly dismisses almost as quirkinesses, and of how much he knows about being in a vulnerable state. He also makes a point of unnecessarily psychoanalyzing Linda every step of the way, as if that were him not being judgemental and as if the reader were dense. Besides, Linda's issues and traumas are introduced only to be quickly brushed over by something else.

Finally, the narration is so dead-toned. Franklin telling us every single detail and explaining what is going on in his mind made me feel like a child. There is no pace, no build-up, such a succession of contrived dialogues, <spoiler>especially while they are having sex - "sexual intercourse," mind you</spoiler>. The fact that Linda's character is barely addressed besides her paranoid condition - or to remind us of her traumas - also limits the story.

The ending also did not save it, because it entered this mess too quickly and too late.

This book was very bizarre. Some parts were a little gross to me, but I’m not one to be able to listen to descriptions of bodily fluids. I thought it leaned heavily into men and how the male sex drive will overrule major red flags. Overall good quick short read.

SO FUCKING WEIRD!!! I love it though, and I guess that says a lot about me lmao

Props to William Pauley III, my new favourite author of insane books (both figuratively and literally) and Connor Brannigan, awesome narration!! This is such a weird, strangely erotic, completely unhinged book. I have no words; I'm still processing whatever the fuck is that ending. What is White Fuzz? What really is going on with Lynda? I don't think I can get enough of the weirdness of this bedlam bible series

*𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰*

Let me just explain what makes William Pauley three’s books so brilliant, in this book we have Franklin and he gets an anonymous text from a girl named Linda who he doesn’t know but this is the phone call that was overheard in his other book GD electric lights. I love that about his books how you could read one and you can totally get the connection to another one that isn’t in addition to, but a whole new story on its own. OK so we have Franklin who’s sitting home bored has nothing to do and it gets an anonymous text asking if he wants to come over because she has wine and cheese really good cheese. After a few texts like him asking do I know you? And they finally deciding they both went to a bar close to where they live she sarts acting that the bar in the meeting there is a shared memory and he’s only been there twice and never since they had the garden yet she persists that’s where they met when his girlfriend at the time went in the bar. He finds it weird but moved on. When he finally decides that he’ll go because he’s doing nothing else, when he arrives she’s there with wine and a really good cheese which the Franklin looks like just sliced cheese. Her house is a mess she looks like a packrat there’s dirty clothes in trash in a really funky smell all throughout the apartment. after a while he knows he must get out of there before you can mention leaving she gets a text and it says don’t forget to take your medicine, Barry and he’s perplexed why does this grown woman need someone to remind her to take her medicine but instead of getting up and taking her medicine she puts the phone back down and wants to continue making out something her very thick saliva has change his mind about. When he brings up her taking her medicine she blows it off and then tries to say it was medicine for her dad because she must take care of him but looking around her apartment he knows I can’t possibly be true. When he finally tells her he’s going to go she breaks down really dramatically in fact him not to break up attack keeps telling him he’s too angry and told to shut her up he tells her let’s both of us go to my apartment to get a change of scenery but because she has some nonsense about how she cannot leave her apartment because the hallway keeps changing distances and she can never reach her destination he says he’ll carry her. Now if you think this brief interaction is crazy and out of the box well you haven’t heard nothing yet. I think this is my favorite book so far but this author I have read almost all of his books and I can’t wait to read more. I find his book strange quirky but all are interesting and I highly recommend the white fuzz by William Pauley three for a quick fun read I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I'm going to have to rate this one Did Not Finish. I found the plot ridiculous and the characters weren't not likeable.

I was excited to check this out, purely based on the cover, if I'm honest. Franklin finds himself absentmindedly writing the words White Fuzz in his notebook before getting a strange text message from an unknown number. The girl on the other end, Lynda, just so happens to live in his same apartment complex and is looking for some company. He ends up going to meet her and walking into a whole shit show. I loved how bizarre this premise and story were but had mixed feelings by the end.

The whole thing seemed believable enough from our lonely protagonist. However, the whole time, I was like how are you going to continue down this path? Franklin seemed smarter than that, honestly. First off, the girl apartment is disgusting, she is gaslighting him incessantly, and everything just feels off. Without giving to much away I will say that this has some intensely gross body horror. Like, the kind of sexual body horror that ends up making you never want to have sex again. Or that was how I felt, anyway. And I loved body horror but this was kind of a miss for me, The writing style wasn't my favorite and the prose often felt misogynistic. Other than that, this was a quick read that sticks with you. I felt slimy for days after reading this and I can't really say if I enjoyed it or absolutely hated it.

This book was astonishing, though not in a good way. I found the situation in the story to be a misogynist's wet dream. I was absolutely disgusted, and perhaps that's what the writer intended. The entire story, the scenario, the elements within the story, even the word "gash" being used to reference female reproductive anatomy, was all a bit much to endure. I definitely appreciate the story overall, and the ending made the rest of the story a bit more palatable, but it smacks of a grosser version of It Follows mixed with Uzumaki. I think the general idea of the story has good bones, but I wish the author hadn't tried to cram his ideal sexual situation down the reader's throat. I think the narrator's voice was also totally wrong for this story. If the main character is supposed to be a lonely guy and a bit meek and mild, it would have been more interesting to hear someone tell the story who had a range befitting the changes that were happening to the character through the story.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

As with all these short audiobook stories, the narrator was perfect! The story itself felt like pure insanity right from the start! It kept me engaged and listening long past my bedtime. The authors storytelling never fails to keep me wanting more, no matter the subject matter. This book was more sexual than the others which didn’t bother me, but might for some. The ending left me with my jaw on the floor!

Raw and bizarre, the Bedlam Bible series continues. This title is all one continuous albeit freaky story that will have you questioning reality. Reads like a modern-day lovecraftian fever-dream. I wasn’t as sold on this work as ‘The Tower’, but it still sucks you in and refuses to let you go. Trigger warning: sexual abuse is discussed briefly in this title.

Wow.. wasn't expecting that ending! This was my first book by this author and definitely won't be the last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doom Fiction for this ARC. This read was not for me. I found this story to be overly sexual and slightly misogynistic. It started off strong and then just turned strange and bizarre, in a bad way.

This was my first read by this author and I don’t think his work is for me.