Well, this book is pretty much what everyone else is saying: Vulgar, politically- and socially-INcorrect, a wild ride, and mostly a good time. The protagonist is a hoot, and reminds me of Harry Flashman from the Flashman series.

Absurd comedy like this book's is sometimes my thing, sometimes not; here, it really hits the mark and had me laughing out loud repeatedly. I can't say why some other books with the same type of humor (although much less vulgar) come across as annoying and trying too hard, while this one excels at entertaining me; but entertain me, it did. For reference: Hitchhiker's Guide, Good Omens, Terry Pratchett's work in general, and some of Fredrik Backman's stories give me "trying too hard to be witty" vibes that I cringe at more than laugh. Fans of those writings may enjoy the humor in this book, as it's similar, but somehow is better to me.

You have to be able to suspend judgment and an expectation of seeing right and wrong doled out by this book. The guy is not all there, has some really weird ideas about life, and can be offensive to some. If you're up for such a story, then this one could be for you.

I gave this 5 stars not because it's a literary masterpiece, but because it accomplished exactly what I believe it set out to, and it does it very well. It's meant to repulse, humor, and entertain its audience while being a basic guide of how not to live one's life. On those merits, it earns an A+.

This may jump into my rotation of books I reread, thanks to how much fun I had while reading it.

What the hell did I just read? But also, I'm good with it?
I will say this: I recommend reading this when you are in a good or at least neutral mood. When I was in a fair+ mood, I could see the ridiculousness and laugh and cringe and still be entertained. When I started reading after recently being very angry, I found it disgusting. Don't get me wrong - it's disgusting either way. But the entertainment you get out of it seems to be higher depending on your mood. I ended up putting it down and waiting until I was in a better mood to start again. Maybe I should read it all again while extremely angry though and write a review from that perspective too?

Puchy Mushkin is cynical and bored and angry at his lack of success which he believes, due to his penis size, that he deserves with little to no effort. So, in an effort to get success without doing anything he is attempting to kill his desire for anything and then hope the success just finds him. Instead, he stomps around L.A. partying and causing mayhem. It seems like Puchy's plan is actually working though. And then, and I mean this in a very literal sense because nothing is off limits in this book, everything goes to shit. Puchy is then left to figure out where his formula (the one he made to kill desire as if it were a math problem) went wrong.
This was somehow entertaining while basically being about nothing. I don't know how Morty Shallman did it because I can think of at least 3 other books I've read that were also pretty much just writing to write and I hated every minute of those, but THIS? THIS BOOK? I couldn't look away from the carnage.

What a wild ride this book was. There was not a moment where I could have predicted what Puchy was going to tell us next. I laughed out loud, yelled in disgust, and had moments where I actually believed Puchy’s plan made sense. Five stars for keeping me riveted the entire time.

In short, this book is about big-d*ck-having Puchy and his inability to give big-d*ck energy.

To be fair, there are "content warnings" that say if you're ✨tOo SeNsItIvE✨ maybe don't read this book.

That being said, this book is just cringey and only seems to want to get a rise out of folks. The overtly graphical descriptions of Puchy's sexual abuse at the (literal) hands of adults when he was but a mere baby and then throughout his whole life was just so gross and disturbing to read about (and maybe that was the point?). Similarly, Puchy's crucification, Puchy being blackmailed to be with the Kings 83-year-old mom who then got pregnant somehow?, Puchy's involvement with Gretchen and the abuse he gave to her corpse??? was just waaayyyy too much.

The ending was the best part of the whole novel because it was unexpected (which is why I'm giving it one additional star). Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

First off: Kudos to the marketing team on this one, because they sold it well. The book synopsis reads as if it's just something you just have to be a part of--as if it's a sure, saucy global phenomenon that you're getting to experience before the average Joe; furthermore, it never came off as on the level of carnival-barking, but simple, effective, and led with the book's true strengths.

To me, the elevator speech to describe this is that it's A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES meets BAD SANTA or BAD LIEUTENANT, but without any of the holiday or cop involvement of the latter examples. It's instantly grabbing but never allows any of its moments of audacity to solely settle for shock value; rather, it's trying to make you laugh, even in spite of your attempts to not do so, which also illustrates how charming it manages to be.

It's tremendously imaginative in, well, all of the ways, and Shallman knows how to craft a conversation that sounds natural; more to that point, he found ways to do it when talking about some supremely wild stuff, so props on that end. It's as absurd as it is entertaining, and you don't know where it's going to lead to. It's got a noir feel to it that practically makes the pages turn themselves.

If this gets picked up to series or a film, I feel that you gotta include Eric Andre somehow. This feels like something he'd be all about.

Many thanks to NetGalley, The Book Whisperer, and Flying Red Books for the read.

Puerile, egomaniacal, scatological;, somewhat disgisting and humorless. Be sure to disinfect your hands or Kindle.

"Tyranny of Desire" by Morty Shallman is a bawdy, profane account of Puchy Mushkin's short life, and it serves up a wild ride from start to finish. The warnings and quirky foreword set the stage for what's to come, and once you start reading, you're in for one helluva ride. This book is not for the faint of heart, but if you're like me and enjoy a good workover, then you'll appreciate its refreshing take on life.

I didn't find "Tyranny of Desire" offensive, but I can see how some people might be put off by its language and content. However, for those with literary taste buds similar to mine, this book is a gem. I found myself laughing out loud at many moments, even guffawing at times. It's a welcome departure from the sappy books I've been reading lately.

Overall, I'm glad this book was recommended to me. It's not for everyone, but if you're looking for a raunchy, irreverent, and hilarious take on life, then "Tyranny of Desire" is definitely worth a read

The book has an intriguing tag line hyped by the many trigger warnings promising scandal and debauchery, but the novel failed to fully engage me. I felt like I was trapped with that party guest who believes they're the most interesting person in the room and keeps talking at you despite your attempts to politely disengage. M. Shallman creates a chaotic sketch of setting, characters and very loosely defined plot hung on a shaky scaffold of murky philosophy, derivative tropes and poorly realized satire. The author hints at deeper meaning introducing themes of capitalism vs. art, challenging sexual norms, identity in modern America, knowing oneself, discovering what love is and how to find it; he is unable to fulfill the potential of these themes in a morass of dick jokes, coprophilia and endless indulgent digressions from the main character in loquacious, polysyllabic rambling rants with no true conclusion or insight. I wouldn't recommend this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Tyranny of Desire......Wow!! What a book! It is definitely one of a kind. I enjoyed every bit of it! It was wildly entertaining, it was raunchy and a bit dark at times. If you are easily triggered this book is not for you.

This is the weirdest and most glorious book ever written and I want MORE. The Tyranny of Desire follows the protagonist Puchy on his quest to abolish desire from his life after being crucified by his ex-boyfriend. Puchy leaves his home in Chicago and travels to the city without desire, Los Angeles. The quest to live a life without desire thrusts Puchy into the most absolutely bonkers situations that anyone could think of, but thank God, Morty Shallman thought of them, and he put them into this book. I found myself laughing at the absurdity of this plot while also seeing that so much of it is true. This planet is strange and so are the people living on it. This is one of those books I want to recommend to everyone but that would fail to acknowledge the fact that I'm weird, and normal people don't always like weird. Weird is an acquired taste. Fans of Chuck Palahnuik and Kurt Vonnegut will be pleased to know there is a new contender in the gritty raw world of transgressive fiction.

Described as a “dark, raunchy and irreverent novel” this is the tale of a 20-something slacker who desires success but is unwilling to do what is necessary to achieve it. His defining characteristic is a significantly oversized male organ which is the centerpiece of much of the action. The book warns that the reader will probably be offended. I was not so much offended as bored. Although some of the writing is witty, I stopped reading 50 pages in.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one. It seemed like it was going to read like a quirky semi-comedy, however it was just confusing and difficult to follow.

This book was way out of my usual genres of books. I slogged through it because I got it free in exchange for an honest review. I honestly wish I hadn't wasted my time. And I got really tired of the raunchiness.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Wow! The writer must have been exhausted with his tongue in his cheek as he wrote this story! The characters are beyond hilarious and the book is unbelievably quirky. This book would be enjoyed by readers who want a story not even visible from the mainstream.

Okay, so I read the trigger warning and I still dove into this one! This book is just bonkers and rightly so…the storyline and even the synopsis is bonkers so what else can we expect? I liked the idea of this guy who is beyond well-endowed and his escapades. Overall, it was a wild story, but it was missing that “it” factor that authors like Irvine Welsh and Chuck Palahniuk have. It was almost dirty/raunchy just to see how far the author could go versus dirty/raunchy in a way that works and is still shocking. I would say this story is okay, but not great.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this book and I immensely enjoyed every word of it! I would never give anything away, and this book is NOT for the faint of heart. At its core, it’s about trying to want not to want. I’d love to shout it from the rooftops that this is one of my new favorite books and recommend it to everyone, but sadly I only know a few people who would truly appreciate this masterpiece for what it is. If you’re into crass humor, don’t have any triggers, and enjoy brilliant writing and storytelling, this is the book for you!!!

I am almost embarrassed to say I found this book freaking hilarious. When I downloaded the book I just saw the authors name and had just read an epic tale by him and I couldn’t stop laughing so when I downloaded this book and read the summary I was like there’s no way I could read this but OMG… OMG! This guy has a humongous penis and it gets him into all kinds of trouble he is even brought up on charges against a woman named Gretchen and he is facing serious time in prison but crew to the author‘s style he will get all of it with a warranty and lots of LOL moments. I grew up at a time where this is an a book you would go around saying you read but I want everyone to know I read it and they should read it to it is so freaking hilarious! I love this authors books are definitely down to read the next one. Even if there’s a humongous penis involved. I receive this book from NetGalley and the book whisperer but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I tried so hard to enjoy this, but i just could nt get into it, it is poorly written. Maybe one day ill decide to read and write another review but as of now it a DNF

Parts of this were really well executed - funny, honest and quite moving. Others were just a bit gross and off-putting. It’s a really interesting concept and very different.

What a wild, crazy, one-of-a-kind read!

This book is certainly not for everyone, especially if you're someone easily offended, but I am not that person. Morty Shallman has created a read that left me entertained, engrossed, engaged, and also at times enraged. The main character was a hot mess but made for such an interesting character study as he tried desperately to refrain from any form of desire.

People are either going to absolutely love this book or get frustrated and give up on it; I think though that it will find the audience it needs to be a cult classic one day.