Customer Reviews

Sex Dungeon For Sale!

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Open Patrick Wensink's new book, Sex Dungeon For Sale!, and you're immediately confronted with the absurd, the hilarious and everything in between. How do you market a house with an adult romper room? Whatever happened to James Brown's capes? And honestly, what do you do when your son pretends that he's French? Wensink has it all covered - and more - in his first collection of short stories. Wensink's style is conversational, conspiratorial and engaging ... if you like Irvine Welsh, Chuck Klosterman or, dare I say, anything just a bit unusual and off the beaten path, Wensink's prose fits the bill. Wensink's prose creates characters that are just a little bit uncomfortable to be around, making you laugh at the same time you're looking over your shoulder, wondering if you really ought to be laughing at all. It's a slice of life offered through a cracked mirror. It's fresh, engaging and unusual. It'll be interesting to see what's next.

You can read this book two ways: You can have fun with the weirdness. Or you have fun with the weirdness and feel inspired by the truthfulness. I recommend the latter. Mr. Patrick does fantastic work melding entertainment and meaning---a near perfect balance of the two. At the surface, his stories are funny and kooky, but dig deeper and you'll find some real insight into the universal truths of being human, in all our profound weirdness.

It was late at night. My eyes were heavy. I was ready for sleep. But I couldn't stop reading. It's tired to say but, in this case, it couldn't be more true: I could not put this book down. It was too much fun and truth all wrapped up in one kooky package. Love it.

Eraseread Press has recently decided to give some unheard-of authors a chance with the New Bizarro Author Series. One of the new Eraserhead authors is Patrick Wensink. Sex Dungeon for Sale is Wensink's contribution to the series. As is fairly typical with the Bizarro publishers, Sex Dungeon is a collection of short stories. Wensink's stories were absurd, surreal, and funny. I like the Bizarro movement and appreciate the DIY/independent attitude of the publishers and authors. Nevertheless, there are times that some of the Bizarro stuff gets a little bit tiresome for me, such as when the stories just become an exercise in demonstrating how bizarre the writer can get. Mr. Wensink's writing is definitely beyond the "look how crazy I am" stage. I found myself enjoying the stories and liking the characters in Sex Dungeon. Even within the limitations of the short story/flash fiction format, Wensink's ability shines through. I felt like many of the stories in Sex Dungeon could have been developed into something longer. But, I recognize that the author was working within the limitations of a collection of short stories. On the other hand, some of the shorts were great just the way they were (see, Chicken Soup for the Kidnapper's Soul). I think it's very cool that Eraserhead is taking a shot with some new talent. Apparently, Eraserhead is waiting to see how the new authors are received before deciding to publish anything else from them. Wensink is a new talent that should be given the opportunity to develop his writing. Buy his book so that he can hopefully stay with his publisher and put out a full-length novel.

-Lance Carbuncle, author of GRUNDISH AND ASKEW, and, SMASHED, SQUASHED, SPLATTERED, CHEWED, CHUNKED AND SPEWED

I was a little skeptical going in, but I love this book even more than I imagined I would. I just love the author's sense of humor and writing style.

A marvelously good time. This book, and the author, are awesome.
[...].

Patrick Wensink's Sex Dungeon for Sale had me laughing out loud! Loved that each story was filled with such witty humor. I give the book AND the author two thumbs up!

Sex Dungeon for Sale is a wonderful and strange (hence the title of this here review) little volume teeming with some of the most cock-eyed ways of looking at the world that I've read in some time. Mr. Wensink (if that is his real name) has a knack for taking the forgotten and the mundane and re-animating them in ways that burrow deep into the narrative juices and make the reader feel, well maybe a little weird, maybe a little nervous and maybe more than a little happy! I laughed out loud at many of the stories herein, most especially 'My Son Thinks He's French', 'Me and Gerardo, Down by the School Yard' and the knee-slapping, gut-punching 'The Many Lives of James Brown's Capes'. Fans of the absurd, fans of the kind of humor that makes you a little nervous to have laughed at and fans of authors like Chuck Palahniuk or Robert Anton Wilson should buy this and give Mr. Wensink their money, so we can all get many more years of thought-provoking books out of a grand new talent. Kudos Mr. Wensink. Now WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

I am not a big fan of short stories in general, but I really liked this book of stories. They were interesting, fun and a little off the wall. Definitely worth the read!

In just a few lines Patrick Wensink draws us into each story in his first masterpiece Sex Dungeon For Sale! Succinct, cutting, edgy and soulful are all adjectives, perhaps describing this new author!

Patrick Wensink's writing is very smooth and he seems like a natural. Wensink has a sharp wit on display. Considering it's a debut book, it shows that he must have spent a lot of time on his craft. This book has 12 stories packed into its 88 pages. Some of them were good, some of them were okay, and a few could've been left out (and replaced with better ones).

The title story "Sex Dungeon for Sale!" should get an award for best title. However, it falls short of delivering the sleazy promise of someone really trying to sell a sex dungeon. Come on, am I the only person to be disappointed that he didn't give us a sleaze-fest? : )

"Chicken Soup for the Kidnapper's Soul" is the funniest story in the bunch. And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. "Pandemic Jones" is the longest in the collection and I could see it being developed into something longer.

The story "Doner 322" has a good premise but the ending can be seen from a mile away and it's only five pages long. It seemed rushed and I think with his skills, he could have made it into a truly disturbing piece.

Also, the sharp wit of the author I mentioned.... Though that's a very good thing, it seems like EVERY story told in the first-person has the same voice which makes me feel like Wensink himself is telling every story instead of each individual narrator. However I imagine if and when he writes a novel, this will work in his favor.

Overall, it's worth a read if you like quirky short fiction. I wouldn't call it totally bizarro (especially compared to the short fiction of Andersen Prunty, D. Harlan Wilson, and Ray Fracalossy) but it's well-written and just weird enough to satisfy your desire for offbeat fiction.