About
The American Book of the Dead is about a writer working on an apocalyptic novel that predicts the future. This blog is part serial fiction, part music blog, and part chronicle of the release of the novel, as well as exploring ideas about the apocalypse/consciousness/religion/UFOs/conspiracy theory and other topics covered in the book. I’m also recording a song for every chapter in the novel. Part II is coming soon.
From the back cover:
Eugene Myers is working on a novel about the end of the world. Meanwhile, he discovers his daughter doing porn online and his marriage is coming to an end. When he begins dreaming about people who turn out to be real, he wonders if his novel is real as well. Which isn’t good news: the radical and demented President Winchell is bent on bringing the Book of Revelation to life. Eugene Myers may just be the one to stop the apocalypse.
This history of the future covers every conspiracy imaginable: UFOs, secret societies, and World War III, as well as theories on life after death and human evolution by a writer whose last novel was called by Dogmatika, “A page-turner and an example of an effective piece of storytelling that should be envied.”
Henry Baum is the author of North of Sunset and The Golden Calf – novels which explore the underbelly of America’s other religion: Hollywood. Now he turns his sights on mainstream American religion in a novel that’s part satire and part memoir/part amusing and part warning. In the tradition of Philip K. Dick and Robert Anton Wilson, The American Book of the Dead explores the nature of reality and the human race’s potential to either disintegrate or evolve.
Reviews
Winner: Best Fiction at the DIY Book Festival
Winner: The Gold IPPY Award for Visionary Fiction
“If you read Lolita or A Clockwork Orange without drop-kicking the book out into the garden on a rainy day, this novel is for you.” Tessa Dick, author of The Owl in Daylight, and widow of Philip K. Dick
“Reminiscent of Philip K. Dick and Haruki Murakami, a book that boldly explores the future and defies genre.” Largehearted Boy
“Apocalyptic lit in the tradition of Wilson & Shea’s Illuminatus!, TABOTD explores the double-edged roles that religious faith and warfare play in the human drama. An impressive blend of conspiracy theory, satire, philosophical musings, and intense mindfuckery.” Moxie Mezcal, author of Concrete Underground
“Really great – reminds me of Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut.” Scott Booker, Manager of the Flaming Lips
“Part apocalyptic sci-fi and part psychological thriller with elements of more accessible literary novels and even neo-noir, this is a deep story that transcends genres.” Steve Anderson, author of The Losing Role
“The book is skillfully written and edited to pro standards. Baum is a credit to alternative publishing. The story is totally fresh. I haven’t read anything like it before and I give it an unhesitating recommendation.” Darryl Sloan, author of Chion and Reality Check
“Brilliant; gritty and disturbing. Original, brave, strange- not an easy read. Made me recall Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, even though it’s been years since I’ve read that. Imagine Midas, where what’s touched turns into dreams instead of gold/ or what’s dreamt turns into reality. This book deserves to be very successful.” Michelle de Villiers on Smashwords
“One of the most unique approaches to storytelling I’ve ever come across!” a reader on Goodreads
Two Novel Responses by Philip Heying & Philip Persinger
From the Tyranny of the Muse.
I self-review my book.
Interviews
Book notes at Largehearted Boy
Henry Baum’s Eschatology – An interview by Charles Todd White
Q&A with Henry Baum – An interview by Craig Lancaster
The GSpot on Alterati – Podcast interview by Joseph Matheny
Word Machines – An interview by Todd Keisling
Kindle Author – An interview by David Wisehart
Technoccult Interview – by Klint Finley
Indie Reader Interview
Geek Life Interview – by Cape Rust
13 Question with Henry Baum – @ Horror Sleaze Trash
Trailer
Thanks to RJ Keller for putting together the video.
Buy
Buy the paperback here.
Download the ebook here.
Other Books
“This pacy, tightly written novel is like ‘Taxi Driver’ meets Charles Bukowski’s Factotum.” Uncut
“A marvel of pace and comic timing….Much of Baum’s narrative bears a similarity to Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground.” Daily Telegraph
“Explores the hazy junction where the teeth of the daily grind sink into the day-dreamt certainties of life’s true bell-head sounds.” Lee Ranaldo, member of Sonic Youth
Scenes from The Golden Calf filmed by “Zombieland” director, Ruben Fleischer.
“Successful both as a suspenseful, engrossing thriller and as something more: a savage satire on aspects of modern American life in the vein of DeLillo’s White Noise.…Overall, North of Sunset is an outstanding feat of storytelling that will gain a wide readership.” Compulsive Reader
“The rare piece of literary fiction that successfully combines a thriller with a healthy dose of popular culture. As the ‘Vanity Plate Killer’ roams the streets in the novel, Baum’s insights into fame, film, and writing are ever present and welcome.” Largehearted Boy
“North of Sunset would make a fast-paced, successful movie, but don’t be fooled in thinking that Baum’s work is a pumped up script, it’s most definitely not. The narrative is a taut as a drum and the dialogue effortless, making North of Sunset a page-turner and an example of an effective piece of storytelling that should be envied.” Dogmatika
“The writing is stellar….I think you’ll agree it is not so much who influenced the writing; it is who this writing will influence. Trust me when I say that this book is one you buy and one you keep.” Poddy Mouth
Winner of the Hollywood Book Festival Grand Prize
Misc.
Part of the Underrated Writers Project.
