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MATTHEW FRIES

Author * Degenerate * Cooker of meals

headshot Matthew Fries.jpg

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

An evil ideology is altering the minds and bodies of visitors to Santa’s Kingdom, a Christmas-themed amusement park, and once joyful children are transforming into little monsters. Unaware of the horrors that await them, the park’s newest hire, Jimmy Miles, and his pregnant sister, Bailey, are looking for a fresh start. Upon arrival, the siblings are stunned to find the park overrun. Gingerbread Go-Kart Palace has fallen, the go-karts commandeered, and a convoy of children are demanding freedom from the lies of the deep state. Attempts to reason with the unruly Santa Deniers prove futile, and as nightmarish cries of UNWRAP THE TRUTH and MAKE CHRISTMAS GREAT AGAIN ring out, Jimmy and Bailey turn to the only thing that can save them: A demon trapped in the body of a rabbit. 

 

Escape may be possible, but at what cost?

 

It’s a Wonderful Life meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in the hilarious political satire that puts the ho ho ho back in horror, the con back in conspiracy, and the dumb back in freedom.

 

Part II in The Sick Box Trilogy. 

 

 

THE SICK BOX

EBOOK IS 99 cents until December 05, 2023.

REVIEWS OF THE SICK BOX

A darkly comic, compelling, and critical tale about family and the never-ending grind.

Kirkus Reviews

"The Sick Box" is a laugh-out-loud hysterical farce that pokes fun at everything from "The Exorcist" to fake self-help advice columnists to Reiki practitioners. Fries expertly skewers contemporary capitalist culture and society, calling attention to the zaniness of the world he's created with effortless confidence. Overall, "The Sick Box" is a pitch perfect black comedy..."

Michelle Hogmire (reedsy.com)

Witty, irreverent, and ingeniously plotted, Matthew Fries’ laugh-out-loud-funny debut novel is a must-read for anyone who loves a black comedy along the lines of Good Omens. Even when everything in the novel is up in the air, one thing’s for certain: you’re sure as Hell itself to get a rollicking ride out of it.

#8 on Reedsy's "greatest indie books of all time"

Absurd, cynical, and a little disgusting ... it was so weird that I definitely was able to escape for a few hours."

Alison Manley - The Miramichi Reader

Just goes to show, if this book had been published in the 1950s in Paris, the whole literary world would be talking about it. Instead, in the second decade of the 2000s, it is a gem waiting to be discovered.

Goodreads reviewer

The sick box pulls all the little annoyances from everyday life together to form one's own personal hell...every page is relatable and humorous. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. An easy read that will have you laughing and (somehow) cheering for the hell-doomed protagonist to find her way back to the mortal world!

Goodreads reviewer

I laughed. I cried. The Sick Box has become a part of me. It is forever in my heart. There is a special place in Hell for you, Matthew Fries.

Hetabub the Eviscerator

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