If unluckiness runs in families then Benjamin must be Andrew Mayhem's even unluckier cousin. You can't help but feel for this guy. Just as you think it can't get worse for him, another barrel of awful empties on his head. Just like Strand's other comedic character, there is nothing that will shake his faith that all will be right in the end and through it all he retains his optimism. We have to admire him even as we cringe (not figuratively, I actually did physically cringe several times in this book) when he suffers one painful indignity after another.

I nominate the parasite for nastiest whatever I have ever encountered in a horror novel. Not sure what exactly the bugger is, but he is 100% unpleasantness.

If you like Andrew Mayhem, you will love this book. If you haven't read any of the Mayhem series, get it anyway. Fun, horrifying, and filled with witty one-liners. High theater of the absurd. 4.5 stars. ( )

Who would have thunk that an over the top adventure about a one of a kind parasite (named Piranha for good reason) that resides in the stomach & intestines of it's host would be this humorous & entertaining. And, even included a crazed murdering bovine. Enjoyable quick read w/plenty of chuckles. ( )

I decided to read Benjamin's Parasite because I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Bad Day for Voodoo. Unfortunately, I didn't find this book as funny although I did find it clever. It feels almost like he tried too hard with the dialogue and fell flat as a result. ( )

Strand is great at mixing humor and horror and making both stand out. Just as you start laughing, you realize that you should be cringing instead. And boy did I cringe during some scenes here! The bathroom scene a bit more than halfway through? Ouch!! That had me biting my lip and cringing big time.

Reading the cover copy will give you a good idea about what happens. After attending the funeral for one of his students, high school teacher Benjamin Wilson starts getting extreme cravings. At first he writes it off, after all what could be wrong about more candy and more sex. But then when he collapses and ends up in a hospital, he finds out that he has a parasite that looks like a squid monster. Before the surgery that could remove it, a bounty hunter comes in and kidnaps Benjamin away. Yes, a bounty hunter. The rest of the story follows the same pattern of one crazy thing happening after another, much like Strand's Andrew Mayhem books. There are hit-men, government involvement, exploding cows.

Suffice to say the story is not predictable but it is a ton of fun. If you haven't tried Strand before, this actually makes a great book to start with. It has all the elements of which Strand is great. And if you have read him before, then why are you reading this? You know what to expect. Buy it and start reading. ( )

Can't put it down. Combines horror and humor. ( )