I get one this one was trying to do as a satire about influencers and the toxic culture that surrounds them. It wanted to be a modern American Psycho and follow in Palahniuk’s footsteps for full commitment to the bit. It missed on both. The characters, the plot, the nonsense on every page. All fell flat. It felt like it was written by an open mic comic, in that it always took the cheap easy joke. Just not the book for me, and not one I would recommend to anyone.

Gigantivm Penisivm
Jose Elvin Bueno
11/5/24

This read was fun. Nothing groundbreaking, but just a fun, frighteningly funny horror satire.

Because of the personality of the main 2 characters, dialogue can feel repetitive... because they are so obnoxious, superficial, pompous, and ignorant. There's lots of social media speak, so I could see that might confuse some, and get on other people's nerves. It got on mine.

But that's what makes reading the rest of the story so fun.
You have no emotional attachment to these shallow influencers, intentionally, so you're just waiting to be entertained by their ultimate fate, as they become the influenced by what they have summoned.

A very original and unique take on possession as well.

A perfect example of kids f*cking around and finding out.

If a funny, fun horror romp sounds up your alley, give this one a shot.

3.75 - 4 / 5

Sorry, I just absolutely did not enjoy the writing in this one. The train of thought POV, annoying monologue/dialogue was intolerable. So many random strings of thought was just irritating and repetitive to read.

Thank you anyways to the author, NetGalley, and CLASH Books for a copy.

In "Gigantvm Penisivm," a satirical horror novel by Jose Elvin Bueno readers are thrust into the high-stakes world of Manila’s elite influencers whose extravagant Friday night takes a macabre turn. The story follows Rafa, Basti, Vicente, Pia, and Mitzi as they indulge in their weekly ritual of hedonism. The evening takes a sinister twist when Basti proposes they play "The Summoning," a game involving a dark incantation to invoke the Dark Lord. What begins as a frivolous attempt at spiritual provocation quickly spirals into terror as the group becomes possessed by a malevolent force. This entity, eager to dominate the Philippines, is not only indifferent to their self-centered squabbles but is also intent on their annihilation. "Gigantvm Penisivm" offers a darkly comedic critique of vanity and excess, blending horror with sharp satire to deliver a chilling yet incisive narrative.

Gigantvm Penisivm is a satirical horror novel about a group of rich influencers in Manila whose Friday night turns darker than expected. Rafa, Basti, Vicente, Pia, and Mitzi have gathered on a Friday night, a night they see as a sacred one for hedonism, when Basti suggests they play The Summoning, saying a prayer to summon the Dark Lord. What happens is they end up possessed, in turn, by a force determined to rule the Philippines who has no patience for their self-obsessed bickering. A force that seems to want them dead.

Told from the point of view of two of the characters, Rafa and Mitzi, in alternating chapters, this book is a wild ride. The characters all talk, and the narrators narrate, in an overblown style, full of grating influencer-speak, and whilst this is effective in its satire and setting up these characters as unlikeable, it's probably the reason some people won't finish the book. The alternating chapters also tell basically the same events from two different perspectives, which isn't a technique I've seen used much, but again, though potentially divisive and occasionally slowing the pace down, it works well to offer a bit more complexity and sides of the story (plus different vehicles for the satire). The plot itself is simple and its a novella/short story length plot that is turned into a satirical novel through telling style and character detail, with endless discussion of social media and wealth from the narrators.

The characters are ridiculous (obsessed with drugs, status, and throwing out slurs whenever they can) and the concept is hilarious, making Gigantvm Penisivm, if you couldn't guess from the title, a satirical horror that brings most of the horror from what these people are like, and most of the fun from the fact they summon a demon who hates them and seems to want to be a dictator.

This book had the "potential" to be great...but I was so bored and disinterested in the characters, plot, just everything...

Going in, I knew and understood that the characters were going to be very unlikeable. They are a group of "influencers," but heaven forbid you call them that...I get this was satire and it was funny the first few times, but it got boring and repetitive quickly.

I had several complaints about this book, including:
-the overuse of certain words/phrases, like "my lurves" and "swear to God, hope to die"
-the use of the word "retard" MULTIPLE times
-mention of suicide being cool
-LONG list of different types of porn (why...?)

I also gathered that the book was written between alternating perspectives but it was very hard to distinguish which chapters were being narrated by which character, as there were no headers clarifying this.

Thank you to NetGalley and CLASH Books for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

I DNF aviation halfway through. A little too much dialogue for me. I'm n9t saying it's a bad boon. Just not for me

Well that was an experience. This book is purposely offensive and the characters are all pretty much terrible and insufferable people. There are some very funny lines and moments but overall it was very repetitive and just off putting to me. Nothing really happened for 90% of the story aside from characters saying and thinking pretty reprehensible things.

This book is a satirical look at influencers, possession, and shallow friendships.

A group of young, pretty, rich young people who have millions of followers on social media get together one Friday night and perform a ritual, a summoning.

What happens is...a weird kinda possession for a few of them but not the type you might expect.

The characters in this book are not exactly loveable or sympathetic. And they're not meant to be. They represent the social media elite, the brand whores and influencers which young people strive for. But this is not a condemnation of social media or popularity but rather it satricizes the elusive "1%". Where friendships are based on numbers and metrics and communication is done via posts and never beyond.

This book is written from the viewpoints of two characters, Rafa and Mitzi, and we find out about the rest in these chapters. The use of popular terminology, especially in the social media world, might confuse some older readers but I thought this was a GREAT way to tell this story. It gives it an air of authenticity.

But keep in mind that a possession does occur, more than one in fact, and not everyone will make it out alive. I loved how this all takes place in a penthouse apartment in the Philippines. No tropes are used for the story. It's just this group of people in this apartment, experiencing it all happen.

I loved the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) humor, the dead on satire of influencers, and how the possessive spirit is not what you'd expect. You'll be surprised! I recommend this book.