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Book Cover for: The Tyranny of Desire, Morty Shallman

The Tyranny of Desire

Morty Shallman

Meet Puchy Mushkin, the hero of this "fast-paced phantasmagoric satire of a debauched contemporary LA..." (1) who "vows to live a life devoid of want..." (2) while thrusting himself into "the wildest situations and transgressions in a carnivalesque Los Angeles." (2)


This novel is "often uproarious,"(2) "delightfully wicked, outrageous..." (3) "brilliantly written and very funny." (1)


Puchy Mushkin will be the first to tell you: he has talent, intelligence, and ambition to spare. And yet, despite his prodigious-some might even say "gargantuan"-mental and physical endowments, he is a spectacular failure in life and love.


In the depths of his despair, Puchy has an epiphany: could the endless series of screw-ups that define his existence be the result of his overwhelming desire for success?


To test his theory and, hopefully, change his fate, Puchy vows to banish all dreams, goals, aims, ambitions, and obsessions from his life except one: to assassinate desire itself and hang it by its feet like Mussolini.


What follows is the hilariously dark, raunchy, and irreverent tale of one man's twisted war with himself-an anti-story about an anti-hero whose only motivation is to have no motivation at all.


Will Puchy succeed in his quest to conquer desire? Or will desire get him first? Grab your copy of The Tyranny of Desire TODAY to find out.


(1) Robert Grossmith, Author of the Empire of Lights (2) Booklife by Publishers Weekly (3) Readers' Favorite



Book Details

  • Publisher: Flying Bed Books
  • Publish Date: Jan 11st, 2023
  • Pages: 214
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.50in - 5.50in - 0.63in - 0.93lb
  • EAN: 9798986354804
  • Categories: SatireLiteraryHumorous - Dark Humor

About the Author

Shallman, Morty: - Known for his innovative mash-ups of pop music and pulp fiction, Morty Shallman has been writing and performing original songs since the age of 12 and wrote his first novella, To Exist with the Night, while still in high school. Morty is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Chicago, where he studied creative writing with renowned novelist Richard Stern.After successful stints as lead singer and songwriter for quasi-fictional power pop anti-hero Andrew Ashbury and Chicago alt-rockers, Minds of Babes, Morty moved to Los Angeles, where he has released four solo albums and numerous singles, created the world's first novel with songs, Last of the Zacharys, and performed at clubs from LA to the UK.Morty lives in Valley Village, CA with his dog Primo and continues his work as a novelist, singer-songwriter, producer, screenwriter, and creative director for California's premier political consulting and advertising agency.

Praise for this book

"Simply a blast to read."

- Readers' Favorite


"Readers who relish irreverent literary play will be rewarded with insight and challenges to convention."

-Booklife by Publishers Weekly


"Shallman seems eager to challenge readers' senses of decency whenever possible... a lively but profane comic tale."

- Kirkus Reviews


"Filled with droll humor, quick-witted dialogue, and colorful characters, the narrative keeps you in stitches and rarely allows your attention to waver..."

- Readers' Favorite


"A shocking, sensationalist, satire of contemporary US culture..."

-Readers' Choice


"...In the spirit of the norm-shattering, can-you-top-this? sexually frank comic novels of a generation ago, with a welcome queer edge..."

-Booklife by Publishers Weekly


"If you're looking for a good laugh, don't miss out on this one."

- Readers' Favorite