“A trippy kaleidoscope showcasing a universe of fallen human angels walking a precarious line between life and death, moving between the material world and visions, myth and hallucinations. Read it and let the words wash through your mortal being, your mind, your spirit. These stories will haunt you.”
--Monica Drake, author of Clown Girl and The Folly of Loving Life
“Jack Moody takes us through a collection of introspective, creative, and conceptual scenarios of life and death—especially the in-between. He brings us stories of the many ways people are living to die and dying to live, with a range from dementia, serial killings, cancer, the Garden of Eden with that treacherous fruit—to victims of pedophilic priests looking for retribution, hunters of people on the cusp of dying for that forbidden knowledge of the afterlife, aliens and much more. A lot of interesting sci-fi qualities to the pictures Jack likes to thoroughly paint. His work shines brightest when he balances the descriptive with his dope grasp of dialogue, which he is one of the best at.”
---DuVay Knox, author of The Pussy Detective and Soul Collector
"Featuring the visceral language of the grotesque, mind-fuck aspects of the uncanny and injections of the absurd, Absence of Death showcases Jack Moody's astonishing range. Moody firmly orients the reader in disorienting unrealities through graphic prose, veracious dialogue, and compelling characters. These death-heavy stories occupy hazy spaces between life and afterlife, forcing the reader to grapple with their own mortality and the consequences of living. Trippy, unsettling and surprising, this is a multi-genre compendium of lost souls languishing in limbo. And only a writer who has been on the brink himself can write from the bleakly beautiful, otherworldly place that Moody does."
--HLR, author of History of Present Complaint and EX-CETERA
"Jack Moody is a dirty old man with a young man’s heart. And I mean that in the best possible way. He’s an exceptional writer and a perceptive observer of the human condition. He’s also prolific as fuck, having been published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies the world over and his latest collection, The Absence of Death, is a testament to his talent as a conjurer of brilliance.
Each story is a carefully crafted work of art, weaving together elements of fantasy, reality, and the surreal to create a tapestry of words that will engage and captivate the reader. As you read these stories, you will be swept up in the vivid landscapes and richly drawn characters that populate its pages. You may find yourself laughing, crying, or even holding your breath in anticipation. But most importantly, you will be drawn into the world of the author's imagination, and you will come away from this book with a newfound appreciation for the power of the written word.
Despite the often disturbing imagery of these stories, they are also full of humor or irony written with a deft hand and a sharp eye. Moody is the real deal, a man who has lived life on his terms and writes about it with unvarnished honesty.
As Editor-in-Chief for A Thin Slice of Anxiety and publisher at Anxiety Press, I’ve gotten to work with Moody on several projects and I’m not at all ashamed to admit that I get excited as a dog with two peckers when I see a submission with his name come across my desk. Moody is, without a doubt, an original voice in American literature, and this collection serves as a perfect example.
So, sit back, pour yourself a drink, and enjoy some of the best goddamn stories you are likely to ever have your grubby little hands on.
Jack Moody is the man, and this is his world."
--Cody Sexton, managing editor of A Thin Slice of Anxiety
