I didn’t think any book could be as debauched and depraved as Morty Shallman’s first novel, “The Tyranny of Desire: A Comedic Masterpiece of Mind-Boggling Proportions.” I was so WRONG! Morty’s sophomore tale, “War and Sex,” is like his first novel on steroids. The opening itself is, to say the least, eye opening! I don’t know why it’s theme was as disturbing to me as it was, since I consider myself extremely liberal and open-minded, but it nearly dissuaded me from continuing to read any more of the book. However, I persevered, and I’m glad I did. This book turned out to be as clever and thought provoking as its predecessor, but more so, as it tracks, almost in real time, the current political climate and 2024 presidential election.

As was Morty’s initial book, this novel is fast paced and short, replete with twisted tales of sex, debauchery, depravity, political corruption, and violence. As I said before, it’s very much like Shallman’s first novel, but on steroids. It’s a fun, wild ride, with more twists and turns and unexpected moments as any world class roller coaster. Also like “Tyranny of Desire,” any reader of “War and Sex” must be willing to submit to loads of dirty language, kinky sex, and tons and tons of violence. This book is not for the feint of heart. It is, however, for someone willing to look past the debauchery and depravity and see the scathing societal and political commentary underneath.

Once again, I want to thank Morty Shallman, his publisher, Flying Bed Books, and The Book Whisperer for providing me an advanced reader’s digital copy of this book, allowing me to leave this unbiased opinion.

War and Sex by Morty Shallman is a well-written book that provides a satirical view of the American Exceptionalist landscape. There are a lot of things this book could have been, but what it is will either make you like it or want to skip it. This is definitely a 'read the back cover first' type book. With strong sexual situations and strong language, the book appears to attempt to critique the Rambo generation of war schlock.

It seems that the style of the book is part of the meta-artform of the book, so this can be wrapped up as an artist's attempt to shine a flashlight on the last two decades. This book can be polarizing as realism is not engaged from the start, but rather a version of faux hysterical-realism is applied.

This might be your cuppa and it might not be. The only way to find out is to take a stab at that back cover and click add-to cart. You never know what you might discover.

Sorry but this book isn't my cup of tea. The sex and the humor was okay but I was uncomfortable reading it.

War and Sex by Marty Shallman was described as raunchy and it was, but not to much purpose that I could see. It was pointless and shallow. Also described as humor. I didn’t see it. I am sorry I read it.

I was invited to read War and Sex by Book Whisperer. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BookWhisperer #WarAndSex #MartyShallman

I honestly was a bit let down with this. The premise seemed like it could have really been unique and interesting. BUt something was missing the whole time reading it.
It didn't grab me and I found myself disinterested.

As a reader who eagerly embarked on the journey through "War and Sex," I found myself navigating through a tumultuous landscape of disappointment. While I forced myself to trudge through its pages, hoping for a redeeming quality or a spark of enjoyment, alas, it remained elusive.The premise of intertwining war and sexuality held promise, offering a potentially captivating exploration of human nature amidst conflict. However, the execution fell short of expectations. The narrative lacked depth, and the characters failed to evoke empathy or interest.While acknowledging that literary tastes vary, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. While it may find an audience among those with different preferences, for me, it missed the mark entirely.

I really wanted to hate this book. It didn't sound like something I'd like. I started reading it just so I had enough material to do a hit job on it. Then, I just couldn't put it down. It's ridiculous! And brilliant, all at once.

Why was I liking it? Then I realized why. This isn't Morty Shallman! This is Trevanian, come back from the dead! This guy writes like Trevanian would if he were still writing. Rod (nod to Trevanian?) is the perfect caricature of randy, disillusioned soldier turned assassin. The supporting cast are equally taken straight from Central Casting, and it works, seamlessly.

This book is destined to become a cult classic. I can't wait to see the movie version, with Ron Jeremy playing the lead, and Britney Spears as Lulu!

God bless you, Morty, for my best read this year so far!

This was wildly all over the place. New characters streaming in and out, new locations and goals flying by. I liked the other book I've read by this author--it was a crazy but enjoyable ride--but this one didn't strike the same. I had to force myself to finish it.

This book was simply not for me. While I do think there are people that will enjoy this book, I didn’t find it funny and the overall storyline didn’t keep me wanting to read more. I appreciate the type of humor the author was going for and I can see why certain people might like this, but I found it overtly crass and just struggled to get through it. However, I will recognize that this isn’t something wrong with the book per se, rather the storytelling didn’t align with what I typically enjoy while reading.