The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon

5 Star Review

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Editorial Book Review:

By HG Mercer

Some novels announce their intentions quietly. The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon kicks the door open, grinning while it does it. What makes this book matter is its refusal to behave. It has horror, comedy, crime, and chaos all in one story that feels risky in the best way. It shows readers that dark fiction can still be sharp, funny, and strangely human.

Reading it is a wild ride. When something is silly, you might laugh, but then you might lean forward, feeling uneasy and locked in. To keep the energy high, there is a constant push and pull between funny and scary things. He keeps the reader interested by never letting the story get too comfortable. Just when you think you know the tone, it swerves, forcing you to stay alert and involved.

Beneath the outrageous surface, the book explores identity, guilt, temptation, and the consequences of bad choices made at desperate moments. The supernatural elements amplify very real fears about control, self sabotage, and the fine line between survival and surrender. These themes resonate beyond the story because they speak to anyone who has ever tried to outrun their past and failed.

Maher’s writing is fast, visual, and unapologetically bold. His dialogue snaps, his scenes arrive fully formed, and his sense of timing keeps the humor from undercutting the tension. The structure moves like a runaway car, which suits a story about a man constantly one step away from disaster. Some readers may find the length or relentless momentum demanding, but that excess feels like part of the experience rather than a flaw.

Standout moments include the early act of accidental heroism that pulls the protagonist into supernatural trouble and the escalating encounters with forces that are both terrifying and strangely petty. By the end, the book leaves a lingering impression of controlled madness. This is a read for people who want something fearless, funny, and darkly alive. It does not whisper. It dares you to keep up.

About the Author 

Barry Maher

Barry Maher may be the only horror novelist who’s ever appeared in the pages of Funeral Service Insider. In his misspent youth, his articles were featured in perhaps a hundred different publications and, in order to eat, he held nearly that many different jobs. Sometimes he lived on the beach. Not in a house on the beach. On the beach. With the sand and the seagulls. 

After a sentence with a Fortune 100 company, he started speaking professionally. He told stories to audiences across the country and around the world: his client-list a Who’s Who of multi-national corporations and large associations. You may have seen Barry on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CNN, CBS or CNBC, or read his nationally syndicated Slightly Off-Kilter newspaper column. 

Awhile back, Barry lost the ability to tell time, courtesy of a baseball-size, cancerous, brain tumor. He awoke from having his skull cut open without the tumor, but with the story that became "The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon," a darkly funny, supernatural thriller set in California in 1982. Early praise calls the book “wholly fresh and original,” “witty, literate, scary, sexy,” and “an absolute blast.” 

On the downside, Maher's actually been incarcerated twice. Once for not making a left hand turn out of a left hand turn lane, and once for aiding and abetting a loiterer. He’s deeply repentant.