Back from the Dead: Max Booth III’s Debut Novel TOXICITY

Greetings, ghouls. Max Booth here. I wanted to quickly let everybody know that my debut novel, Toxicity, will be returning to print in a couple months, through Ghoulish Books, sometime in Spring 2024.

Originally published by Post Mortem Press back in 2014, it has been out of print for a long time now, and I am excited to finally print it back—on its ten-year anniversary, no less!

But that’s not all. Rereleasing at the same time will be my second and third novels, The Mind is a Razorblade (Kraken Press, 2014) and How to Successfully Kidnap Strangers (Bizarro Pulp Press, 2015). These have also been out of print for quite some time.

Readers have asked me for a while now when they’ll be available again, and the answer is: SOON. The plan is to have all three out before March. I am currently proofing the manuscripts and writing introductions for each one.

Over the next couple days I am going to be revealing Betty Rocksteady’s covers for all three books. Today I am sharing the cover for Toxicity. Check it out:

When Maddox Kane is released from prison, he has no idea what the world has become. His ex-wife’s hooked up with a heroin addict, his daughter’s busy burying dead bodies behind drugstores, and his brother’s being held prisoner by an abusive prostitute. Plus, apparently, there’s a new drug out on the street called Purple, and it’s going to destroy the world.

Darkly comedic and absurdly tragic, Toxicity is a tale of horrible things happening to horrible people.

I wrote the first draft of Toxicity when I was 12, and proceeded to rewrite it over and over until Post Mortem Press accepted it eight years later. Unfortunately, like many of my earlier novels, I did not have the best of luck with its publisher, which makes me even more excited to finally self-release it through my own press (Ghoulish) and give it a better life and share it with an audience again.

Toxicity is a bit of a mess, tonally, but I think that’s part of its charm. It’s my first book. There’s a lot of shit crammed in here. After going through it again, ten years later, I can safely say I’m proud of having written it. I’ve improved a great deal since this book, but without having written it, I don’t know where I’d be today. Toxicity holds a special place in my heart and I hope y’all enjoy the absolutely unhinged ride that awaits its readers.

At the moment, Toxicity can only be pre-ordered through the GHOULISH.RIP webstore. I will be signing & personalizing all paperback pre-orders (unless requested not to via the customer notes). Pre-order HERE.

But also, if you’d rather scoop up all three novels (Toxicity, The Mind is a Razorblade, and How to Successfully Kidnap Strangers), we are offering a discounted paperback bundle for ghouls to pre-order instead. All three books will release at the same time, and I’ll also still sign & personalize them. Pre-order the bundle HERE.

Stay tuned for the cover reveals for Razorblade and Strangers.

Note: These three novels will not be included on any Ghoulish membership subscriptions.