Kill Your Friends: A Novel

Meh. Its a British recreation of American Psycho. But the story is bland and the writing is worse. It relies too heavily on shock value.

Imagine a character so completely depraved, degenerated and perverted that he makes Hannibal Lecter seem like a Sunday school teacher. Now imagine that character fueled by a mountain of cocaine and an ocean of vodka. Now take away any sensitivity he may have learned for others of a different race, gender, physical capability, social class, postal code or sexual preference. Make him believe that there is nothing so important as the pursuit of money, put him in a nice suit, give him an expense account and turn him loose on the world without a modicum of care about the consequences of his actions to himself or others.Now if I told you that you were going to read a novel centered on such a character, you might expect it to be a horror novel, or a thriller, maybe a mystery or police procedural. You would probably not expect that it would be the funniest thing you've read in years.I will caution you here: if you don't think humor can possibly mix with buckets of blood, vomit, urine, feces and semen, or if you couldn't possibly laugh where there is blatant bigotry, or if wretched excess offends you to the point where you lose your sense of humor, this might not be the book for you.If, however, you're possessed of a strong stomach and aren't easily offended, you're in for a treat.

Black comedy… must read!!!Taking a look into the life of what has been recently coined a Professional Sociopath; the protagonist of this book is the most extreme of this phenomenon. With a – shall we say – different sense of right and wrong, this book takes the reader on the professional progression of a music marketing agent.However be aware, if black comedy offends or is not your cup-of-tea, this book will not appeal. So then do what my partner did and read it like a thriller. John Niven taps brilliantly into mind of a sociopath and with his understanding of the music industry this book leaves you worrying about going into the office on Monday.

Product was as described.

'Kill Your Friends' is a scathing satire of the music industry, based on Niven's brief career as an A&R working for a variety of record companies, including London Records and Independiente, during which he passed up the chance to sign Colplay and Muse. It is a wonderful novel with much deserved acclaim, as are his two other novels.As a side note, 'Kill Your Friends' is currently slated to become a film, and is in pre-production at present with a slated 2014 release.

Reminded me of "Out", by Natsuo Kirino with dark, off-hand violence and perverseness, laugh out loud dead-pan gruesome. One roots for Steven Stelfox, a totally amoral, intensely non-PC, psychopath who is totally unlikable, who lacks any censors to his thoughts and ultimate deeds. As in "Who's afraid iof Virginia Wolf" there's a delight in seeing a character(s) cruelly, wickedly, slice and dice other people, reveal thoughts we generally suppress. A good read with, one assumes, more than a little truth to the characterizations of the business.

I first read about this novel in an imported ,English music magazine and was immediately intrigued as I had spent 22 years in retail music at the "middle managers " level here in the US .Author Niven worked for a time as an A&R manager for a UK based label , so he knows first hand about what was being snorted in the UK music industry in the 1990's. His scenarios are blunt ,and descriptive whether describing his co-workers , their drug habits or his own characters sexual debauchery ; no holds barred! Highly recommended for those are not afraid to admit that wretched excess exists, if not in our own lives, then in excellently wrought characters in novels.

If you have a coarse sense of humour you will love this book.I would say you have to be British to get most of the humour as it's very much our slang, but it is hilarious in parts and a very interesting insight into the world of the Music business.You will never read the word "chang" so many times in one book in your life!!

Yes, because I must be a masochist, I read the whole bl**dy thing, it’s a British High Street rip off of American Psycho, and gives the music industry here the same high moral standing that that book gave American financial traders. Post modern? Ironic? Sure, but in practice more like being handcuffed to the sofa in front of The Kardashian’s show whilst being bled by two armfuls of leeches. Presumably there were “in jokes” I missed them, which was perhaps the point. Utterly bleak....spoiler....there is no redemptive ending.Ps. Some people of a certain age will Absolutely Love It.

Steven Stelfox - racist, sexist psychopath with a coke habit to make your nose bleed - works in the music industry. I suspect that it's slightly exaggerated.Usually hideously hungover, he is struggling to make a living, mainly because he doesn't know how to sign hit bands. It seems to be a matter of luck which band will make it. It probably doesn't help that he is permanently out of his gourd and he spends more than he earns on cocaine and working girlsWe watch as it all unravels. Pretty much everything he does is reprehensible. Will the drugs do for him before the police make an arrest?If you are looking for something to offend everyone, you can't go far wrong with this one

Steven Stelfox is a truly horrific protagonist. One of the worst examples of human life possible in the most deranged bitter, twisted state of mind. He exemplifies everything that is wrong and degenerative about pop culture and the 90's. He has no redemption is an utterly evil joyless manipulative psychopath. Ive got to hand it to John Niven he really can create these truely horrible characters with gusto.The book takes place over the course of a year taking us on a dark, twisted journey through the life and thoughts of Steven Stelfox an A and R man with a deeply degenerative perception of life. It is grim tale make no mistake yet somehow it is very readable. The craic this monster gets up to would give Hunter S Thompson nightmares. He goes off on many a tagent, drunken, drug fuelled benders, creating utter carnage in his wake with his actions yet somehow this twisted protaganist comes out smelling of roses with little or no accountability for his actions. He's the kind of bloke Id imagine most people would avoid at any costs.Its a weird one for me as as much as I hate Steven Stelfox and more or less everything he represents. I find his contempt for pop culture somewhat comforting and through his awful opinions and statements there are hilarioys moments and astute observations/philosophies of life.

John Niven creates a character so polarising that no matter what opinion you hold of him the conclusion will satisfy.Some writers think that by saying a bad word every paragraph and making some not so politically correct remarks that they hold all the shock and awe of a scathing commentary on whatever source material they predicate their filthy drivel. Niven is the opposite. His coarse humour shines through as the building blocks of a very real cutthroat world of business.Steven Stelfox wields a name of almost comic book villain alliteration and villainous motives to boot. Kill Your Friends follows Stelfox and his rise through the music industry and quest for wealth to burn on drugs, sex and misogyny.Stelfox is either loved or hated by the reader. If loved, the ending is satisfying - he wins, usurps his rivals, but if hated the reader sees a powerful force of debauchery gain more power and status than ever before. While it is plausible that Stelfox now has a bigger target on his back, many may mot appreciate this and wish Stelfox felt the pain and trauma he inflicted on others.Ultimately Kill Your Friends is a biting and satirical powerhouse. Not for the pc or faint of heart, the primary antagonist is also the protagonist, but Stelfox's unwavering honesty (to himself), relatable motives (who doesn't want to be rich?) and pitch black humour make Niven's book a phenomenal read and something you won't want to put down.

Brilliant read with a dark and black humorous quality.Describes the pretentious arses to a tee..love the outstanding liners for the working class and commoners of the world. Would do this job myself.witty,dirty and downright rude.lrvine Welsh does not have a look in after this gem of a read.Bloody hilarious..