The Extra

Name: The Extra
Price: 16.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781250255693

✍️ Michael Shea

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review)

$16.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A satirical horror novel about deadly Hollywood stunt work

Val Margolian’s production company utilizes electronic monsters to create realistic disaster films. Extras risk death for financial gain in this critique of entertainment industry exploitation. The narrative focuses on the economic desperation driving participants into lethal situations. Shea examines how capitalism transforms human life into disposable content for profit.

Key Themes

Hollywood excess mechanical monsters economic desperation

Literary Context

Published by Tor Books in 2016, this work critiques contemporary American culture. It reflects on the intersection of entertainment, poverty, and corporate liability in Los Angeles.

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Harlan Ellison · Robert Altman's The Player · Mel Brooks's Blazing Saddles

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Horror Fiction

🏛 Tor Books 📅 2016 📖 288 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781250255693

📝 Description: The Extra

Michael Shea’s The Extra presents a savage vision of Hollywood’s future through the lens of big action films. Producer Val Margolian discovers box-office gold by creating live-death movies featuring sophisticated mechanical monsters. To achieve realism, he hires large casts of extras who face extreme danger during filming. The narrative follows these individuals as they navigate this lethal environment. The story is grounded in a specific economic reality. Most Los Angeles residents live in the Zoo, a vast slum. Extras join these productions to earn enough money to escape poverty. Survival brings payment, while destroying animatronic monsters yields additional rewards. The film company relies on detailed contracts and training to ensure their actions remain legal despite the high mortality rate among the cast. Shea’s work aligns with traditions of satirizing industry excesses. It shares tonal qualities with Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles and Robert Altman’s The Player, though it is more violent than Rollerball. This novel suits readers who enjoy dark satire and critiques of corporate greed. Those seeking gentle romance or traditional adventure will find little comfort here. The text concludes with the stark reality that survival is merely the first step toward a reasonable life.

💎 Our verdict on The Extra

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Michael Shea delivers a savage vision of Hollywood’s future through big action films, utilizing sophisticated mechanical monsters to create live-death movies. The narrative effectively grounds its horror in specific economic realities, depicting a slum called the Zoo where extras face extreme danger for payment. Shea aligns his work with satirical traditions, sharing tonal qualities with Blazing Saddles and The Player, though maintaining greater violence akin to Rollerball. The text excels in critiquing corporate greed and industry exploitation. It suits readers who enjoy dark satire and complex examinations of capitalism's impact on human existence. Those seeking comfort will find little here, but fans of critical horror fiction will appreciate its stark, unflinching perspective on the cost of survival.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who appreciate dark satire and critical examinations of corporate greed will find significant value in this text. It offers a savage vision of Hollywood’s future, exploring how capitalism transforms human life into disposable content for profit. The narrative appeals to those interested in the economic realities driving participants into dangerous situations. Those seeking gentle romance or traditional adventure should look elsewhere. This book provides insight into the intersection of art, commerce, and mortality. It challenges readers to consider the cost of realism in entertainment. The critique of industry excesses is both violent and thought-provoking. It serves as a cautionary tale about the value placed on human life versus financial gain.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Michael Shea delivers a savage vision of Hollywood’s future through big action films, utilizing sophisticated mechanical monsters to create live-death movies. The narrative effectively grounds its horror in specific economic realities, depicting a slum called the Zoo where extras face extreme danger for payment. Shea aligns his work with satirical traditions, sharing tonal qualities with Blazing Saddles and The Player, though maintaining greater violence akin to Rollerball. The text excels in critiquing corporate greed and industry exploitation. It suits readers who enjoy dark satire and complex examinations of capitalism's impact on human existence. Those seeking comfort will find little here, but fans of critical horror fiction will appreciate its stark, unflinching perspective on the cost of survival.