Thrilling Tales of Modern Men: Stories

An addictive, unpredictable, darkly hilarious collection of stories from Danny McBride—the beloved creator and star of The Righteous Gemstones and Eastbound & Down.

“These McBride men more than drink their own Kool-Aid, they swig it to survive. On fever quests to save face and make their myth flesh, they hilariously remind us that, if you ain’t for you, who is?”—MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY

“Just as demented, hilarious, human, and as inspired as all of his work, but, somehow, even better.”—JUDD APATOW

There are many sides to Danny McBride: He’s starred as the iconic character Kenny Powers in the cult classic HBO show Eastbound & Down, a series he also wrote and created—just as he did with Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones. He’s produced horror films (Halloween) and starred in sci-fi (Alien: Covenant). And ever since he was young, he’s been writing short fiction.

An amateur magician gets in way over his head with a deadly stunt in a local mall. A washed-up sitcom actor takes revenge on the coyote who killed his dog. Two young runaways decide to part ways, but not before embarking on one last big adventure.

Hilarious, razor-sharp, unexpectedly emotional, and full of wild twists and turns, the stories in Thrilling Tales of Modern Men are like nothing else. And yet they have one thing in common—each probes the fragile masculinity that has become an inescapable part of modern American culture. In this audacious and unforgettable debut collection, McBride redefines the tale of the modern man.

Danny McBride is the writer, producer, and star of the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, and The Righteous Gemstones. He wrote and executive-produced the Halloween trilogy with David Gordon Green. He's starred in a variety of motion pictures including, Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express, Alien: Covenant, and Mitchells vs. The Machines. McBride co-founded the production company Rough House Pictures. Thrilling Tales of Modern Men is his first short-story collection. He lives in South Carolina with his family.