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Book Review: We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

Quirk Books, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781683690122

Available:  hardcover, Kindle ebook, audio CDs

Grady Hendrix’s newest novel presents a modern-day Dr. Faust, framed in the 1990s metal scene, with plenty of band references throughout. Dürt Würk was ready for success until lead singer Terry Hunt decided to set out on a solo career, much to the frustration and anger of his other bandmates. Terry and his new band, Koffin, experienced quick stardom, while his former bandmates and alleged friends lived very different lives in the rural Pennsylvania they all wanted so desperately to escape. Dürt Würk was supposed to offer that deliverance. Terry screwed them all.

Two decades later, former guitarist Kris Pulaski is stuck behind the counter at a Best Western working as a night manager, trapped in a job she despises, but not earning enough money to walk out, let alone get out of town. On top of that, the family home she has occupied since her mother’s death is being sold. She will soon have no place to go. Life is quickly becoming more unbearable after she learns that Koffin will be holding the metal show of metal shows, via billboards and ads constantly being piped through radio stations. All is not well in Metalville, however. When she discovers that Koffin’s fame may have involved the ultimate betrayal, Kris is driven to reunite the rest of the band and confront the man who ruined her life, and career. Her path leads her to murdered friends; a Satanic rehab center; her Viking metal former drummer, JD, whose grasp on reality is tenuous at best; and, finally, to the larger-than-life metal music festival in Las Vegas.

There are parts of this story where you wonder if Kris is insane, or if the things that are happening to and around her are real. She questions her own sanity regularly, which makes me think she is a reliable character. She sees what madness and insanity can do to a person as she is traveling with JD,  after he ventures out of his mother’s house, swears a binding Viking oath to Kris, tosses his medications along the way, and scares the hell out of her in the process. But he is a Viking of his word. He is also probably my favourite character in We Sold Our Souls. Despite, or because of, his mental state, JD is a force to be reckoned with, and he provides her the tools and strength to continue her quest to stop the Blind King and topple Black Iron Mountain. He’s also the only one who believes her, who is not directly involved with the betrayal.

If you’re a metal fan, do yourself a favour and pick up We Sold Our Souls. You’ll love the references and chapter titles. There is plenty for collectors of conspiracy theories (MKUltra anyone?). There is also a strong female lead. Kris kicks a lot of ass along the way. Get this book immediately if you like Hendrix’s other novels. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, body horror, gore, mental illness

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 30, 2018 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin, art by Jill Thomspon

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin, art by Jill Thompson

Dark Horse, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781506706368

Available: Hardback, paperback, Kindle ebook

Burden Hill is a peaceful suburb like any other, with well-kept yards, families, and their adoring and loyal pets…some of whom happen to be paranormal investigators. Witches, demonic frogs, werewolves, and zombie dogs are a few of the problems these brave investigators face in Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites.

The main characters in this are a group of dogs and one sassy cat. Wise dogs are summoned by the neighborhood dogs when they need guidance, something these brave souls are always ready to give. There is a black cat “familiar” looking to redeem herself in the eyes of the animals she once tried to kill. Humans have very little influence on the story, and when they are interjected into the story, it is heartbreaking and powerful simply because of the choices the animals in the story make willingly or are forced to make at the power of the supernatural.

Dorkin expertly weaves tales about loyalty, courage, acceptance, personal accountability, and a host of other very human emotions all bundled in these animal bodies. Each creature has a distinct personality. They even have their own religion, which the reader gets a glimpse of when the dogs hold a funeral service for dogs who were killed because of careless drivers. Adding Thompson’s beautiful artwork makes Dorkin’s story even stronger. It’s easy to take a few minutes to get lost in some of the fine details she includes in the panels, especially regarding the story of Hazel needing help finding her lost puppies.

Award-winning comics creators Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese) and Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother) first introduced the characters of Beasts of Burden in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. They both won Eisner awards for Best Short Story (Dorkin) and Best Painter (Thompson). Animal Rites collects the earliest stories and the four-issue comic series Beasts of Burden. This isn’t exactly a kid-friendly read, so if you have young readers of Scary Godmother, be aware that there is content that may be disturbing. This would be a good read for YA and above depending on how well they do with such. I will say that there were a few times I had to take a few minutes between stories because of how much this team is able to call up emotions so effectively using animals as the storytellers. It’s truly beautiful, terrifying, heartbreaking, and hopeful all in one book. Highly recommended.

 

Contains: blood, brief nudity, mention of animal abuse

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 28, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: October by Michael Rowe


 
October by Michael Rowe

ChiZine, 2017

ASIN: B076ZMWGPN

Available: Kindle edition, audiobook, MP3 CD

 

Michael Rowe is one of those writers who can swing from the eloquent prose of a Peter Straub to the brutality of a Richard Laymon. His novels Enter, Night, and Wild Fell were excellent examples of pushing the envelope while holding onto what makes the genre so good. October is the best of Rowe’s writing yet: a traditionally-styled tale, with some surprise twists. At only 151 pages, it can, and should, be read in one sitting, for the reader to feel the full impact.

Mikey Childress is a bully’s dream. He’s not exactly the most popular kid in town; he’s undersized, and a bit odd. His one friend, Wroxy, isn’t much different from him, but she is much more comfortable with who she is. Mikey wants more out of life; he wants to be accepted, to be loved for who he is, and to not have the crap kicked out of him on a daily basis.

When Mikey stumbles upon a black mass in the woods of his town, he’s terrified.  When the bullies’ beatings of him intensify, though, becoming more dangerous, Mikey investigates what happened during the summoning he witnessed. October truly takes off then; a new friend shows up at school, someone who Mikey has always wanted and needed in his life, who may be just a little too good to be true. The novel could have become cliched at that point, but instead, Rowe takes a hard left into the unexpected, forcing the characters to examine what they truly want and need in their lives, and has a surprise ending. While a twisty novel like this one can only truly surprise the reader on a first read, October is worth reading a second time. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on May 11, 2018 by , Reply
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