I got a kick out of Grady Hendrix’s WE SOLD OUR SOULS and picked up MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM. The book packaging seems to promise a campy STRANGER THINGS-style nostalgia tour, but the read is better than that, a serious and character-driven dive into demonic possession and teenage angst.

The year is 1988. High schoolers Abby and Gretchen are best friends. After a night experimenting with acid goes wrong, Gretchen starts to act strangely. At first, she appears to be deteriorating in front of Abby’s eyes, but then comes back to school different. Popular. Beautiful. And evil.

Now it’s up to Abby to save her friend, as the demon possessing Gretchen seeks to isolate and destroy her in return.

This novel is a deep and heartfelt look into high school, its popularity contests, cruelty, friendships, and not feeling understood by parents and teachers. The writing is solid and focuses heavily on character, and the horror element is satisfyingly unnerving and creepy. The climax has a solution that might be considered corny but actually works for the story, and it concludes a realistic path filled with plenty of struggle.

My only complaints were the ‘80s frills, which didn’t really create a sense of nostalgia and were even distracting. I found the pacing to be a little on the slow side in the middle of the book. But these were minor complaints. Overall, I enjoyed this horror tale as something fresh and engaging.

Michael Rutger’s THE ANOMALY is an enjoyable survival horror tale that reminded me in a good way of Jeff Long’s classic THE DESCENT. I had a few issues with it, but overall, I liked it.

The novel starts with the crew of a web-based TV show that descends upon a hotel near the Grand Canyon. The show is nominally led by Nolan Moore, who in each episode explores an “anomaly”—a strange artifact or legend suggesting the history we all learned in school isn’t quite right.

He takes his team into the Grand Canyon to find Kincaid’s Cave, which promises evidence of a lost civilization that predates everything. After finding it, the team accidentally activates an ancient machine. Soon, they find themselves fighting for their lives, and the clock is ticking.

This was a fun story. Though it took me a while to warm up to Nolan and his crew, I eventually joined the team and started to root for them, especially when things go south. The cave offers great mysteries with explanations that inspire wonder, and the survival horror element is harrowing.

My only complaints were again it took me a while to warm up to the characters and story, and the survival horror aspect, while strong, went on a bit too long, as Rutger threw everything but the kitchen sink at his heroes every step of the way out of the cave.

Overall, though, it’s a fun ride, and as a sucker for lost civilizations, I totally got sucked into the cave’s mysteries. Recommended reading if you enjoy thrillers with a horror aspect like Preston & Child write. Apparently, the concept is being taken into a series, offering future adventures.

Grady Hendrix’s WE SOLD OUR SOULS is a solid supernatural horror story that also has something to say about the spirit of music. I liked this one a lot.

I first read this author when I came across HORRORSTOR, a story about a haunted IKEA-type department store. I had some trouble with it, but WE SOLD OUR SOULS looked tempting enough to try, and I’m glad I did. The story follows Kris Pulaski, a washed-up, retired guitarist for the ’90s metal band Dürt Würk. The band imploded under mysterious circumstances years earlier, which she blames herself for, while the frontman, Terry Hunt, has gone on to rocket to stardom with a solo career as the “Blind King.” When Hunt announces a farewell tour, Kris seeks out her former bandmates, which sets her on a path back to Hunt, the night the band crashed, and her love of music.

The result is a solid horror story about a deal made with a Lovecraftian race and Kris’s struggle to make things right, culminating in a massive Burning Man-style Satanic concert where she must make her final stand. The straightforward story element is solid, supported by great characters you can love or hate. The story came alive for me thanks to plenty of meat and loving attention to detail about the metal scene and the life of a struggling rock band, an aspect of the novel that gives it a special personality and depth. I liked the theme related to the social forces that seek to rob us of our spirit and how music can help us reclaim it.

I had a few small criticisms, which is I wasn’t sure how the climax (while satisfying) resolved much, and there are media snippets between the chapters that interrupt more than supplement the story. But these were minor complaints for me. Overall, WE SOLD OUR SOULS is a solid, fun supernatural horror story about the power of music.