What's new with Demon Freaks?

OCTOBER 3rd, 2017: DEMON FREAKS HAS BEEN RELEASED! Whoot!

JUNE 30, 2017: Got a recommended review from Kirkus!

"Plans to study for the SAT go horribly wrong when they are interrupted by a golfer cult’s demon-summoning plot in this comic YA horror novel. Bing and Ron Slaughter are identical twins and half of the Ephits, a punk band (formerly the Angry Red Welts). Bing is the frontman and songwriter and Ron plays bass. They’ve got to do well on their SATs to get into good schools. Otherwise, it’s goodbye to their parents’ financial support and hello to careers at McDonald’s, where Mr. and Mrs. Slaughter work as operational planners. Maybe it’s not the best idea to study at a remote cabin in the woods the night before the SATs with the other Ephits, Prathamesh “Meat” Kimitri (drummer) and Kaitlyn Krimpsen (keyboards), but that’s the plan. Things soon go awry when a monster lightning storm strikes, cutting off the power, and the twins’ history teacher, Mr. Brom, pounds on the cabin door wielding a dagger—which has a mind of its own. Through its manipulations, the group dodges dangers, arriving at a golf-course clubhouse, but it’s no sanctuary. As Mr. Brom explains, “Insane cultists, Satan worshipers and evil wizards are like elderly nuns compared to the Golfers’ Association.” It’s up to the twins to save their friends from becoming blood sacrifices and prevent a powerful demon from being unleashed on the world. Hardison (Fish Wielder, 2016) writes an exciting tale with nonstop action, supernatural horror, and plenty of humor. Pop-culture references enliven the dialogue, as when Kaitlyn tearfully whispers, “The needs of the many” (from Star Trek II), to the band’s bus, demolished in getaway service. Hardison writes amusingly that his protagonists “had almost been killed, and they were experiencing cheap and melodramatic personal revelations,” but in fact the characters do come to new—and not at all cheap—understandings about their roles, relationships, and life paths, a great strength of the book. A nice twist at the end isn’t easy to see coming and works very well to tie things together.

A funny supernatural tale with spooky scenes, sincere emotions, and a solidly satisfying ending." —Kirkus Reviews

JUNE 16, 2017: Got a great review from author Matt Hiebert (writer of Blackhand and The Aracan).

“A golf cart ride into the mosh pit of hell...in a funny way...

J. R. R. R (Jim) Hardison has done it again. After turning the sword-and-sorcery genre upside down with his first novel, Fish Wielder, old “Triple R” has now jacked up the realm of urban fantasy with his terrifyingly hilarious new book, Demon Freaks. In the looming shadow of tomorrow's SATs, high school students, and punk band members, Ron, Bing, Meat and Katelyn are thrown into a war between occult factions vying for dominance of the world. And that happens in the first couple of chapters. It gets worse for the gang of meddling kids from there. Throughout the tale, Hardison expertly dances between humor and horror in a head banging ballet that makes the reader laugh and shudder within the same paragraph. Think Evil Dead II meets Bill and Ted meets the Dresden Files. By tapping into humanity's primordial fears of darkness, demons, golfers and Santa Claus, the author takes us on a golf cart ride through a Lovecraftian mosh pit of lighthearted terror. A place where “Teethheads” lurk in shadowy labyrinths, possessed daggers can control minds and freak lightning storms signal the alignment of dimensional doors best left forever closed. If Sam and Dean Winchester were teenage twins in a punk band, and had different names, this would be their origin story. The plot twists and turns at a hundred miles an hour and the characters, both good and evil, provide us with a parade of unforgettable personalities, ranging from salivating history teachers with beards that don' t match their hair color, to supermodel female occult commandos who are armed and dangerously attractive (at least that's how I read it).

Fans of Harry Dresden, Laurel K. Hamilton, Patrician Briggs and the John Dies at the End trilogy should all dive into Demon Freaks. You might even want to put on some Sex Pistols and read it by candlelight. That's how I did it. (Except with the lights on. I can't read by candlelight. It's too dark and flickery).” —Matt Hiebert

OCTOBER 28, 2016: Fiery Seas Publishing set to release Demon Freaks in October of 2017!