In 1975 Black Sabbath, the band that many believe originated ‘heavy metal’, had released what we would probably call a ‘greatest hits album’ these days, with tracks from their previous six albums. Called We Sold Our Soul For Rock & Roll, it cherry-picked the tracks that fans counted as favourites.

The problem? It was released without the band or their manager’s knowledge, part of a deal between their new record label and their last. Allegedly, the first the band knew of the album was when fans brought them to concerts to be signed.

Why this is relevant here? Well, author Grady Hendrix clearly knows this. I’m sure that the name of his latest novel is no coincidence, a story where the rise and fall of a rock and roll band meets Stranger Things, where corporate sell-out and backroom shenanigans are part of the deal.

The story is told through Kris Pulaski, founding member and guitarist of Dürt Würk, a rock band brought up by learning Black Sabbath guitar riffs, who almost made it big in the ‘90’s, and then broke up for reasons that will be explained through the novel. Now twenty years on, Kris, having given up on the big dream, spends her time working as a receptionist at a Best Western in a small backward hometown and generally being abused by the local clientele.

Her life is changed when she sees hears of Terry Hunt, Dürt Würk’s ex-singer, planning a reunion-farewell tour of the band he created after Dürt Würk. We discover through backstory how the demise of Dürt Würk led to the formation of Koffin by the ex-singer, in a deal that took away Kris’s rights to her material and left her ruined. Dürt Würk’s last album, Troglodyte, which was never released, and has become something of legendary status. Made in a rundown house in the woods, the rumours about Kris’ masterwork album, and why it was never released have become mythical.

As the backstory develops, we determine what caused the breakup of the band, something that will be familiar to anyone who knows their rock-band history. And as this is a Grady Hendrix story, we discover, with a Lovecraftian twist, what really happened that night the band broke up. Kris cannot remember what happened herself (drugs & rock and roll, right?), but is determined to finally get to the meaning of what happened that night by meeting up with the ex-members of her band and even Terry Hunt – who may have a more sinister reason for his success.

For anyone who knows Grady’s previous work - Horrorstor, My Best Friend’s Exorcism and the non-fictional Paperbacks from Hell - will know that he excels in reinvigorating the 80’s tone of those mass-produced novels of the 1980’s. This one clearly plays homage to Stephen King, but also any of those books from that time. (I’d personally recommend George RR Martin’s The Armageddon Rag as a similar, alternative read.)

It’s not particularly deep, nor meaningful, but it does what it does right. Fans of Stranger Things will ‘get it’. Anyone who has formed a band in a garage or basement and *nearly* made it big will sympathise (and perhaps wince!) at some of the things that happen here. And what is most important is that Grady elicits the emotion, the power, the almighty good created by being part of a band – the camaraderie, the sheer buzz of creating and playing music, to fans who love your work. This is never a book that attempts to poke fun at its material – instead, through empathy, it makes the reader’s inner-teenager want to go start a band all over again.

In my youth I was never part of a band – but this book makes me wish I was. And therein lies its secret. This is a book written by someone that cares about its subject matter, and you can tell. Moreover, Grady manages to make the reader feel, to care about his characters and to connect with emotions from a time when things were simpler. Sometimes you just need a guitar….

When such relatable elements of youth are added to the more supernatural elements, the result is that the combination works. There are moments of horror that I found quite creepy, and there’s definitely parts that claustrophobic readers will cringe at.

In short, if you are a Horror fan and are/were a fan of ‘90’s rock/metal, you will love this book. If you’ve ever felt yourself to be an outsider, and that your love of music is not understood, if you’ve been derided for your enjoyment of rock and metal, and yet, despite this, have stayed true to your own beliefs, We Sold Our Souls will speak to you.

It’s a great read. Just be careful next time you feel the need to include some occult leanings in your lyrics….

Thank you ! so much for the opportunity to review this book. I received a free copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

By far my favorite book by Grady Hendrix! loved it! This book grabbed me by my soul and did not leave my thoughts until I finished it. And yet , it still lingers...

An imperfect leading lady taking on an adventure to find herself while seeking revenge for being wronged. Add a dose of paranormal, sprinkle in some Metal Rock and you have yourself a party. Wow! The whole premise of this book was a refreshing, Good old fashioned Horror at it's finest!

I have read Horrorstor and My Best Friend's Exorcism , which I completely enjoyed but this book took horror to a new level. Bravo to Mr. Hendrix... I have become a true fan.

4.0 Stars

Kris was in a heavy metal band called Durt Wurk, but right before they were about to hit it big, the band fell apart. Twenty years later, she's the night manager at a Best Western and her life has been miserable since the split. Her former bandmate has skyrocketed to Stardom as Koffin. Kris learns that her and her bandmates souls may have been the price for Koffin's success. She embarks on a journey and will stop at NOTHING until she confronts him.

This was a fun, fast-paced story. I personally, don't have a relationship with heavy metal specifcally, but that did not keep me from connecting with the story. There were some great brutal scenes in there that really made the story. Grady Hendrix also took the Faustian bargain device and wrote a story for modern audiences. It left me thinking about the state of our "soul".

Loved it! Everytime a Grady Hendrix book comes out, I pummel through it within a day or two. Once again, he mixes horror with an interesting premise, and it's a page turner. This one's a bit more splatterpunk than the rest. I don't listen to heavy metal, but It doesn't matter. Love how the arc of the story aligns with the book's fictional album Troglodyte. Now listening to the Runaways "Dead End Justice" on repeat.

Incredibly fun and entertaining horror novel! I found this really engaging and readable and think it will appeal to a wide audience, including those who don't think they like horror. Great work from Grady Hendrix.

My first book by Grady Hendrix definitely lived up to the hype! As a huge metal fan, this novel took me back to simpler times and brought back great memories. When delving into the topic of heavy metal, it is easy to perpetuate cliches and prejudices against metalheads, however, Hendrix managed to perfectly capture the essence of the metal scene.

Kris is a great protagonist: her struggles, her shattered dreams, the pain of being betrayed, the rage. All of these feelings are incredibly well conveyed by Hendrix's writing. After reading the synopsis I thought this would be the classic story of some metalheads summoning the devil with their music and exchanging their souls for fame, therefore I was pleasantly surprised to see how the author took that basic idea and transformed it into something original, fresh and entertaining.

I only have two more minor complaints: after Kris witnesses the existence of the supernatural, why would she be so reluctant to believe a conspiracy theorist who was trying to help her? And also, the story lacked some creepiness. Otherwise, this is a super fun read with clever twists and turns that I will definitely be recommending to all my metal loving friends.

We Sold Our Souls does a clever spin on the Faustian ‘bargain with the devil’ premise by setting it in the world of heavy metal music. It’s like a mash-up of an old VH-1 Behind The Music and The Devil’s Advocate. There were some harrowing scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. The one that sticks out is when the heroine, Kris, is crawling through a tunnel that is gradually getting smaller and tighter. I’m not claustrophobic, but that scene made it hard to catch my breath! Though for all the scenes like that (and giving Grady Hendrix credit for finding a new take on this age-old tale), something was missing in it, something that made me want to flip the page excitedly to find out what was going to happen next. I found myself putting the book down for several days before picking it up again. All the ingredients were there, but for me the sum was not greater than the parts.

"Then she played that chord again and it smashed out of her amp, and she moved to the next chord, and the next one, and the one after that, and she fell forward from chord to chord, making her basement shake, “ Beneath the Wheel” blotting out everything in her life, blotting out the world, blotting out Black Iron Mountain, and she knew . . . She could do this. How does a sparrow destroy a mountain? One pebble at a time."

For a very long time, I had heard of Grady Hendrix. I had seen other book bloggers talking about his previous books, including Paperbacks from Hell and I was intrigued. I still am very interested in trying out more of his books, but this one just wasn't for me.

There are some books that catch your attention immediately. Some take a few pages or chapters before you finally grasp onto it. Some you still haven't managed to completely enjoy even as you turn the last page. I have no issue with the writing style, which is why I did keep reading, but this story just wasn't for me. In most places, it was boring but I'd be willing to blame that on my lack of musical knowledge. The entire first part of the book, I was skimming and that's never a good sign.

I feel like a lot of people will like this book. However, it simply wasn't for me.

This books' greatest strength is in its main character, Kris. Hendrix has always been so good at writing flawed and well rounded protagonists, and I think that Kris is his strongest yet. While she is rash and makes some questionable decisions throughout the book, you completely understand why she does what she does. She lives, breathes, loves metal, and having that taken away from her has driven her to the point of desperation. I loved following her as she goes to confront her former friend Terry, and loved that we get information and a background of not only her band, but many aspects of metal as a whole as she makes her journey. The references to metal always felt organic and well placed, and it gave a wider scope to the narrative. That said, once again Hendrix gets a little bogged down in the 'horror' aspects of this book, and I felt like he relied on cliches within the genre in spite of the fact he made a valiant effort at avoiding them. I was more freaked out by real world horrors within the story than by the demonic aspects, and sometimes it led to moments that felt rushed and haphazard for the sake of a 'scary' moment.

With all that in mind, I did enjoy reading "We Sold Our Souls", and I think that people who like Hendrix will find a lot of like within its pages.

I swear...Grady Hendrix made a deal with the devil to write something this damned good. An amazing mash-up of really uncomfortable horror, metal music & culture, scathing commentary on consumerism, humor, and insight as to how/why bands have such dysfunctional relationships.

Once again, Grady Hendrix is back with another fantastic, self-aware horror novel.

Playing with the classics tropes of the genre, this novel was smart and well written. The narrative was very fast paced and action packed, bringing along the reader for an entertaining adventure.

This novel will particularly appeal to readers with a background in music, specifically heavy metal. This is book was still accessible to less musically-inclined people, like myself, but I know I was the perfect target audience for the book.

If you enjoy Grady Hendrix's novels, heavy metal or deals with the devil, I definitely recommend checking out this one!

I received a copy from Penguin Random House Canada.

what i love about the grady hendrix books i've read is that though the books don't take themselves too seriously, it's pretty obvious the respect hendrix has for the subject. we sold our souls is no exception. though i'm not a heavy metal fan by any means, i appreciate the love letter to music this book essentially is (with a loving mention of my girl dolly too!)

it's not a perfect book; some of the characterization is inconsistent, (sometimes kris is ok with killing, sometimes she's not. why is terry fairly chill about allowing her to play with him on stage after all they've been through?) and the ending left me feeling lukewarm. but it is a really, really fun book to read. i loved that the main character was a middle aged rocker chick who bonds with a latina metal fan named melanie part way through the novel. melanie is a small but important character, and i love seeing women having each other's backs.

also, just want to give a brief content warning for sexual assault. if you know anything about the disaster that was woodstock '99 then that'll give you an idea of what i mean.

so to sum it up: not my favorite hendrix novel (hello, my best friend's exorcism, will anything top you ever?) but lots of fun and some truly creepy imagery. now i'm off to listen to dolly!

Grady Hendrix might be the best voice writing horror today. There’s something special about the way his books pay homage to classic horror, yet manage to feel fresh and unique. Just as I felt I was being lulled by a formulaic piece of 80s horror like I read as a kid, Hendrix just lets loose, and just like when I was a kid, I’m basically unable to do anything but read until I finish this book. Another amazing thing? One of the most terrifying elements of the book, the UPS Men, are sparingly used, and not explained. I both hope he has the wherewithal to not write a book about them, and obsessively hope they are featured in more stories.

I usually give myself a 100 pages before I throw in the towel but I only made it to 90 pages with this book. Difficult to read, story all over the place, mired down in superfluous paragraphs.

2/5

This felt like a story that could have worked with a different tone. It felt like it took itself too seriously for the type of story it was. If it had been written in a similar style as John Dies at the End I think I would have loved it. But as it was, I just couldn't get into it and it felt ridiculous. 

The first thing that put me off this story was the incessant references to bands in the beginning. Now, I love all those bands, but it felt really unnecessary and took me out of the story. Nostalgia and pop culture references can work really well (e.g. Ready Player One) but they have to feel like they are part of the narrative and not just added for the sake of having them there. For me, nothing I have read before has truly epitomised the meaning of 'Member berries' quite like this book.

Member Judas Priest? Yeah, I member! 

Nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia. It got better as the story went on, or at least it felt less heavy handed, but I really wish it had been dialled back in the beginning.

I will give this story credit for having the most claustrophobic scene I have ever read. Well done. It didn't feel particularly realistic how the protagonist got to that moment, but it genuinely had my heart racing during those pages.

Overall it was hard work finishing this book and the ending felt underwhelming.

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this title to review!

A girl with a guitar doesn't have to apologize for anything.

A fantastic book that hits the right notes every step of the way. Part heavy metal horror fantasy, part road book. This is yet another reason Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite authors.

Sure to be another hit from the writer of nostalgic quirky fiction, Hendrix once again exhibits his uncanny ability to weave a story from madness.

Tense, gripping and loaded with the hellfire of metal. We Sold Our Souls will leave you second guessing UPS drivers everywhere because when you're faced with a soul-sucking day job and very real soul-eating demons, there's only one thing left to do. You get the band back together.

Excellent, gripping read made even more interesting by the background story of the rock band and the implication of the "crossroads" type "Devil and Daniel Webster" undercurrent.. This is definitely pulp horror, but it's the kind of pulp horror we all cut our teeth on in the 70's and 80's and books like this one are leading the resurgence. I'd recommend it highly.

Grady Hendrix has filled a hole in my black heart yet again. I don't know how he managed to become the feel-good-book-of-my-life author when I didn't even know I needed one. And when I didn't really how utterly Satanic and metal it would be. Another winner from Quirk and Hendrix. #numetalisgarbage #downwiththeblindking

Hendrix's best title yet! I think he's really hit his stride here. He's always come up with really great concepts with follow-through that was middling to good but this book married a really strong concept and setting with writing that I wanted to linger over. When I was reading this I had to pause at about fifty percent and go to bed and legit was scared to turn my light out that night--strong, strong monsters and horror worldbuilding. And what a cool cover. I think this will sell really well to readers!