The Rednexorcist

Do you want a book that makes absolutely no damned sense? Want something that leaves you feeling so confused you think someone might have snuck acid in your energy drink? Want to read something irreverent, disgusting, violent, and absolutely thrilling?

Then you, my friend, want to read The Rednexorcist.

Published in July of this year by Frank Sloane (Grady Hendrix), this absolutely bonkers novella is about an exorcist named Father Glenn. After spending fifteen years in jail, he discovers that his ex-wife has gone missing. And his estranged daughter is there to make him find her.

Now, if you are a fan of Hendrix’s novels like The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires or How to Sell a Haunted House, please don’t think that’s the sort of book you’re going to read here. The vibes are totally different. Almost like it was written by another person.

(Stephen King could learn something from this. All of his Richard Bachman books read just like his other work.)

There was so much going on in this book. Multiple demons are hunting Father Glenn. Which kind of makes sense, because he’s very much a sleezy person. And, alright, he also happens to be fairly good at defeating demons. They’ve been following around his daughter, making her life a living hell. It’s all just a jumble of madness, blood, and ghosts.

The first thing I loved about this book was its main character, Father Glenn. He’s just, honestly, a sleezy person. He mistakes his daughter for a sex worker. He’s never met a beer he didn’t like. He’s quick to punch someone or have relations with a stranger in a dive bar bathroom. Basically, just kind of a gross person.

This, of course, is balanced against the fact that he can, in fact, save people from demons.

I also loved the way the story was told. This book is a love letter to old pulp heroes and comics. It’s gritty. It’s crass. It’s fantastic. There is very little flowery language here. You won’t find the usual Hendrix lush descriptions or insightful characters here. Everything is very boilerplate. Every character was shallow, but in the most entertaining way possible.

I swear, it was impossible to catch your breath reading this. Amber, Father Glenn’s daughter, just goes from one terrifying moment to another. In the span of two days, her reasonably peaceful life is ripped to shreds, and she comes face to face with several princes of Hell. And all because she picked her dad up from prison and asked him to help find her missing mother.

Finally, I loved how loose this story was. There was a plotline, but it’s kind of secondary to the constant demon attacks. It feels less like a contained story and more like a series of insane things that happened to these two people. No one learns a lesson. No one grows as a person. These things just happened. More terrible and hilarious things will continue to happen to Father Glenn, I’m sure.

I know this was a short review. But then, it was a short book. I highly recommend The Rednexorcist. It’s funny, dark, and a lot of fun.

Want another book recommendation? Check out my review of The Children.

My book, Station 86 Volume One, is available now on Amazon! It’s got two dark sci-fi stories about murder and mayhem on the station of First Contact.