The ‘Chaindevils’ Pitch
Chaindevils is a post-apocalyptic horror punk novella which is written by Matthew Mitchell and published by Weirdpunk Books.
Set in a far distant rural North America, Chaindevils focuses on this gang of chainsaw-wielding hillbillies tasked with a mission by ‘Her Majesty of the Ozarks’ to collect a fresh supply of methamphetamine. So, clearly, this is a family friendly book.
The setting is incredibly bleak, dark and riddled with characters that are an evolution of the worst parts of humanity. To paint a picture, this ragtag group of ‘Chaindevils’ face religious zealots, militarised sex workers, and when they’re not busy trying to fuck the submissives in their own gang, they’re busy fending off and dealing with their own addictions. Whether those addictions are alcoholic, sexual, or drug-related. Anecdotally – sometimes it’s all three!
There are many elements of grimdark pop culture you’ll find in this novella. It’s part Sons of Anarchy due to the gang element. It’s part Warhammer 40000 thanks to its bleakness. There’s the perverted feeling you’re reading an excerpt from a Necromunda rulebook. It’s even part Waterworld in how the Chaindevils are mindless zealots in their own right – just like ‘the Smokers’ in Kevin Costner’s epic are. I’d go so far to say that it’s part ‘Bad Batch’ due to its depiction of cannibals in Ana Lily Amirpour’s post-apocalyptic flop of a film – both habitually and ritualistically.
Mitchell tackles the political and social nuances of a post-apocalyptic society built on corruption, slavery, addiction and the worst monarchy you’ve ever heard of (yes, worse than England). There’s something in Chaindevils for any and everyone who enjoys horror of the bleakest of grimdark fiction.
But the greatest thing about this book? Because it’s a novella, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and can be tackled in a weekend due to it being less than 200 pages. That said, this is no Mad Max: Fury Road. The ending is as bleak as its beginning. It’s unapologetically extreme to the point where inserting your penis into a meat grinder would grant some pleasant respite. There’s grimdark – and then there’s this. Chaindevils is a roid-rage infused love-song on everything that’s right about post-apocalyptic media. Or everything that’s wrong about it.
In short, it’s a fuck-ton-of-fun.
