Review: The Hell Bound Kids by Manson, Anthony Perconti, Sebastian Vice, & Joe Haward

Co-Authors Manson, Anthony Perconti, Sebastian Vice, and Joe Haward unveil an ominous dystopian world in their novel, The Hell Bound Kids: Wild in the Streets, the first in a longer anarcho-dystopian series.

Populated with childish but street-hardened characters like Ghost, Corpse, Pusho, Mimic and more, this is the story of rugged survival in the face of overwhelming oppression and persecution at the center of Punk City. A once civil society has collapsed into a Kid-filled wasteland of looting, murder, and depravity, with authorities stoking the fires of conflict to keep the gangs at each other’s throats, while the puppetmasters rest comfortably in power.

Not wanting to “sell out to the Adults,” the youthful population of this specter-filled dystopia is desperate to find a way to escape – and they finally do. However, a ratio must be maintained, and the overlords of this hellish metropolis will stop at nothing to retain their stranglehold on the masses. From turf battles, adrenochrome drinking, and violent street brawls to underground war councils, brutal executions, and hard drug abuse, the prose is undeniably gritty, but there is also a deeply philosophical side to the narration.

Sharpened by a savage allegorical undercurrent, this book may appear as a dark fantasy sci-fi novel, but it is also a scathing critique of capitalism and the oppressive structure of mainstream society. The punk scene across the decades has held strongly to an anarchistic and anti-imperialist foundation, and this book reimagines this conflict as the daily battle of resilient Punk Kids vs. the faceless City Management. The heroes of this grim drama are in some ways deeply flawed, but also incalculably traumatized, and the author’s honest examination of that dual reality is subtle, but persistent.

Gentrification and demographic control are at the black heart of this story, and it won’t take much for readers to recognize the parallels to the real world. Overpriced apartment buildings edging out the masses of suffering humans is a stark reflection of America today, as the country faces its largest homeless crisis in half a century. Police manipulation of violent narratives in marginalized communities is another contemporary issue this story fearlessly spotlights, among so many other relevant overlaps and familiar corruptions, i.e. the police complaining about the revolving door of justice, while perpetuating their own gang-like structures.

On the technical side, the writing is clean and polished, despite the hard edges of dialogue and exposition. The explanations of sci-fi elements are clear, the vocabulary is broad and dextrous, and the relationships built on the page are authentic. Some conversational exchanges come off as too clever and manicured, but the majority of the writing hums with whip-cracking wit, bravado, and original energy.

Offering a cleverly masked but relentless protest to the Powers That Be, as well as something of an allegorical call to action, this is an edgy piece of punk brilliance, carving out its own accessible niche in the growing genre of dystopian fiction, with a heavy but well-incorporated weight on incisive social critique.