Wait, wait. . . so the two lead characters are Metalhead best friends, but they’re not lovable losers, like Wayne and Garth? They’re not lovable morons, like Bill and Ted or gremlins like Beavis and Butthead? Nope. In “Revolution Calling,” Ray Van Horn’s Pushcart Prize-nominated 2023 novel, Rob and Jason are actually pretty recognizable, intelligent, relatable, down-to-earth high schoolers. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to find a book where the “grit” kids are given dimension and actual character development.

“Revolution Calling” is a slice-of-life story set in a Maryland high school of the late 1980s, following Rob, Jason, and their friends, enemies, and romantic interests through senior year. It’s fictional, but apparently with numerous autobiographical tidbits thrown in from Van Horn’s own teenage days. He goes to great descriptive lengths to set the scenes and settings, loading the text with cultural touchpoints and remembrances to transport you to the time. Rather than deliver tightly-plotted “DaVinci Code” twists and turns, he lets the characters stroll through their paces, slowly establishing themselves, while dread and threat gradually builds from the environment around them.
In “Revolution Calling,” Van Horn delivers his own “A.I.R.” (Adolescence In Red), except here, the adults in authority (some of them) are the secondary antagonists to the Metal lifestyle kids. Their main threat comes from the aggressive, violent, bigots of the local Future Farmers kids. As the book progresses, the psychotic taunting and bullying goes beyond John Hughes levels, veering into Stephen King territory, with actual threats of bodily harm and worse. Once past the slow-ish start, you’ll find yourself riveted to the pages, following the developing growth and maturity of Rob and Jason, as well as the escalations of their enemies, as injustice, prejudice, and tragedy are heaped upon them. Credit to Van Horn, because the characters respond in believable, realistic ways to the events and the world around them.
This is a good, well-written story - - and an enjoyable read - - but my favorite takeaways were all of the references to the mainstream-dismissed Metal music and culture of the time - - the sacred relics of my own teenage wasteland. Among its many themes are growing up, the inevitability of change, compromise, the challenges of outsider culture, the viciousness beneath the surface of mainstream culture, and a celebration of Heavy Metal’s halcyon days. It’s a rare and welcomed novel where you see shoutouts to denim jackets covered in patches and pins, where great Thrash bands like Overkill, Death Angel, Possessed, and more get named with respect. There’s plenty to relate to here for those of us who lived through this era, who shared the same awkwardness and outcast feelings as Rob and Jason. I remember getting asked if I worshiped the devil. I remember feeling exactly this out of sorts and different, and getting picked on in some of the same ways. Thankfully, real world bad guys didn’t usually go to the same lengths as the FFA kids do in this book - - but their actions and attitudes are sadly believable.
“Revolution Calling” is an excellent commentary on the past and the present, certain to resonate with anyone who ever wore denim and black, back in the day. Recommended.