Books › Deadly Class, Vol. 1
Deadly Class, Vol. 1
Reagan Youth
160 pages
A neon-soaked, punk-rock fever dream of teenage angst and hyper-violence.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like listening to a mixtape of 80s punk rock while speeding down a dark highway. It is a propulsive, neon-drenched fever dream that perfectly captures the raw, bleeding-heart angst of being a teenager, only amplified by life-or-death stakes. The narrative voice is deeply cynical yet desperately lonely, pulling you into a grimy, chaotic world where every interaction feels like a loaded gun. The storytelling is kinetic and visceral, matching the relentless pace of the emotional highs and lows. It is a book for anyone who loves dark, rebellious coming-of-age stories where found family is forged in blood and betrayal, offering a gritty, adrenaline-fueled ride that leaves you breathless and bruised.
- Mood
- neon-drenched
- grimy
- adrenaline-fueled
- chaotic
- Tone
- cynical
- angsty
- gritty
- rebellious
- darkly comedic
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- teenage alienation · toxic found family · loss of innocence · 80s counterculture · burden of legacy
- The writing
- Sharp, cynical internal monologues paired with kinetic, hyper-stylized visual storytelling.
- The arc
- Moves from isolated, suicidal despair to a fragile, blood-soaked sense of belonging among fellow outcasts.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave dark, punk-rock coming-of-age stories dripping with angst, hyper-violence, and anti-establishment grit.
Content notes
- graphic violence
- drug use
- suicidal ideation
- bullying
- profanity
- child abuse
About the book
It’s 1987. Marcus Lopez hates school. His grades suck. The jocks are hassling his friends. He can’t focus in class. But the jocks are the children of Joseph Stalin’s top assassin, the teachers are members of an ancient league of assassins, the class he’s failing is “Dismemberment 101,” and his crush has a doubledigit body count.
Welcome to the most brutal high school on earth, where the world’s top crime families send the next generation of assassins to be trained. Murder is an art. Killing is a craft. At Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts, the dagger in your back isn’t always metaphorical.
Description from Open Library.
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