Shredder Orpheus (Encyclocalyspe Movie Tie-In Series), by David Irons, (based on the screenplay by Robert McGinley)

Encyclopocalypse Publications, 2025

ISBN: 9781966037200

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com

One advantage to the multitude of small publishing houses that have sprung up: they can take on projects that large publishers would never touch, but will be loved by a small but devoted audience. Such is the case with Shredder Orpheus, a novelization of the 1980s cult skaterock/dystopia film. I haven’t seen the film so I can’t say how it compares, but the book is a fun read all on its own.

As far as plots go, it’s probably one of the more ridiculous, even for the 80s, when such plots were all the rage. And that’s what makes it fun. In the dismal urban landscape of the Gray Zone, where people live in shipping containers, life revolves around survival, thrashing (riding skateboards) and rock n’ roll. Orpheus is kind of a local hero, since he can shred with the best of them, be it on his board or a guitar. He’s one of the few bright spots in an area that never seems to see the sun. Tragedy strikes when his beloved Eurydice is killed by Video Vampires on their wedding night, and she is taken to Hell to resign with Hades. Hades also happens to run the EBN TV network, which broadcasts brain-deadening shows on all the TVs, which allows him to steal souls. The lovelorn Orpheus decides to travel to Hell to confront Hades and try to get Eurydice back, armed with his guitar-lyre (a powerful instrument conceived by Jimi Hendrix) and his gift-from-the-abyss apocalyptic skateboard. It’s up to Orpheus and his buddies Scratch, Axel, and Razoreus to thrash and shred their way through Hell, and Hades’ TV studio, to rescue the darling Eurydice.

Still with me? Ok, good. All of the above is ludicrous, but it’s entertaining, and that’s what matters. The author writes in a fast and loose fashion, and the story clips along, moving from underground rock clubs, to the EBN studios, to a secret garage entrance that leads to Hell. The story moves quickly, and there is just enough there to make you interested in the characters. Their lives are really bleak– one way of getting food consists of raiding dumpsters for thrown-away pizzas, the pizzas being thrown away because the protagonists called them in as bogus orders, then waited by the dumpster for them to be discarded. This takes dumpster diving to an art form. Orpheus gets most of the book’s time: the other three are fairly minor characters, but they are entertaining when they do show up. There’s enough in the book that the romance and devotion of Orpheus and Eurydice feels relatively real, and not just like a plot device used as an excuse to have him skate through the underworld. Orpheus’ sojourn through the realms of Hades is a blast, as he encounters lost souls, a lot of paper shredding, the strange video vampires, some chainsaw decapitation, and he gets to shred his board across fire and lava pools. Totally rad! This is completely deranged silliness, and completely thrilling for those who remember the days when Powell Peralta, Bones Brigade, and VISION were words in every kid’s lexicon. The only minor change I would liked to have seen was a bit more focus on the skating itself. Where it’s a skate-rock adventure, more added rail slides, wheel grinds, truck slides, and 720s would have seemed appropriate. Then again, I don’t know how much was actually in the film itself, so maybe it makes sense.

Bottom line is, it’s a crazy story about crazy times, and should be able to find an audience outside of just the film fans. Recommended.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson