The Devil Wand

by Diavolo Ray

Jet James—child of an abusive father and a naive, Christian mother—grows up with his rebellious little sister on a religious commune beneath the giant redwoods of California. As he seeks solace in the spectral world of his radio dial, he discovers the secret rhythm in everything around him.

When his family follows their church to Portland, he's relentlessly bullied and soon finds escape and a new identity in New Wave dance clubs.

Part autofiction, thriller, romance, and music fantasia spanning the Summer of Love to Y2K, The Devil Wand is a boisterous and swooning epic filled with rock history, pop culture, and magical realism.

418 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2025

About the author

Diavolo was raised on a religious commune in Humboldt County where the redwoods filtered sunlight in dusty slants. At night, his eyes drifted to spiderwebs in the rafters, where all the terrible secrets lived.

He is the author of the award-winning cosmic horror novel Many Arms Enfold Us, and his work has appeared in Skytown, Perceptions, and The Poet Heroic. His new novel Hypersound is now available in paperback and ebook.

A member of SAG-AFTRA and the Horror Writers Association, he currently resides in Portland, OR.

Reviews

[Renai Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best book I’ve read this year. It had me crying with sadness and howling with laughter. If you grew up anywhere in the sticks you will relate. If you grew up in Northern California the Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout will delight you to no end. The sibling relationship of petty squabbles is spot on and hilarious. The way our family can enrage and exhaust us. The prose is exquisite, with many colloquialisms I will be stealing outright. Jet does not merely grow; he emerges. The wisdom you didn’t know you needed will be found here. If I could only recommend one book this year, here it is. Read it and thank me later.