The Word of the Rock God

by Brooklynn Dean

If the road to Hell was paved with good intentions, then maybe the righteous path was forged in sin. Regardless of its composition, Max Lenett always felt a strong desire to walk its road reverently and with devotion. Armed with musical ability, poetic talent, and a powerful voice, Max followed it across the country to smoky bars and underground clubs where he masked his morals in cryptic lyrics and harsh, heavy vocals. When he's presented with the worry that an artist's striking features are more important to the masses than the profound message of the art itself, a debate between the physical and spiritual opens up inside Max's mind. In time with this duality, he meets two new friends-- one with strangely golden eyes and heated skin and the other with the ability to understand even his most enigmatic lyrics. Max begins to question not only his position on the stage, but also his place in the universe as he struggles to reconcile his strict moral code with the appeal of sin. However, much more than Max's soul hangs in the balance, as things are rarely what they seem, and people, especially his new friends, are almost never who they appear to be.

Genres: Music

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2019

Reviews

[Luke Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a ride on the wild side and surrender to Brooklynn Dean’s seduction.

Being a musician is what drew me to this fantastic novel by Brooklynn Dean. And with a stylish cover and title like that, how could it not? Then, as I realised there were supernatural elements at play within these pages, the electricity intensified. This really set me up for the ride I was about to take.

We're introduced to Max, the frontman of a band with a steadily growing audience, and straight away, the author's devotion to music as an art is evident. Dean captures the essence of what it means to be a musician dedicated to the service of your calling like only someone weaving true passion can.

Max lives for his music, and the author's ability to convey this shines as we get to know our unique protagonist in a time guided by 'sin'. Max knows he's not like everyone else, and his compelling journey leads through innumerable questions of his faith, himself and the distracted, oft-superficial world we inhabit.

But let me be clear, you do not need to be religious to enjoy this exceptional adventure.

Oh, no. Max’s quandaries are rooted in the existential, of materialism and spirituality, of action and inaction, and, most importantly, of meaning and connection.

Dean displays artful skill in developing her characters, and this novel’s greatest strengths show in their interactions. You’re drawn into Max’s journey and feel connections developing as more of the accompanying cast are explored and this elegantly conceived story unfolds. By the end, I was so thoroughly hooked by each character and desperate to learn even more about each in that very “No, I don’t want this to end yet!” kind of way.

The story flowed impeccably and was fused with some truly memorable lines of description and dialogue; there were some vivid scenes so immersive I felt utterly stolen from reality - make sure you’re sitting comfortably!

The crux of Max’s journey revolves around a tour with his band. A tour not easily forgotten. A tour with two mysterious and enchanting (for very different reasons) repeat visitors. I had a strong feeling of who these brilliantly portrayed characters were (I usually suss these things out quickly!), though the author shows terrific skill and restraint in maintaining their mystique as the story progresses.

The ending… is perfect.

I honestly could not imagine any other ending fitting better and was SO satisfied how this was handled. There’s so much I could say about how much feeling I developed for these characters, how real they felt in a way Anne Rice would be proud of, or the gracefully touched on supernatural elements and artistic descriptions and scenes which took my mind to Neil Gaiman’s works at times.

This is getting long now, though, so I’ll leave it with this;

This book is not what you expect. It’s better.
Dean will get under your skin with her delicious descriptions, charismatic characters and magical realism. Her writing never loses sight of its purpose and knows all the moves to seduce you.
Read this book, you won’t regret it!

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting! Once you start reading there is no way to put this down! It keeps you wanting more and Brooklynn Dean definitely delivers!

[Alana K. Drex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like books interwoven with underlying questions? I like when books can make me question what lies beneath the surface of life.

🎸This story follows Maxwell, a rockstar, who is quite a heavy thinker, no not drinker. THINKER. It was refreshing to see a different kind of rockstar than we are usually portrayed. Philip is a band member and had always had his back when it comes to Max not giving into the stereotypical rockstar life. Craig, the usual type of rocker, remains aloof.

Then, one day Max's beliefs are challenged through a mysterious woman who seems to appear at all his shows. Will Maxwell change who he is and his longheld beliefs for one woman, and what is with her glowing golden eyes....?

🤟Would I recommend? I would recommend to anyone who likes morality interwoven in their reads. And anyone who enjoys some well-done prose. Dean did a damn fine job on her debut novel, and I cannot wait to read DEIFICATION later this year!

[Peter Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was delightfully clever in a lot of ways. It took certain things we all think about or have seen in media as abstractions or inner monologue and said “What if they were personified and real?” On top of that, it adds in certain elements of sectarian theology that are alive in the hearts and minds of some believers out there. Beyond that, I appreciated the display of male friendships without any subtext or coding, and that’s something media in general can do with more of. The ending was excellent and there’s enough there to figure it out if you know what to do look for.

[Nikki Hickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, beware, once you pick this book up, you’ll be unable to put it down. It’s a book that draws you in right from the start and holds you there until you finish it.

“Max was a purity in a time of corruptive forces being the most trendy.”

This story that Dean has created pushes the questions that dwell within all of us. What is our purpose? What is good for me? Do I give into temptation? The characters in the novel all have a mysterious part in Max’s life, begging you to question who is good, bad, and truly looking out for him. As mentioned previously though, when it starts to unravel, you can’t put this book down.

Dean takes you into a world of music and performance that we can all relate to. Whether it’s as a performer, composer, or a fan in a crowd, everyone relates to the words so carefully crafted and written. We all feel the pulse of adrenaline, even if we’ve never been to a rock concert before. We feel the inner battle of Max and all characters involved, to the point you’re left feeling for every person involved.

[Heather W · Rating 5 out of 5]

His cross to bear...

"all the myths surrounding a lifetime of devotion now standing before him in perceptible, tangible, undeniable reality." - Brooklynn Dean

This is a compelling story of Good vs Evil with an amazing ending. The author creates a world of righteousness only to rip it away in an instant. The meaning of morality is ambiguous within the context of Max's life. The characters and the story in this book are so real that you feel you have been with them on the tour and cannot tear yourself away.

This is my first book from the author but it will not be my last.
I read and reviewed a copy of this book with no obligation.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! I absolutely devoured it and thought about it constantly when I wasn't able to read it. Dean pulls you in from the start and I felt an absolute adoration for rock god Max - he's genuine and sweet and you just want to hold him tight to your chest and stroke his hair and tell him everything's going to be okay.

The story is a delicious take on good vs evil, and Dean makes the choices to real and raw, you really have a hard time choosing a side. I was moved to tears and didn't want it to end!

[Sabrina Voerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Brooklynn Dean delivers a story that is filled with characters who have so many layers. We are introduced to Max, a singer in a band with a message to spread about goodness. When he meets two very different women, he is introduced to the very real dichotomy between good and evil. Dean does an excellent job in delivering this dichotomy and developing it in a semi-slow burn kind of way. It has an insidious kind of feel to it, while never feeling entirely heavy.
I don't want to say too much to avoid giving anything away in this book, but it is a story that makes you think, that keeps the gears turning in your head after you've turned the final page.
Dean's delivery of characters is what really tips this over for me - Max, Philip, Craig, Bonum, and Malum are all very different and yet with similarities as well. They feel very real, characters you can believe their choices and their actions. But they also grow and change naturally throughout the book.

[Sam Odiorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooklynn Dean tells a classic story of good and evil in the unfamiliar setting of a rock band on tour, using her handsome and talented protagonist Max Lenett to address the complexities of Christian living in the modern era. It is to her credit as an author and storyteller that she carries the reader through the entire journey without ever leaving the impression of a ham-fisted sermon or a personal manifesto masked in fiction, setting her work apart from many others on the market that sacrifice narrative for agenda. Instead she presents the two sides of key mediums of contention – alcohol, sex, honesty – from the viewpoints of champions that believe in them to their core, with Max wrestling to reconcile his virtues against his lifestyle the entire way through.

At its base, “Word of the Rock God” is an enjoyable read that I consumed in a single sitting. Dean’s voice as a writer has clarity and presence that does not flex or fray at any point – her word choice and limited exposition are constant companions as the reader moves with Max from one bar to the next on the road to fame and fortune as vocals and guitar for his band. I found it refreshing and exciting that to the author, there are no unimportant characters – even the abstract bartenders and groupies have a burst of personality and flavor that leaves the reader wondering what happened next in their lives when they stepped off the narrative path of Dean’s book and vanished. It is an excellent keystone for the author’s body of work.

Brooklynn Dean is a writer to watch as she continues to build her collection. You won’t be disappointed.

[Brian Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never hoped a rock star would cast aside the sex and drugs that often are associated with rock and roll so much. The author takes you on a ride that makes you feel what it's like to be on stage, adored by everyone for all the wrong, and all the right reasons at the same time. And the conflict Max finds himself in is impossible for mere mortals to comprehend. This book is outstanding, even if you're like me, and you've never put on leather pants, eye makeup or thrown up hand-horns while listening to music you think is too loud. I found myself wanting to read more and find out what happens to Max. This is a must read for anyone who loves a great story. And I promise you'll learn a thing or two along the way.

[Ben Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooklynn writes with a distinctive, deceptively straightforward voice.

She brings a sharp wit to bear on this refreshingly original concept, allowing the subject matter to be both delightfully engaging and sinfully raucous in equal measure.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Clint Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and thought provoking

Dean’s writing drew me in from the beginning. The conflict between good and evil, fire and ice, was poignantly applicable to my own experience. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.

[Tim Whatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!

[Lee Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intimately descriptive fable that merges rock and roll with a powerful message…

Using an encapsulating and immersive writing style Brooklyn Dean places you on stage between your favourite musicians – that’s how it feels anyway. Its intimate and needs to be in order to capture every facial expression, every deep thought and every moment that makes up this parable or even biblical tale of the prophet who faces temptation. On the surface it could be perceived as good versus evil but beneath that is a story full of depth and meaning.

‘Max’ is content with the life he leads as a typically free spirited creative. While his bandmates ‘Phillip’ and ‘Craig’ are partying, he would rather be writing new material over coffee while feeding from the energy of performing. He’s an artist who stands for purity even relaying his message to younger people not to dive in and that it’s okay to wait for certain things in life. Not only is he placed between his two bandmates on stage but figuratively as well – ‘Phillip’ stands as a sometimes sassy but always likeable guardian of sorts, he’s an old friend or even a shoulder to cry on while ‘Craig’ is lesser so but still makes up the band on Max’s other shoulder and this is where the genius of interpretation and symbolism begins. In fact that deep symbolism is all around us.

While we see the band and their smaller venue touring life captured night after night ‘Max’ encounters two different women who turn out to be so much more. One of them persists with temptation of the many vices our main character has avoided and they start to weigh upon him. Gradually she weaves her way beneath the surface of his consciousness and all of sudden things that never mattered to him start to take over the things that do. The positive message of purity Max carries becomes muddied and almost corrupt where once the art mattered now it seemingly doesn’t.

Like all great stories The Word of the Rock God gives the reader opportunity to interpret the symbolism of it in our own way. It’s what isn’t there that makes you think and leaves a lasting impression after. Even the ending, although satisfying is decided by those who take on these words. From the simple concept of a demon trying to tempt a prophet to the belief of your own art and even the responsibility of being in a position to deliver a message to your audience positively. Sometimes we can lose ourselves or even fall off the path while trying to be someone else so desperately, perhaps being yourself is all that matters. All of this is wrapped up with the rock and roll lifestyle of a performer who lives for his art and it’s delivered through an original unique reading experience. Highly recommended to anyone looking for something a little different.

[Billy Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't you want to be the rock god?

Max is a rock star on ascension to being a rock god. But, Max's message is not the typical sex, drugs, and rock and roll from rock stars before him. Max's message is about saying no, not giving in to temptation or the typical vices we all struggle with.

Max meets Malum, whose eerie presence entices him. The girl is far darker than he could imagine. He also meets another girl named, Bonum. One is darkness (Malum) the other is light (Bonum) Each inspires him in different ways as he tours with his bandmates Phillip, his best friend for many years, and Craig, the arrogant womanizing member of his band.

Max has fought temptation for a very long time and has helped others on their paths with his words, yet when he begins to slip, he slips far, far from his message, fighting internally with himself as he fights to not give in to lesser desires.

The struggle is wonderfully portrayed and something you can easily feel as if you are there with the main character. Dean's writing is very much like Anne Rice's, with silky prose and beautiful imagery along with so many thoughtful sentences I had to give pause and think many times. The book challenges many things within the main character and the reader as well.

Not formulaic, and something different that is a wonderful blossoming of a garden of words.

[Philip Aldous · Rating 5 out of 5]

At its heart, WotRG is a character study, depicting the struggles of balancing two seemingly incongruent lifestyles - that of a rock musician and that of a devout Catholic. The protagonist, Max, is the lead singer of a rock band, alongside guitarist, Craig and drummer, Philip. The story is a clever take on the classic shoulder-angel, shoulder-devil plot device, with each taking the form of a beautiful woman, whispering in his ear, attempting to convince him to stray away from his true path.

The factor I found most interesting was Dean’s writing style. She draws moments out, using thoughtful, essay-like passages to plumb Max’s inner turmoil to its fullest depths. Though these digressions rarely advance the plot directly, they still carry weight, allowing us to truly understand his thoughts & feelings as he slowly ventures into new territory. Dean clearly enjoys breaking traditional rules of writing: discouraged practices, such as head-hopping, adverbs, and purple prose are used liberally, and her approach to pacing is utterly unique, with the narrative tension finally coming to a head astonishingly late (around the 96% mark).

It’s not without flaws: The editing could have been tighter, amputating unnecessary words & streamlining some passages. The 10 long chapters could have been broken down into short, punchy chapters, which may have helped the story zip along with a slightly more cinematic pacing. I also felt that, since the story focused so heavily on Max’s relationship with Malum and Philip, the characters of Craig and Bonum were slightly underdeveloped, often relegated to little more than background characters.

But, these are minor gripes. This is an excellent work of literary fiction, the kind of story that modern publishers wrongly shy away from because it doesn't conform to the rigid formula of genre fiction, and I admire Dean’s bravery in executing her vision so confidently. As a musician who spent much of his late teens playing drums in grimy rock venues, I very much enjoyed this exploration of the seedier side of that lifestyle.

[Alexander Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second dive into the world of Brooklynn Dean. The first was Amethyst. I think I enjoyed that one just a little more, as it was written in first person, which made the writing really shine. A lot of the themes in Amethyst can be found here:

The battle all creatives have with themselves - the struggle to reconcile various identities and faces; desire; obsession; music as a method of communication, and most of all, the temptation of Sin. All these ideas can be found in Dean's book, Amethyst, but they're deepened here. There is more in the way of plot here, whereas I found Amethyst more of a character study.

Max Lenett is the frontman of a rock band. He is closed off. Deep in the depths of the emotions he needs to create his Art. While his bandmates indulge in Sin - a theme Brooklynn Dean herself ties into what seems like most of her books - Max sticks to the righteous path. That is until he meets a strange woman at one of his shows. Not only that, but he meets another. They are both very strange in different ways. One is light. One is dark. The battle for their Holy Mouthpiece has begun.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally, this was almost a DNF. But I am glad I carried on. Here's the biggest thing you need to know about this story...it is a long, slow, carefully laid out seduction.

I think we're all so used to having things happen quickly that when something like this comes along, we (and by "we" I mean "me") think, come on! Let's get going!

I will say, in the end, I very much enjoyed this book—far more than I thought I would, considering the main character is a straight-edge Christian. And honestly, I would have given this an easy four stars, except for two things.

The first is, while a fair amount of time is required to be in Max's head, I do think the author overdoes it a bit.

The second is more on the editing side. There's a fair amount of head-hopping from paragraph to paragraph is sections of the book, but it's more the grammatical and formatting errors that put me off—"heroine" for "heroin", "affect" for "effect" and so on.

With some editing, this could be a really good novel.

[Shannon Rohrer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, I found this book kind of disappointing--which is a shame, because I really, really wanted to like it. And in some respects I did, otherwise I wouldn't have rated it 3 stars.

The concept, the whole struggle of good and evil, of having the proverbial devil and angel on your shoulder was something that sparked my interest. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. I'm not entirely sure why; maybe it was the writing itself that didn't jive with me, maybe there were times it felt far too repetitive (not just in word choice, but in the way Max's thoughts and feelings were presented without really feeling like any growth was happening). Maybe it was something else.

Whatever the reason, I just didn't love this book. Regardless, I recommend others give it a shot, come to their own conclusions and wish the author great success in all her endeavours.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Word of the Rock God - Brooklynn Dean paints a compelling world where what society is telling you to do doesn’t always match up with what feels right to you. We’ve all felt that way at one point in our life or another. Dean does a great job of making her characters relatable and conveying the message that, ultimately, it’s your choice, no matter your predesigned path in life.

A+ for world building
A+ for an original concept
A+ for relatable characters
A+ for encouraging people to make their own path

I’m excited to delve into the worlds of Dean’s other books!

❤️❤️

[S Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The troubles of fighting temptation

An interesting take on the whole 'devil on one shoulder and angel on the other'. And Max truly does have some demons to fight. Max starts off trying really hard to not give in, but the golden eyed beauty that refuses to let Max be plays an intense game with his mind.

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good versus evil. We follow Maxwell as he finds his place in the world through his music. His attempts at finding the good in the world while dealing with the new friends he has found. Brooklynn Dean is an amazing author. She gives us complex themes in an easy to understand story. Then she gives us ideas to think about.

[Jason Nickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Existential struggles, battles with temptation, and Rock and Roll. This book was not what I expected, but it was a great story!

[David Arduser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooklynn has written a great book with an interesting story line, memorable characters, and a smooth, character development of the protagonist.

As a fellow author, I can definitely appreciate her hard work, and can easily overlook some minor proofreading errors, because, as an independent author and publisher myself, my novels have their errors, too. What matters is the story, and a great story was told. I was pleasantly surprised when the plot went into supernatural territory. Brooklynn's quote, "If the road to Hell was paved with good intentions, then maybe the righteous path was forged in sin" grabbed me immediately.

I could relate to Max, the main character, and his fight to stay morally sound, and hold fast to his convictions (and his love for heavy metal!). His fight was one I fought similarly growing up. Though no one is perfect, it's evident that even the best-intending people can fall.

And this is where I'll open up to giving 'unsolicited advice'; though Brooklynn's intention was to simply tell a supernatural story about a musician and his path to fame, she touched on some elements of the Bible I feel compelled to expound upon. What Max was missing spiritually, was something he carried around his neck physically—and that is Jesus Christ. There's power in the Blood, and rest in His name. Max's sins could be forgiven in all of it, had he believed and confessed in Jesus. But I understand that isn't the direction the author wanted to go—and it was enjoyable just the same! I definitely recommend this book!