Hunted by monsters. Wanted for questioning. Late for class. Four high-school friends suffer daily humiliation at the hands of three bullies. When the friends accidentally open a portal to another dimension, they unintentionally allow terrifying, other-worldly creatures to invade their small Arkansas town. Discovering that they are now endowed with strange superpowers, the four teens dub themselves “Freaks,” the very name their tormentors used to ridicule them. The Freaks must fight to save the lives of family and friends now in mortal peril and thwart a secret government task force that appears to be hunting them.

Prizes

Winner of Horror/Sci-Fi Grand Prize 2014 (United States),Winner of Grand Prize in Horror 2015 (United States),Runner-up for London Film Festival 2014 (UK)

“A great spin on the superhero story, told with genuine depth.“—Mark Waid, best-selling author of History of the Marvel Universe, Doctor Strange, and Superman Birthright.
"Fast paced storytelling, and life lessons that are imparted as the Freaks face ongoing challenges that threaten their very existence."—Don Sauer, PopCultureGuy
“A fun and fresh twist on the superhero story! Fast-paced, strong characters, and twists and turns make this a must read!“—Jennifer Brody/Vera Strange, author of The 13th Continuum Trilogy, Spectre Deep 6, and the Disney Chills series
“With Freaks, Brett Riley has accomplished something very few YA authors have: freakishly good writing, freakishly relatable characters, freakishly awesome premise — all making for a freakishly great read.“—M. P. Kozlowsky, author of Frost, and Rose Coffin
“Freaks is propulsive and brilliantly written, with compelling characters and plenty of action.“—Scott Bergstrom, author of The Cruelty and The Greed.
“Freaks begins at top speed and never lets up until the final page. Like some fascinating blend of Stranger Things and X-Men, Brett Riley’s novel explores what power means and how it is best wielded, making the book both timely and timeless. A fantastic read!“—Kevin Waltman, author of Nowhere Fast, Learning the Game and Next.

Brett Riley is a professor of English at the College of Southern Nevada. He grew up in southeastern Arkansas and earned his Ph.D. in contemporary American fiction and film at Louisiana State University. His short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Folio, The Wisconsin Review, and The Baltimore Review. Riley’s debut novel, Comanche, was released in September 2020, and Lord of Order was published in April 2021. Riley is currently finishing Travelers, the second book in the Freaks Superhero series. Travelers will be in stores and online in August 2022. He has also won numerous awards for screen writing. He lives in Henderson, Nevada.