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mommaslonglegs's review against another edition
5.0
This was an epic horror/thriller. Joe Hill did an excellent job with the pacing and descriptions of characters and scenes. There is so much additional content in this that builds such a complete world and complex characters. It would have been a great story if it was half the size but the bold choice of making this a 19 hour horror epic was stellar.
Very dark and intense but personally loved it.
Very dark and intense but personally loved it.
bookish2024's review against another edition
4.0
If you have a chance to listen to this on audio read by Kate Mulgrew, do it! It’s a great listening experience.
punkbuddha37's review against another edition
4.0
A very creepy novel, with some extremely disturbing moments mixed in with Gaiman like urban fantasy. Not his best work (that would be heart shaped box) but well worth reading
bhalstead04's review against another edition
5.0
what a fun ride! fantastic book. I was on the nice list :)
heathergstl's review against another edition
2.0
UGH! So disappointed! I WANTED to like this so much!! In the end I bailed, I just couldn't take it any more!
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
Although Joe Hill dedicated this novel to his mother, it's really just a big fat wonderful ode to his father.
Everything that King does wonderfully -- storytelling, plotting, pacing -- Hill gets right, and so much more. This book is carefully and perfectly paced, and Hill's characterization (of every character) is thoughtful and consistent. It feels folksy and New England-y like Stephen King's best work, but it never feels like it needs an editor (which I feel some of King's later work really does...). Hill has poured so much care and attention into this book; and I guess it doesn't really matter who it is or should be dedicated to. It's just a great story.
Kate Mulgrew does an excellent narration, too. She is pure Americana, rough and raspy, and a great hero and even better villain. Also, the audiobook has a really nice afterword by Hill himself, where he talks about the writing of this book and about audiobooks, and he gives some audio recommendations.
Everything that King does wonderfully -- storytelling, plotting, pacing -- Hill gets right, and so much more. This book is carefully and perfectly paced, and Hill's characterization (of every character) is thoughtful and consistent. It feels folksy and New England-y like Stephen King's best work, but it never feels like it needs an editor (which I feel some of King's later work really does...). Hill has poured so much care and attention into this book; and I guess it doesn't really matter who it is or should be dedicated to. It's just a great story.
Kate Mulgrew does an excellent narration, too. She is pure Americana, rough and raspy, and a great hero and even better villain. Also, the audiobook has a really nice afterword by Hill himself, where he talks about the writing of this book and about audiobooks, and he gives some audio recommendations.
ababs's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. It was easy to get lost in their Inscape! I love how smoothly it navigated between a fictional world and our world. I especially appreciated the plight of the librarian after losing everything in the flood of 2008, being an Iowan myself. The characters were relatable, and I felt invested in what happened to them. The villain was just human enough... he couldn't be redeemed, but you could see how his path lead him there.
jimbowen0306's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not going to lie, this has me in three minds. One says I enjoyed it, so give it a high score. A second asks why it needed to be almost 1000 pages. A third wonders why it had to incorporate references to his family (his mother's name, familial addiction issues -though this was... understandable), and their work (off the top of my head, IT, Christine, Cujo, Pet Sematary, The Shining, The Institute, elements of the Gwendy series).
So... anyway... the story. Vic is a neglected/borderline abused kid who discovers she has a magic bridge that can take her places, when she rides her bike. At the same time there's a... vampire? who travelling the country, infiltrating/altering the souls of the children he kidnaps. They cross paths when she's a child, and later after she's settled down and had a kid. We track her life, as she survives their first meeting, and build up the second.
As I said, I enjoyed the book, but it felt a little long. Not so long I wanted to put it down, but long enough to make me wonder if it could have been... pruned a little?
The other thing that bugged me was the call backs to his Dad's work. They didn't need to be there, and sort of bugged me after a while.
So... anyway... the story. Vic is a neglected/borderline abused kid who discovers she has a magic bridge that can take her places, when she rides her bike. At the same time there's a... vampire? who travelling the country, infiltrating/altering the souls of the children he kidnaps. They cross paths when she's a child, and later after she's settled down and had a kid. We track her life, as she survives their first meeting, and build up the second.
As I said, I enjoyed the book, but it felt a little long. Not so long I wanted to put it down, but long enough to make me wonder if it could have been... pruned a little?
The other thing that bugged me was the call backs to his Dad's work. They didn't need to be there, and sort of bugged me after a while.