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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.
a_morrill's review against another edition
2.0
Total slog. I re-started 3 times before they killed the goddamn dog, and I realized I'd barely met him and he was the character I was most invested in. Also, if it wasn't written by Stephen King's son, we'd all be saying it felt like a third-rate SK rip-off, because it does.
lethaldose's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book, I really, really did. After I finished it I spent an hour trying to talk myself into liking it more than I did, but the sad fact is I just didn't really care for this book.
I loved the idea of Christmasland, it is so gloriously dark and fun. I loved the build up to it and I loved when we finally make it there, it does not disappoint in the least.
Joe Hill is so good at setting a scene, I can intensely imagine all the places he takes us because he is so good a painting a scene. Christmasland, The House of Sleep, the lake house, the Wraith. I had no problem just falling into the story because I could so easily see these places and what was going on in them.
Now I have to get to what I didn't like.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and I really did not like Kate Mulgrew's reading. I thought her voices for Charles Manx and Lou Caramady were too comical and robbed Manx of a lot of his menancing terror and made Lou more goofy than lovable. I didn't really care for her voice for Vic either but maybe that has more to do with my intense dislike of the character of Vic.
I get Vic as a character I understand why she is the way she is, but that doesn't make her any more pleasant to me. There was little about her that felt real or interesting to me. She seemed like a character who had tattoos and cursed because that was the opposite of Manx and she needed to be his opposite and what would upset him the most. Everything about her personality felt like it was there because it was needed to either explain or advance the plot, along with every weird decision she makes.
I really don't think this a bad book, it just wasn't for me I think. So if you are a fan of horror, or any of Joe Hill's other books give this one a shot. It is very well written and I didn't care very much for a lot of the twists and turns the story took but that doesn't mean they are bad.
I loved the idea of Christmasland, it is so gloriously dark and fun. I loved the build up to it and I loved when we finally make it there, it does not disappoint in the least.
Joe Hill is so good at setting a scene, I can intensely imagine all the places he takes us because he is so good a painting a scene. Christmasland, The House of Sleep, the lake house, the Wraith. I had no problem just falling into the story because I could so easily see these places and what was going on in them.
Now I have to get to what I didn't like.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and I really did not like Kate Mulgrew's reading. I thought her voices for Charles Manx and Lou Caramady were too comical and robbed Manx of a lot of his menancing terror and made Lou more goofy than lovable. I didn't really care for her voice for Vic either but maybe that has more to do with my intense dislike of the character of Vic.
I get Vic as a character I understand why she is the way she is, but that doesn't make her any more pleasant to me. There was little about her that felt real or interesting to me. She seemed like a character who had tattoos and cursed because that was the opposite of Manx and she needed to be his opposite and what would upset him the most. Everything about her personality felt like it was there because it was needed to either explain or advance the plot, along with every weird decision she makes.
I really don't think this a bad book, it just wasn't for me I think. So if you are a fan of horror, or any of Joe Hill's other books give this one a shot. It is very well written and I didn't care very much for a lot of the twists and turns the story took but that doesn't mean they are bad.
kayshorrorcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Was on the edge of my seat the entire read; twisted, dark, and unique story
joshkiba13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"[E]veryone ha[s] his own world inside, each as real as the communal world shared by all but impossible for others to access . . . It sounded like delusion until you remembered that people made the imaginary real all the time . . . Fantasy was always only a reality waiting to be switched on." -Joe Hill, NOS4A2
Who knew Christmas could be so creepy?? I'm honestly left quite stunned by this book. Its creep factor was dialed up to 11-- by far the creepiest story I've ever read. And at the same time it had such heart to it.
I felt that the story was utterly unique. The opening passages are frightening and foreboding, and I love how we jumped back in time from that point and resumed there later on.
Charlie Manx was a scary bad guy for sure, but his right-hand man, Bing Partridge (aka the Gas Mask Man) was even creepier in my opinion. The first chapters where we're introduced to Bing were among the most off-putting sections of the novel.
I loooved our protagonist Vic McQueen. We follow her from childhood and into adulthood. She is probably the most nuanced and heavily flawed character I've read of. In the Author's Note following the audiobook, Joe Hill explained his dislike for stories where the heroes are double-do-gooders, or something like that, and how he sought to write realistic and flawed "good guys." He absolutely succeeded in my opinion, with Vic and the cast of side characters like Maggie Leigh and Lou Carmody. We are able to cheer them on as they succeed in things, and mourn as they make awful (but real) decisions.
I loved how absolutely off the concept of Christmas became as the book developed--kind of like if The Nightmare Before Christmas was rated R. Beyond the horrifying effects of Charlie Manx's powers, even something as simple as hearing Christmas music beyond the bounds of winter (a common occurrence during the story) became scary. I loved this line: "There was something awful about Christmas music when it was nearly summer. It was like a clown in the rain, with his makeup running."
Hill's dialogue was snappy and clever; his prose and descriptions were unique and often (positively) unconventional. And I absolutely loved his takes on imagination and the mind, as seen in the snippet I opened with, as well as this one:
"Everyone lives in two worlds . . . There's the real world . . . But everyone also lives in the world inside their own head: An in-scape, a world of thought . . . Creative people . . . spend a lot of their time hanging out in their thought-world. Strong creatives though can use a knife to cut the stitches between the two worlds, can bring them together."
The book can definitely get a little out there in some places, but I honestly think the weird served to its benefit. The only part that made me wince in a truly uncomfortable way was Hill referencing a few real-life tragedies to serve a scene where a character was becoming demented. I love a good corruption arc (such as in "Apt Pupil" by Stephen King), but I found the allusions to real tragedies a tad distasteful. Didn't ruin it for me at all, just something I didn't care for.
Overall one of the best audiobooks I've listened to, I absolutely have to hand it to Kate Mulgrew for knocking it OUT of the park with her narration. Manx's voice was gritty and cold, Bing's was off-putting and creepily child-like, and she did Maggie Leigh's stutter so well. Her children voices were well done too, and successfully creepy when necessary. Above all I have to appreciate how when a character was yelling, she yelled and didn't just whisper-yell like some narrators do.
Solid book and sooolid audio 👌
Who knew Christmas could be so creepy?? I'm honestly left quite stunned by this book. Its creep factor was dialed up to 11-- by far the creepiest story I've ever read. And at the same time it had such heart to it.
I felt that the story was utterly unique. The opening passages are frightening and foreboding, and I love how we jumped back in time from that point and resumed there later on.
Charlie Manx was a scary bad guy for sure, but his right-hand man, Bing Partridge (aka the Gas Mask Man) was even creepier in my opinion. The first chapters where we're introduced to Bing were among the most off-putting sections of the novel.
I loooved our protagonist Vic McQueen. We follow her from childhood and into adulthood. She is probably the most nuanced and heavily flawed character I've read of. In the Author's Note following the audiobook, Joe Hill explained his dislike for stories where the heroes are double-do-gooders, or something like that, and how he sought to write realistic and flawed "good guys." He absolutely succeeded in my opinion, with Vic and the cast of side characters like Maggie Leigh and Lou Carmody. We are able to cheer them on as they succeed in things, and mourn as they make awful (but real) decisions.
I loved how absolutely off the concept of Christmas became as the book developed--kind of like if The Nightmare Before Christmas was rated R. Beyond the horrifying effects of Charlie Manx's powers, even something as simple as hearing Christmas music beyond the bounds of winter (a common occurrence during the story) became scary. I loved this line: "There was something awful about Christmas music when it was nearly summer. It was like a clown in the rain, with his makeup running."
Hill's dialogue was snappy and clever; his prose and descriptions were unique and often (positively) unconventional. And I absolutely loved his takes on imagination and the mind, as seen in the snippet I opened with, as well as this one:
"Everyone lives in two worlds . . . There's the real world . . . But everyone also lives in the world inside their own head: An in-scape, a world of thought . . . Creative people . . . spend a lot of their time hanging out in their thought-world. Strong creatives though can use a knife to cut the stitches between the two worlds, can bring them together."
The book can definitely get a little out there in some places, but I honestly think the weird served to its benefit. The only part that made me wince in a truly uncomfortable way was Hill referencing a few real-life tragedies to serve a scene where a character was becoming demented. I love a good corruption arc (such as in "Apt Pupil" by Stephen King), but I found the allusions to real tragedies a tad distasteful. Didn't ruin it for me at all, just something I didn't care for.
Overall one of the best audiobooks I've listened to, I absolutely have to hand it to Kate Mulgrew for knocking it OUT of the park with her narration. Manx's voice was gritty and cold, Bing's was off-putting and creepily child-like, and she did Maggie Leigh's stutter so well. Her children voices were well done too, and successfully creepy when necessary. Above all I have to appreciate how when a character was yelling, she yelled and didn't just whisper-yell like some narrators do.
Solid book and sooolid audio 👌
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
Minor: Racial slurs, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
witchyreader84's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the_sunken_library's review against another edition
3.0
This started off so well. Joe Hill has inherited his father's canny and sensitive exploration and understanding of human interaction; he builds his characters beautifully and they are incredibly believable.
Its an interesting concept and a clever horror story. Vic McQueen is a plucky female protagonist who discovers she has gift. A gift that allows her to find lost items by riding over a bridge formed partly in reality and partly in her imagination. But these journeys have a cost. The bridge is the gateway to her mind, and her sanity is represented by thousands of bats. Each time she uses the bridge a few of those bats escape and she slowly starts to sink into madness. One unfortunate day her bridge leads her into the lair of a man with a similar ability; except he escapes into his own mind rather than using his imagination to reduce the distance between two real places. He kidnaps and traps children in this place, feeding off them like a vampire, keeping himself young. I won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil it!
While I liked the concept and enjoyed the writing style, i felt it was far too long. By telling the story from multiple angles you gain a wonderful, in depth view of what's going on but it slows the pace. After 500 pages I was bored and after 600 I wanted to be done with it.
It loses a star for being too long and another star because by the end I didn't care what happened.
Its an interesting concept and a clever horror story. Vic McQueen is a plucky female protagonist who discovers she has gift. A gift that allows her to find lost items by riding over a bridge formed partly in reality and partly in her imagination. But these journeys have a cost. The bridge is the gateway to her mind, and her sanity is represented by thousands of bats. Each time she uses the bridge a few of those bats escape and she slowly starts to sink into madness. One unfortunate day her bridge leads her into the lair of a man with a similar ability; except he escapes into his own mind rather than using his imagination to reduce the distance between two real places. He kidnaps and traps children in this place, feeding off them like a vampire, keeping himself young. I won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil it!
While I liked the concept and enjoyed the writing style, i felt it was far too long. By telling the story from multiple angles you gain a wonderful, in depth view of what's going on but it slows the pace. After 500 pages I was bored and after 600 I wanted to be done with it.
It loses a star for being too long and another star because by the end I didn't care what happened.