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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I'm not generally a fan of horror books--not willing to sift through the chaff like I am with horror movies--but there are a few that stand out. The Ruins was one, and this is another.
Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, but Hill's writing is much better. King chooses a setting that I think is inherently scary (rural Maine), but Hill builds characters and paces plots well. The character choice in this book is particularly interesting--an aging metal star and the goth girls he's lived with over the years. A ghost comes into it, one that I found particularly scary because it doesn't just haunt you, it gets inside your head and uses your own psychology to try to get you to kill yourself (and others). And while I was sincerely terrified at parts, the character study was the most fascinating. The main character actually grows and changes (unusual for a horror book, I think). The ghost becomes a stand-in for his father, and he deals with a lot of issues from his childhood--which becomes a little too literal at the end when the ghost actually enters his father's body and reanimates it, but I'll cut him a little slack.
Especial kudos to the part at the beginning where I thought "Oh, my god, they're actually all going to die. There's no way they can get out of this. How the hell can they all die in the first quarter of the book?" Anyone who can immerse you that fully in an experience (and make them come out of it in a really believable manner, by the way) deserves a lot of praise.
Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, but Hill's writing is much better. King chooses a setting that I think is inherently scary (rural Maine), but Hill builds characters and paces plots well. The character choice in this book is particularly interesting--an aging metal star and the goth girls he's lived with over the years. A ghost comes into it, one that I found particularly scary because it doesn't just haunt you, it gets inside your head and uses your own psychology to try to get you to kill yourself (and others). And while I was sincerely terrified at parts, the character study was the most fascinating. The main character actually grows and changes (unusual for a horror book, I think). The ghost becomes a stand-in for his father, and he deals with a lot of issues from his childhood--which becomes a little too literal at the end when the ghost actually enters his father's body and reanimates it, but I'll cut him a little slack.
Especial kudos to the part at the beginning where I thought "Oh, my god, they're actually all going to die. There's no way they can get out of this. How the hell can they all die in the first quarter of the book?" Anyone who can immerse you that fully in an experience (and make them come out of it in a really believable manner, by the way) deserves a lot of praise.
challenging
dark
tense
Decent ghost story from Joe Hill. Not a spooky ghost. More of a chase story with a mystery that is created by a ghost. A very VERY evil ghost. Check it out. 4 stars.
I expected so much from this, but it didn't quite deliver. But I'm hopeful that we'll see some good stuff from Joe in future.
I enjoyed this more than expected, it was a suspenseful, menacing ghost story. I don’t know if using deviant sex as a plot device is just in Hill’s DNA, but either way the apple doesn’t fall far. Definitely didn’t mind all the hard rock references.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I started this book, but my expectations were blown out of the water. Maybe I was planning on a nice ghost story with some mystery solving in the back pocket. What I got was psychological and body horror with a little slasher thrown in for flavor and plenty of different spices of paranormal dashed in as well. Such a well-rounded story that managed to have moments of sheer repulsion without ever deterring you to close the book.
Character development in Jude and Georgia is subtle and steadily increasing throughout. Granted, it’s never very deep, not changing them intrinsically, but it’s more of a step in the right direction of dealing with their past traumas in light of the current traumas they’re dealing with. Their relationship had all the groundwork, they just needed the reason to quit their bullshit and really apply themselves to it. To stop walking themselves off due to everything else that has happened.
In the last 50 or so pages, I was so unsettled and thoroughly disturbed that I wanted to close the book, but was afraid I would have nightmares or something, so I had to stay up until 2:30 am and finish it to have some closure.
You can definitely see where Joe Hill took cues and inspiration from his father, building on a very ample supply of groundwork. But he has his individual voice and tone that makes him distinct. He’s better at leaving space for you to fill, and the book was overall less dense. It made for a quick and intense read. This is my second Joe Hill novel, and I think it set me on a path to pick up even more of his work.
Character development in Jude and Georgia is subtle and steadily increasing throughout. Granted, it’s never very deep, not changing them intrinsically, but it’s more of a step in the right direction of dealing with their past traumas in light of the current traumas they’re dealing with. Their relationship had all the groundwork, they just needed the reason to quit their bullshit and really apply themselves to it. To stop walking themselves off due to everything else that has happened.
In the last 50 or so pages, I was so unsettled and thoroughly disturbed that I wanted to close the book, but was afraid I would have nightmares or something, so I had to stay up until 2:30 am and finish it to have some closure.
You can definitely see where Joe Hill took cues and inspiration from his father, building on a very ample supply of groundwork. But he has his individual voice and tone that makes him distinct. He’s better at leaving space for you to fill, and the book was overall less dense. It made for a quick and intense read. This is my second Joe Hill novel, and I think it set me on a path to pick up even more of his work.
Not as well written or enjoyable as N0S4A2, but does contain glimpses of the quality that made that later work so good. Some genuinely chilling moments, and decent character development throughout, make this a decent choice for horror fans looking for something quick to read.
Loved this book! Hill has a wonderful way of getting you more involved than you even realize, from the get go. It is just as entertaining as it is creepy. I highly recommend to any fans of Horror and rock n' roll.
This has the same recipe as Stephen King, but with a different taste. In a good way.
Wild!
I thought this was a great ride from start to finish. I wouldn't recommend starting this book late at night, because the first 150 pages or so are immensely compelling and I was unable to put it down.
The pacing slowed slightly late in the middle, but picked back up again toward the end of the novel. There were simply so many things going on and intertwined that I only felt the twinges of a repeating plot once or twice in the entire book.
I've yet to pick up a book by Joe Hill that isn't a hit, and can't wait to try out another one of his in the future!
I thought this was a great ride from start to finish. I wouldn't recommend starting this book late at night, because the first 150 pages or so are immensely compelling and I was unable to put it down.
The pacing slowed slightly late in the middle, but picked back up again toward the end of the novel. There were simply so many things going on and intertwined that I only felt the twinges of a repeating plot once or twice in the entire book.
I've yet to pick up a book by Joe Hill that isn't a hit, and can't wait to try out another one of his in the future!