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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
3 STARS
"Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.
I will "sell" my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder. . . .
For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts - of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?
But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.
And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting - with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . ." (From Amazon)
Hill is definitely Stephen King's son. A great horror thriller.
"Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.
I will "sell" my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder. . . .
For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts - of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?
But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.
And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting - with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . ." (From Amazon)
Hill is definitely Stephen King's son. A great horror thriller.
This was a really interesting experience. I really like how fucked up and graphic everything is and that the characters are really messed up. There were also a couple of scenes at the beginning that really creeped me out and I don't get scared by books. Very well written, interesting plot that wasn't stretched out and too long unneccessarily. I had fun and I think I prefer it over NOS4A2.
Loved this book. Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King and the knack for horror must run in the family. I'm not a fan of Stephen King but I am now a good fan of Joe Hill after reading this book. It had a good blend of dark comedy, horror, sex, and all that good stuff to make this a fairly good read. It wasn't paranoia-stab-the-dog-scary, which is usually what Stephen King brings to the table, but it's still enough to give you a good enough chill if you were reading it alone.. in the dark.. with a nice suit lying on a chair just a few feet away from you....
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One dimensional writing. The idea as there, but the execution was lacking.
Overall, I liked this book.
I have some issues with it though.
First, I guess let's talk about the positives. For a ghost story, this book is pretty long (like 400 pages)and ohhh we'll get back to that in the negatives. My attention was kept throughout the entire book though, so that's a positive. The premise was silly, but in a very fun way. And there were definitely times where I was legitimately creeped out. I found the characters to be flawed, but likeable.
Okay, on to the negatives...this story could've been better with like 100 or so less pages. Now, my favorite series is ASOIAF, so I'm not opposed to long winded, million page tales. With simple ghost stories though, I don't feel like there is enough material for 400 pages. If written amazingly, I could make exceptions for sure, but I don't feel like this really deserves the exception. I mean, I really liked the story, I just think it could've been much better trimmed down. The book is broken into 3 sections and I really liked the first. Part 2 is where I would make all the cuts and changes. And part 3 was a nice wrap up. Part 2 dragged on a bit and there were a handful of times where I wasn't quite sure what was happening. It was like an action movie where the camera is moving around quick and everything is blurry. Even rereading the spots I was confused as to what was going on. It didn't really effect my understanding of the story, it just took me out of it a bit.
Anyway, I did enjoy this book quite a bit, I just thought it could have been better. And for a debut book especially, it's very good. It's a book I would suggest to friends if prompted for suggestions, but not one that I feel the need to obnoxiously recommend to everyone, even those who didn't ask.
I have some issues with it though.
First, I guess let's talk about the positives. For a ghost story, this book is pretty long (like 400 pages)and ohhh we'll get back to that in the negatives. My attention was kept throughout the entire book though, so that's a positive. The premise was silly, but in a very fun way. And there were definitely times where I was legitimately creeped out. I found the characters to be flawed, but likeable.
Okay, on to the negatives...this story could've been better with like 100 or so less pages. Now, my favorite series is ASOIAF, so I'm not opposed to long winded, million page tales. With simple ghost stories though, I don't feel like there is enough material for 400 pages. If written amazingly, I could make exceptions for sure, but I don't feel like this really deserves the exception. I mean, I really liked the story, I just think it could've been much better trimmed down. The book is broken into 3 sections and I really liked the first. Part 2 is where I would make all the cuts and changes. And part 3 was a nice wrap up. Part 2 dragged on a bit and there were a handful of times where I wasn't quite sure what was happening. It was like an action movie where the camera is moving around quick and everything is blurry. Even rereading the spots I was confused as to what was going on. It didn't really effect my understanding of the story, it just took me out of it a bit.
Anyway, I did enjoy this book quite a bit, I just thought it could have been better. And for a debut book especially, it's very good. It's a book I would suggest to friends if prompted for suggestions, but not one that I feel the need to obnoxiously recommend to everyone, even those who didn't ask.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
fast-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes