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A review by mediaevalmuse
Horns by Joe Hill
4.0
Honestly, I was skeptical about this novel when I first picked it up, but boy, I'm so glad I gave it a go anyway. Joe Hill's Horns is extremely funny, thoughtful, and an all-around good time for fans of horror, murder mystery, and dark humor.
Things I Liked
1. Storytelling: The story of Horns takes a commonplace plot line (a murder, crime of passion, etc) and puts a supernatural spin on it. It made the murder/mystery plot over all feel more unique (even though the supernatural+crime isn't exactly scarce nowadays), and as a result, I felt more connected to the characters than I have in any other novel with this kind of plot.
2. Dark Humor: What can I say? I loved it.
3. Magical Realism: Readers never get a clear explanation of how exactly Ig came by the horns. We never get an exploration of the mythology or how things like this work. But that's ok, since I never found myself absolutely needing to know these things, and I just took the events of the plot at face value. Ig grows horns? Ok, cool. Ig is turning into a demon? Sure, ok. Overall, it really helped to focus on the murder and Ig’s process of seeking revenge, rather than getting too caught up on magic or folklore or whatever else informed this transformation.
Things I Didn't Like
1. Queer Characters/Homophobic Characters: Ok, so I need to explain what I mean. I am not saying writers shouldn’t include homophobic characters. They can, and they can use it well in a plot. What I didn’t like in Horns, however, was that homophobia seemed to be used a tool for something else. Let me explain further: there are two cops in the novel, both male, and one has hidden romantic feelings for the other but the other cop tells Ig that if any man were to do anything homoerotic to him, he’d shove his baton up his ass. So Ig, with his demon powers, convinces the gay cop to just surprise the other by just going down on him. Ig then thinks about how great that will be to turn them against each other. But the thing is, it would be the gay cop who gets beaten, effectively punishing him for having romantic feelings for the other. Although it turns out okay later and the two cops actually do start a romantic relationship, the attitude that Ig takes towards them didn’t sit right with me. I’m not saying that Hill himself is homophobic, just that this particular part of the book seemed problematic.
2.Big Themes: Ok, this is just a personal thing, I think, but I wish Hill had been a tad more heavy-handed with the big themes. Like people’s hypocrisy, people blaming Ig for Merrin’s death, etc. Lay on more stuff that really gets to those things instead of pushing them to the background.
3.Secrets: So, the horns cause people to reveal their dark secrets to Ig, but it seems like a lot of the secrets are sexual in nature (especially depraved sexuality). I think a little more diversity would have made this story a bit more enjoyable.
Recommendations: Definitely pick this book up if you're a fan of mythological demons, murder-mystery, or dark humor.
Things I Liked
1. Storytelling: The story of Horns takes a commonplace plot line (a murder, crime of passion, etc) and puts a supernatural spin on it. It made the murder/mystery plot over all feel more unique (even though the supernatural+crime isn't exactly scarce nowadays), and as a result, I felt more connected to the characters than I have in any other novel with this kind of plot.
2. Dark Humor: What can I say? I loved it.
3. Magical Realism: Readers never get a clear explanation of how exactly Ig came by the horns. We never get an exploration of the mythology or how things like this work. But that's ok, since I never found myself absolutely needing to know these things, and I just took the events of the plot at face value. Ig grows horns? Ok, cool. Ig is turning into a demon? Sure, ok. Overall, it really helped to focus on the murder and Ig’s process of seeking revenge, rather than getting too caught up on magic or folklore or whatever else informed this transformation.
Things I Didn't Like
1. Queer Characters/Homophobic Characters: Ok, so I need to explain what I mean. I am not saying writers shouldn’t include homophobic characters. They can, and they can use it well in a plot. What I didn’t like in Horns, however, was that homophobia seemed to be used a tool for something else. Let me explain further: there are two cops in the novel, both male, and one has hidden romantic feelings for the other but the other cop tells Ig that if any man were to do anything homoerotic to him, he’d shove his baton up his ass. So Ig, with his demon powers, convinces the gay cop to just surprise the other by just going down on him. Ig then thinks about how great that will be to turn them against each other. But the thing is, it would be the gay cop who gets beaten, effectively punishing him for having romantic feelings for the other. Although it turns out okay later and the two cops actually do start a romantic relationship, the attitude that Ig takes towards them didn’t sit right with me. I’m not saying that Hill himself is homophobic, just that this particular part of the book seemed problematic.
2.Big Themes: Ok, this is just a personal thing, I think, but I wish Hill had been a tad more heavy-handed with the big themes. Like people’s hypocrisy, people blaming Ig for Merrin’s death, etc. Lay on more stuff that really gets to those things instead of pushing them to the background.
3.Secrets: So, the horns cause people to reveal their dark secrets to Ig, but it seems like a lot of the secrets are sexual in nature (especially depraved sexuality). I think a little more diversity would have made this story a bit more enjoyable.
Recommendations: Definitely pick this book up if you're a fan of mythological demons, murder-mystery, or dark humor.