NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Yesterday was Joe Hill's latest book birthday and what a celebration it should be! Personally, I think any new Joe Hill (and/or Stephen King) release is cause for big celebration, folks. But I'm a dork for a great read and any great horror. (And a bit of a fangirl where this family is concerned.)

Vic McQueen has a gift. With her Tuff Burner bike, she has the ability to travel across a bridge that doesn't exist and find things that have been lost. But one day, after a fight with her mother, Vic goes in search of trouble. She finds it in the form of Charlie Manx, a serial kidnapper whose victims are never seen again. Manx shares Vic's ability and also travels roads that exist outside of our reality. He uses these roads to travel to Christmasland, a world that's not all it's cracked up to be. The children he takes there never grow up and never want to leave, but they aren't human anymore either. 

Oh, such a fabulously creepy and fast-paced read! Hill shares his father's ability in creating tales that can draw the reader completely into their fictional landscapes. I purposely saved this one for a weekend when I knew I'd be able to devote most - if not all - of my time to it without interruption and it was so worth it! Clocking in at a whopping 692 pages, I managed to finish NOS4A2 in just two days. Not that that's a huge accomplishment, I would have liked to linger inside its pages much longer! I couldn't help it, though. I found myself unable to set the book down for any significant period of time.

Vic is a cool character. She's flawed in so many ways, as are the people around her. Along with her son, Wayne (Bruce Wayne) and her Colorado hero/lover Lou, they make a perfect set of compelling characters.

Then there's creepy old Charlie Manx and his gasmasked henchman. Gingerbread will never smell the same again!

Horror and dark fiction fans should know, Hill is an awesome writer in his own right. Whether you come to him because of his parentage or you discover him completely by chance, you'll quickly find that he's an amazing talent. And if you're not reading him yet, you should be!

Here's Hill himself with more on NOS4A2 courtesy of the publisher:



Hill's on tour for this one and if you happen to be in the Denver area, I know for a fact he'll be at Tattered Cover's LoDo store on May 9 at 7:30!

Rating 5/5