Helpful Score: 1
Only five stars because I can't give it seven. I've read most of Joe Hill's books and this is by far the best. The story is about Vic McQueen, a child who is able to traverse the country by way of a covered bridge that only she can see. She uses the bridge at first to recover lost items: a photograph, a bracelet, a stuffed animal. But Vic faces her biggest challenge when she encounters Charlie Manx, a serial killer with a 1938 Rolls Royce. I did not want this book to end.
Helpful Score: 1
Just finished this. Oh, wow, new fave author! You can see his fathers influence, but he is definitely his own! I was hooked from the first page. Just loved it! Started "Horns", and again, it gets you at page one. This young man has a fine career ahead of him. I sure hope he keeps writing. His books will be treasured in my home, along w/his fathers. I love the Inscape Map...that was just priceless!
I did not like this as well as Joe Hill's previous novels. It was too over-the-top for me. It reminded me more of Stephen King's writing, with more disturbing elements and more juvenile actions than Hill's other novels. The title (a play on Nosferatu) gives a good indication this tale involves a vampire and perhaps a car, but it is unlike any vampire tale with a much larger story. It is an imaginative tale, but I can't say I enjoyed the ride, though fans of King's writing most definitely will.
I choose this book first because I loved the title, it was clever and hinted of vampires. I wont say it isn't a good book, but I will say that I was disappointed in it. There is no question that Joe Hill is a good writer, he is just not to my taste. It could be I am of the wrong generation for his writing. The story is very interesting. I really liked where the story went and it was definitely a fresh take on the vampire storyline. My real complaint would be that it didn't seem to have much in the way of back story, it moved right along but left me wanting details. I wanted to know more about the characters and to have more interaction with them when they weren't involved in the action of the story. For a younger reader (15 to 30 years old) it might be a great read as the younger generation absorbs their information in smaller bites and at a quicker pace. I like to linger in a story, spend time in the world with the characters. Not a bad book, but not a good one either.
Very disappointing. I bought this because Brian Keene named it as his best book of 2013. It got off to a good start but it was all downhill from there. I gave it 2 stars because it is an original take on vampire stories but there's really nothing else about it worth talking about. I'm glad I only paid 99 cents for it.
I love the whole idea of inscapes and the thematic weight thereinâthe toll to be paid to travel these treacherous roads of imagination creates an emotional consequence.
Unfortunately this is very much a 300 page book dragged out to damn-near 700 pages. The pacing is all over the place, and despite the creative richness of its themes and the grueling amount of pages offered up to exploring them, Hill never manages to do anything truly interesting, exciting, or terrifying with them. And the characters are almost uniformly awful; especially Vic McQueen and Charlie Manxâtwo insufferably flat characters.
Unfortunately this is very much a 300 page book dragged out to damn-near 700 pages. The pacing is all over the place, and despite the creative richness of its themes and the grueling amount of pages offered up to exploring them, Hill never manages to do anything truly interesting, exciting, or terrifying with them. And the characters are almost uniformly awful; especially Vic McQueen and Charlie Manxâtwo insufferably flat characters.
*** Stop me if you've heard of this book before:
An evil person who has a thing for children is eliminated but comes back years later intent on capturing more children and even enrolls someone to assist him in these new captures.
One of his survivors, now an adult, makes it their mission to hunt down this person.
Among the cast of characters is a stutterer, an overweight person with low self esteem and a vintage car that acts on its owner's decisions.
Oh, and the author of this book is from Maine.
Do you think Joe Hill was heavily influenced by Daddy's "It"?
Just maybe, rabbit, just maybe.
There's even reference to a certain year and a certain clown, though at different parts of the book.
The book was ok. The whole second half of this book could have been way shorter.
His constant use of cultural references as descriptions ("a punk-rock Keebler elf", "a passing resemblance to Popeye the Sailor Man", "He looked like that actor from the Alien movie, Lance Henriksen") seems like lazy writing.
And the constant repetitive explanation, reminding us why certain characters were taking certain actions. Where were the editors?
Not a bad book, it was ok.
An evil person who has a thing for children is eliminated but comes back years later intent on capturing more children and even enrolls someone to assist him in these new captures.
One of his survivors, now an adult, makes it their mission to hunt down this person.
Among the cast of characters is a stutterer, an overweight person with low self esteem and a vintage car that acts on its owner's decisions.
Oh, and the author of this book is from Maine.
Do you think Joe Hill was heavily influenced by Daddy's "It"?
Just maybe, rabbit, just maybe.
There's even reference to a certain year and a certain clown, though at different parts of the book.
The book was ok. The whole second half of this book could have been way shorter.
His constant use of cultural references as descriptions ("a punk-rock Keebler elf", "a passing resemblance to Popeye the Sailor Man", "He looked like that actor from the Alien movie, Lance Henriksen") seems like lazy writing.
And the constant repetitive explanation, reminding us why certain characters were taking certain actions. Where were the editors?
Not a bad book, it was ok.
This is the first Joe Hill I've read, and I did enjoy it. Even with all of the vehicles in it, it did seem to take a long time to get rolling, for me. I probably would have given it four stars if it were a bit shorter and more precise.
A great villain (I keep picturing Charlie Manx as a Clive Barker drawing/creation), and a wretched, horrible, ugly henchman. A frail but strong heroine. A great cast of supporting characters, particularly Lou and young Bruce Wayne. If you're not into typical vampire stories, be assured that this really isn't one, no matter what the descriptions (or title) say. Good stuff.
A great villain (I keep picturing Charlie Manx as a Clive Barker drawing/creation), and a wretched, horrible, ugly henchman. A frail but strong heroine. A great cast of supporting characters, particularly Lou and young Bruce Wayne. If you're not into typical vampire stories, be assured that this really isn't one, no matter what the descriptions (or title) say. Good stuff.
This one was definitely a trip! Joe Hill seems to have inherited the knack for writing a good horror story from his parents -- I could see Stephen King's influences pretty much throughout this macabre tale. The story is a parallel tale of the evil Charlie Manx and Victoria (Vic) McQueen who is on a collision course with Manx from childhood. Vic discovers, after receiving a new bike for her birthday, that she is able to use the bike to find lost things by taking the bike over an old covered bridge that apparently only exists in her mind. The bridge always leads her to the lost item. While Charlie Manx uses an old 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith with the vanity plate, NOS4A2, to take kidnapped children to his creative Christmasland. Along the way, Vic and Manx cross paths and Manx winds up in a high-security mental hospital where he eventually dies -- or does he? Well of course not, not in this world created by Hill. Manx vows revenge on Vic and kidnaps Vic's son, Wayne, which leads to a final confrontation in Christmasland. Throughout the novel, Hill throws some kudos to his father including mentions of Pennywise; Derry, Maine; and the True Knot from King's great followup to The Shining, Doctor Sleep. Overall, I really enjoyed this one even though it took a lot of suspension of reality. I also enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box and I have a couple of others of his to read on my shelf: Horns and 20th Century Ghosts. I see that Hill also wrote a comic or graphic novel prequel to NOS4A2 called Wraith. I may need to check it out as well!
Finally got around to reading this one. Like everyone else, I can certainly see a lot of Stephen King influence here. In fact, I see CHRISTINE, SALEM'S LOT, and FIRESTARTER kinda all wrapped up. It does have a lot of good imagery, good action, and an interesting horror plot. Liked Vic and the supporting characters; only one of the cops seemed too stereotyped. Hill threw in a nod to his dad's territory with the inscape map, that was funny. However, one Stephen King influence I could have done without: this book is long. I think Hill could have cut at least 50 pages and had a tighter story. So: very readable, much to like, but pretty wordy.
This book is reminiscent of Stephen King's books. It is a true, terrifying, horror story. Conversely, there are heartwarming moments. The heartwarming moments make the horror more terrifying. The book starts with 12 year-old Vic riding her bike across a condemned covered bridge and, on the other side are different places where she can find things that are lost. The first was her mother's bracelet which was left in a restaurant many miles away. Going back across the bridge brings her home. Innocent enough? Read more. Back to my first sentence, Tabitha King is referred to as the author's mother in the acknowledgements. Yep, Stephen King is his father.
What a book to finish on Christmas day! Charlie Manx and Bing partridge are pretty frightening. Though the story is not something that I would typically enjoy it was a thorough story and out of my element yet enjoyable.
While I sort of enjoyed reading this book, I think it would've made a much better "Friday night fright night" movie. The story line was intriguing if somewhat unbelievable. The characters were good and the writing was good but I was about to give up on it halfway through. If I didn't have a five hour chunk of time dedicated to reading it in a waiting room at an auto dealership waiting for some work to be done I probably would've given up. But dedicating that time to it got me through. I don't know that I would search out another book by the author.
In the words of Lou Carmody to Joe Hill, "Dude, your really creepy". NOS4A2 is seriously one of the most disturbed and creepiest books I have ever read. I can now add another C word to my list of fears. On that list are Clowns (thanks to his father and the book, IT), cotton (don't ask, it a textural thing), cancer, and now Christmas. I am pretty sure I will think of this book every time a Christmas carol comes on the radio. It's a possibility I may have to start celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanza. Despite all the scariness this is by far the best book Joe has written.
If you remember Stephen King's book "IT" and how the clown turned out to be a big alien spider and if your were not disappointed in that ending then you should be ok with this book from Joe Hill. It started out very fast and "edge of your seat, stay up late" reading. It then gets bogged down and tedious somewhere around page 400. The last 300 or so pages were written as if the author was tired of the story and couldn't figure out a way to pull all the loose ends together and end the book. Some praise the book but to me it was too long and drawn out.
