Review: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

BOOK STATS

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Title: NOS4A2
Author: Joe Hill
Genre: Horror
Audience: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Kate Mulgrew
Length: 20 hours (694 pages)
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: April 28, 2013
Source: Library (Libby)
Recommended for fans of: Stephen King
Content Warnings: harm to children, addiction

SYNOPSIS

NOS4A2 is a spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Joe Hill, the New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box and Horns.

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

MY THOUGHTS

What a wild ride. I read this in a buddy read, and general consensus was that this is an acid trip in a book. This creepy, disturbing, and creative horror was perfect for Christmastime, but it will give you chills year-round.

Kate Mulgrew’s narration on the audiobook was FANTASTIC. Her character voices were spot on and made the story even more disturbing and vivid than the writing alone.

This story is very well written with strong Stephen King vibes. It’s perhaps a bit longer than it needs to be, but I was captivated every minute.