Will I love NOS4A2?

This is an American Gothic road novel that takes us across not just multiple state lines, but also multiple generations.

We see the entire life of main protagonist Vic McQueen, and how the trauma of her abuse-ridden childhood causes her to become an abusive parent herself—only to find herself racing across America to save her son from an innocence-sucking vampire.

NOS4A2 may lack bats and crumbling castles, but the villainous Charlie Manx is a perfectly creepy supernatural monster, and the book’s focus on psychological trauma feels right in line with the Gothic tradition. I loved NOS4A2 from the moment I… show more.

Given his lineage (his dad is Stephen King), it’s no surprise Joe Hill cooked up such a banger of a horror novel.

While Charlie Manx isn’t a traditional bloodsucker, his particular strain of vampirism is so eerie and unique he might be even more disturbing than any monster in ’Salem’s Lot.

Beyond Manx, the paranormal world Hill builds around our own is so richly imagined I find myself hoping he’ll return to it. That liminal space between reality and darker realms is one I’ve tried to chart in my own work.  

If there’s one thing Joe Hill does well, it’s suspense.

There are moments of this book that had me bouncing on my seat as I was reading, unable to contain the sheer tension of the moment inside my body. I remember walking around with the book in front of my face at work, not able to put it down, needing to know what would happen next.

NOS4A2 is a great example of characters you really care about being put in the most terrifying situations and the way he uses bizarre and compelling settings, as well as really memorable set pieces,… show more.

This is, hands down, one of the coolest books I’ve ever read. Here’s how it was described when it appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List: “In a creepy battle between real and imaginary worlds, a brave biker chick is pitted against a ghoulish villain who lures children to a place where it is always Christmas.” The creepy house in this one is known as Sleigh House, as in Slay House, where terrible things happen. You’ll never think of Christmas, or your imagination, quite the same way again.

What makes NOS4A2 disturbing? Simple, it’s about the kidnapping of innocent children and their transformation into little demons for eternity in a special Hell called Christmasland.

Joe Hill brings us along for the ride, courtesy of Vic McQueen, a special girl who has managed to escape capture once. Years later, as an adult, she becomes the target again.

This is a horror with a strong fantasy aspect. You’ll have to take your time reading and do some imaginative world-building of your own to get your own feel for Christmasland.