NOS4A2

A Novel

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew

Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The spine-tingling, bone-chilling novel of supernatural suspense from the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Fireman and Horns - now an AMC original series starring Zachary Quinto, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ashleigh Cummings.

"A masterwork of horror." (Time)

Victoria McQueen has an uncanny knack for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. When she rides her bicycle over the rickety old covered bridge in the woods near her house, she always emerges in the places she needs to be.

Charles Talent Manx has a gift of his own. He likes to take children for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the vanity plate NOS4A2. In the Wraith, he and his innocent guests can slip out of the everyday world and onto hidden roads that lead to an astonishing playground of amusements he calls Christmasland.

The journey across the highway of Charlie's twisted imagination transforms his precious passengers, leaving them as terrifying and unstoppable as their benefactor.

Then comes the day when Vic goes looking for trouble...and finds her way to Charlie. That was a lifetime ago. Now, the only kid ever to escape Charlie's evil is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx hasn't stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. On the road again, he won't slow down until he's taken his revenge. He's after something very special - something Vic can never replace.

As a life-and-death battle of wills builds, Vic McQueen prepares to destroy Charlie once and for all - or die trying.

©2013 Joe Hill (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Quite simply the best horror writer of our generation, Joe Hill’s masterful storytelling is on full display in NOS4A2. It is by turns terrifying and hilarious, horrifying and full of heart, and relentlessly compelling." (Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of The Prophet)

"Fascinating and utterly engaging, this novel is sure to leave readers wanting more. One thing is for certain, however. After reading this book, readers will never hear Christmas carols in quite the same way again." ( Library Journal, starred review)

"[A] new take on the fantasy-horror genre...Highly recommended." ( The Sun Herald Sydney, Australia)

Rich storytelling in a horrific fantasy landscape

I found NOS4A2 to be absorbing and disturbing, all at the same time. Joe Hill's descriptive writing style painted the story easily in my mind's eye while building up the anticipation on what will happen next all the way up to it's final climax then it left me thinking of the "What ifs."

NOS4A2 spans through many years, from the time Vic McQueen is a child discovering her own, very real roads through her imagination while interchangingly delving into Charles Manx' twisted and horrific version of Christmas along with other supporting characters that make this story even more creepy and sometimes sad. During these years, many disturbing acts occur that lends an air of impossibility of triumph for Vic while other acts are heartwarming and sad. With the wide mix of scenery within NOS4A2, I experienced many reactions while reading NOS4A2 from horrified to sad to mirth and sometimes wistful.

I thought the characters were easy to relate to, Vic McQueen, or easily disliked and fear, Charles Manx, because they were created with such real to life attributes especially Vic. Because of the real to life characteristics of the characters, the story seemed more realistic which makes the horror aspect stand out terrifically within this book.

I'd recommend NOS4A2 to anyone who loves a good, well told horror story. You can't miss with NOS4A2 nor will you be sorry about the time spent reading this novel.

Kate Mulgrew's performance for the most part was right on the money. Kate can read the male, female and children parts very well and with various ranges of emotion, except there were several places when she was reading Vic, her voice came across as too gruff and harsh, almost like a heavy smoker's voice which I feel didn't fit Vic and this would throw me out of the scene, bringing to mind something out of place.

Great alternative to Stephen King

I know that my title might be a down put for Joe Hill, but it is not. King has the "brand" recognition for this genre of supernatural. I would rate this book with the best of any King novel. Again maybe the comparisons are not fair, but for this review they are because you will know hat you are getting. We have time/space shifting, people who seem to be immortal, ghosts, and freaky kids. Aka Carrie. It makes for great fun and a good listen. My only complaint is that the heroine seems to sustain grievous bodily harm time and time again and keeps on going. Good fun with not to be expected ending.

Absolutely amazing book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved this book. It reminded me of It because of the children in danger and the Christmasland theme vs. the Evil Clown.

This book has everything, horror, terror and tears. I cried a lot toward the end. There is nothing more therapeutic than a good cry.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Vic McQueen, but my favorite was Lou Carmody. He is the nerdy fat boy who is the true hero of the book. I really fell hard for him. He was gentle and caring and risked his life so many times for the people he loved. My tears well up just thinking about him.

Which character – as performed by Kate Mulgrew – was your favorite?

Charles Talent Manx, the evil man was captured perfectly by Kate Mulgrew. He scared me sh**tless, and I don't mean naked!

She also voiced the Gas Man, Bing with a creepy timbre that freaked me out. Would not one to run into either of these two men ever!

I have to keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Come to Christmasland, where you will have your dreams come true, if you dream nightmares...

Any additional comments?

I liked the afterword by Joe Hill about why he wrote the book, a little about growing up in the King family and some audible books he recommends. I wish more authors would do that. A very nice touch.

Loved it!!!

This was an author I have never read n decided to try. I love when I find a great new author. I really think the narrator helps make it a fantastic book! Can't wait to listen to more....

Extremely good read!

Would you listen to NOS4A2 again? Why?

Yes, but not any time soon. It is a haunting tale that I want to savor a while before I delve back into the drama.

What did you like best about this story?

It was twisted and convuleted, kept me guessing.

What about Kate Mulgrew’s performance did you like?

She did a great job with the different voices. You could tell which character was speaking without being told. I like that in a narrator.

If you could take any character from NOS4A2 out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Vic. She is one tough b#$%&!

Any additional comments?

Get it, read it. It is not as good as Heart Shaped Box (which I highly reccomend - it is an amazing book) but MUCH better than Horns. Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King (my all time favorite author), so you really can't go wrong. The apple doesn't fall, etc...

Wow. Well done Joe Hill.

What did you love best about NOS4A2?

I would say "Like father, like son" but it is apparent Mr. Hill has worked long and hard to establish his own identity and no one can really blame him for that. What I enjoyed about this book was the rich well defined characters. The tough, always cursing, always fighting Vic, lovable Lou with his blind trust and even Vic's father who always had her back; each character was so well crafted they jumped from the pages and played out thier tale in my own personal inscape.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vic. She is a fighter and never gaveup. She faced adversities, strangeness and horrors that would make most run for the hills.

Which scene was your favorite?

Tough to pick a favorite favorite scene but I would have to say end, with the orniments. Too many endings in books and films fail to fully resolve the story. NOS4A2 was complete.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and teared a bit. Some of the scenes with Lou were very touching, some with Maggie where hilarious.

Any additional comments?

To me, the story was not so terrifying as it was engrossing, suspensful and told so well, it was easy to suspend belief and let it unfold. Kate Mulgrew was excellent. I dont think the sample on Audible did her justice, she helped bring those characters to life.

Great listen

Loved the book. At first I was thinking "great, but not for me"... Then the story picked up and WOW!!

Amazing reading by Kate Mulgrew and a good story.

I wanted to rate this higher but the constant unnecessary vulgarity forced me to only give the story 3 stars. I'm wasn't offended but graphic language serves its purpose best when used sparingly. The plot, pacing, and action sequences as well as the idea conceived and presented were quite excellent and Ms. Mulgrew's story telling skills elevated it to an overall 4 star audiobook.

Perfect 4 the Halloween-ie on your Christmas list

“Sooner or later a black car came for everyone.”

Joe Hill, NOS4A2


One heck of a terrifying ride. A child abductor returns from death in the morgue, and he and his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith (with a NOS4A2 vanity plate) are looking for more children to take to the ghastly playground of amusements called "Christmasland." The only child who escaped his grasp, 22 years before, and put him in prison, has a child of her own now.

Scary and suspenseful, this supernatural horror novel is on the level with most damned stories of dear old dad, Stephen King.

The perfect gift for the Halloween-ie on your Christmas list!

Destined to become a classic

Joe Hill is back, delivering another supernatural thriller of epic proportions. According to Hill, everyone exists in two worlds - the physical world and the "inscape." The inscape is the world of the mind that we all create, and this story is about the few rare individuals who can merge their inscapes with the physical world.

The main character is Victoria "Vic" McQueen, also known as the brat. We first meet Vic when she is 8, and Vic is a finder. She rides her bicycle across a dilapidated, non-existent covered bridge of her inscape, and comes out at a point where she needs to be in order to find some lost or misplaced item. Vic's nemesis is Charles Manx, a 140 year old man who "saves" children by taking them to his inscape, a kind of amusement park known as Christmasland, where the children never grow old and never die. Helping Vic is Maggie Leigh, a librarian in Iowa who can predict the future by reading scrabble tiles. And helping Manx is his chief elf, Bing Partridge, who is physically an adult but mentally a child. Bing can not access his inscape, but instead helps Manx tie up "loose ends," which are usually the parents of Manx's kidnap victims.

The merging of the two worlds has a price for all of those able to accomplish the feat. For Vic, it is a searing pain behind her left eye which gets worse the longer she stays and usually requires bed rest when she returns to the real world. For Maggie, the more she uses her scrabble tiles the worse her stutter gets. And for Manx, who has been doing this the longest, it has cost him his very soul. Also, each person needs a tool in order to punch through the real world to get to their inscape. Vic uses her bicycle (and later a Triumph motorcycle), Maggie uses a bottomless bag holding her scrabble tiles, and Manx uses a 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith with the vanity plate NOS4A2. Nosferatu was a legendary German vampire, and Manx is a different type of vampire who instead of sucking blood, sucked the souls of the children while he drove them to Christmasland.

Each of the characters is shown as a mixture of good and evil, which I feel mirrors the real world. Vic is predominantly a good person, but is terribly flawed. She was a rebellious teen who became mentally unhinged after she became a mother, and constantly fought to maintain her sanity. Manx, for all the evil he represented, actually believed he was doing the children a favor by sparing them a life of poverty and abuse and making every day Christmas, which is usually a child's happiest time.

It was Vic's testimony that caused Manx to be arrested and incarcerated, spending more than a decade in a Colorado jail. When he is miraculously resurrected, he vows revenge against Vic and decides to take her 12 year old son Wayne to Christmasland. This sets the stage for the final confrontation between Vic and Manx with Wayne's soul as the prize for the victor.

I thought this was a very well written book and brought up some interesting points, especially the fact of spending time in our inscapes. The only negative I can note is that it seemed a bit long winded. Other than that, it was a top notch horror novel and cements Joe Hill as among the best in this genre. I can honestly say that I will never listen to Christmas music the same way as I did before I read this book.

Kate Mulgrew's performance was absolutely spectacular. She presented Charles Manx with one of the creepiest voices I have ever heard, and she captured the innocence and naivete of the children. Bing Partridge is also well done and projects the image of the somewhat retarded man he was, and Lou comes across as the big-hearted loveable man he was. All of her voices were simply magnificent and added greatly to my enjoyment of this book.