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)

Interesting story. really enjoyed it.

I thought this was a great story and listening to Kate Mulgrew read it was fantastic. She gave each of the characters such depth and emotion. I will look for more books by Joe Hill and anything read by Kate Mulgrew!!!

phenomenal

loved it. amazing story. narrator did such a great job. I highly recommend this book

A HORROR STORY. BUT I DID NOT LIKE IT TOO MUCH.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

IT WAS OK, ENTERTAINING BUT STUPID.

Would you ever listen to anything by Joe Hill again?

I WOULD REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT. I DON'T KNOW.

What about Kate Mulgrew’s performance did you like?

SHE DID A FINE JOB READING THE STORY.

Was NOS4A2 worth the listening time?

IT WAS MEDIOCRE. I MANAGED TO FINISHE THE BOOK.

Enjoyed!

Either you’ll love Kate Mulgrew’s reading or you won’t. I did. Joe Hill’s story is entertaining.

Dark and imaginative tale

I struggled to get through this book at first, almost put it aside completely, but ended up loving it in the end. This is quite a dark and imaginative tale, and once the story really got going, I was hooked.

The first...probably third of the book had me struggling. I almost stopped 2 chapters in due to the butchering of New England pronunciations. That's what really killed me. As a native to Massachusetts, I was incredibly annoyed that the narrator would not take the time to learn the proper pronunciation of words like 'Haverhill' and 'Frappe'. It was very distracting, and took me completely out of the story. After putting it down and listening to another book first, I decided to give it another try. I almost put it down a second time, but pushed through. It's still quite grating, but thankfully the words show up less and less the further into the story you go.

Otherwise, I thought the narration was wonderful. I will definitely recommend it.

A masterful and gripping performance of this book

At times… This book gave me the chills. The nearest per trail of the characters had me riveted. I had dreams about the gas mask man for a couple of nights. This is definitely a must read for fans of the horror genre.

Very good but not great.

The story was good, if somewhat predictable. It was a fun read (listen?) Like Steve King’s books, it could use a good editor to tighten the story up. After a while you just wish the author would move the story along. The narrator was very good also, except often characters sounded a lot alike. If you like the genre, it is well worth listening to.

If you love Stephen King....

Any additional comments?

This story was similar in many ways to SK's older spooky novels. However, it was different enough that I did NOT consider it an annoying and blatant ripoff. I really enjoyed this book, it really brought me back to the days of my youth when I devoured these kinds of spooky stories on a regular basis. Loved the characters, they were vivid and likeable flawed humans that everyone could relate to, and root for.
The narrator was excellent, her unique voice was perfectly suited for this story. I highly recommend this book!

amazing one of Joe hills very best books yet truly

amazing definitely listen to this book you won't be disappointed keeps you hooked from the get go

Different

Any additional comments?

I am a long time audio book listener, but this is only my second review.. I picked this book based on the reader Kate Mulgrew, which I am familiar with from Star Trek as Captain Janeway and as Red on Orange is the new Black...I knew she would be a great reader, and was not disappointed , she was brilliant..nothing less.
I always have to remember that it is just ONE person doing all of these character voices, and when it's done right, for me, it's like watching a movie in my head.
At the end of this book, the Author..Joe Hill, comes on and talks for a bit about this book and his background...But he said something that I always experience but never stopped to give it any thought about WHY I enjoy audio books so much..he said..paraphrasing..that when you read a book, you are seeing it, reading it..but when you LISTEN to a book, it's a story being TOLD to you..a primal experience as it was done in ancient times.. I loved that , and it describes my enjoyment to a T.
This was a very different story, it actually took me a while to decide if I was liking the story, but as it went on, everything gets explained and the story builds and builds, just like a great story should.
I won't ruin or give anything away about the story, but this book was a great listen, a long one and it turned out to be one of those books where I end up sitting in my vehicle still listening even tho I had arrived at my appointment...and was happy to have a long drive home so I could get in a few more chapters..
So speaking just for me...In the end..I loved it and I hope that you will too
Rob