NOS4A2

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew

Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Summer. Massachusetts. An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business. Anyone could be next. We're going to Christmasland....

NOS4A2 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense. Claustrophobic, gripping and terrifying, this is a story that will have you on the edge of the seat while you listen and leaving the lights on while you sleep. With the horrific tale of Charles Manx and his Silver Wraith, Joe Hill has established himself as the premiere horror and supernatural thriller writer of his generation.

©2013 Joe Hill (P)2013 Orion Publishing Group Limited

I Loved It - Great Story and Wonderful Characters

Would you listen to NOS4R2 again? Why?

I would listen again. A horror story where the villains and heroes are all characters and the story is a great listen. Bing and Mr Manx are despicable people who I almost liked.My first and hopefully not my last Joe Hill book. He's taken over where his father left off with horror some years back. Thank you Joe!!! The narrator was just brilliant - unlike some other books that I've heard recently, she was able to give the male and female characters - character plus.

What other book might you compare NOS4R2 to and why?

I've recently listened to Doctor Sleep (by the authors father). Both books reference each other once and the stories have a similar main stories of vampires after special children. I'm afraid they are different classes of books - Joe's book beats his dad's by a country mile. The narration of the female characters in King's Doctor Sleep reminded of a drag queen in full cry. NOS4R2 was made even better by Kate Mulgrew. With Doctor Sleep I ended up caring less if the protagonist (Danny) lived, died or went to Tahiti. I have 'known' Danny for about thirty years now, and I wanted know about the man.

Every character in NOS4R2 I had some likeness for - even the bad ones. Danny's badies were just crap baddies.

What does Kate Mulgrew bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator was just brilliant - unlike some other books that I've heard recently, she was able to give the male and female characters - character plus. She made the story so much better and was able to lend even the male characters authenticity.

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

It made me cry a bit (no spolier) and laugh a lot - all in the appropriate places.

Any additional comments?

Thanks Joe and Audible. Worth the time listening.

A bit long in the tooth, great narration

What did you love best about NOS4R2?

Kate Mulgrew's performance has to be the best thing about NOS4R2. Mulgrew has a distinctive sound and gives each character its own personality. Her performance of Charlie Manx and Bing Partridge were particularly excellent, in my opinion.Hill has a knack for setting up and describing the imaginary world he has created. At first I was sort of put off by the Christmas obsession, but it grew on me over time. While the story itself was so-so, I absolutely loved Joe Hill's story *telling*. He's a good writer, and I may pick up some of his other stuff.

If you’ve listened to books by Joe Hill before, how does this one compare?

No, this was the first one for me. Unsurprisingly, his style is reminiscent of his father's, Stephen King. He largely employs the same recipe: deep character depictions, interwoven with the supernatural, and some gore. It was a bit long in the tooth, however (like many of King's books), and it was slow to get going after the initial build-up (Vic's first encounter with Manx). The novel could have been redacted by a quarter without doing the story any injustice, especially the middle part.

What does Kate Mulgrew bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her understanding of the story and the subsequent depiction of the the characters. If you just read the book, you would miss the profound "evilness" she creates for the Manx character.

Who was the most memorable character of NOS4R2 and why?

There aren't a bunch of characters in this book, which makes it easier to keep track of them . But obviously the two main characters, Vic McQueen and Charlie Manx stick around in your mind. The disgusting Bing Partridge was also quite enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I ended up liking this book quite a lot. As I mentioned earlier, Joe Hill drags his feet a bit in the middle part of the story, stretching certain concepts a bit too much. The story may come across as a bit juvenile at first, in part because the main character starts out as a child/teenager. In addition, the Christmas-thing keeps that theme alive throughout the book. It bothered me too, at first.

In NOS4R2, Hill introduces us to his two-world concept, which includes the world of stuff and the world of thought. NOS4R2 is about intermingling the two, and more notably, bringing Manx' sick imaginary world of eternal Christmas into the real world, and his revenge on Vic McQueen for finding him and getting away.

All in all, this was a good read. If you like Stephen King's earlier works, or like Mulgrew, it's a no-brainer. Otherwise, it's not too bad either, you won't feel like you wasted a credit (you may struggle with the middle part a bit, but it gets better).

Oh and, don't let your kids listen to this. Christmas would be ruined forever.

Marvelous performance by Mulgrew

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

While I found the story only slightly better than average, Mulgrew's performance blew me away. I could not stop listening. She gives each character a distinctive and very convincing voice. I get the feel she at times know the text better than the author, giving it dimensions that are not there for most readers of the book. Please, employ Mulgrew to record Heart Shaped Box as well! The existing recording by Stephen Lang is pitifully off the mark.

Have you listened to any of Kate Mulgrew’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to listen to Mulgrew's other audiobook recordings, but I definitively will.

Scary but riveting

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

Yes but only if I knew they liked thrillers

What was one of the most memorable moments of NOS4R2?

The bridge scenes

Which scene was your favorite?

cant name a favourite

Who was the most memorable character of NOS4R2 and why?

The car

Any additional comments?

The narration was very good

Well

What disappointed you about NOS4R2?

I couldn't even get 5 minutes into this. Very odd. Maybe just me but disappointed

What was most disappointing about Joe Hill’s story?

Boring

Would you be willing to try another one of Kate Mulgrew’s performances?

No

What character would you cut from NOS4R2?

Didn't getto know any

It started great but then...

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I have no idea.

What was most disappointing about Joe Hill’s story?

The story got a great start and a great build up but it just got boring closer to the end, I did not even finish the last 8 chapters

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

The father

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

Any additional comments?

i expected more from this

nos4r2

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

NO BODY THAT I KNOW

Would you ever listen to anything by Joe Hill again?

NO

Any additional comments?

I HAVE BEEN TRTING TO RETURN THIS BOOK FOR A CREDIT BECAUSEB I TOOK IT WHEN I WENT INTO HOSPITAL IN MAY IT IS NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ABOUT .I WOULD LIKE TO RETURN FOR A CREDIT .I GOT OUT OF HIGH CARE UNIT ON SUNDAY THE 2/06/2013

The most annoying and boring read ever.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Somebody who is deaf would probably enjoy listening to this. Then again I am sure they would be happy to hear anything.

What could Joe Hill have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Have somebody else write it with different plot and certainly a different narrator too.

What didn’t you like about Kate Mulgrew’s performance?

I couldn't bare listening to her whining on any more. Fingernails down a chalk board would be easier to listen to.

What character would you cut from NOS4R2?

All characters should be removed.

Any additional comments?

Ok, so this one just wasn't for me. Wouldn't mind a refund but have a feeling that feature is now missing from the website. Nice one am Amazon, look at how much I spend with you.

I will sum up this book as... Well I can't really post what I want to say here. But compared to my massive library of audible books, this is certainly the worst so far.

Ghost written by Stephen King perhaps?

I loved Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box and maybe that excellent debut somewhat influenced my expectations of his latest offering. It felt as though this story was lifted from one of his father's notebooks for stories he might wish to write in future. And then written by either of the Kings. There was even King's obligatory reference to the Dark Tower hidden in the story; which was really one of several things including the tone of the story which had me questioning the origins of the story.