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)

Skip the book, watch the show.

I don't write reviews very often but couldn't help myself since I finished this book. It's one of the only instances where Hollywood actually improved upon the source material with it's adaptation. Joe Hill is a decent writer but fails to flesh out his characters or make them likable or have much depth. This book was twice as long as it should have been making the final climax a much-needed ending to a very boring story. While Charlie Manx is an interesting villain to be sure, the book doesn't give us much as to what drives Manx to do what he does or how he got to be who he is. On top of that the first interaction/fight between Vic and Manx is completely random and doesn't drive home why Vic cares, or why she would put herself in so much danger.

The narration was decent, but many of the voices sounded too similar so there were times where it was difficult to tell who was speaking.

The show gives depth to each of the characters and makes even the villains more sympathetic and interesting. My advice - don't waste 19 hours of your time listening to this book. Watch the show instead.

Kate Mulgrew slays; note content warnings

The narration for this audiobook is absolutely outstanding. Mulgrew’s glee is infectious. Great story arc with interesting twists. A very interesting villain. That said, I probably won’t read Joe Hill again, and here’s why:

- The relentless description of one character’s weight. Yes, he is fat. No, it’s not relevant except for putting him on the back of a motorcycle, where it’s not mentioned at all, interesting. But it’s time and time again mentioned in a way that oozes disgust.
- The main character’s dad throws racist statements around in a way that I think is supposed to be folksy and blue collar.

Also worth noting: One of the villain’s minions is graphically rapey, and the bad guys throw around a lot of misogynistic language. They ARE the bad guys, after all, but if reading this sort of thing disturbs you, NOS4A2 is not for you.

I'm just not sure

I don't know, man, the story is good and unique, and it's written well, except occasionally he tries to force flowery language, kind of like his dad

the problem is the characters. they start out good, but then everyone turns ugly & depressing
also like hus dad, he has some terrible ideas about AA and recovery

it's not like it's mediocre, it's like some parts are incredible and other horrible

He should redo it

A true masterpiece and thrilling experience

I really enjoyed this story and narrator. This was my first Joe Hill story and I couldn’t stop listening. Such an exciting ride.

Deliciously creepy

Suspenseful writing and spot on delivery. Had to quit listening when the sun went down each day to avoid bad dreams!

First Joe Hill

Great performance. Story kept me listening. I liked the characters in the story better than the story itself. Vampire-ish subject matter involving little kids creeps me out a bit but the characters kept me listening.

Kate Mulgrew is Fabulous

The story is very creative and scary, but Kate Mulgrew brought it to life. I'm going to start listening to books simply because Kate Mulgrew narrates them. What a performer!

Welcome to Christmasland

This book is very good overall. It certainly does not lack in originality or imagination. The plot is very interesting and different. It is not without it’s flaws, however. It meanders in some spots, and can be too wordy in others. The author foreshadows several plot points using the broadest strokes imaginable. You would have to be a grade A dullard to not realize some of the things that are about to happen, but the author continues to beat that dead horse over and over. I can’t tell if this just needed one more good re-write, or if the author was intentionally trying to pander to the lowest common denominator as a reader. The real star of this is the performance by Kate Mulgrew. I’ve always held her in high regard (heck, she was Mrs. Colombo AND Captain Janeway!) I didn’t realize the depth of her talent until I heard this. She is able to convey the deepest emotions through the power of her voice, and the way she breathlessly narrates the tense portions of the novel really push this into the realm of a 5 star performance.

Amazing Listen!

This was an amazing read/listen! I loved the excitement it gave where I literally had to pause the story just to grapple with my emotions! The narrator did an awesome job I would definitely consider a book just because it was read by her!

it's good..

definitely some frustrating parts that had me yelling out loud at the characters but it's all part of the story and I was able to forgive them. Narration is notably good. Worth a credit for sure