Horns: A Novel

I’m a little late to the game but I’ve been reading a great novel called Horns, written by Joe Hill. His full name is Joseph Hillstrom King and was born June 4^th, 1972 in Bangor, Maine. He is the oldest son of horror master Stephen King. He changed his name to Joe Hill early on to avoid being compared to his famous father. Once the secret was found out he had already published 2 critical hits, 20th Century Ghosts and Heart-Shaped Box. He can certainly stand on his own reputation even though his father usually enters the conversation. They have collaborated on 2 short stories. Joe began writing for comic books and his acclaimed series Locke & Key, which began in 2008, continues to this day.

In 2010, Hill published Horns. I have read 20^th Century Ghosts prior to picking this novel up. It’s a great read. It starts off a bit weak, but when it delves into the main characters back story it shines. It follows a character named Ignatius Perrish, Ig for short, in his search for answers to “what happened last night?” Ig woke up one morning after a night of drinking with a pair of horns growing from his forehead. Devil’s horns actually. While looking for help from various members of his family and the girl he’s sleeping with, Ig finds out his horns come with an interesting side effect. People are compelled to tell their dark secrets to Ig when they see him. Ig can even influence those people into doing acts they may not have thought of. He makes the unfortunate discovery that members of his family are disappointed in him and even wish he would never come back. However, it’s the confession from his older brother Terry that starts a whirlwind search for truth.

Joe’s writing style is Spartan. Many of his chapters contain 1 paragraph. He has an ability to build up suspense without relying on overblown descriptive prose. The concept is original and Ig is a likeable character though he is in an unlikeable position. He’s an everyman, someone who isn’t the famous son, or the talented son. He’s not the perfect boyfriend but loves with all his heart. His flaw is he trusts too much, and he hangs on too tightly to childish dreams. Ig is bound to be used horribly and in that he is left scrambling for answers, using a part of his nature – his darkness – to come to grips with a heartbreaking situation.

Horns is being adapted for the movie screens, currently filming with Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role. It’s due out in 2013, and from the early promo shot of Radcliffe it looks promising. Well, I guess we’ll see what they use from the book and what they leave out. It will be a different role for the former Harry Potter.

In 2013 Joe Hill will release his latest novel NOS4A2, which Amazon says is about a "‘vicious country rube’ named Charlie Manx that happens to be 140 years old. Says Hill, ‘He's a very bad man with a very bad car. Bad things happen to the children who get in the car with him. These children wind up being driven to a place called Christmas Land, and if Disney Land is the happiest place on Earth, Christmas Land is the unhappiest place NOT on Earth. It's partially about people who have unnatural powers that they derive from vehicles’”