Horns by Joe Hill

As some of you may have noticed, I've been on a Joe Hill kick lately. Horns is classified as horror due to the supernatural elements, but it is really more of a drama. The story of Ig Perish, his brother Terry, his friend Lee Tourneau, and his girlfriend Merrin Williams.

The story opens with Ig waking up to discover that he has horns growing out of his forehead. He has no recall of the events of the night before. He quickly learns that his horns have a terrible power. People unwilling spew forth their dirtiest secrets and desires, asking for his permission to fulfill their darkest desires. The plus side of the horns is that they make people forget they are there, and forget their conversations with Ig.

We learn very quickly that Ig lost the love of his life, Merrin, almost exactly a year ago in a horrible rape/murder. He was the one and only suspect, the case was dropped when the evidence went up in a lab fire. Everyone in town, including his own parents believe he is guilty of murdering her. The only person that believes he is innocent is his brother, Terry. Hill tells the story in a non-linear fashion. We start in Ig's presence, jump back to the day in Ig's childhood when he almost drowns and meets Lee. The next segment jumps to right before Merrin's murder, where we learn that she breaks it off with him the night before he leaves for a new job in England. This is the same night she is murdered. We then move to the section titled "The Fixer", this gives us Lee's perspective on events. The final section returns us to the present after Ig has the horns and shows us the resolution of the story.

It may seem strange to some, but there is never a moment in the story that I believed Ig was guilty of the crime, despite the fact that he sprouts the horns and powers of the devil. This is the story of a decent guy who life is destroyed by heart breaking occurrences. There are a few twists, though if you are paying attention (or know a bit of abnormal psychology) you will probably guess them ahead of time. The emotional purity of his story telling that was glimpsed in 20th Century Ghosts is fully realized here. You feel for Ig and Merrin, and the tragedy that destroys them. You feel Ig's misery upon learning that his parents think he is guilty, his hope rekindled a bit when he knows that his brother never believed it. Ig's good heart when he forgives most of those that have wronged him.

Once again, I listened to the audio book. Be careful when driving and listening to this at the same time. It could be hazardous to your health. If you are eye-reading it, I suggest a box of tissues on hand if you are the type to cry at movies. Part of me thinks this would make an interesting film, but I fear it would be ruined by Hollywood. A devil as a protagonist may be too much for them.

I really enjoyed the ride this book took me on.

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

I do not usually read short story collections, not because I have anything against short stories but because I prefer the intimacy and depth of novels. Even the length of the novel is often not satisfying enough for me, and I want to spend more time with the characters. I made an exception for this collection because I enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box so much that it put me on a Joe Hill kick.

The audio book edition contains 15 stories, one hidden in the Acknowledgments. There are a few stories that have been included in other editions that were not in this one. It saddens me to miss out on them, I may have to hunt them down.

The tales range from beautifully sentimental to truly disturbing, sometimes a mix of the two is found in a single narrative. Several of them made me cry (not really a safe thing when driving), all of the stories had an honesty to the emotions portrayed in them. This is vital for me as a reader. There was not a single story in the collection that I didn't like or enjoy, though some cut off abruptly when I wanted more. It was not a failing of the stories, but a deliberate choice on the part of Mr. Hill, and used to quite a good effect. I truly can not pick out a favorite story, but will highlight a few that particularly touched me.

I think the most touching, and sadly sweet, of the stories is "20th Century Ghost". It is the tale of a man and a movie theater. It is the story of coming to love cinema, and the affect it has on him. It is also the story of a ghost that can not leave the theater for the love of it and film. Though there are a few spooky moments, this story is predominately about love. I feel Joe Hill's sadness at the disappearance of the old style movie houses, as well as the shift away from making movies for the love of the art. This could just be me reading my own feelings about the modern movie industry into the story. The story is deeper than that, and moves to other types of love. I admit, this is one of the stories that made me cry. It was strangely romantic for a horror collection.

"My Father's Mask" was very strange. It twisted and turned a lot. Despite the fact that the father is in the title, the reader actually learns very little about him. The focus is on the boy and his mother. The boy is 13 and is annoyed by his mother's silly games and make believe stories (as many teenagers are). Yet he finds he can't resist being pulled in by them and playing along. His mother's story about why they are going to the family cabin frightens him, as does her and his father wearing masks the whole time they are there. This story left me feeling quite uncomfortable.

Another one that I quite enjoyed was "Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead", this may be partially because it's setting is the filming of "Dawn of the Dead". For the entire story, our characters are in zombie make-up. George Romero and Tom Savini make cameo appearances. I am curious as to how much of their speeches in the tale reflect the ones they truly gave the extras on the film.

Several of the stories deal with relationships between brothers, others deal with friendships. The descriptions bring the locals and the characters quickly to life. I recommend reading this book, short stories are perfect for when you want a good read but don't have hours to get lost in another world.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

I suppose it's fitting that I began exploring Joe Hill's work with his debut novel. I know that it is no longer a secret that he comes from a family of writers, and that his father is one of the most prolific horror writers of all time. Many would argue that his father is the most popular horror writer of all time. I am declining to opine on that front to avoid: a) the hate mail on the one end of the debate and b) the total loss of respect on the other. I am also not going to do what so many others have done and compare the father's and son's work. I'm sure it has been done to death, and bores both them and the readers at this point. I will say that it is clear that the father passed along his love not only of the horror genre, but his love of music to the son as well.

Our tale is that of an aging rock star, Judas Coin, who is fascinated with the macabre and has a unique collection of dark oddities including a witch's confession to her crimes. Jude was once married, but has had a string of young lovers since it fell apart. His current partner is Marybeth, whom he refers to as Georgia (he refers to all his girlfriends by their state of origin). His only constant companions are Danny Wooten, his personal assistant, and his German Shepherds, Bon and Angus. The adventure begins when Danny sees an online auction that he knows will interest Jude, a man's ghost and his suit.

The individual auctioning off the ghost implies that it is harmless, this turns out to be a rather large falsehood. It very quickly becomes obvious to the reader, as well as Jude and Georgia, that this ghost plans on doing more than just rattle some windows or moan in the night. Georgia is hurt almost right away, and Danny goes running for the hills as quick as can be. The situation continues to deteriorate as the story progresses.

I listened to the audiobook as I drove to and from work, Stephen Lang captured the feel perfectly. He can even do a very good southern accent, and a reasonable facsimile of a woman's voice. The production quality was quite high. I felt myself tense up for the characters, my breath shortened in anticipation and worry. I even cried in several places in sympathy for them. Joe Hill makes you wonder if there will be a happy ending, or if the story will end like Japanese stories so often do when they star an angry, hateful ghost. If you are looking for a good ghost story, I recommend you pick this one up.