I wasn’t disappointed that this was my first foray into Joe Hill’s novels. Previously I had read his Locke & Key graphic novel series, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from a straight-up novel of his. Overall I thought it was alright.
NOS4A2 revolves around Victoria ‘Vic’ McQueen who, since she was a child, has had the ability to conjure a magic bridge that helps her find lost things. In her adventures she learns that there are other people like her, who can conjure magic pathways through different talismans, and she finds herself crossing paths with Charlie Manx, an alleged kidnapper, whose antique Rolls Royce allows him to take children to a place of eternal Christmas — aptly named Christmasland. Once the children are in Christmasland, Charlie Manx is able to feed on their humanity (for lack of better, brief description) to fuel his ability to live well beyond the average lifespan, in an almost vampiric way.
Charlie believes that he is doing less-fortunate children a favor by letting them live eternally in the “joy” of Christmasland, when young Vic throws a wrench in his plans, having him arrested and leaving him to wither in jail with no access to Christmasland (and, in turn, his energy source.)
But years later, when Vic is an adult and her days of journeying on her magic bridge are long gone, Charlie Manx manages to break out and he’s coming for her in the most vindictive way he knows how — he’s planning to take her son to Christmasland. Vic needs to face her fears and confront her past to get her kiddo back.
That might sound like a lot going on and, honestly, it is. The story is told through a variety of viewpoints over a variety of time periods that span multiple decades, and while it works well in print, it leaves the story a bit difficult to describe in a few short sentences. That being said, I didn’t find the story difficult to follow at all, which I think is an accomplishment for a story such as this.
On the whole, this book felt pretty average to me. Nothing groundbreaking as far as works in the genre. Just kind of a middle of the road horror novel. It’s on the long side – maybe a bit longer than it really needs to be, which isn’t to say that it’s bad. In fact, I’m glad I read it because it seems to be pretty widely read among horror fans, but I’m not sure there’s a ton that I can add to the conversation.
For me, some of the parts that fell a bit short were in the writing style and the ending. I can’t decide if it’s the tone or the subject matter, or simply just the style of the story, but this book feels a bit dated. Despite being published in 2013, it feels straight out of the 80s (and not in a Stranger Things, love letter to the 80s kind of way, but in more of a ‘I feel like I’ve seen this done before’ kind of way. ) While I think, overall, it didn’t detract from my reading experience, it feels worth mentioning — especially since a lot of modern horror works, from the same time frame to current, seem to be doing more to subvert expectations. In that way, this one feels kind of run of the mill.
This familiar styling also probably led to my feelings about the ending. Not only did it feel relatively predictable – definitely not any kind of edge-of-your-seat surprises or twists, but the wrap up felt too clean for a horror story. While I don’t usually mind a “where are they now” type final chapter, I didn’t love where this one took things and I think, in retrospect, some of it undermined previously established character roles.
I also thought the blatant nod to a potential sequel felt gimmicky, but that might be more of a personal preference. I just tend to not like them in general. I think the information we see in that specific scene could have easily been the opening chapter of a sequel if there was to be one. (Though it’s been 9 years and Hill has had a lot of other projects in the works, so I’m not holding my breath.)
Ultimately, I think NOS4A2 is one of those books that gets enough buzz that it makes sense for a horror fan to check out. It’s definitely got some Stephen King vibes (which is unsurprising as Hill is King’s son) and it’s a fine throwback to horror novels that shot the genre into popularity. Between enjoying Locke & Key and hearing a lot of hype about some of his other works, I’m interested to see what else Hill has up his sleeve and in his toolbox. I’ve also got my eye on The Black Phone, so I’ll definitely be reading, and likely reviewing, more of his works in the future, though I’m not necessarily running to the bookstore for them.
