I understand that all reading is subjective, but let me tell you, Joe Hill has become compulsive reading for me. His first book, Heart-Shaped Box was totally frightening (so much so that I had to put it down for a while) and engrossing in its rich characterization. Joe doesn't just describe characters, he brings them to life in all their complexity (including moral). Although Horns is not as frightening as a book, it spends all the more time creating a situation that is fascinating, characters that are memorable and some interesting moral philosophy to boot.
I think Horns just may be one of my favorite books of all time. The story of Iggy Perrish and his friends and family is one of tragedy, love, and spiritual justice. Iggy wakes up from a night of drinking and mourning the love of his life that had been raped and murdered a year before (making him the most likely suspect) with horns growing from his head. When he tries to get help he finds that people's reactions to his presence is very revealing.
I could not stop reading this book. Beautifully written, it is a thoroughly engrossing dark fantasy novel that will leave you breathless. Stephen King has given us lots of wonderful gifts to the literary world through the years, but I think he'd agree with me, none of them compare to that of his son. I look forward with great anticipation for what comes out of this fellow New Englander next.
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