Horns

A Novel

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Joe Hill's critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning debut chiller, Heart-Shaped Box, heralded the arrival of new royalty onto the dark fantasy scene. With Horns, he polishes his well-deserved crown. A twisted, terrifying new novel of psychological and supernatural suspense, Horns is a devilishly original triumph for the Ray Bradbury Fellowship recipient whose story collection, 20th Century Ghosts, was also honored with a Bram Stoker Award—and whose emotionally powerful and macabre work has been praised by the New York Times as, "wild, mesmerizing, perversely witty…a Valentine from hell."

Enjoyed the ride but overall I was dissapointed

The story pulled me in right away but as the plot developed I began not to care about the ending. Finished it because it is my book club read this month. Otherwise I may have not read it all the way through

Krusty?

Seriously, Fred Berman sounds just like Krusty the Klown and that's not a good thing. Joe Hill's book is OK, but that's about it. The idea is good and he did a nice job of handling the story from multiple perspectives and slowly revealing the important details, allowing the story to come to light piece by piece and not all at once. The problem (besides the narrator that sounds like Krusty) is that the whole thing feels very superficial and unpolished. A previous reviewer wrote that it was like a short story that got stretched and I think that's reasonably close to my interpretation. It isn't a bad book, so I disagree with those who give it one star. Go back and try to slog through Mary Shelly's Frankenstien for a truly awful read. As for the "Christian" reviewers who worry that "Christians" won't like the book; well, it's a book about a devil. That should be reasonably apparent from the title and cover art.

Great story, writing is rough around the edges

I really enjoyed this story and was eager to get back to listening to it. It is a great premise. I love a good sympathy for the devil story. That said:

1) I only tolerated the narrator. Maybe it was the director's fault. His reading of the protagonist's lines didn't resonate with what we know about Ig. Ig is kind of a big wimp, and nothing makes him seem otherwise, except for the narrator's intonation. The acting didn't match the writing.
2) Hill is a better storyteller than he is a writer. He is still early in his career and I want to read more by him, but he was often too "on the nose."
3) I didn't like any of the characters to really root for them. Sometimes that is OK in a book, but with this book, everyone was so terrible that I wanted someone, anyone, to be vaguely likeable.

Those are a few caveats about what was ultimately a fun listening experience.

Christian beware, Contained within is Devils fare.

What did you love best about Horns?

Really interesting look at Christian mythology without getting righteous about it at all. The way the story is told is unique, too. Kinda jumps back and forth and tells you what you need to know when you need it, not when you want it.

What other book might you compare Horns to and why?

God's Debris or the Lamb. Both discuss a different way to view Christian mythology in their own way. Those have a different tone then this book. This is more drama, The Lamb is comical a bit and God's Debris is just a mind blow.

What does Fred Berman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He really has a good voice and pace, plus he adds voices or inflections to the characters. He's consistent about it too.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it over like 4 or 5 days while at work. This is a good long listen, but I got !@#$ to do.

Any additional comments?

This book really offers a unique viewpoint on the Devil from Christian mythology. I'm an atheist, but I can see some people getting a twig up their bums about things in this book. It's all fiction people. Just enjoy. It's a good story. Hope the movie doesn't suck.

Great book, love this author

I ordered this book and there was a problem with it, it ended too short. But audible saved the day and I got to listen to the rest of it. Yeah audible!