Preview
  • NOS4A2

  • A Novel
  • By: Joe Hill
  • Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew
  • Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (17,553 ratings)

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NOS4A2

By: Joe Hill
Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew
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Publisher's summary

The spine-tingling, bone-chilling novel of supernatural suspense from the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Fireman and Horns - now an AMC original series starring Zachary Quinto, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ashleigh Cummings.

"A masterwork of horror." (Time)

Victoria McQueen has an uncanny knack for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. When she rides her bicycle over the rickety old covered bridge in the woods near her house, she always emerges in the places she needs to be.

Charles Talent Manx has a gift of his own. He likes to take children for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the vanity plate NOS4A2. In the Wraith, he and his innocent guests can slip out of the everyday world and onto hidden roads that lead to an astonishing playground of amusements he calls Christmasland.

The journey across the highway of Charlie's twisted imagination transforms his precious passengers, leaving them as terrifying and unstoppable as their benefactor.

Then comes the day when Vic goes looking for trouble...and finds her way to Charlie. That was a lifetime ago. Now, the only kid ever to escape Charlie's evil is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx hasn't stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. On the road again, he won't slow down until he's taken his revenge. He's after something very special - something Vic can never replace.

As a life-and-death battle of wills builds, Vic McQueen prepares to destroy Charlie once and for all - or die trying.

©2013 Joe Hill (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, May 2013 - Christmasland is a place where every day is Christmas morning and every night is Christmas Eve. This might not sound like fertile ground for a horror novel, but rest assured; just as there's nothing funny about Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Stephen King's It, there's nothing merry about Christmasland in NOS4A2. Joe Hill tells the story of decrepit child thief Charlie Manx, who travels the country in his Rolls Royce Wraith taking mistreated kids to Christmasland, where they live happily forever playing games like "bite the smallest" and "scissors for the drifter". The only girl who managed to escape his clutches and put Manx in prison for life finds that even Manx's death can't keep him from his quest to make sure every mistreated child is taken to Christmasland. As eerie as a Bing Crosby album played at half speed, NOS4A2 is a thoroughly creepy and compulsively readable supernatural thriller. Kate Mulgrew shines as narrator, turning in a spot-on performance as Victoria McQueen, a tough-as-nails if emotionally frail heroine. (Michael, Audible editor)

Critic reviews

"Quite simply the best horror writer of our generation, Joe Hill’s masterful storytelling is on full display in NOS4A2. It is by turns terrifying and hilarious, horrifying and full of heart, and relentlessly compelling." (Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of The Prophet)
"Fascinating and utterly engaging, this novel is sure to leave readers wanting more. One thing is for certain, however. After reading this book, readers will never hear Christmas carols in quite the same way again." ( Library Journal, starred review)
"[A] new take on the fantasy-horror genre...Highly recommended." ( The Sun Herald Sydney, Australia)

Featured Article: Authors Like Stephen King


Best-selling author Stephen King has published a staggering amount of work, from gripping crime thrillers to epic fantasy series, winning prestigious awards. Yet King’s varied writing is united by common themes, styles, characters, and settings. King fans will recognize a book by him for elements ranging from child characters to atmospheric settings, from eerie psychological horror to New England locations. Undeniably, King’s influence is evident in many of the horror genre’s leading and emerging authors. If you're a fan of Stephen King, these horror authors should be on your radar.

What listeners say about NOS4A2

Average customer ratings
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Great storytelling

Plot was good and engaging, Was read very well, loved how she did each person. Detailed and suspenseful.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent narration

I have to hand it to Kate Mulgrew - wow! Far and away the best female narrator I've ever listened to. Fantastic performance. The story was pretty good, too, but the narration made up for anything lacking there.

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Interesting and Likeable Characters, Great Stories

This audiobook went by too quickly and I wish I could listen to it again for the first time. I thought the writing was quite beautiful and the characters were likeable (the ones you're supposed to like anyways) and felt real.

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Amazing!

Kate Mulgrew slam-dunked the narration of this awesome story!! It was hands down the very best story I have listened to since starting no up with Audible over a year ago! I hope she is willing to do more!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Awesome story but...

I loved this book! Amazing story but the narrator, ugh she almost ruined it.

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Good book, GREAT NARRATOR

This is a really good story but The narrator Kate Mulgrew made it ten times better.

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expertly read. Kate is a fantastic actress

expertly read. Kate is a fantastic actress and it show in this reading. Each character has a unique voice. She makes them come alive.

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Stephen King and Beyond

If you could sum up NOS4A2 in three words, what would they be?

King Horror satisfied

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the character development in the book, it was rich as one would expect from a latter day King novel. I liked the plot development because it was thorough and detailed enough to lend understanding and suspension of disbelief. But I really like the tight closure at the end, that tied the loose ends so effectively without stretching previously laid laws of existence. The ending was believable and real within the confines of the fiction narrative being told. Very satisfying to read, you are not left wanting, and it feels right to put it down after turning the last page, since both the reader and the writer agree that it is over.

Have you listened to any of Kate Mulgrew’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She did a fantastic job. Versatile reader.

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

I wish I could. I took a couple days, at least, but was spell bound.

Any additional comments?

Joe Hill has a promising career ahead of him. I did not need to hear his views on life at the end. He was a little verbose and inconsequential.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Impossibly engaging! I was hooked the entire way!

well written with realistic characters. emotionally driven and surreal. can't recommend enough. definitely check this one out.

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SK should be proud!

Thrilling story and great narration this one definitely kept me up till the wee hours listening.

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