NOS4A2

A Novel

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew

Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins

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

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)

Dreamt of vampires for a week

I'm not sure if "intense" is a good way to describe this book - but I will tell you that I had dreams of vampires for a week! It was creepy - it was brutal - it was GOOD. Joe Hill did a great job of taking the reader into the world of mental imbalance. I didn't give the book 5 stars because I just couldn't wrap my brain around a world that exists in the mind but causes real bodily harm...

Kate Mulgrew did a great job narrating. Her voice is distinctive - and good.

Let’s talk about the narrator!

Kate made this whole book for me. The story was good, not great, but Kate made it a must listen. I am hooked and want her to read me bedtime stories.

Not a fan of the genre

I had high hopes for this given the reviews, but it's a little too disturbing for me. Horror in the psychological realm tends to be that way when taken far enough. I'm sure fans of the genre will love it. I'm not there. Sorry.

Entertaining story, but grating narrator

This is a really intriguing and entertaining tale. I thoroughly enjoyed the main character and thought that her journey and quirks were really relatable and dynamic. You can't help but rooting for Vic McQueen, even when she's making a mess of pretty much everything. But the narrator really took a lot of the shine off this book. Somehow she managed to make everyone sound like a melodramatic idiot trying out for a school play. No one I've ever met actually speaks the way her characters speak. Also, giving everyone in the book a smokers rasp was pretty grating. The only character I felt she really nailed was the villain, which was truly a great performance. Overall, I would recommend reading this one for yourself and skipping the audio version.

Love. This. Book! - Warning: Spoilers

I first came upon this book via my local digital library. I had heard of Joe Hill, per his father Stephen King, so I thought "Why not?" I checked out the audiobook and was instantly hooked! So much so, that I immediately joined Audible, just so I could own it!!

Read by Kate Mulgrew, whom is well-known for her roles as Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager and for Galina "Red" Reznikov on Orange is the New Black. It is Mulgrew that provided the mesmerizing voices of Charlie Manx, Maggie, and Bing, but also added a level of depth to this book! Mulgrew's vocal presentation manifests Charlie Manx's evil way of speaking that makes him seem like a real predator. Manx talks like a perfect gentlemen, once you ignore that he steals children! For Lou, one of the main characters, there is an added depth to this wonderful character, that Mulgrew nails.

The ride that is NOS4A2, starts with Charles Manx, a convicted child abductor, briefly waking up from a coma, he threatens a nurse, which is highly unlikely, as Manx has no brain activity!! He's in supposed to be in a coma, after all. The book then flashes back to the past (1986) and the listener/reader is introduced to a young Vic McQueen, who discovers that she can use her bicycle to find lost things by riding it through the "Shorter Way Bridge." This bridge always takes Vic to the location of whatever she is looking to recover. On one trip, Vic travels to an Iowa library where she meets Maggie, a librarian that can use Scrabble tiles to find the place of missing items/information. (Maggie's horrible stutter is emphasized deftly my Mulgrew's gravelly voice, making her seem all too real and likable!) Maggie warns Vic about Manx, whom Maggie calls "the Wraith" after the model of car Manx drives because she [Maggie] is unable to divine his [Manx's] real name.

The story then returns to 2008, where an adult Vic has had a relationship with [Lou] and has given birth to a son, Bruce Wayne Carmody. Vic is unhappy and emotionally scarred by the past. Vic now restores motorcycles and has created a children's books series that is extremely successful. However, Vic is tormented by phone calls from "Christmasland's vampire children" who berate her [Vic] for Manx's arrest (1986).

In 2012, Maggie appears on Vic's doorstep and confronts her with the uncomfortable fact that Manx died in prison. However, he has resurrected himself and has now escaped (refer to the waking from coma). Vic doesn't believe Maggie and accuses her of insanity and sends her away. During this time, Manx has reunited with Bing (Mulgrew's vocals for Bing are perfect, she portrays him as spineless, slimy and subservient -- which he is!). Together Manx and Bing kill Vic's neighbors and move into their house, and watch as Vic and Wayne repair an old motorcycle together. When Vic test drives the motorcycle, Manx and Bing kidnap Wayne, severely injuring Vic in the process. Wayne is able to call hi dad (Lou) to alert him of his kidnapping. Vic calls the police to report the abduction, but thy do bit believe her since Manx is officially dead. It is the belief, of the police, that his body was stolen. FBI psychologist Tabitha Hutter is then assigned to psychoanalyze Vic because she is suspected of being involved in her son's disappearance. This is even despite the cell phone trace that revealing Wayne's location as "Christmasland" on a severely distorted map of the United States. Still, Hutter doesn't believe Vic or the apparent "story" she is stating to the police.

Vic escapes protective custody and uses the "Shorter Way" to find Wayne, which brings her to meeting Bing. When she arrives at Bing's house and he attacks her, she is able to survive and by killing him. Vic then calls Lou (who is still with the police) and tells them about Bing's house. Lou then hints about meeting at her father's house, which the police do not understand, at first. Vic takes the "Shorter Way"to Maggie's library, here the two women start to search for answers using Maggie's Scrabble tiles. Vic discovers a way to destroy Manx.

After Vic makes it to her father's house, Hutter and the police arrive to detain Vic. The police under Hutter's command are more aggressive and shoot Vic's father dead when he attacks one to protect Vic. Vic and Lou escape, arriving at Manx's home. Vic leaves Lou behind and travels via the "Shorter Way" to "Christmasland." After some convincing and altercations Vic and Wayne return to reality...

This book is a great example of great writing, thanks Joe Hill! But, also the great character vocal creations of Kate Mulgrew!!

Kate Mulgrew...wow! Great story too!

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

suspenseful, engaging, dark.

What other book might you compare NOS4A2 to and why?

Dr. sleep by King of course, as it mentions the antagonists from that book are remotely related to the villain in NOS4A2

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

No, but I will be looking for more of her work now!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, just enjoyed it a lot.

Wondering how they make NOS4A2 into a TV series!

Scary. if you like Stephen King, you'll probably enjoy this as much as I did.

Best reading I’ve ever heard

Joe Hill writes a very creepy tale of magical realism, but it’s Kate Mulgrew’s super spine chilling rendition of Charlie Manx that makes this audiobook superb. Halfway through the book, I wanted to send her a bag of lozenges, as I’m sure she experienced a sore throat for a good year following the recording, but I can’t fathom any actor reading it better.

near-perfection

I highly recommend this audiobook!

And I'll take the opportunity to make a general comment re the importance of narrators' getting pronunciation of place names right: The Massachusetts town of Haverhill is central to this novel, and is mentioned by name a *lot* therein. I happen to have grown up a bit west of there. The town's name is pronounced either "HAY-ver-ill" or "HAY-vrill." So for me, every time Ms. Mulgrew mangled it as "HAV-er-hill" was, for this listener, a mildly cringey, momentary (and unnecessary) mental nudge out of the flow of the story.

I suspect the reason this frequent fault didn't affect my enjoyment more than it did was due to Ms. Mulgrew's otherwise truly superlative narration. She is one of the very best, trust me.

Still, it should be common knowledge that place names *very* frequently have pronunciations unique to their locale, and it would be most considerate of audiobook narrators to do the small bit of research required to get this right, especially in a case like this story where the central character is so firmly linked to a place. Hearing the local pronunciation is an interesting tidbit for those unfamiliar with it, and a welcome mark of authenticity for those in the know.

The Best Author Since Stephen King!

I have read books of this genre for the past 30 years, and though there are many great authors, Joe Hill is a treasure I have only recently discovered. Wow! Great stories, great characters, great endings! He does not disappoint! I love it when characters are flawed and yet have profound insights, when they must reach into the deepest part of themselves where the tiniest bit of magic still lives, then trust it to save the best part of themselves and loved ones. Fabulous book! Going to read everything by this guy...