Customer Reviews

Horns: A Novel

5 star:		(135)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Ig Perrish wakes up one morning with a hell of a hangover and discovers that he has grown horns on his head. He has become a (the?) devil, has powers and thus opportunities (but also downsides) he didn't have before, and within a short time, he knows just what he wants to do with them - take revenge for a hideous wrong. How best to do it?

That's simple enough, an amusing premise for something of a supernatural thriller, but Joe Hill does more than just exploit that - a lot more.

First of all, the book is just crazy funny. Hill has a great ear for dialogue, his scenes are often completely absurd and yet somehow believeable, and the situations are, after all, ridiculous on their face, but he makes it all work.

Second, his plotting (for such a strange book) is tight. The heart of the book is something of a murder mystery, and Hill uses flashbacks from various characters to good effect, putting the pieces of the puzzle in place in a pretty clever way.

Third, there is something more than just a wild ride for his characters here - there is actually a touching love story, and the revelations behind various motivations and actions are really well done. The last 50 pages or so, and especially the last 20, are in fact just downright intimate - and all without seeming mawkish or losing the flavor of the very strange ending.

It's a crime story, a horror story, a love story - frankly, it's a lot like something Steven King would have written 20 years ago. It's excellent.

"Ignatius Martin Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things." So begins Joe Hill's excellent sophomore novel, Horns. As the straightforward title suggests, the novel has a simple, high-concept premise. After the aforementioned night of doing terrible things, Ig Perrish wakes up the next morning with a pair of horns growing out of his head. His reaction is typical enough. After the immediate shock of it, he concludes he's hallucinating--and either way, he'd better see a doctor.

It is with these initial interactions, with his girlfriend, the folks in the doctor's office, and most disturbingly with his family, that Ig makes several unpleasant discoveries. No one reacts to the horns. Rather, they're compelled to share their deepest, darkest, sickest secrets. Trust me; you don't want to hear the most vile thoughts of a stranger on the street--much less those of your grandma!

Just when this grotesque show-and-tell is beginning to feel a bit old, Hill moves on and dives into the meat of his story, Ig's story. One year prior, Ig's childhood sweetheart, the love of his life, was violently murdered. The crime was never solved, and Ig is widely believed to be the murderer. Very widely believed, he is to learn. Hill's novel ultimately spans several literary genres. It's a supernatural thriller, a murder mystery, a coming of age story, and a dark comedy all rolled into one. And the novel succeeds quite well on all counts.

As the story drew to its conclusion, the thing that was very noticeable to me was how elegantly constructed the novel was. It was like a perfect puzzle, with different clues and unanswered questions salted throughout. But by the end, everything came together in a way that wasn't so much neat as inevitable. It was elegant. And it was emotionally satisfying. And it was darn entertaining, which is just about the highest praise I can offer.

P.S.: For those of you who realize there is a coded message on the end papers of the novel, but are too, uh, busy to decipher the message, I'm putting the solution in the comments section of my review.

I've been waiting for the release of Joe Hill's second book ever since I finished his debut masterpiece "Heart Shaped Box." Sadly, Hill hits a bit of a sophmore slump here and Horns fails to live up to its potential.

To start, Joe Hill is a fabulous writer. His prose is some of the best in horror today and his use of imaging and metaphors are that of a writer with far more books under his belt. Furthermore, his characters are welll drawn and multifaceted. Where Hill falls in Horns is on the plot itself.

Horns styles itself a horror novel, but mostly it is an almost Jodi Picoult look at love and tragedy and its effects on three main characters. Ig makes for a good main character and the first 70 pages which deal with his new horns and their ability to make people tell the horrible truth about their sins is fascinating. Ig is a suspected murderer and he finds out the true feelings of his accquaintances and relatives. Sadly, after a roaring first fifth of the book, the real murderer is revealed and we are plunged into a long flashback taking Ig and the other characters from teenagers to adulthood with a few present day chapters sprinkled in.

The horns chapters are good, the flashback chapters are good, but they never seem to find a happy connection with each other. The ending also feels rushed and like the final gasp of a writer who just wanted to get the book out of his life as soon as he could.

Horns isn't a poor book by any means, there are many plasures to be had with it. However, it does not rival Heart Shaped Box in any way. We can only hope book number three will be a return to glory.

Stayed up late reading last night, to finish Joe Hill's Horns. The book blew me away. I'd read about half of Hill's collection, 20th Century Ghosts, so I knew what sort of caliber to expect, but...wow. Phenomenal. The concept is so brilliant, so obvious, and yet so perfectly executed: the protagonist, Ig Perrish, stumbles toward the mirror after a night of drunken mischief, gazes upon his own reflection to find he has grown a pair of devilish horns.

The story is told in a clever, anachronistic series of revelations, flashbacks, and varying perspectives on the same hellish, downright heartbreaking series of events. Hill's talent for weaving a yarn from dreamlike scenes, sudden remembrances, and epiphanies is something I've scarcely seen done so masterfully before. He manages to direct the reader's every thought, not misguiding through deception -- such acts are the sort of devilry that only Ig Perrish would condone -- but rather leading his audience through darkness (as well as some truly beautiful, almost divine imagery both heartwarming and obscene) toward the inevitable conclusion.

Without spoiling too much, I'll simply say that Horns was everything I wasn't expecting, in addition to that which I was. For every sinister act of the devil, there eventually shines the light of God (saith the Atheist in Theology 101). It's a fascinating, brilliant, saddening, glimmer-of-hope examination of all humanity's faults and what it means to truly achieve redemption.

Theology, though, is far from the real focus of the novel -- although it is certainly a heavy thread throughout. In fact, the devil Hill portrays is a purely modern conception: powers of deception, influence over the sinful mind, rock n' roll, and rusty pitchforks. It's all rather 21st-century, in its acknowledgement of human tendencies and the way our society holds sin upon a pedestal of priority.

Some of the most gorgeous prose, some of the most perfect characterization, and one of the most heart-wrenching, downright human stories ever told. I struggled to hold back the tears...tears fighting to seep out, to friggin' weep, out of plain, unabashed sympathy for the devil.

A year ago, Ignatius Perrish, Ig, had a perfect life. His long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Merrin, was moving along well, and they were talking marriage and kids. He had just landed a job in London and after six months apart, Merrin would be moving there and they would live a successful life. He has great friends who are becoming successful in their chosen fields, and a supportive loving family. What could go wrong?

Unfortunately, everything. After a stupid bar fight, Ig leaves Merrin and drives off drunk to sleep it off. He heads for the airport, only to be arrested in line, discovering that Merrin has been raped and violently killed. While there isn't enough evidence to take him to trial, he remains a 'person of interest'. Everyone in town is sure he committed the murder and he is shunned and reviled daily.

On the day after the anniversary of Merrin's death, Ig wakes up to find something has occurred. Something else horrible. During the night, he has sprouted horns; yes, horns. As he tries to make sense of this, he comes to realise that the horns give him the ability to read people's secret thoughts, and their most despicable desires. Shocked by what lies in the heart of everyone he meets, it still gives him the ability to solve the mystery of what really happened that night it all went wrong.

This book is recommended for readers who love thrillers and horror. Once started, it is almost impossible to put this one down. The reader is drawn along, repulsed by what Ig discovers but unable to stop reading about his journey. The ending is cathartic and by then the reader is totally engrossed in Ig's story. Hill intersperses horror with interesting backstory, taking the reader back through Ig and Merrin's childhood and teen years, building the suspense of watching these perfect lives fall apart. This is Hill's second novel and readers will be ready for his third.

Part murder mystery, part contemporary fantasy, part theological satire, part treatise on the nature of good and evil, Horns is a book of many parts, and is well worth your time. The nicest guy in the book is the (or maybe just "a"?) devil, which gives you something to think about. Joe Hill is going places.

I think the low ranking reviews, missed the point by a country mile. I think some of the low reviewers didn't read the book, or if they did they couldn't overcome their religious bias (just my opinion). Hill stomps over delicate sensibilities in hobnail boots without apology, but he tells a heck of a story.

I wasn't exactly bowled over by Mr. Hill's first novel, "Heart-shaped Box" and was reluctant to read "Horns." So many critics, however, swooned over his second effort that I finally decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. You quickly come to know who the real murderer is of Merrin Williams, but the story is still packed with plenty of mystery such as to why Iggy Perrish is strutting around with devil horns and the unwanted power of having people confess their darkest urges to him. Unlike many such novels, Mr. Hill takes great pains of explaining why the protagonists and antagonists act the way they do. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. He also puts this novel on a different level from the standard thriller fare by including nice, brief scene descriptions which help put you into a certain mood. It isn't scary as much as funny, quirky and suspenseful. Mr. Hill has written a well-crafted beach read about obsession.

Once I got past the first scene, which I found a bit confusing (horns? a fat girl pigging out on doughnuts?), I couldn't put this book down, and actually had to force myself to put it aside and parse it out in small doses to make it last longer. What drew me in and kept me there was how the reader honestly didn't know for quite some time whether Ig's horns were real, or just a figment of his tortured imagination. I loved how I wasn't sure myself whether Ig had murdered Merrin or not, and whether every evil thing that the secondary confessed to him was just part of an overall guilty psychosis. I found myself truly looking forward to each new character encounter, just to find out "what evil dwelt within the minds of men" (and women).

By the time I got to the middle of the novel, I could see where the author was flagging a bit, but I didn't hold it against him - I really wanted to see where it went and what would happen to poor, tortured Ig. I wanted to know if Merrin was the good girl she seemed to be, or if she, too, had the Devil inside. The rock-n-roll references got to be a bit much (and I had to roll my eyes at the Devil in blue dress bit), but this was SUCH a good exploration of the evil and the good contained within the human heart, and our ongoing struggle as humans to determine which side is going to win. Hill's writing style was so simple, yet so poignant, that I found myself reading certain passages over again ("The corn whispered frantically, spreading false rumors about him." "The wind caught her hair and did pretty things with it.")

I found the ending a bit frenetic and somewhat fantastical, but again, it IS a horror novel, and after all the buildup, it could hardly be something as easy as "the bad guy got his, and they all lived happily ever after". As the song goes and as Hill's characters ultimately discovered, you can't always get what you want, but you get what you need. In this case, that goes for the reader, too.

Despite a few flaws, this one is going on my keeper shelf, and unlike many second novels, I think this one was far better than Hill's first (A Heart-Shaped Box).

Joe Hill is an author like no other that I have read before - and believe me when I say that I have read plenty, lol! This is a man that can write the most twisted of scenes one minute and then the most human of scenes the next minute. After reading Heart-Shaped Box, I was instantly hooked on Mr. Hill's writing style. Needless to say that when I found out about this newest release, Horns, I grabbed it and gobbled it up right away.

Blending horror and paranormal, Joe Hill weaves a story of one man's spiral into the deepest and darkest journeys that a soul can go. A year after the death of his longtime love Merrin, Ig wakes up after a night of drinking and doing some not so nice things (including relieving himself on a statue of Mary) at a memorial site where Merrin's body had been found. Feeling a bit on the strange side, Ig visits the bathroom, glances into the mirror and is shocked, beyond words, at reflects back at him. Are those horns growing from his head?!?! Surely his eyes are playing tricks on him. However, when the relentless throb continues at his temples and the strange ability to hear everyone's innermost sinful thoughts disturbingly continues, Ig knows he has a problem.

Tagged as Merrin's killer, but free from lack of evidence, not many hold Ig in very high standards. However, Ig knows he is innocent and will do anything to find the person who raped and killed Merrin. With his new minding-reading ability, he makes some startling discoveries, not to mention several undesired discoveries, which may just help Ig in his mission.

Horns has a very deep soul-searching effect on the reader - whether this is intended or not. Delivered with chapters of flashbacks intertwined with present time happenings, Joe Hill presents a very layered and intense story. A bit exhausting in it's intensity, (this, being a good thing) once I began reading, I was hardly able to stop. The flow of the story, the continuous "cliff hangers" delivered between scene switches, leaves the reader wanting to constantly see what happens next. While some readers may view Ig as a monster, I found myself feeling very empathic toward him. His thoughts, during his transformation, are rather thought-proving for the reader and though Ig is suppose to be turning "evil", he puts forth some rather compassionate actions.

I do want to extend a warning to those easily offended by sexual overtures, strong religious beliefs and offensive language, Horns does contain a large portion of all of these things. This is a book meant for entertainment purposes, so should be taken as such, not to heart.

Readers and fans of horror and paranormal will revel within Horns. The writing is marvelous and the ability that Mr. Hill demonstrates to interweave time frames and varied scenes is excellent. I highly recommend Horns and can't wait for the next release from the enormously talented Joe Hill!

Containing one of the most original and intriguing premises I've ever read, Horns is a highly unusual book that explores the grey areas of good and evil using a mix of dark humor, the supernatural, and stark reality. It examines the ugly underbelly of human nature and forces us to consider our own personal demons. Horns was almost sinfully enjoyable and and a delightful guilty pleasure to read.

After a night of drunken debauchery, Ignatius Perrish wakes up to find that he has grown horns on his head. You would think that this would be fairly alarming for the people that see him, but one of the unusual powers these horns seem to possess is that of being overlooked or quickly forgotten by people. The more disturbing effect of these horns is that people who are within their range have the uncontrollable urge to confess their deepest darkest thoughts and wishes to Ignatius. This can be particularly problematic for Ignatius since most of these people believe he murdered his popular girlfriend and they generally do not think very nice thoughts about him nor do they wish him well. He explores the many facets to his newly acquired horns and discovers he can use them to not only find out what people really think, but also make suggestions that they are likely to act upon. Too bad about that free will thing, he can't seem to force people to do his bidding, only if its something they subconsciously want for themselves can he push them in any certain direction. He decides to use these powers to discover who really murdered the girlfriend who he loved more than anything. But what will he do when he finds the answers?

Most of the characters are highly unlikable but the story itself is compelling. The one thing that detracted from the book was the uneven pacing. While some of the book was edge of your seat exciting, other chapters crawled along at a snails pace. There were many times when I wondered where the author was going with the story as it seemed he was going off into areas that had nothing to do with the plot, but all the pieces fell into place by the end. With a writing style and creative subject matter that is reminiscent of his famous father as well as authors like Clive Barker, Joe Hill is definitely an author to watch out for. With his macabre sense of humor and perceptive notions of the darker aspects of the human personality, I'm sure there will be more darkly delightful books from this author.