Heart-Shaped Box
by Joe Hill
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.38 You Save: $4.61 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Heart-Shaped Box
Book Review: A flawed, but thoroughly enjoyable, horror ride
Summary: 3 Stars
Judas Coyne made music about the dead--his fans thought he was evil, and perhaps part of him was. Because, apparently, a former groupie has committed suicide. And her dear old stepdad, who has just died, is coming after Coyne, with the hopes of reuniting the former lovers...in Hell.
Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and get one thing out of the way. I'm sure a lot of people have compared this novel to those of Stephen King, or have stated "Move over Stephen King," or words to that effect. While I don't think he's quite there yet, Joe Hill (full name Joe Hillstrom King) is indeed the perfect individual for the job, being the son of the afore-mentioned Mr. King. "Heart-Shaped Box" shows a lot of promise (there are scenes where Hill doesn't flinch, where other authors--perhaps even dear old dad--would have). And the premise is excellent.
So why only 3 stars? Because I don't think Hill has decided who he wants to be yet. Does he want to be a commerical author, or a die-hard horror author? The novel goes soft near the end (despite a superb climactic scene), and many characters get off the hook when they shouldn't, or are punished for past deeds when there is really no need for it in the context of the novel. It's as if Coyne is wanting to make a seemless horror novel--which, as true horror fans should know, isn't a smart idea. Part of what makes horror so damn frightening is that it is NEVER over, that the horrors always continue, in one form or another.
Still, Hill is off to a damn good start. I haven't read "20th Century Ghosts," but I plan to. "Heart-Shaped Box" didn't rock my socks off, as all the critical reviews suggested it would, but it did get me intrigued. And perhaps, for a first novel, that's enough. So, if you are a fan of the genre, feel free to pick up this book and give it a try. It's worth the effort, because I think we have a new (ahem) king of horror emerging from underneath Daddy's shadow (the fact that he doesn't use his father's name suggests a cry for independence, and we must commend him for that).
Book Review: Needs a LOT of work
Summary: 1 Stars
The initial concept was enthralling enough for me to buy the book. What a disappointment. The protagonist is 54 years old -- a burned out rocker. Then I turned to the back jacket flap, and see that the author is, at most, in his early 30s. What, I wondered, can somebody that young possibly know about being 54 years old, or being a 54 year old burned out rocker, for that matter? Reading the book provided the answer -- almost nothing. I know because I happen to be 54 years of age. For a man that old to be with a girl about 30 years younger than he is, and to have anything whatsoever to hold that relationship together beyond sex (and that didn't really seem to enter into it too much) is ludicrous.
Joe Hill or Joe King or whoever he is has created a cast of shallow characters. I didn't find a single one that I gave even a slight damn about and was relieved when I finished the book.
I also objected to his slang-ridden narrative. Slang is fine when used in dialogue to help express the sort of person speaking, but when it's used narrative, it indicates immaturity and an incomplete grasp of the craft of writing. For example: he uses the work "hoarked" to describe vomiting in the narrative. If his character had said that, it would have been fine. But the way he chose to use it narratively made me shake my head. He writes like a punk, and if you go in for that sort of thing, buy the book. I imagine if you are a male who is 16-24, you'll be all over this tome.
Joe Hill/King had a great idea that he was unable to properly execute. And the fact that it's a first novel doesn't excuse it. I have read many brilliant first novels, and this one couldn't shine their dust jackets.
However, if you are, by any chance, interested in a truly literate and terrifying book, buy yourself a copy of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson. And don't tell me you saw the movie(s) -- the movie(s) didn't even come close to capturing all the creepiness in the book.
Book Review: A Natural Talent, Witty and Perverse
Summary: 3 Stars
What catches the attention of a reader these days? That is a question that many authors are asking these days. And the attempt to attract that crowd sometimes begins with a simple title. "Heart-Shaped Box" was a video by Nirvana before the tragic death of Kurt Cobain. And how brilliant of author, Joe Hill to take such a title, and write a ghost story for this generation! And to boot, the main person is an aging rock star past his time. That only begins to shape the talent that Joe Hill brings to the table. The son of legend, Stephen King, is ready to be a legend in his own time. Does he succeed?
You have to think about this for a minute. Metal-head, Judas Coyne likes to collect strange things. And some of the things are freaking weird! But nothing prepares him for the e-bay auction that offers a dead man's suit, ghost included. What the heck? You have the money for these kind of things, you splurge a little! But money can't buy him and his girlfriend out of the mess that this purchase turns into. And it gets chaotic! Jude is armed with a woman who cares, a mustang, and two dogs, so what more could you ask for? Let the ghost games begin. You want a wild ride? You got it, baby!
The New York Times describes this as "Perversely witty." Yeah, I guess so, although I'd say sometimes more perverted than witty. But Joe Hill is a natural talent, and he tells his story with ease. The ending is practically down to perfection, and then that final curtain closes.
I never got into the work of Stephen King. This was an interesting read, but it will be the last I read of Joe Hill. It was a type of story I could get into, yet not stay into. Joe Hill will no doubt be a talent for years to come. But I choose to close the lid on his Heart-Shaped Box. Great talent!
Book Review: A good read
Summary: 4 Stars
When I saw this book in hardcover, a novel about a rock star named Judas Coyne who purchases a ghost in a heart-shaped box for $1000, I thought it was interesting, but I had so much to read and I though maybe I'll read it when it comes out in paperback. I looked at the author photo and thought he looked familiar. Then, I don't know, a few weeks later, I discovered that the author, Joe Hill was the the second child of Tabitha and Stephen King.
I went back to the book shelves, and looked at the back flap where that picture was again and now I saw it. Joe Hill looked a lot like his dad. As a fan of Stephen King -having read almost every novel he's published - I wanted to see for myself if Joe Hill (an abbreviated form of his given name and a reference to executed labor leader Joe Hill, for whom he was named) could write a spooky story that kept me coming back to his dad for the last 30 years.
Sure enough, I think he did.
When Heart-Shaped Box finally came out in paper, I bought and put it at the top of my reading list -which happens all the time, by the way, pushing other books away.
Anyway, the novel and the author have very similar styles as his father. Major themes about the past, and how it never leaves you behind, remind me a many of times of the elder King's works. So does the characters themselves, who evoke a terrible childhood, which is another trademark of Stephen King, along with paying attention to details with language, accents.
Now, its not to say anything of this is bad. By and far, Joe Hill speaks in his own voice, and Heart-Shaped Box is an effective and powerful first novel. I look forward to see how Mr. Hill grows and see if he can be a creepy and suspenseful as his dad.
Book Review: A Smart First Effort
Summary: 3 Stars
"Heart-Shaped Box" will not set any literary circles on fire, but I found the debut novel smart, imaginative and a scary ride from start to finish.
Joe Hill's first novel is a ghost story; plain and simple. He delivers a decent story that does not take the ghost story into uncharted territory, but he does make the ghost story fun and scary again. Hill creates a sustained atmosphere of tension with haunting vignettes and encounters with a ghost who has the best ghost name I have come across in a while: Craddock. The horror scenes seem to be staged at strategic intervals throughout the book, as if it was a television show and each segment between commercials was required to have a chilling moment. However, every time the story could have become repetitious, Hill surprises the reader with a smart twist to makes everything fresh again.
There is also a strong emotional pull within the story that affected me. There is an underlying theme about the loneliness of death and the horrors of suffering alone. Time and again characters experience horrors alone with no one to comfort them and help them with their physical and emotional pain or their passing from life to death. This is never truer than with the story of Ruth. Although a very minor plot line, Ruth's story was told simply and powerfully.
Hill's writing was a little bland and some of the imagery seemed to be taken straight from a Japanese horror film, but the story alone is worth the price of admission. It is not earth shattering in its uniqueness, but it is so well told with imaginative frights that it had me hooked and loving every mile traveled with these characters.