Book of the Month: ‘NOS4A2’ BY Joe Hill
If you’ve known Maude Garrett, she’s not the biggest horror fan. However, if there’s a nice mixture of fantasy, she’s all about it. Last year, we read Fairy Tale by Stephen King. And we had such a great discussion about the horror themes reflecting past trauma.
The BOOK OF THE MONTH is NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. In case you didn’t know, Joe Hill is the son of “Horror King” Stephen King. Since I do cheat a bit when reading a chonky book for book club, the first couple of chapters have given me the same feeling when I read The Shining for the first time.
The apple does not fall far from the tree in this case at all. Similar to his father, Hill sets the tone through the atmosphere for his characters and also adds depth by the themes used to explore their past.
If Maude loves an author, we will continue to find books to read that fit our favourite sci-fi/fantasy genres!
Joe Hill is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman, Heart-Shaped Box, and Strange Weather. Much of his work has been adapted for film and television. His second novel, Horns, was made into a cult horror-comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe; his third novel, NOS4A2, was adapted for television by AMC, and featured Zachary Quinto; his short story The Black Phone was adapted for the big screen by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, and starred Ethan Hawke. In 2007, he co-created the long-running comic book Locke & Key, with artistic maestro Gabriel Rodriguez; in 2011 Hill won the Eisner Award (Best Writer) for his work on the series. The six books in the Locke & Key saga formed the basis for a hit TV series on Netflix. A seventh volume, published in 2022, married the world of Locke & Key to the epic Sandman universe.
bOOK chAT: ‘Fairy tALE’ bY sTEPHEN kING
NOS4A2
by joE hiLL
Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.
Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”
Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.
What NOS4A2 Offers
vampirism
supernatural
motherhood
madness
regret and redemption
modernity vs. tradition
alternate realities
resilience
forgiveness
childhood trauma
Join Our Book Chat
Maude and our community will have a stream to discuss the full book on Thursday, October 16 and Thursday, October 24! Join us on Twitch from 5-7 p.m. PT.
What did you think about N0S4A2 by Joe Hill? Let us know in the comments below or join our discord today!
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