Book Review Rewind: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
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Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,
NOS4A2 is written by Joe Hill and is published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. In this macabre tale of horror, we are introduced to teen Vic McQueen AKA the Brat from Haverhill, Massachusetts. She is dealing with her parents' slowly decomposing marriage while listening to their constant bickering. One day she grabs up her bike and flees her home amidst a squabble about her mother's missing bracelet. She peddles faster and faster until she reaches The Shorter Way Bridge. On this day she finds that this bridge is a unique bridge. It is an extension of her mind that can carry her wherever she wishes to go. Soon she has her mother's bracelet, having traveled to and from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire in minutes.
She continues to escape through the bridge weekly finding lost objects and soon finds herself in Here, Iowa. There she meets Maggie Leigh, an introverted librarian that has the ability to receive messages through Scrabble tiles. The young woman warns Vic of the "Wraith" and the evil man that drives the antique vehicle. She explains that he can do what Vic can, but he uses his gift for dark purposes. By her senior year in high school, she encounters the Wraith and its withered owner, Charles Talent Manx. The man attempts to kill Vic, but she escapes, leading to his arrest.
The winds sweep away many years as Vic becomes a mother. What Vic does not know is that Charlie Manx is not human. And he has been waiting decades to make sure she pays for his incarceration. With the aid of his henchman, a man in a gas mask, he begins his journey to look for the next child that he will bring to the place he calls Christmasland. The latest child he chooses to bring to Christmasland is a twelve-year-old boy, named Wayne... Vic's son.
NOS4A2 gave me a solid novel filled with three-dimensional characters and extensive world-building. Vic McQueen was a kick-ass heroine that never gave up on stopping Charlie Manx. Vic's relationship with her son and the boy's father was touching. Despite all of her shortcomings the trio always stuck together. Maggie Leigh was a favorite of mine. She was a sweet and long-suffered woman and I wanted to give her a hug. Charlie Manx was a brutal and deadly adversary in this book. His partner in crime, Bing Partridge, was terrifying as the Gasmask Man. But the scariest part of this book was the Children of Christmasland. With their scratchy little voices and rows of sharp teeth.
I had the pleasure of experiencing NOS4A2 with the incredible narration of actress, Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager). Her ability to accentuate voices and accents made this feel like a full-cast presentation. Excellent job.
This novel was nearly seven hundred pages and I zipped through it as if it were two hundred pages. It gave me a meaty tale with well-crafted characters that ended in a spectacular five-star finale.
In case you want some holiday tunes to accompany your journey to Christmasland, here is a link to a fun video with music provided by The Living Strings complete with falling snow:
https://youtu.be/ZU8Ny5eYS_A
Because there is always time to read,
The winds sweep away many years as Vic becomes a mother. What Vic does not know is that Charlie Manx is not human. And he has been waiting decades to make sure she pays for his incarceration. With the aid of his henchman, a man in a gas mask, he begins his journey to look for the next child that he will bring to the place he calls Christmasland. The latest child he chooses to bring to Christmasland is a twelve-year-old boy, named Wayne... Vic's son.
NOS4A2 gave me a solid novel filled with three-dimensional characters and extensive world-building. Vic McQueen was a kick-ass heroine that never gave up on stopping Charlie Manx. Vic's relationship with her son and the boy's father was touching. Despite all of her shortcomings the trio always stuck together. Maggie Leigh was a favorite of mine. She was a sweet and long-suffered woman and I wanted to give her a hug. Charlie Manx was a brutal and deadly adversary in this book. His partner in crime, Bing Partridge, was terrifying as the Gasmask Man. But the scariest part of this book was the Children of Christmasland. With their scratchy little voices and rows of sharp teeth.
I had the pleasure of experiencing NOS4A2 with the incredible narration of actress, Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager). Her ability to accentuate voices and accents made this feel like a full-cast presentation. Excellent job.
This novel was nearly seven hundred pages and I zipped through it as if it were two hundred pages. It gave me a meaty tale with well-crafted characters that ended in a spectacular five-star finale.
In case you want some holiday tunes to accompany your journey to Christmasland, here is a link to a fun video with music provided by The Living Strings complete with falling snow:
https://youtu.be/ZU8Ny5eYS_A
Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.
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