Saturday, May 15, 2010

And Now For Something Complete Different

A Man with Two Horns.  I just finished Horns, written by Joe Hill.  I am not a huge fan of horror books, but the reviews of this book inspired me to read it.  Essentially, a guy discovers horns growing out of his head one day, and he suddenly has a bunch of powers--that people spontaneously tell him their darkest secrets and then forget talking to him, that he can get people to do some stuff, that when he touches someone, he learns what they have done.  And that is where it starts.

The book actually tells a key few stories from a couple of different perspectives, particularly from Ignatious Martin Perrish (IMP!), the demon in question.  It has some interesting riffs on the devil and god, but is mostly focused on love, friendship and betrayal.  A very engrossing book, I read it quickly and enjoyed it, despite its inherent darkness.  Not my usual cup of tea, but it snuck in some humor and was more of a thriller than a horror book.

I can see where he gets his perverse sense of humor--his dad, Stephen King.  The book stands on its own, and Hill's other stuff has been well received.  I will be as selective with his stuff as I am with King's as I am a fan of good thrillers but not so much horror.

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