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Joe Hill is a writer who often combines and utilizes various elements of the horror genre and splices them into one whole work that always seems to leave the reader terrified yet begging for more. His 2010 novel Horns is no exception to this, boasting a strong plot littered with images and scenes that while not blatantly "scary," in the sense that ghosts aren't materializing in attics to possess its prey, the pages in this book will have you reconsidering daily aspects of your life and those around you, real life, which is truly terrifying.

Told in a third-person omniscient narrative centered around protagonist Ignatious Perrish, the story opens with the said character awakening from a drunken escapade the night before to discover two horns sprouting from his head. With this satanic accessory Perrish is able to goat those around him into confessing their darkest secrets and sins, leaving them with no recollection of ever revealing it all by simply by coming into contact with them.

The dilemma here is the murder and rape of Perrish's girlfriend Merrin Williams, which occurred coincidentally enough soon after the couple got into a heated drunken argument. This leaves most of the town suspicious of Ig, even though there is no true evidence against him.

One great thing that Hill does in this work is the breaking up of his story into 5 sections, each dealing with a separate piece leading to the ultimate closure. To strengthen the layout even further, Hill even goes on to title each one as a symbol or phrase that sums up the section's following 10 chapters. For instance, Section 2 Is titled Cherry, which represents a plethora of key points in the novel from Merrin's bright red hair color to the loss of virginity that the respective 10 chapters proceed to discuss.

As I stated above, there are no ghosts, werewolves, or serial killers present in Horns; rather, there are demons, and those demons are each and every one of us. We all harbor evil and darkness just under the surface, and it can drive us to do things that we certainly are not proud of, as the reader will ultimately discover upon completion of Horns' intense storyline. Our Ig are those we love and care for , getting us to confess our sins and that is the horror and true life terror that Joe Hill brings to the table here in his novel. Highly recommend it, 3.5/4 stars.

I have yet to read any of Joe Hill's work, but he has been suggested to me time and again. Someone to definitely look out for in my future purchases. Thanks for the great, informative review.

ALRyder wrote:I have yet to read any of Joe Hill's work, but he has been suggested to me time and again. Someone to definitely look out for in my future purchases. Thanks for the great, informative review.

Thank you so much for the kind feedback! Yes, definitely check out Joe Hill, he is a great author that I really think you will enjoy. Horns is definitely a good transition into the rest of his work as well.

I have read this book and didn't like it that much. My rate for it is 2 out of 4 stars. I found his other book (Heart-Shaped Box) a much better one. By the way, Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King.

gali wrote:I have read this book and didn't like it that much. My rate for it is 2 out of 4 stars. I found his other book (Heart-Shaped Box) a much better one. By the way, Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King.

Wow, that's surprising, I had really enjoyed Horns. But then again, it has a plot that's a little "out there," and goes a little overboard at times on the demonic references, so I can see why. I have heard a lot of good things about Heart Shaped Box, and want to get my hands on it really soon. And yeah, I was a little shocked when I first found out, but then again he is a really talented writer so that explains a little bit.

I just finished this book last night, I love to read from the Horror genre in October. I find that every hour that goes by after putting the book down, I love it more than I did while reading, and immediately after finishing. Even if one doesn't like a story, I think a story that stays with the reader long after the book is read can be considered a "good book". The horror aspect of this book is very original, or at least I have yet to come across a similar story. I love that the most frightening aspects of the story are the breaking of Ig's mind (in the beginning) and spirit throughout. As was mentioned before, the horror of individual characters secrets are not necessarily monsters under the bed scary, but it's terrifying to think that so many people around you, especially loved ones, could be harboring such terrible thoughts, feelings, and deeds. There is so much more under the surface of this book- so much more than just a wrongly accused murderer turned devil. I really did thoroughly enjoy it, and happily this was my first Joe Hill novel so I have some more books lined up to read.
On a different note, I appreciate any artist/author, etc. who can make a name for themselves beyond their celebrity parents. Joe Hill, to me at least, is Joe Hill not Stephen King's son. I appreciate that his horror is very different from his father's.

I liked "Horns" better as well. Have you read his new one NOS4A2? I loved that one.

I enjoyed Horns and I am excited to see the movie adaptation. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be after reading Heart Shaped Box (which gave me the heebie jeebies, and that is a rare delicacy)but I still had fun reading it. I also enjoyed his latest book, NS4T2 (I think?) And King makes a reference to it in Doctor Sleep.

@Sarahcox I completely agree with you on that the lasting effects of a particular book are what separates the great ones from the average. I also respect Hill going out and building his own legacy rather than using his father as a springboard; it says a lot about his craft. Personally, I find him a whole lot more accessible and gripping than his father as well haha.

@ladybug31 /@hvotruba1 at this point, I have read Nos4A2, Heart Shaped Box , and Horns by Joe Hill and I am inclined to say that Horns was my favorite of the bunch, with Nos4A2 being my least favorite. I don't know, I think it was the whole time travel bit that put me off but I couldn't really get into Nos4A2, and I was left a little bit empty upon the novels conclusion. The characters were really detailed , however, with the conflicts being real and relateable , so it wasn't bad by any means but just not as Horns IMO.

-- 03 Nov 2014, 09:52 --

Hopefully I will be seeing Horn in theaters this week, I CANNOT wait.

I have a signed copy of Horns! I was so excited to meet Joe Hill, and loved the book to boot!

Horns is a bit heavy on the melodrama - and I felt an aversion to the main character (which I suppose was the point.) I liked Heart Shaped Box the best of his novels. He has several short stories that are fantastic as well. And I LOVE that he is Stephen King's son and made a go of it on his own.

I read this book recently and I feel that the last few chapters and the climax could have been executed better. However, his writing style is quite engaging and story itself is quite different in its approach to bring out the internal struggle that people face, in deciding what is right and what they want to be right.