MARCH 2010 - AudioFile
Ignatius Perrish's life has been in ruins since he was accused of murdering his girlfriend. Then he wakes up one morning to find he’s sprouted a pair of horns and that, as a result, those he encounters cannot lie to him as they tell him their secrets. Fred Berman's nuanced narration creates the feeling that there’s nothing all that unusual about what’s happening to Ig. Berman constructs an atmosphere in which intense interaction between the characters and the depth of their emotions accentuate the misunderstandings that underlie the intricate plot. He manages the pace to enhance the suspense, establish quiet moments of introspection, and in sum, make this a hard book to turn off. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
Victor LaValle
…what makes Horns such a pleasure is that [Hill] avoids the seriousness that can pervade books meant to be spooky. He understands that horror readers can have fun, even laugh, and that makes the scary parts more effective…Horns remains compelling because, on top of Hill's humor, the ideas are so interesting. For all the ways this is a commercial book—the good guys and the bad guys are pretty clearly defined; redemption is a foregone conclusion—there's a wonderfully cockeyed idea at the book's center, one that's also much older than the written word. Sometimes, if you want to do God's work, you need the Devil to get it done.
—The Washington Post
Janet Maslin
The strange thing about Horns is that its opening scenes aren't all that strange. Its author, Joe Hill, is able to make Ig's problem seem like the most natural thing in the world. Mr. Hill writes with such palpable enthusiasm that he has no trouble hooking readers, especially with a book that is clearly on the side of the angels, though hellbent on using every devil reference it can…[Hill] is able to combine intrigue, editorializing, impassioned romance and even fiery theological debate in one well-told story.br>—The New York Times
Publishers Weekly
In bestseller Hill’s compulsively readable supernatural thriller, his second after Heart-Shaped Box, dissolute Ignatius Perrish wakes up one morning to find a pair of satanic horns sprouting from his forehead. To the residents of Gideon, N.H., this grotesque disfigurement only confirms their suspicions that Ig raped and murdered his girlfriend, Merrin Williams, a crime for which he was held but soon released for lack of evidence. Ig is also now privy to the deepest, and often darkest, private thoughts of anyone he touches. Once Ig discovers through this uncanny sensitivity the true killer’s identity, he schemes to reveal the culprit’s guilt through natural means. Toggling between past and present, and incidents that range from the supernaturally surreal to the brutally realistic, Hill spins a story that’s both morbidly amusing and emotionally resonant. The explanations for Ig’s weird travails won’t satisfy every reader, but few will dispute that Hill has negotiated the sophomore slump. 6-city author tour. (Mar.)
Library Journal
Ignatius Perrish led a charmed life as the popular son of a wealthy and talented family and the storybook lover of the perfect Merrin Williams. Then, after high school, it all went wrong. Merrin was raped and murdered, her head bashed in, and everyone assumed Ig was the killer, even after he was exonerated. A year after Merrin's death, following a barely remembered night of debauchery, Ig awakens with a pair of three-inch horns growing from his forehead. Along with these come abilities that shock and disgust him but also bring him closer to finding Merrin's real killer. As the plot builds through flashbacks and clever exposition, Ig's true nature reveals itself, and the reader is left questioning the traditional border between good and evil. VERDICT The promising short-story writer of 20th Century Ghosts didn't quite reach the mark with his debut novel, Heart-Shaped Box, but with his sophomore effort, Hill has written a novel that is all his. Highly recommended, particularly for fans of Clive Barker and Christopher Moore. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/09; also available in ebook and HarperLuxe large-print editions.]—Karl G. Siewert, MLIS, Tulsa City-Cty. Lib.
From the Publisher
[A] compulsively readable supernatural thriller...Hill spins a story that’s both morbidly amusing and emotionally resonant. The explanations for Ig’s weird travails won’t satisfy every reader, but few will dispute that Hill has negotiated the sophomore slump.” — Publishers Weekly
“Horns is a well wrought tale with intellectual merit. Not only are we entertained, we are challenged to think as well.” — New York Journal of Books
“On the strength of two masterly thrillers—2007’s Heart Shaped-Box and his newest Horns—Hill has emerged as one of America’s finest horror writers.” — Time magazine
“HORNS should bring even more fans to Joe Hill . . . he has his own style, and it is very accessible as well as fast-moving. . . . HORNS is a fast-paced, fascinating murder mystery/love story with a dash of the devil himself to spice things up.” — DreadCentral.com [horror entertainment review website]
“[Horns is] devilishly good. . . . Hill is a terrific writer with a great imagination. He has a special talent for taking us and his characters to very weird places.” — USA Today
“Hill’s survey of the question of suffering is a wild ride, as filled with thrills as his hero’s headlong plunge down to a dark and dazzling river.” — Seattle Times
“The wise guys point out that the literature of horror fantasy tends to be both romantic and conservative. Normalcy is idealized and so precious that its violation is the essence of horror. Joe Hill’s sweet, fanged demonology takes us there.” — Oregonian
“Horns is thoroughly enjoyable and often original.…a richly nuanced story. Fire and brimstone have rarely looked this good. ” — Los Angeles Times
“A devilish, ingeniously designed story that positions Hill in the same realm as Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Lethem, and Stephen King.” — Pittsburgh Tribune
“Horns is a pitchfork-packing, prodigal son’s take on religion…But the real meat of the story dissects man’s relationship with good and evil wihtout sacrificing a bit of suspense…Horns is a mesmerizing page-turner.” — Tulsa World
“Brilliant in conception...HORNS is a rollercoaster of a work filled with thrills and chills.” — Bookreporter.com
“Hill’s one incredibly talented writer with a wicked sense of humor and a master’s control of pacing.” — Bookgasm.com
“No one working in horror today is more adept than Hill …His writing is both merciless and compassionate, driving hard toward the painful truth in every story while holding fast to the desires of his protagonist. ” — Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“”Darkly comic in places, touching in others, chilling on occassion…” — Valdosta Daily Times
“[D]evilishly good…Hill is a terrificwriter with a greatimagination. He has a special talent for taking us and his characters to very weird places.” — Wilmington News Journal
“Horns is not only scary but it’s also insightful, often funny and sometimes sweetl romantic.” — St. Paul Pioneer Press
“[A] fresh, tough-minded take on what it means to make a deal with the devil and your own worst nature.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“Fast-paced, well-made, and wonderfully weird.” — The Globe and Mail
“This is masterful allegory as Hill proves himself…to be a compelling chronicler of human natures continual war between good and evil.” — Providence Journal-Bulletin
“a tight and well-plotted murder mystery, as well as a thoughtful meditation on good and evil....[HORNS] establishes Hill as one of the most clever and talented writers working in the genre.” — Charleston Post & Courier
“As the plot builds through flashbacks and clever exposition, Ig’s true nature reveals itself, and the reader is left questioning the traditional border between good and evil....Highly recommended, particularly for fans of Clive Barker and Christopher Moore.” — Library Journal
“A satisfying and entertaining book.” — www.npr.org on HORNS
“[HORNS is] a creepy murder mystery, a tragic love triangle, and a sweetly wistful coming-of-age story. It’s the kind of book that has you laughing on one page, crying on another and making sure the doors and windows are safely locked on a third.” — Miami Herald
“Horns is dark, twisted, even sometimes funny in a macabre way.” — Connie Ogle, "Between the Covers," The Miami Herald
Time magazine
On the strength of two masterly thrillers—2007’s Heart Shaped-Box and his newest Horns—Hill has emerged as one of America’s finest horror writers.
Los Angeles Times
Horns is thoroughly enjoyable and often original.…a richly nuanced story. Fire and brimstone have rarely looked this good.
DreadCentral.com [horror entertainment review website]
HORNS should bring even more fans to Joe Hill . . . he has his own style, and it is very accessible as well as fast-moving. . . . HORNS is a fast-paced, fascinating murder mystery/love story with a dash of the devil himself to spice things up.
Oregonian
The wise guys point out that the literature of horror fantasy tends to be both romantic and conservative. Normalcy is idealized and so precious that its violation is the essence of horror. Joe Hill’s sweet, fanged demonology takes us there.
Pittsburgh Tribune
A devilish, ingeniously designed story that positions Hill in the same realm as Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Lethem, and Stephen King.
Seattle Times
Hill’s survey of the question of suffering is a wild ride, as filled with thrills as his hero’s headlong plunge down to a dark and dazzling river.
New York Journal of Books
Horns is a well wrought tale with intellectual merit. Not only are we entertained, we are challenged to think as well.
Tulsa World
Horns is a pitchfork-packing, prodigal son’s take on religion…But the real meat of the story dissects man’s relationship with good and evil wihtout sacrificing a bit of suspense…Horns is a mesmerizing page-turner.
USA Today
[Horns is] devilishly good. . . . Hill is a terrific writer with a great imagination. He has a special talent for taking us and his characters to very weird places.
USA Today
[Horns is] devilishly good. . . . Hill is a terrific writer with a great imagination. He has a special talent for taking us and his characters to very weird places.
|Los Angeles Times
Horns is thoroughly enjoyable and often original.…a richly nuanced story. Fire and brimstone have rarely looked this good.
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Horns is not only scary but it’s also insightful, often funny and sometimes sweetl romantic.
Wilmington News Journal
[D]evilishly good…Hill is a terrificwriter with a greatimagination. He has a special talent for taking us and his characters to very weird places.
Connie Ogle
Horns is dark, twisted, even sometimes funny in a macabre way.
The Globe and Mail
Fast-paced, well-made, and wonderfully weird.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
No one working in horror today is more adept than Hill …His writing is both merciless and compassionate, driving hard toward the painful truth in every story while holding fast to the desires of his protagonist.
Bookreporter.com
Brilliant in conception...HORNS is a rollercoaster of a work filled with thrills and chills.
Charleston Post & Courier
a tight and well-plotted murder mystery, as well as a thoughtful meditation on good and evil....[HORNS] establishes Hill as one of the most clever and talented writers working in the genre.
www.npr.org on HORNS
A satisfying and entertaining book.
Bookgasm.com
Hill’s one incredibly talented writer with a wicked sense of humor and a master’s control of pacing.
Providence Journal-Bulletin
This is masterful allegory as Hill proves himself…to be a compelling chronicler of human natures continual war between good and evil.
Valdosta Daily Times
”Darkly comic in places, touching in others, chilling on occassion…
Miami Herald
[HORNS is] a creepy murder mystery, a tragic love triangle, and a sweetly wistful coming-of-age story. It’s the kind of book that has you laughing on one page, crying on another and making sure the doors and windows are safely locked on a third.
San Francisco Chronicle
[A] fresh, tough-minded take on what it means to make a deal with the devil and your own worst nature.
San Francisco Chronicle
[A] fresh, tough-minded take on what it means to make a deal with the devil and your own worst nature.
Miami Herald
[HORNS is] a creepy murder mystery, a tragic love triangle, and a sweetly wistful coming-of-age story. It’s the kind of book that has you laughing on one page, crying on another and making sure the doors and windows are safely locked on a third.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
No one working in horror today is more adept than Hill …His writing is both merciless and compassionate, driving hard toward the painful truth in every story while holding fast to the desires of his protagonist.
Oregonian
The wise guys point out that the literature of horror fantasy tends to be both romantic and conservative. Normalcy is idealized and so precious that its violation is the essence of horror. Joe Hill’s sweet, fanged demonology takes us there.
DreadCentral.com
HORNS should bring even more fans to Joe Hill . . . he has his own style, and it is very accessible as well as fast-moving. . . . HORNS is a fast-paced, fascinating murder mystery/love story with a dash of the devil himself to spice things up.
Orlando Sentinel
Fire and brimstone have rarely looked so good.
MARCH 2010 - AudioFile
Ignatius Perrish's life has been in ruins since he was accused of murdering his girlfriend. Then he wakes up one morning to find he’s sprouted a pair of horns and that, as a result, those he encounters cannot lie to him as they tell him their secrets. Fred Berman's nuanced narration creates the feeling that there’s nothing all that unusual about what’s happening to Ig. Berman constructs an atmosphere in which intense interaction between the characters and the depth of their emotions accentuate the misunderstandings that underlie the intricate plot. He manages the pace to enhance the suspense, establish quiet moments of introspection, and in sum, make this a hard book to turn off. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
