Covers Unveiled for NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Coming early in 2013 is Joe Hill's long awaited (by me at least) third full length novel after Horns, which is one of my favorite Horror novels of the last decade. In the US Hill's latest is being called Nos4a2 though in the UK they appear to be going with Nos4r2. Hill explains why in a tweet:

Joe Hill ‏@joe_hill:
The new novel is NOS4A2 in the US but for reasons of UK pronunciation is NOS4R2 on the other side of the pond.

US Harper/William Morrow Cover

UK Gollancz Cover

Both seem to do the job though the US has the clean "big book" look publishers go after when they don't want to turn anyone off while the UK goes for a nice atmospheric Horror cover. No official description is available, but Hill did discuss the book earlier this year at WorldCon in this video.

The estimated release date for the US edition of Nos4a2 is the end of April though that could change. No word on when the UK release will be, but something close seems likely. Add this is my list of CANNOT wait for titles in 2013.

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REVIEW | Horns by Joe Hill (William Morrow)

Horns is a devilishly funny read that'll make you question the very nature of good and evil. Horns is even perhaps the best Horror novel I've ever read, which I finished in three sittings and nearly didn't go to a friend's party just to get further. Yeah, it's that good.

Now, I'll readily admit I'm not a huge Horror reader so take it for what it is worth. Hill's first effort Heart Shape Box was too unevenly paced and also went off on a few too many tangents for me. The whole ghost standing around all the time just didn't give me a creep factor either, which is why I wasn't expecting amazing things from Horns. Boy, am I glad to have been proven wrong here.

Joe Hill's sophmore effort is without a doubt one of the best books released this year.  I was totally engrossed from the second page in. Horns is dark, depraved, and fiendish in the most unexpected ways yet it is a Horror story with a heart. Two hearts in fact with the angst-ridden Ig and easily lovable Merrin both coming across as endearing and understandable characters whose deep love tear them apart.  Rather than go into the plot here is a bit of the description:

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Ig's powers lead to particularly lurid conversations, which examine the human thought process in dark ways as seemingly everyday people are prodded to say exactly what demented things are on their mind. Multiple flashbacks give insight into many of the story threads including 3 different character's POV for one incident, which worked better than I anticipated.

Horns is a writing exercise in perfect subplots, pacing, and characterization that achieves on every level. This is one of the few books I can't find any fault with in anyway. Well, I did figure out one aspect within the first couple of chapters, but the reveal wasn't any less enjoyable for it, especially as Hill pulled a couple good rabbits out of his hat to make it work.

Hardcore Horror fans may feel Horns doesn't go dark enough, but the story goes as far as it needs to in order to achieve the depth it required, which is quite touching, sly, and immensely clever. Still there are some disturbing parts that'll make some turn away. I give Horns 10 out of 10 Hats. Hill has raised his game to lofty heights and he has now made me an unabashed fan. I can't wait to see what he does next.

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New Procurements

Luck has been with me the past couple weeks as I've received or found a lot of books from my wishlist.

Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter - I've been looking for a copy of Infernal Devices for quite some time, but I finally tracked a used copy down of one of the original Steampunk stories written by the man who coined the term.

The Mount by Carol Emshwiller - I kept hearing about this really crazy book in which aliens have taken over earth and after a century of occupation now use humans as transportation much like we use horses. My friend Comicaze somehow bought two copies without realizing it and gifted the extra copy to me.  I read Emshwiller's The Secret City a couple years ago and found it to be quite a twisted take on crash landed aliens.

Clementine by Cherie Priest - This long novella is in Priest's Clockwork Century world and will be released by Sub Press in May. It picks up a subplot from Boneshaker with some of the same characters and I'm dying to dig-in, but since it is a few months away from release I'll hold off for now.

Horns by Joe Hill - Here is one I've mentioned a couple times. I was lucky enough to win one of the galley's Publisher's Weekly had up for grabs of this highly anticipated February release.  The ARC was actually done with a cool metallic finish so maybe my earlier thoughts on the cover are a bit unfounded. Sometimes the final in-person cover can look leaps and bounds better than online.

Warriors edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois - Featuring a new Dunk and Egg story is pushing this to the top of my to-read pile, but first I'll be re-reading the two prior installments stories in the series since I need to reacquaint myself with the characters. But even without that story it still longs to be an incredibly strong collection, which releases in March.

The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar - Not pictured as it just came today. This is from BookDepository.com as part of a large order that will be coming in over the next few months of some books I just had to have mostly comprised of books with no US publication date in sight.


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Cover Unveiled for Joe Hill's Horns (US)

This cover is very bland when compared to the UK and PS Publishing's Limited edition covers for Horns.  It is another case of the publisher not wanting to go out a limb with something that will standout.  Instead we get a cove that is pretty generic and doesn't evoke the creepiness Hill is capable of.  Hill's US publisher hasn't released their synopsis yet so here is the UK version to tide you over:

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples. Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more - he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic. Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone - raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances - with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty. Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look, and he means to use it to find the man who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It's time for a little revenge; it's time the devil had his due.

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Cover Unveiled for Joe Hill's Horns Limited Edition

Joe Hill's second novel Horns following Heart Shaped Box is due out early next year.  The above is the art for the PS Publishing limited edition done by the great Vincent Chong.  The plot sounds very intriguing so I just may have to check this one out despite the fact I didn't care for Heart Shaped Box much.

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples. Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more - he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic. Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone - raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances - with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty. Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look, and he means to use it to find the man who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It's time for a little revenge; it's time the devil had his due.

Here is the UK cover, which Dark Wolf pointed out: