Joe Hill the new master in horror....

What can you say about a book that was so amazing that 2 days after finishing I just cannot get the images thoughts ideas and great story telling out of my mind! There are so many ways you can access NOS4R2 (R2 not A2 here in the UK) On one level it's a simple crime novel, the evil one Charles Tenant Manx capturing children and being haunted by our tainted hero Vic McQueen (affectionately known as the brat by her dad)on another level it's fantasy... Vic McQueen travelling across the Shorter Way Bridge, a covered bridge that flicks in and out of existence, to do battle with Manx and face her nemesis in a battle of good and evil in Christmasland, and on a final level this is a horror story which has at it's centre a 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith driven by the evil Manx. I came to believe that the Rolls-Royce was the real star and in some strange way is joined in a kind of evil pack with Manx helping him feed of the children and turn them into a form of demonic child followers. It's the type of novel that totally absorbs you, demands your attention and in so doing rewards with a pulsating story and a list of characters reminiscent of only the best horror stories, my personal favourite The Gasmask Man Charlie Manx's personal assistant...and what a twisted individual he is :) The players and characters that fill the pages of NOS4R2 are in many ways as complex as Manx himself and all our tainted to some extent by their backgrounds and the paths they have chosen. Lou Carmody's Vic's part time lover and father of her son Wayne is a sorry and somewhat overweight individual, an unusual partner for Vic McQueen to have chosen. Maggie Leigh, librarian and friend, reader of the tiles and teller of the future has a constant and personal battle against her drug addiction, and Vic McQueen, our flawed hero, who alone attempts the rescue of her son Wayne, has spent time in a mental institution and endured a childhood in a family where domestic violence was not uncommon. This book meant so much to me as prior to reading I was fortunate to meet the author, Joe Hill, a true gentleman who appreciates his loyal and growing following here in the UK. His reputation and position as an author is now on the ascendancy and I look forward to his future publications. For lovers of great classic horror this book is the one you have been waiting for...read and enjoy!

Meeting the great Joe Hill!! a day to remember in Bristol UK

Meeting the great Joe Hill in Waterstones Bristol 29th May 2013

It was a pleasure for me to attend a book  signing by the great Joe Hill at Bristol Waterstones bookstore on 29th May 2013. He was on tour promoting his new novel NOS4R2 and after reading the "Prologue" he happily received questions from the audience followed by signing and photo taking. I can honestly say it was a super evening, by a brilliant and upcoming horror author whose books improve on each new publication..thanks Joe from all your UK fans :)

The Wildman by Rick Hautala

This story brought back great memories to me of life at one of the many summer camps that are scattered throughout the length and breadth of the US. As a UK student in 1977 I worked as a counselor in  a summer camp run by the Salvation Army at Lake Sebago some 20k south of Portland Maine, and as the years have passed and I have grown older,but not necessarily wiser, I have often wondered what it would be like to return, if only for a short time to visit a place that meant so much to me as a young man and helped create and mould the person I am today....

In The Wildman by Rick Hautala we meet Jeff Cameron and one late evening he receives a phone call from Tyler Crosby who along with three other friends Evan,Mike,and Fred is invited to a reunion at a summer camp all 5 had last visited some 30+ years ago Camp Tapiola...and so Jeff sets off on a journey which will have far reaching repercussions and perhaps he will find the reason why Jimmy Foster was found dead (with his throat cut) that summer long ago. This is a fantastic old fashioned horror story the tension and sense of fear is ever present as the 5 friends spend a weekend in a now desolated summer camp. Rick Hautala (sadly now deceased) is supreme at creating a very uneasy atmosphere and Jeff becomes ever fearful that there is an alterior motive for this reunion.

"Jeff didn't know why, but he sensed a palpable presence hovering close to him in the gathering gloom. His eyes widened as they darted back and forth, scanning the cleared areas where the other buildings-the cabins and tent plaftorms and the old meeting hall-used to be. But his eyes were continually drawn back to the woods where deeper shadows lurked. The feeling of a presence lurking in the woods was overpowering" The Wildman is a great mixture of crime and descriptive horror with a little bit of magic built in around stories that the 5 friends used to be told about Hobomock the Indian demon who tricked enemies and friends alike, and caused their destruction, he was anIndian spirit who haunted the island. There is a killer in their midst, and he intends to kill them before the night is through.....Jeff feels the presence of Hobomock who at times enters his mind and gives him the strengths and perceptions needed to bring the killer to justice.

The ability to astound the reader is what makes a great author and during his search for the truth Jeff makes a surprising and unexpected discovery that totally changes and makes clear that the friends are not meant to leave the summer camp alive! I thought the story was excellent and the crime/horror/mysticism very well balanced. If you like horror that does not rely on violence or gore but rather tests the imagination of the reader then you will love The Wildman.

I would however say that I am disappointed that once again the kindle edition has some a number of grammatical errors:

"He used to feel he could glide along as silently a shadow cast by...." should read "He used to feel he could glide along as silently (as) a shadow cast by....."

"out here, he wasn't going t0 let him dally" should read "out here, he wasn't going t(o) let him dally"

"he took the bottle of rum from his pocket and took a long pull. The he tapped Fred..." should read "he took the bottle of rum from this pocket and took a long pull. The(n) he tapped Fred..."

"He wondered how he was going to warn the without alerting Ben."...should read "He wondered how he was going to warn the(m) without alerting Ben."

"On a purely rational level, he knew it wasn't true. I couldn't be"......should read "On a purely rational level, he knew it wasn't true. I(t) couldn't be"

"Jeff, moving a few steps at a time. He wore hooded raincoat"....should read "Jeff, moving a few steps at a time. He wore (a) hooded raincoat"

So once again why cannot the publishers of the kindle edition get it right!! I discovered these errors on first reading.. have the kindle edition proof read before publication???!!  I felt the telling of the story of The Wildman was easily a 5 star review but am compelled to award 4 stars due to its shoddy kindle presentation!!