- ISBN-13: 9780062200570
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- Publication date: 4/30/2013
- Pages: 704
- List Price: (Hardcover) $17.33
Kayso, as you know, I love me some Stephen King. Also, though, I am a big fan of his son: Joe Hill. I have read everything he's written so far and liked it all (my review of Heart Shaped Box: here). So, as you can imagine, I was very excited for the release of some tasty new Joe Hill, and I was not dissapointed.
So, title = vanity license plate, which, yeah, is kinda dorky, but who doesn't like a Nosferatu reference? And is the book about vampires? Sort of. Is it about spooky Christmas vampires and a magic bike and a cool tattooed lady? Well...yes.
Plot: there is a girl named Vic. When we first meet her she's a sassy little kid who has a magic bike (yes, this reminded me of Silver from King's IT) that will take her across a magic bridge to find things that are missing. After it happens she's sick and doesn't really remember it 100%. But, as anyone who has a special ability and then two sets of memories to cover it up (because that's a pretty common thing, right?) Vic is not totally mentally stable as she grows up. She meets another gal who has powers and she tells Vic that she is the only one who can stop Charlie Manx. Who's Charlie Manx? Ah - that's right - the creepy vampirey dude who steals children and takes them to Christmas Land (which sounds fun, but totally isn't) in his magical death car (which yes, is sort of sentient, like Christine). Of course Vic tries to find him and terror ensues.
NOS4A2 has a lot working in it's favor: Vic - she's a really cool main character. She's kinda mean and nuts and has tattoos and it basically a total badass. Her lover, Lou, is a comic book nerd and has a hilarious conversation about being Browncoats with a dude nurse at one point. The bad guy - Charlie Manx, is totally creepy and his little demon kids in Christmas land are chilling (who's up a rousing game of Scissors-for-the-drifter? Anyone...? Hello...?) There's just lots of good here. The thing I like about it is that the characters are all really interesting and engaging and you root for them, and that's in addition to being super creeped out by the bad guy. It's no wonder that this book has inspired a lot of icky/awesome fan art.
 | |
| Uh...I think I'll walk, thanks... |
Soundtrack: Of course, an old school Christmas song. (and there's something definitely spooky about a Christmas song in the middle of the summer -especially when it plays on a radio that you didn't turn on)
