Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Harper (2008), 384 pages
Description
The remarkable debut novel by a new master of dark fantasy...Heart-Shaped Box Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals...a used hangman's noose...a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is widely known. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, a thing so terrible-strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet. I will "sell" my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder.... For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts-of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more? But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost. It's the real thing. And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door... seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang...standing outside his window...staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting-with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one hand.... A multiple-award winner for his short fiction, author Joe Hill immediately vaults into the top echelon of dark fantasists with a masterwork brimming with relentless thrills and acid terror.… (more)
Media reviews
"Heart-Shaped Box" truly deserves the superlatives heaped upon it by the publicists who smoothed the path of this first novel's advent.
Hill masterfully keeps the action moving and the drama escalating, giving readers just enough revelations to keep them on board this Southern train of a ghost story.
While I would not go so far as to hand Joe Hill his father's crown just yet, this debut is a promising start. It's safe to say a new contender for the throne has arrived.
Heart-Shaped Box isn't about appeasing fathers, and learning to love them, and seeing that they, too, are human beings and not monsters. It's not about that at all. It's about knowing your father, and finding him, and then killing him. That's what the best artists do.
Hill’s debut novel is as assured a debut novel as I have ever read, regardless of genre. Heart-Shaped Box, itself an entertaining and superb novel, offers hints of a great writing career to come.
He balances “Heart-Shaped Box” between reality and fantasy in ways that threaten to run the book into an uncharted dreamscape, and away from the palpable suspense on which it thrives. But he holds the italics to a minimum, pulls back from the brink of hallucinatory overkill and mostly keeps
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this story tightly on track. Even when it erupts into strange, violent visions — as when, in the midst of a struggle to the death, light pours up from a newly opened door in the floor — this book is so visually intense that its energy never flags. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member richardderus
The Book Report: Jude "Judas" Coyne, born Justin Cowzynski to a iggerunt, abusive pig-farmin' Louisiana daddy and a pale non-entity of a mama, flees the scene of the crime called childhood and becomes an angry, hate-spewin', groupie-usin' death metal star. Now he's 54 and feeling his years, his
Hijinks ensue.
No really, the only word is hijinks. Scary-lookin' old men with too few teeth. Big brush-runnin' V8 Chevy trucks that aren't really there and no one's drivin' 'em. Suicides that are, and suicides that really aren't. Child molestation across the generations. Grandmothers and aunts and mamas galore, a visit to the nightroad (aka "Highway to Hell" oh heck like I could resist the heavy metal pun), an encounter with the golden door that solves many problems, and proof positive that dogs are superior to cats in every conceivable measure and circumstance.
Mandatory legal disclaimer: Absolutely no cliches were harmed in the making of this book.
My Review: It passed a pleasant five hours. I liked it fine. Not one single major structural flaw that I saw. Fewer typos than most modern books, no unintentional bad grammar that I can recall (and I recall grammar boo-boos real well), so all in all not bad. Nothing I'll ever read again, but not bad at all.
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losses, and his energy waning. He's such a charmer that he doesn't remember the names of the girls he uses, calls 'em instead by the states they came from. Georgia, his current squeeze, is half his age (duh) a Goth chick (duh), and possessed of the most innocent and incongruous real name in horror fiction: Marybeth. Danny, the token gayboy who functions as Jude's annoying, chirpy business-runner, runs across an item for Jude's burgeoning collection of the weird and esoteric: A ghost. An actual ghost, for sale on some specifically-not-eBay auction site (wonder what happened there?); Jude, when Danny shows him the listing, clicks the "Buy NOW $1,000" button, ends the auction, and a few days later a big, black heart-shaped box arrives with a natty old suit in it.Hijinks ensue.
No really, the only word is hijinks. Scary-lookin' old men with too few teeth. Big brush-runnin' V8 Chevy trucks that aren't really there and no one's drivin' 'em. Suicides that are, and suicides that really aren't. Child molestation across the generations. Grandmothers and aunts and mamas galore, a visit to the nightroad (aka "Highway to Hell" oh heck like I could resist the heavy metal pun), an encounter with the golden door that solves many problems, and proof positive that dogs are superior to cats in every conceivable measure and circumstance.
Mandatory legal disclaimer: Absolutely no cliches were harmed in the making of this book.
My Review: It passed a pleasant five hours. I liked it fine. Not one single major structural flaw that I saw. Fewer typos than most modern books, no unintentional bad grammar that I can recall (and I recall grammar boo-boos real well), so all in all not bad. Nothing I'll ever read again, but not bad at all.
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LibraryThing member msf59
Jude Coyne is an aging heavy metal rock-star. He is also a collector of the macabre and when he stumbles on an internet ad for a Ghost for sale, he can’t help himself.
The ghost apparently resides in an dead man‘s nicely preserved suit, which arrives in a black heart-shaped box.
Now the chilling
Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King and he has Pop’s knack for creepy story-telling, bringing along a nice fresh atmospheric approach. This is a fun, scary ride, introducing a terrifying villain, that just might end up shuffling around in your own dreams.
The ghost apparently resides in an dead man‘s nicely preserved suit, which arrives in a black heart-shaped box.
Now the chilling
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games begin, as Jude is introduced to this apparition, who’s mission is to bring torment to the “new owner”.Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King and he has Pop’s knack for creepy story-telling, bringing along a nice fresh atmospheric approach. This is a fun, scary ride, introducing a terrifying villain, that just might end up shuffling around in your own dreams.
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LibraryThing member cleverlyinked
If you know me well, you know I don't do scary or freaky. This however really caught my eye. So I decided to give it a chance. I got my monies worth on this.
Jude's the main character seems gruff and rough. You almost wanted to dislike him. He is a odd person collecting things dark and bizarre such
Jude's the main character seems gruff and rough. You almost wanted to dislike him. He is a odd person collecting things dark and bizarre such
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as snuff films. Yes disgusting! Jude is also a woman lover and being a former Rock Star, but the women never seem to stick around. His current one is Marybeth AKA Georgia. Danny, Judes personal assistant came across some one selling their stepfathers ghost. Technically he couldn't sell the ghost as it isnt a someone can actually own. So he is selling his best sunday suit in which the Stepson feels the ghost is attached too. What a mistake it is to dabble on the dark side. BOY did he get more then he agreed too. Craddock the ghost in the book is a killer. He is out to get Jude anyway possible. Jude comes to terms of his own problems and his own life as the journey and scare fest takes place. The end was spectacular. Definitely a unnaturally freaky read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Daedalus18
A horror first, then morphing to thriller - this book is an excellent page turner, and doesn't fall into many cliches unwillingly. This is high praise for a novel of this genre, which is very hard to break new ground in. It's not just knowing who his dad is (the Shining is dedicated to Joe, BTW)
I'd say the original concepts only carry the book about halfway - and that the second half of the book has outgrown the plausibility established in the first half. The subject matter is handled with a lot of maturity - depending far more on very real human psychology rather than supernatural crutches.
It read as a screen play - with lots of camera direction, I strongly suspect that this was intentional and a businessman's approach to writing (less reworking/reinterpreting to do when/if a movie comes along, which I think is inevitable for this book). This was distracting at times - especially when time motion flicker effects are described (think The Ring or House on Haunted Hill). A novel limited by camera effects - or a novelist calling upon the readers visual vocabulary, you decide.
Neil Gaiman gives an orgasmic review that comes across to me as excessive and comical. It is defiantly a good read, though. Gaiman's comparisons to Clive Barker's first turn out of the gates are apt (Damnation Game is good stuff - highly underrated Barker).
There is plenty of magic in the idea of Joe Hill following in some very big footsteps.
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that led me to draw many comparisons between their work, but its pretty much impossible not to do so. Apologies for that, but Mr. Hill starts that ball rolling with his dedication on page 1. Nods/tributes to Steven King seemed to fill the book - maybe its just because SK has so fully explored all the horror archetypes, while building a number of his own along the way. Joe knows the language - and breaks a good deal of new ground himself. It ends well, if a little too cleanly (I'm not saying 'happily')- which is something many horror/thriller writers fail to do.I'd say the original concepts only carry the book about halfway - and that the second half of the book has outgrown the plausibility established in the first half. The subject matter is handled with a lot of maturity - depending far more on very real human psychology rather than supernatural crutches.
It read as a screen play - with lots of camera direction, I strongly suspect that this was intentional and a businessman's approach to writing (less reworking/reinterpreting to do when/if a movie comes along, which I think is inevitable for this book). This was distracting at times - especially when time motion flicker effects are described (think The Ring or House on Haunted Hill). A novel limited by camera effects - or a novelist calling upon the readers visual vocabulary, you decide.
Neil Gaiman gives an orgasmic review that comes across to me as excessive and comical. It is defiantly a good read, though. Gaiman's comparisons to Clive Barker's first turn out of the gates are apt (Damnation Game is good stuff - highly underrated Barker).
There is plenty of magic in the idea of Joe Hill following in some very big footsteps.
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LibraryThing member Lame
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It's a fast paced, easy, interesting read that kept me on the edge of my seat from page 1. For me the most interesting thing about this book was the authors character development and how I as the reader felt about his protagonist, Jude Coyne. At first I
As a post script I will add that I lent this book to my daughter, who for years and years has been one of those persons who can't bother to make the time to pick up a book and read. She was looking for something to kill her long lunch hour on a rainy day. She devoured it in a couple of days and ever since then has been an avid reader. I'd like to thank Mr. Hill for that. I have always wanted someone close that I can discuss a good read with. And because of this book that dream has come true.
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didn't really like him all that much, he's not a very nice guy. But as the story developed I began to feel more sympathy toward Jude and less dislike. Then I began to cheer on and encourage our not so likely hero. I loved everything about this story. The characters are strong and real and the plot stays on course. Unfortunately a lot of books I've read recently have wishy washy characters and the plot zigs and zags all over the place confusing and frustrating the reader. Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box is not one of them. It is a book that will definitely stay in my library to sit in the most honored of shelves, (alongside the novels of his father). As a post script I will add that I lent this book to my daughter, who for years and years has been one of those persons who can't bother to make the time to pick up a book and read. She was looking for something to kill her long lunch hour on a rainy day. She devoured it in a couple of days and ever since then has been an avid reader. I'd like to thank Mr. Hill for that. I have always wanted someone close that I can discuss a good read with. And because of this book that dream has come true.
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LibraryThing member mrstreme
A long time ago, I gave up reading about ghosts and gore and things that go bump in the night. I think it was a result of reading Stephen King’s Pet Semetary, which bothered me in a nightmarish way. I figured I wasn’t cut out for thrillers and spooks.
When Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill,
But I decided to take a plunge and picked up Heart-Shaped Box, saving it to read in October to get me in the mood for Halloween.
And after the first page, I was immediately sucked in.
It’s the story of an aging rock star, Jude, who collected occult items. He had the opportunity to purchase a haunted suit for $1,000 and he gobbled it up without a thought. Little did he realize that the suit was really haunted. Haunted, in fact, by the stepfather of one of Jude’s former girlfriends, who allegedly killed herself over the break-up with Jude. The ghost, named Craddock, was out for revenge, and Jude was in his sights.
There was just enough creepy in this book to keep the story moving, but it did not go overboard. I would compare it to a really good episode of “Lost” – strange enough to be interesting, slightly plausible if you belief in that sort of thing, and downright entertaining. The plot and character development was spot on, and Craddock gave me the willies. What else could one want out of a ghost story?
Let’s face it: Joe Hill inherited the right set of genes, but my hat’s off to him for making his own kind of spooky story. I look forward to reading his second novel when it’s released. I can only imagine how proud Papa King must be of his talented son.
When Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill,
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released his debut novel, Heart-Shaped Box, my interest in reading this widely acclaimed story was piqued, but then I reminded myself: “It’s not your usual genre.” I prefer books about “real” characters with “real” problems. Ghosts don’t usually fit that bill.But I decided to take a plunge and picked up Heart-Shaped Box, saving it to read in October to get me in the mood for Halloween.
And after the first page, I was immediately sucked in.
It’s the story of an aging rock star, Jude, who collected occult items. He had the opportunity to purchase a haunted suit for $1,000 and he gobbled it up without a thought. Little did he realize that the suit was really haunted. Haunted, in fact, by the stepfather of one of Jude’s former girlfriends, who allegedly killed herself over the break-up with Jude. The ghost, named Craddock, was out for revenge, and Jude was in his sights.
There was just enough creepy in this book to keep the story moving, but it did not go overboard. I would compare it to a really good episode of “Lost” – strange enough to be interesting, slightly plausible if you belief in that sort of thing, and downright entertaining. The plot and character development was spot on, and Craddock gave me the willies. What else could one want out of a ghost story?
Let’s face it: Joe Hill inherited the right set of genes, but my hat’s off to him for making his own kind of spooky story. I look forward to reading his second novel when it’s released. I can only imagine how proud Papa King must be of his talented son.
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LibraryThing member pmtracy
I’m a big fan of Stephen King so I wanted to check out something by his son, Joe Hill, to see how he compares. While dad’s works tend to be very dependent on toying with human psychology and the tension builds over time, Heart Shaped Box was simply a fun, old fashioned ghost story.
I don’t
I have to admit that a few scenes were darker and more violent than I had expected. You hope the description is going to stop (and leave something for the imagination) but, nope, Hill keeps going. With only a few major releases under his belt, Hill is well on his way to picking up the torch for his father. This is great news for Stephen King fans because if he ever really retires, we’ll have a new place to get our fix.
I don’t
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want to ruin the plot, but let’s say it’s been a long time since I had goosebumps while reading a book. The characters are a little off-center, which makes the book more interesting. The lead is a semi-retired “goth metal” rock star (I kept picturing Alice Cooper for some reason) that purchased a ghost on an auction site. It turns out the ghost isn’t of the “Casper” variety.I have to admit that a few scenes were darker and more violent than I had expected. You hope the description is going to stop (and leave something for the imagination) but, nope, Hill keeps going. With only a few major releases under his belt, Hill is well on his way to picking up the torch for his father. This is great news for Stephen King fans because if he ever really retires, we’ll have a new place to get our fix.
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LibraryThing member 4sarad
I had heard that this was one of the scariest books of the decade. What?? Never at any point during this book was I ever nervous, afraid, or anything at all. Not even disgusted, except for the dog's leg after it was hit by a car. I was pretty disappointed in this book. Not poorly written, but not
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at all what I was expecting. Show Less
LibraryThing member lovesrequiemo
This was one of those books that once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I finished the book within 2 days. Not over the top 'scary' , but still worth to check out for those horror enthusiasts.
LibraryThing member thioviolight
It's been a while since I took on a horror novel and I realized how much I missed this kind if horror when I immersed myself in this one. I had actually started this a while back but stopped because it creeped me out as bedtime reading. I'm glad I decided to tackle it again. I quickly got hooked
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and I enjoyed the fast-paced novel very much. I'm looking forward to reading Joe Hill's other works! Show Less
LibraryThing member elbakerone
Every once in a while I find a book that is so delightfully creepy I'm torn between tossing it across the room in a frightened attempt to escape it and refusing to put it down until I finish it. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill is just such a novel.
The story involves hard-edged, aging rock star Jude
Hill does a magnificent job of building the suspense in this book. The hairs on the back of my neck were raised every time the ghost made an appearance - with his Johnny Cash suit, black fedora and pendulum razor on a chain - and my pulse was pounding along with Jude's as the chilling story progressed. This is a great book for those that love ghost stories, but it just might leave readers peeking over their shoulders and cringing a little more at things that go bump in the night.
The story involves hard-edged, aging rock star Jude
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Coyne, with his macabre collection of trinkets and artifacts, who buys the haunted suit of a dead man off an internet auction site. Thinking only of the novelty of purchasing a ghost, Jude doesn't realize that the malicious spirit is more than just an online gimmick until the suit arrives at his doorstep in its titular Heart-Shaped Box. Jude must discover the dead man's identity and motives while confronting ghosts of his own past along the way.Hill does a magnificent job of building the suspense in this book. The hairs on the back of my neck were raised every time the ghost made an appearance - with his Johnny Cash suit, black fedora and pendulum razor on a chain - and my pulse was pounding along with Jude's as the chilling story progressed. This is a great book for those that love ghost stories, but it just might leave readers peeking over their shoulders and cringing a little more at things that go bump in the night.
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LibraryThing member Todd_Russell
I loved the idea for this book and the beginning really drew me in. As it turned out, unfortunately, my expectations exceeded my reading experience.
The middle didn't keep me engaged in the story. I didn't feel a good connection with any of the characters except the ghost Craddock McDermott (love
My interest returned in the ending which the author handled well. There were a few chilly spots throughout the book and I would try reading another book by Joe Hill. I've heard good things about Horns.
The middle didn't keep me engaged in the story. I didn't feel a good connection with any of the characters except the ghost Craddock McDermott (love
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the name and his suit!). My interest returned in the ending which the author handled well. There were a few chilly spots throughout the book and I would try reading another book by Joe Hill. I've heard good things about Horns.
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
Heart Shaped Box is a ghost story. It's born from a fresh and cutting-edge angle and never stops from the first page to the finale. Hill creates a great sense of foreboding terror and the ghost in question is both memorable and deeply malevolent. Tension arises from well fleshed out and realistic
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characterisation, which also allows Hill to pull some emotional kidney punches. Original horror is a treat, and Heart Shaped Box is certainly original and is also well crafted too. A story which will remain in your thoughts for some time after you put it down. Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member ScoLgo
Well... the acorn didn't fall far from the tree. This debut novel by Joe Hill has many of the hallmarks of his father's writing. Overall, it's pretty good. I would say on par with some of King's middle-of-the-road novels like Christine, Cujo or Firestarter. Characterization is very good. Dialogue
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is also mostly good. The pace is fast and the pages turn quickly and easily. I was a little put off by the need to go for the bloody gross-outs in several scenes. When I run across that in books, I always end up visualizing it as a movie - and I don't particularly care for those types of movies. Violence, gore, and brutality are (to me) almost always more effective when implied instead of graphically depicted. There is a finesse to great horror - and that finesse is somewhat lacking here. Nevertheless, I was invested in the characters early and the plot moved forward at an effectively dizzying pace. Definitely an above-average first effort. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheCrow2
OK, first things first. It's the first book of Joe 'we-all-know-who-is-your-father' Hill. And comparing his work to 'youknow's' books... he has nothing to ashamed. Fast pacing, exciting ghost story. Great debut!
LibraryThing member meganDB
There have been only two books in my life that have scared me. I mean really, sleep with the lights on, jump at small noises scared me. The first, when I was about 11, was a picture book by Cary Crew called The Watertower. Now when I say picture book I'm not talking the Very Hungry Caterpillar. The
I actually think I'm a pretty hard bird to scare, but what does scare me is a subtle kind of horror that make most roll their eyes in non-terror. In The Watertower it wasn't the eventual revelation of the rake alien that scared me, it was the way you could just make it out lurking in the background on almost every page. Partly obscured by a tree, or in the reflection of a window it waited. You didn't even notice it at first, a lot of people probably didn't notice it at all, but we had the book read to us by the author and he pointed it out. Yeah, thanks a lot Gary Crew. What scared me so soundly about House of Leaves is harder to pin down, I can only guess that it was some potent combination of the dark unknown and being lost in the safest place on earth, your own house. I'd also bet that the point in my life in which I read it played a big role, but we'll get into that when I inevitably review this book. (Which I will, because it's amazing).
My point is, that what scares me most is what happens ofscreen, or out of the corner of your eye. I was probably the only person on the planet to b generally freaked out by the Blair WitchProject, for example. Although no film comes close to scaring me like the above books did, and after reading the first chunk of Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box, I was preparing to add that one to the list as well. But then I kept reading.
So, aged death metal rocker Jude buys a haunted suit off the internet in the first few pages, it arrives the page after and the haunting commences almost immediately. And boy, was it my kind of haunting. There's a scene where Jude enters a room where a radio is playing, except hey, he's pretty sure it was off before... That's not the scary part, the scary part is where the DJ is talking about the weather and he's all 'it's going to be a cold one this week folk and you will die and it looks like rain...' See that little 'you will die' tucked away in there? Yeah, it's little things like that get under my skin.
Unfortunately Hill abandons all subtlety pretty early on, and his ghost quickly evolves from creepy radio manipulator ghost into a Freddy Kruger knock off. He becomes corporeal and starts whispering not so sweet nothings in Jude's ear and trying to run him over with his ghost car. Some might find this scary, but not me. By the end of the book the horror became almost b-grade in its depiction, and I can't believe that anyone would find it genuinely scary, even if they weren't as weird as me.
But what saved the book for me was the one thing that kept me from buying it for so long. I remember seeing this thing on the shelf back when I lived in city, before anyone knew that Jow Hill had a famous author dad (Stephen someone, I think...) The cover quote by Neil Gaiman (another author who knows how to creep me the fuck out. That scene in of the early Sandman issues, set in the cafe where everyone starts devolving? Man...) made me pick it up time and again, but the back blurb always made me put it back. There was just nothing appealing to me about a washed up death metal rockstar that the back cover promised.
Except Jude is not washed up. Past his prime and no longer releasing music, sure. But I was expecting a pathetic Ozzy Osbourne kind of character, but Jude still has his dignity. He's still relevant, his absence from the scene is by choice. We learn that two of his bandmates died recently, and it's clear that grief has effected him strongly and laid waste to some of his living relationships. He's also a cold son of a bitch with a healthy dose of contempt for those around him, even (or should I say especially) the young women he sleeps with.
What kept me reading what not the increasingly ridiculous actions of the ghost with a personal vendetta against Jude, but rather is was watching Jude and his current lady friend grow into people who you actually wanted to come out on top. I also enjoyed the backstory of the ghost and why it was after Jude personally, and I honestly found the reveletions of what the ghost had done when he was still a man to be more upsetting then his ghostly hauntings. There is also a strong theme of regret running through the book, and the idea that past can't be changed, only accepted.
As a work of horror I would have to say that this book fails, and fails hard. But for me it succeeded in every other way, and it delivered to me everything I want in a book and upon finishing it I was honestly sad to say good-bye to the characters, alive and dead. (Plus, the ending was both satisfying and fitting, which is more than I can usually say for the kid's dad...)
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Watertower was set in a dusty little Austrian town where all the residents except for two oblivious young boys are being controlled by an alien which resembled a kind of giant rake. The second book to terrify me is a little more well known, Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves which I read when I was fifteen. This book is a pure post-modern mindfuck which revolves, in part, around a house which randomly sprouts winding maze like passages.I actually think I'm a pretty hard bird to scare, but what does scare me is a subtle kind of horror that make most roll their eyes in non-terror. In The Watertower it wasn't the eventual revelation of the rake alien that scared me, it was the way you could just make it out lurking in the background on almost every page. Partly obscured by a tree, or in the reflection of a window it waited. You didn't even notice it at first, a lot of people probably didn't notice it at all, but we had the book read to us by the author and he pointed it out. Yeah, thanks a lot Gary Crew. What scared me so soundly about House of Leaves is harder to pin down, I can only guess that it was some potent combination of the dark unknown and being lost in the safest place on earth, your own house. I'd also bet that the point in my life in which I read it played a big role, but we'll get into that when I inevitably review this book. (Which I will, because it's amazing).
My point is, that what scares me most is what happens ofscreen, or out of the corner of your eye. I was probably the only person on the planet to b generally freaked out by the Blair WitchProject, for example. Although no film comes close to scaring me like the above books did, and after reading the first chunk of Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box, I was preparing to add that one to the list as well. But then I kept reading.
So, aged death metal rocker Jude buys a haunted suit off the internet in the first few pages, it arrives the page after and the haunting commences almost immediately. And boy, was it my kind of haunting. There's a scene where Jude enters a room where a radio is playing, except hey, he's pretty sure it was off before... That's not the scary part, the scary part is where the DJ is talking about the weather and he's all 'it's going to be a cold one this week folk and you will die and it looks like rain...' See that little 'you will die' tucked away in there? Yeah, it's little things like that get under my skin.
Unfortunately Hill abandons all subtlety pretty early on, and his ghost quickly evolves from creepy radio manipulator ghost into a Freddy Kruger knock off. He becomes corporeal and starts whispering not so sweet nothings in Jude's ear and trying to run him over with his ghost car. Some might find this scary, but not me. By the end of the book the horror became almost b-grade in its depiction, and I can't believe that anyone would find it genuinely scary, even if they weren't as weird as me.
But what saved the book for me was the one thing that kept me from buying it for so long. I remember seeing this thing on the shelf back when I lived in city, before anyone knew that Jow Hill had a famous author dad (Stephen someone, I think...) The cover quote by Neil Gaiman (another author who knows how to creep me the fuck out. That scene in of the early Sandman issues, set in the cafe where everyone starts devolving? Man...) made me pick it up time and again, but the back blurb always made me put it back. There was just nothing appealing to me about a washed up death metal rockstar that the back cover promised.
Except Jude is not washed up. Past his prime and no longer releasing music, sure. But I was expecting a pathetic Ozzy Osbourne kind of character, but Jude still has his dignity. He's still relevant, his absence from the scene is by choice. We learn that two of his bandmates died recently, and it's clear that grief has effected him strongly and laid waste to some of his living relationships. He's also a cold son of a bitch with a healthy dose of contempt for those around him, even (or should I say especially) the young women he sleeps with.
What kept me reading what not the increasingly ridiculous actions of the ghost with a personal vendetta against Jude, but rather is was watching Jude and his current lady friend grow into people who you actually wanted to come out on top. I also enjoyed the backstory of the ghost and why it was after Jude personally, and I honestly found the reveletions of what the ghost had done when he was still a man to be more upsetting then his ghostly hauntings. There is also a strong theme of regret running through the book, and the idea that past can't be changed, only accepted.
As a work of horror I would have to say that this book fails, and fails hard. But for me it succeeded in every other way, and it delivered to me everything I want in a book and upon finishing it I was honestly sad to say good-bye to the characters, alive and dead. (Plus, the ending was both satisfying and fitting, which is more than I can usually say for the kid's dad...)
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LibraryThing member RachelAH
I thought this was a fantastic book. Being a huge Stephen King fan myself, I thought I'd give his son's book a try and was really pleasantly surprised. It left me freaked out for a while. This was very well written and I can't wait for his next book "Horns" to come out in February!
LibraryThing member sharlene_w
I picked up this audio book because it won the 2008 Audie award for Thriller/Mystery. When I looked into the author (I had never heard of Joe Hill before), I learned that he was the son of Stephen King. That set my expectations high. Hill had a novel idea--buying a ghost over the internet--but I
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didn't feel any positive emotions for the main characters or find the plot particularly engaging. There were elements that were interesting but overall I found it a bit disappointing because I just didn't care enough about how it might turn out. I thought my teenagers would enjoy listening to it on a road trip, but it just put them to sleep (twice!). Show Less
LibraryThing member daveted
Loved it. Very entertaining, and reminded me so much of early Stephen King. Must be genetic.
But I think Joe King....sorry, Hill, might be even better. He wrote a decent ending, unlike 50% of his Dads books. Yet to see if that changes with future books.
But Heart Shaped Box - excellent.
But I think Joe King....sorry, Hill, might be even better. He wrote a decent ending, unlike 50% of his Dads books. Yet to see if that changes with future books.
But Heart Shaped Box - excellent.
LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
This is the first Joe Hill book I've read, and I had great expectations for a nice dip in a horror story. I'm afraid it let me down a bit. Initially, despite a suit that comes with its own malevolent ghost, it is not very horrifying, just kind of nasty and disgusting. I really don't want to read
Of course, there was a quest, and the story became more interesting as did the characters. In the end, it was fairly entertaining, more gore than horror, and a decent but not especially memorable horror story.
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about snuff films or misogynistic, washed-up rock stars. Of course, there was a quest, and the story became more interesting as did the characters. In the end, it was fairly entertaining, more gore than horror, and a decent but not especially memorable horror story.
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LibraryThing member lpg3d
I'd give this book 6 stars if I could. This is an outstanding modern day ghost story. Great characters interacting with an interesting ghost. There's quite a few surprises in the book with enough suspense to make it hard to put down for the night.
LibraryThing member andrlik
This book had it's moments, but it wasn't particularly scary after the first act. Its funny, the first time I tried to read this book, I was so put off by the retired metal rocker protagonist, I stopped before any of the good stuff. I recently picked it up again on the recommendation of a friend,
I do have to say that I found the hypnotist angle a little flimsy so despite a competent performance otherwise I had a hard time truly going along for the ride. Yes, it already has a ghost and spirit dogs but for some reason it was the hypnotism that threw me.
It was a good read, but not a terrifying book, which is what I was in the mood for at the time.
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and once it picks up it keeps things going with steady momentum. I even stayed up late to finish it last night. I do have to say that I found the hypnotist angle a little flimsy so despite a competent performance otherwise I had a hard time truly going along for the ride. Yes, it already has a ghost and spirit dogs but for some reason it was the hypnotism that threw me.
It was a good read, but not a terrifying book, which is what I was in the mood for at the time.
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LibraryThing member mbertsch
This book was intense. I would get scared every time the ghost started talking. You would never know what would happen then. And it was so modern: A ghost, for sale, on the internet. Amazing concept.
LibraryThing member mstrust
Jude Coyne is a mega rock star who doesn't have to work anymore. His status as an icon has made him wealthy and still relevant into his fifties. His taste in girlfriends runs to much younger Goth girls who live with him at his farm for a few months. Currently it's Georgia, but before her it was
When Jude buys a haunted suit online to add to his collection of the bizarre, it turns out that Jude was the person meant to own it.
This was a Bram Stoker Award winner for 2007, and Hill's first book. It's broken into three sections, and for me, the first section was the most frighteningly as Jude and Georgia are cut off from the world in the farmhouse. The feeling of isolation that runs through the book is at its highest level in the house, but the story is well-written and pretty scary throughout. I know, you see the words 'haunted suit' and say "Whaaat?"
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Florida, a depressed girl Who Jude sent home after realizing he couldn't help her anymore.When Jude buys a haunted suit online to add to his collection of the bizarre, it turns out that Jude was the person meant to own it.
This was a Bram Stoker Award winner for 2007, and Hill's first book. It's broken into three sections, and for me, the first section was the most frighteningly as Jude and Georgia are cut off from the world in the farmhouse. The feeling of isolation that runs through the book is at its highest level in the house, but the story is well-written and pretty scary throughout. I know, you see the words 'haunted suit' and say "Whaaat?"
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LibraryThing member DougBaker
Judas Coyne is an aging rock singer with an usual hobby. He collects macabre items related to death. He even has a snuff film. So one day when his business manager tells him somebody is selling a ghost in an online auction he just can’t resist. Little does he know he is getting exactly what he
Heart-Shaped Box is definitely a fast paced, action packed ghost story. Hill does an excellent job in characterization. He is really masterful at making the characters and their personalities come alive as we empathize with both Coyne and MaryBeth as the tale unravels and Coyne slowly begins to understand why Craddock has come back from the dead to seek his revenge. In fact, Hill does and excellent job in conveying the personality and character of the ghost as the reader learns more about Mr. Craddock and his past. As the story develops, with wild harrowing scenes, Coyne begins to learn how he might just be able to survive this haunting. For its fast pace and excellent character development Hill definitely should be commended.
But there is a dark side. Frankly as the novel moves along it starts to read, at times, like a B grade horror movie, which for this reader was a bit of a turnoff. The later scenes get more and more sappy where Craddock started reminding me of Freddy Krueger from the movie Nightmare on Elm Street and the story really started getting rather campy. As a result, I found the novel entertaining enough, but rather average on the whole.
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paid for. Once the suit containing the ghost arrives in a heart shaped box the wild action begins as Coyne and his girlfriend, MaryBeth (who he calls Georgia), are in a fight for their lives. It turns out the ghost, Craddock, has a grudge against Judas Coyne and he’s come back to seek revenge.Heart-Shaped Box is definitely a fast paced, action packed ghost story. Hill does an excellent job in characterization. He is really masterful at making the characters and their personalities come alive as we empathize with both Coyne and MaryBeth as the tale unravels and Coyne slowly begins to understand why Craddock has come back from the dead to seek his revenge. In fact, Hill does and excellent job in conveying the personality and character of the ghost as the reader learns more about Mr. Craddock and his past. As the story develops, with wild harrowing scenes, Coyne begins to learn how he might just be able to survive this haunting. For its fast pace and excellent character development Hill definitely should be commended.
But there is a dark side. Frankly as the novel moves along it starts to read, at times, like a B grade horror movie, which for this reader was a bit of a turnoff. The later scenes get more and more sappy where Craddock started reminding me of Freddy Krueger from the movie Nightmare on Elm Street and the story really started getting rather campy. As a result, I found the novel entertaining enough, but rather average on the whole.
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Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Thriller/Suspense — 2008)
Locus Award (Finalist — First Novel — 2008)
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — Novel — 2007)
Macavity Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2008)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — August Derleth Fantasy Award — 2008)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Winner — Horror — 2008)
Black Quill Award (Winner — 2007)
International Thriller Writers Award (Winner — First Novel — 2008)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2007)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007-02
Physical description
384 p.; 4.19 inches
ISBN
006114794X / 9780061147944