Horns

I'm going to begin this review by saying that the first 10 chapters of this book are simply amazing. Never before had I felt so many emotions for a character - and that includes the constant anxiety and helplessness I felt while reading The Road. That being said, I'm not in any way stating that what follows them is of lesser quality; the book is quite the experience - it's just those first few chapters are agonizing.

That fact that Ig is genuinely a nice guy is what rips your heart out. Hearing all the townspeople hold nothing back when verbally tearing him apart can be heartbreaking. Joe Hill refuses to give you any time to digest each tirade as the one that follows turns out to be far worse than the last.

While it's not always possible, there are some situations out there where people have shown that talent can sometimes be inherited. I can't speak for Hill's other work (I hope to change that soon) but with Horns, he at least shows that he has the talent to be a great storyteller like his father.

This book definitely had a very different and interesting concept. What I did not expect was the comedy that went along with it. Ig's new found power (which took me a bit to figure out what it was) is an interesting gift, and could potentially be either; very dangerous, hurtful, or downright hilarious. Throughout the first bits of the book I couldn't stop laughing. The moments of Ig's childhood years (the shopping cart incident) and the situation with the two policemen made me laugh, and kept me reading the book. Yet there were serious moments too, with Ig finding out the truth about Merrin and her death, who was really behind it, and the real true feelings of people close to him (like his parents). It's a bit shocking, to read how his parents really felt of the situation surrounding Ig and at a certain point of the book I really felt sorry for him.

The first half of the book was really enjoyable to read. The middle part where it focuses on Ig, Merrin, and Lee wasn't so bad. Lee's a jerk. A real jealous one. I never really liked him to begin with and when you see his true colors, I hated him even more. Ig was such a nice guy and Lee just took advantage of that and stepped all over him. I liked Ig as a character although throughout the second half of the book he just got really strange and started behaving rather odd. This is where I thought the book was rather stuck in a rut and it suddenly dragged. I felt the pace of the book just stopped all of a sudden and started to crawl.

The ending was good and after that rut, the pace starting picking up a bit. I was definitely unprepared for the ending and it caught me by surprise. When I finished this book, I wasn't sure how I felt. I had an empty feeling, I guess because the ending wasn't what I expected, but also because I thought perhaps it could have ended differently. For a book that had such a promising start, the ending lacked the punch to finish it.

I would still say, give this book a chance. The idea and concept is really entertaining and interesting. If you don't mind reading through the little stall in the middle of the book you'll find the book isn't so bad after all. Even though to me, it had a disappointing ending, but read it to be entertained and to have a laugh. It's certainly worth a look through.

I really enjoyed the first part of this book, though I couldnt care about any of the characters. Even the main character. Its very interesting when our 'hero' first gets his horns and the way people react is very entertaining, but after that things get dull quick. The writing felt very simple to me. I'd have to give this book a pass.

What would you do if you woke up one morning and discovered you had grown horns overnight? If it was the morning after a bender you would think it was a hallucination. Ig did! But no such luck! Ignatius Perrish had everything a young man could want. He was born to a privileged family in a small town. He had good friends and finally someone he loved and, amazingly who loved him just as much. All that was tarnished when Merrin Williams was murdered and he was the prime suspect. He was never charged, but all of sudden everyone in town looked at him a little differently. They proclaimed his innocence, but it wasn't what they truly believed. It's hard to take the high road when everyone thinks the worst, so Ig resigns himself to never knowing the truth and never feeling comfortable in his own skin again. Turns out the horns that miraculously grew one day were his saving grace (so to speak) because anyone in their presence was compelled to tell the truth; their deepest, darkest secrets. So we follow Ig on his quest to find the real murderer.

I didn't like this book … and then I liked … and then I liked it more … and finally I was undecided. Unlike his first novel HEART SHAPED BOX (which I loved), HORNS is not a straightforward tale. It takes the reader down a few bumpy, uncomfortable paths before we see the light. The characters are gritty and for the most part unlikable. Even our hero Ignatius is a little hard to warm to, but those are the qualities that made this book work. A good read that takes seriously the phrase "sometimes you have to be bad to be good".

I ripped through this book in two days. It just drew me right in and would not let me go. The writing style is very similar to Stephen King, which is only natural since they are father and son. So maybe thats why I went through it so quick, because I like Stephen King's work.

This is the story of a young man named Ignatious who after a night of binge drinking winds up with horns growing out of his head. He is also now able to coax the innermost thoughts and secrets from people. Just by seeing him, they spill they're guts and ask permission to do what they're hearts desire and society says is a no no.

These encounters are the most interesting, as it gives us a glimpse at the veneer of civility that we and the world are coated in so that we get along and don't kill too many of each other off.

We come into Ig's life one year after his girlfriend was murdered to the day, as the night he binged was the night of her death. Ig is still coping with her loss, as well as the loss of his friends and family because he was the prime suspect in her murder and was never officially cleared so things never really went back to normal. Its chilling to see how his family REALLY thinks of him once he get his horns. Everything that seemed so normal and ok to him is just turned on its head.

What I like most was the evolution/devolution of humanity in this book. Ig becomes more and more devil/demon-like in appearance as the book progresses. His horns grow bigger, he communes with snakes, and his skin turns red. The great thing is that as he devolves physically, he evolves emotionally. He has the power to let a lot of bad stuff happen, and instead he uses it to right his relationships with people as well as have them move on from him.

We also see the devolution of hummanity in his best friend Lee. Lee is a congressman's aide, poster ivy-league looks, and at first he acts them, but as the story progresses we see his actions and thought patterns devolve into something belonging to a creature more fitting of Ig's physical appearance than Lee's.

I liked the flash backs least. Hill starts off the story in the here and now, and flashes back to Ig and Lee's past, obviously for character development. I read it all, I knew it was all important to the story, but I could not help but think, "ok, great, but whats happening NOW?"

My favorite part was Ig's relationship with his girlfriend and how it develops throughout the book. At first you get the picture of a fairy tale romance that ended tragically. Then you see that all was not well between the two and you wind up hating her for a bit, until you get closer to the end where you fully understand her motives for her actions and can sympathyze with both her and Ig.

An excellent choice for King fans. This book will have you running the emotional gambit and enjoying every second of the ride.

I really enjoy Joe Hill's books.....Heart Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts were both excellent reads.

In his new novel Hill writes a great tale, Ig Parrish is a man with not much good in his life, espcially since the murder of his true love Merrin a year ago. After a night of debauchery he wakes up literally with a pair of horns, ones that make people tell their darkest secrets. With this new found ability Ig sets out to discover the truth behind Merrin's death.

Really good book.....I'm sticking with reading Hill's books because I have not been disapointed yet.

It took me about 120 pages before I really got into the novel and then, oh boy, did it have me. The back stories of the characters are both mesmerizing and haunting. The story was strongest when it wasn't focused on Ig's deformity but rather on his humanity. I was a little disappointed with the ending however, it felt like Hill just tacked a few things on to add unnecessary emotion and wrapped it up really quickly. Definitely a dark tale worth reading

I just finished reading this novel by Joe Hill (anyone else hope his real name is Joe? Joe King? say it out loud and chuckle *^_^*). It was absolutely fantastic. It is not just for horror fans but for anyone who likes drama with a dash of weird and macabre.

Within the first few chapters of this book, it became apparent that Joe Hill really does follow after his father in this darkly funny and painfully human tale.

Despite the transformation of the main character, he alone remains the most human of all the characters and you cannot help but root for "the devil in the blue dress".

All in all, bravo Mr. Hill, bravo. I fully intend on purchases your older work within the week.

If you are reading this, you've probably already read this book's synopsis. That alone made me want to read it but it is so much more than that. This is a wonderfully told story about friendship, family and love.

I couldn't put it down...while reading this I did in fact have Sympathy for the Devil.

There were moments that made me laugh and moments that made me cry. Ig is the kind of guy that you can't help but like. You root for him all the way.

The story becomes less about the horns and more about the man as you get deeper into it, moving from the past to the present with no confusion or awkwardness. Really, Joe Hill is a great storyteller.