William Morrow
Featuring: Charlie Manx; Victoria McQueen
720 pages ISBN: 0062200577 EAN: 9780062200570 Kindle: B009NF6Z2K Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List
It's 1986 and Victoria McQueen is your average
eight-year-old girl who likes to ride her beloved Raleigh
Tuff Burner bike every day. But once she discovers the
Shorter Way Bridge and crosses it, she can magically find
things that have been misplaced and go anywhere in the
country. Enter one Charles Talent Manx. He's a creepy older
fella that has an affinity for children. Specifically, he
likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith,
complete with NOS4A2 on the tag.
These aren't innocent
rides; he transports them to another land, a place all his
own that he lovingly calls Christmasland. One day Vic runs
into Manx and she becomes the only kid who's ever escaped
Manx's clutches. But Charlie never forgot her, and now that
she's grown with a child of her own, he's out for revenge.
It's amazing that NOS4A2 is only Joe Hill's third
novel. His skills have refined quickly, and he brings to the
table a complex and delicately spun tale that spans years
and locations, and even time. Part fantasy, part horror, and
lots of supernatural, Hill pleases the masses. His ability
to bring a character to life on the page is outstanding with
real, almost palpable, emotion. Even though I knew Manx was
the bad guy I found myself, at times, liking him. He is a
vampire, but not of the sparkly kind. His motivations and
actions are horrifying, and his visage is chilling. And
don't get me started on his kickass car. Cooler than a
Cullens' any day. We see Victoria grow, both in terms of age
and maturity. Her life is sometimes pitiful, sometimes
joyous, but never bland. Christmasland is worthy of a
character on its own. The setting, the atmosphere, the
tension that centers around this horrible place doesn't
leave you when you put down NOSA42.
Another wonderful
treat is the beautiful artwork included by Gabriel
Rodriguez, who teamed up with Hill on the successful Locke &
Key comic series. Keep an eye open to find the little
references to Hill's dad's (Mr. King) various works. Hill's
imagination knows no boundaries.
NOS4A2 easily made my top ten list for the year. I eagerly
await any new releases from Joe. Comics, short stories,
novels...anything, please.
Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a
misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to
unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike,
she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within
moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s
across Massachusetts or across the country.
Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to
take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the
NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right
out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that
transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying –
playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”
Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx.
That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever
escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and
desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped
thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and
he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy