The Cape: A Dark Gothic Horror Short Story

by Joe Hill

From the New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Horns comes this e-short story—from Joe Hill’s award-winning collection 20th Century Ghosts.

Imogene is young and beautiful. She kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She's also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon one afternoon in 1945. . . .

Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn't easy to make friends when you're the only inflatable boy in town. . . .

Francis is unhappy. Francis was human once, but that was then. Now he's an eight-foot-tall locust and everyone in Calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing. . . .

John Finney is locked in a basement that's stained with the blood of half a dozen other murdered children. In the cellar with him is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but which rings at night with calls from the dead. . . .

 

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Audiobook, Thriller, Adult, Fiction

34 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

Joe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.

He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.

He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.

Reviews

[Andrew Lennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only problem with that short story, was the fact that it was a short story!
I really liked it, the whole idea of it was brilliant and the mind set of the character set it up so the story could've gone on for a lot longer to be a full length novel.
Super heroes are awesome! But dark "hero" stories are always just that bit better.
I have recently acquired the graphic comic based on this short story. I'm really hoping it leads into to awesome adventure!
Be even cooler if they turn this thing into a movie!

All reviews can be found at http://lennonslair.blogspot.co.uk

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark take on superhero literature. It starts off as a typical superhero flick. The socially-awkward deadbeat who’s down on his luck discovers that he’s capable of accomplishing great things, but the twist is that the boy is a sociopath with dangerous urges. What happens when a sociopath with dangerous urges gains access to superhuman powers? I’m sure you can fill in the blanks.

[Kostiantyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Cape" has this basic idea of a guy with a flying cape, which feels like something a kid would dream up. But the way he uses it is pretty dark, almost like a child acting out with adult consequences. It's not that the story is bad, but sometimes the main character's actions feel more like a childish outburst rather than a real threat. If you're looking for a quick, somewhat edgy read that taps into that childish fantasy of flight but with a twisted edge, this could be it. Just don't expect a super deep or mature take on superpowers.

[Jonathan Echevarria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cape is about a potential psychopath who becomes a murderer when he acquires super powers. While I enjoyed this little novella, I can't say it was anywhere close to becoming my favorite in the 20th Century Ghosts collection. The actions of the main protagonist don't come off as "dark comedy" but more unsettling and unnerving then anything else. Especially since his actions as a child don't portray him as a "serial killer in the making" in the beginning of the story. Part of me wants to believe that this "plot twist" was just for shock value. Being a fan of all of Joe Hill's work I would like to believe otherwise.

I give this story a 3.5 stars out of 5. I enjoyed it but I was really expecting a lot more from it. I think the comic book version of The Cape was what over hyped it for me. Since it was already a graphic novel, I just assumed there was something spectacular about the original novella. I obviously guessed wrong. I definitely wouldn't recommend this one to everybody, like I would do so eagerly with his other work. Maybe it they revealed the Cape was Eric's Inscape via the mythos established in NOS4A2 I would of been a little happier. ;)

[Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the artwork. Story? There barely is one . Characterisation? Same. That's the problem with the new comic/graphic novel publishers, its all surface no sense of depth, but the artwork is pretty good.The artist would be one Zach Howard. He can stick around. OTO the publishers IDW need to get their quality control sussed. It's not all about the gloss y know.

[Mark Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written and entertaining tale about the brother who could fly! As with everything, it seems, written by Joe Hill, it was a very inventive tale and well worth reading.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys creative fantasy. Perhaps you too will become as much of a fan of this man's short fiction as I am! It's really rather addictive.

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and loved the graphic novel of this Hill short story, I thought I'd give the original a read. It turns out though that it's only part of the story and just when you think things are getting going, it ends.

If you've read this story I would recommend reading the GN as it adds to and improves on what is a sound base with the story of the brothers being fully explored.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long time Stephen King fan I was excited to pick up a short story from his son. I liked the rather quick paced & creepy story and would lean toward 3.5 stars. The idea was really good, which I understand was flushed out in a longer graphic novel, but the short story itself was a bit jumpy and half way through one could see how it was going to end.

[Maria (miamaria_348) · Rating 3 out of 5]

En berättelse om en pojke och hans kappa som han hade som liten när han lekte superhjälte. När den plötsligt får honom att sväva i luften istället för att falla, till både hans och storebrors förvåning, blir inte saker som man förväntar sig.

[Dylan McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you discovered that you had a magical cape, what would you do? Hopefully not the same thing as Eric.

[Beth Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good. Love it when the unexpected happens!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE CAPE is some of the best gritty superhero fiction I’ve ever read.

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of the collection 20th Century Ghosts.

[Claudia Riendeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5\5. Dans cette adaptation d'une nouvelle de Joe Hill, on retrouve une dualité entre frères : l'un est mentalement dérangé et est une vrai loque tandis que l'autre est un brillant chirurgien à qui tout réussi. Quand la petite amie du premier le quitte, il tombe dans une spirale destructrice. La redécouverte de sa cape d'enfant "magique" qui lui permet de voler l'entraîne vers le meurtre et la destruction. La destruction du mythe du héros au profit de la montée du vilain. La fin est à la hauteur du récit. C'est grinçant, malaisant, presque malsain. Le lecteur est amené à prendre pour le méchant alors que la morale voudrait le contraire. Le dessin manque un peu de raffinement cependant. La palette de couleurs aurait pu être un peu plus criarde, à la superhéros, ce qui aurait renforcé le message au lieu de rester dans des teintes sombres pour marquer le côté obscure du héros.

[William Cherico · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a twist ending! My jaw dropped the way it hasn’t reading a book in a long time. What starts off as a really sweet story about childhood innocence persisting through hardship becomes a really terrifying story of someone who never properly grew up. Throw the great concept in with Joe Hill’s exceptional character writing and you have yourself a hell of a short story.

[Skylar · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a great reread for me. I want to know how old joe hill was when he wrote this story because the prose is so unrefined compared to his novels/newer work, but you can see all the potential he clearly has. great concept, and I would kinda like to see him rewrite this with his mature way of writing now. The Cape (Joe's Version)

[Andrew kutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was short but i loved it i thought the main character was such a complex and disturbed character and the story even though it doesn’t tell everything about what happened after i still think it was very good

[John Esse · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's kinda funny how some ideas just need to be told at a certain time - this was published right around when Chronicle and Watchmen came out. I guess in the late 2000s we needed a reminder that superheroes are actually scary as fuuuuuuuuuuck

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can a cape prevent us from growing up? Interesting story, a bit on the tedious side, with an interesting idea and well carved characters. Too slow for my liking but well written. Best for Joe Hill fans!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smidge of Chronicle here…written five years before the flick.

[Niyati · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Berenice A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending is utter mindfuck. Perfect.

[Whitley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Whenever my brother and I played superheros, he always made me be the bad guy. Someone had to be."

This one was sooo unexpected with how it took a turn, but I really enjoyed it.

[Mayumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Já tinha lido a adaptação em quadrinhos desse conto, então já sabia o que ia acontecer. Pensando nisso, eu acho que faltou um pouco de construção, foi tudo muito abrupto. Contraditoriamente, eu gosto como a capa não tem explicação: é uma toalha de criança que dá poder de voo ao protagonista. E por algum motivo ele é um vilão. Eu entendo que, na vida real, as pessoas não precisam de motivos pra serem ruins, mas isso aqui é um conto: eu preciso mais do que isso. Gostei do conto, mas tenho esses detalhes que me fizeram pensar demais no conto.

[Darkbookghoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cape by Joe Hill is a short story involving a super hero like cape. I don’t want to give spoilers but I love the idea of this story and just wish it was longer.

[Nick Katenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read The Cape in graphic format and it is actually much longer and more developed in that format than it is in Hill's 20th Century Ghosts collection. Though the comic is better since it finishes the story more completely, the short story works for its great plot and its effective surprise ending.