Standback answers “NOS4A2 was my first Hill and I hated it...”

A Goodreads user asked this question about The Fireman:

NOS4A2 was my first Hill and I hated it (although I had really high expectations). I think I'm willing to give him a second chance because the premise of this book looks great, but was wondering if they are similar? - not in story obviously but stylistically I guess?

Standback I found NOS4A2 very different, stylistically, from other Joe Hill works I know and love. I didn't enjoy NOS4A2 either (although I know lots and lots o…moreI found NOS4A2 very different, stylistically, from other Joe Hill works I know and love. I didn't enjoy NOS4A2 either (although I know lots and lots of people did!). I felt like it was a book that centered around the generic horror of a couple of shlocky, themed villains; if that was your sense as well, I'd say that others of Hill's works are far, far stronger and more interesting.

"The Fireman" isn't out quite yet, so no opinion there yet. But Hill has *lots* of very excellent work out:

"Horns" is a fantastic novel with great voice and characters, that tackles its central premise from several different angles.
If you're amenable to graphic novels, "Locke and Key" is an absolute masterpiece - the characters are heartbreaking and achingly real; and at the same time it's a story full of wonder and magic (and horror, oh yes.)
And his short fiction collection, "20th Century Ghosts," is excellent - with a huge range of stories, each one excellent in a different way.

(I found Hill through his novella "Gunpowder," which is a *phenomenal* piece about children with world-shaping abilities, who turn a planet into, well, a powder keg. This novella is currently, unfortunately, *criminally* unavailable anywhere.)(less)

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