HeartShaped Box Author:Joe Hill 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 as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on... more » the Internet, a thing so terribly 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, no benign conversation piece. 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 bony hand. . . . A multiple-award winner for his short fiction, author Joe Hill immediately vaults into the top echelon of dark fantasists with a blood-chilling roller-coaster ride of a novel, a masterwork brimming with relentless thrills and acid terror.« less
I was very impressed with this debut novel by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, one of the best horror novels I've read in a while! In this book we follow Judas Coyne, his two dogs, Angus and Bon, and his goth girlfriend Marybeth, as they try to escape from the ghost that is after them, the ghost that Judas purchased online. This book is filled with disturbing images, which I'm sure will stay with me for a very long time. I highly recommend this book and I eagerly await more from this author in the future. I don't suggest reading this book at night. If you have a dog, make sure to keep him nearby for your own protection!
spooky, creepy, couldnt put it down! This is a story that sticks with you long after your done reading it. Its steven kings' son, what do you expect? A+++
Very scary, right from the first chapter. I couldn't read this at night! However, it got a little repetitive at some parts. Overall, a great horror read!
This is a good scary book. I am not a big fan of Stephen King, and this was the first book I read by his son. It was a fast paced, gripping tale that was intensely spooky, at times. A well done story that was very satisfying. Thoroughly enjoyable modern ghost story!
Could not stop reading this book, finished it in one day. Great ghost story and mystery, didn't like the main character Jude at first, but after a while you realize that he is not the person he thinks he is! Highly recommend!
Interesting idea, but more gore than horror. When an aging heavy-metal rocker who has always been known for the bizarre and the grotesque buys a ghost from an online auction site, he gets way more than he bargained for. Most of the characters (living and dead) are so unlikeable that it's hard to work up any sympathy for their plight.
I bought this book because it sounded "good". I read it in just a few hours - it is sooo good! If you want to read a real thriller, this one will not disappoint!
I just read a person's review about this and found out Joe Hill is Stephen King's son - hmm. I don't like SK's writng at all and I probably would not have read this assuming it would be like one of his... wrong! Joe Hill has talent!!!
Order this and read it!!!
I tried reading this - I enjoyed "Horns" by the same author. I just couldn't develop any empathy for the leading character. As far as I was concerned, he didn't have any redeeming values and deserved everything bad that happened to him.
This is one creepy, scary ghost story. Judas Coyne, a death-metal-rock god buys a heart-shaped box with a manâs suit (which is haunted) inside. Strange things start happening and Judas decides to send the box back but the sender says the ghost is intend on staying with Judas. I like Joe Hillâs writing and his well-developed characters. I need to read more of his books as I love to be scared! Chip off the block of his father, Stephen King!
Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: from Disney sketches drawn by John Wayne Gacy, to a hangman's noose used at the turn of the nineteenth century in England - and everything in between. As an aging death-metal rock god, his varied taste for the unnatural is widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses can possibly rival his latest discovery - an item for sale on the Internet - something so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.
"I will 'sell' my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder..." begins the email, and right from that line Jude is intrigued. For a thousand dollars, he 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 band-mates he betrayed. So, what's one more?
But what UPS delivers to his doorstep in a black heart-shaped box is completely unexpected. This is no imaginary or metaphysical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.
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 bony hand. And, Judas Coyne is about to learn that sooner or later the dead catch up...
Joe Hill is actually Stephen King's son - something that I didn't realize until Mareena told me when I bought this book back in April. Anyway, although Joe Hill has written many short story collections, I believe that this is his debut novel - and what a debut it is!
I absolutely loved this book. I found the story to be fast-paced and action-packed, not letting up for an instant. Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel by Joe Hill was compulsively readable for me, and I finished it at a gulp. I give this book an A+! Definitely a winner in a family of winners, and I'm putting Joe Hill's other books - 20th Century Ghosts, Horns and NOS4A2 - on my Wish List.
Former heavy-metal guitarist Jude Coyne collects various occult items. When a ghost is sold through an internet auction, he makes a quick bid to buy it. Jude is sent an old man's suit, and strange things start to happen around the house. Jude soon finds out he has been targeted. His ex-girlfriend killed herself months after leaving him. Her sister and step-father believe Jude is to blame for the suicide. When the step-father dies, his suit is sent to Jude, ready to exact revenge.
This is one scary book. I only made it through 90 pages before I wimped out and couldn't read anymore. If you like horror, you'll like this book.
