Horns

A Novel

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a raging headache, and a pair of horns growing from his temples. At first, Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic. But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside.

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It's time for a little revenge. It's time the devil had his due.

©2010 Joe Hill (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Enjoyed the ride but overall I was dissapointed

The story pulled me in right away but as the plot developed I began not to care about the ending. Finished it because it is my book club read this month. Otherwise I may have not read it all the way through

Krusty?

Seriously, Fred Berman sounds just like Krusty the Klown and that's not a good thing. Joe Hill's book is OK, but that's about it. The idea is good and he did a nice job of handling the story from multiple perspectives and slowly revealing the important details, allowing the story to come to light piece by piece and not all at once. The problem (besides the narrator that sounds like Krusty) is that the whole thing feels very superficial and unpolished. A previous reviewer wrote that it was like a short story that got stretched and I think that's reasonably close to my interpretation. It isn't a bad book, so I disagree with those who give it one star. Go back and try to slog through Mary Shelly's Frankenstien for a truly awful read. As for the "Christian" reviewers who worry that "Christians" won't like the book; well, it's a book about a devil. That should be reasonably apparent from the title and cover art.

Great story, writing is rough around the edges

I really enjoyed this story and was eager to get back to listening to it. It is a great premise. I love a good sympathy for the devil story. That said:

1) I only tolerated the narrator. Maybe it was the director's fault. His reading of the protagonist's lines didn't resonate with what we know about Ig. Ig is kind of a big wimp, and nothing makes him seem otherwise, except for the narrator's intonation. The acting didn't match the writing.
2) Hill is a better storyteller than he is a writer. He is still early in his career and I want to read more by him, but he was often too "on the nose."
3) I didn't like any of the characters to really root for them. Sometimes that is OK in a book, but with this book, everyone was so terrible that I wanted someone, anyone, to be vaguely likeable.

Those are a few caveats about what was ultimately a fun listening experience.

Christian beware, Contained within is Devils fare.

What did you love best about Horns?

Really interesting look at Christian mythology without getting righteous about it at all. The way the story is told is unique, too. Kinda jumps back and forth and tells you what you need to know when you need it, not when you want it.

What other book might you compare Horns to and why?

God's Debris or the Lamb. Both discuss a different way to view Christian mythology in their own way. Those have a different tone then this book. This is more drama, The Lamb is comical a bit and God's Debris is just a mind blow.

What does Fred Berman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He really has a good voice and pace, plus he adds voices or inflections to the characters. He's consistent about it too.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it over like 4 or 5 days while at work. This is a good long listen, but I got !@#$ to do.

Any additional comments?

This book really offers a unique viewpoint on the Devil from Christian mythology. I'm an atheist, but I can see some people getting a twig up their bums about things in this book. It's all fiction people. Just enjoy. It's a good story. Hope the movie doesn't suck.

Great book, love this author

I ordered this book and there was a problem with it, it ended too short. But audible saved the day and I got to listen to the rest of it. Yeah audible!

Twisted and weird

I loved the story. I enjoyed that the story is unpredictable. The character development was very well written as was the flow of the story. It has been a year since i read the book and since then i have watched the movie. The book is 100 times better than the movie. I am writing a review now because i am going to listen to it again. This will be the only book I have listened twice to.... it is that good. I know this review does not help you decide to listen to the story but i will include that if you are looking for a twisted, weird, and brutal psychological love story (yes i thought it had a bit of a tragic love story to it) this book is for you. It will keep you guessing, keep you on the edge of your seat, and keep you WANTING MORE!!!! I could NOT stop listening. Well done Mr. Hill.

Great story

Overall great book. I did find it easy to get lost in certain places, like the near end. Worth the listen none the less.

Horns

I am always thrilled by any novel by Joe Hill and this was no exception

Better than the Movie, as books usually are

This story by Joe Hill is a story about secrets and the inner darkness that we all harbor to ourselves. The story follows Ig Perrish, who is dealing with the aftermath of his girlfriend’s death. After a night of hard drinking, Ig wakes up and notices two horns have begun to grow out of his head. Ig discovers that the horns have a magical quality to them that make people reveal their deepest, most intimate desires. Using the power of the Horns, Ig sets out to clear his name of girlfriend’s murder and discover who took her life.

The story is about public perception, secrets, revenge, good v. evil, and the lengths we would go through for the one we love.

The narration and narrative was excellent and easy to follow. I enjoyed the performance! I think the added details and other powers that are present in the book (and missing from the movie) added much needed depth.

#tagsgiving #sweepstakes #betterthanthemovie #secrets #horrorfantasy

Dark, sad, a lot of fun - Serial fans check it out

Would you consider the audio edition of Horns to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but the narrator does such a good job at conveying the different characters, through voices and intonations, that I would guess the answer to be yes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Horns?

Although he was a dislikable character, the explanation of Lee Tourneau's background and childhood was much more revealing about his character than I expected it to be. I liked Ig a lot, and thought when the story drifted from him it wouldn't be as interesting, but I was wrong.

What does Fred Berman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does a good job creating all the different character's voices, the girls, boys, men and women each having memorable ways of speaking. Of course he does Ig particularly well. He also manages to get across the dark humor that is crucial for the story to work.

Any additional comments?

I listened to this before Serial came out, but was surprised by the similarities between the two stories. Fans of Serial - check out this book.