The Fireman by Joe Hill

This book is horrifying because it could be true.  It's an airborne disease that travels through ash.  If the ash touches you, you get the disease.  It's an unusual disease...

William Morrow and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 17th.

Stress can set you on fire.  Dragon scales form on your skin just like tattoos and you either learn to control the fire impulse or it eats you up.  Watching people instantly combust in front of you is terrifying.

As is usual, the government responds too slowly, the disease spreads and then vigilante groups begin killing.  No place is safe for those so touched.  Even the safe places aren't safe...

There is a nurse at the core of this story.  She's anxious to help people and volunteers at the local hospital.  She works there until the hospital burns down taking all the people within except for the fortunate few who escape.  Then she finds out she has the disease...

Her husband is not happy about it.  He wants her to commit suicide.  She's pregnant and wants to have the baby first.  Suddenly her loving husband has become her enemy.

This is a very long story but I skipped nothing.  It took all those words to show how it was to survive in the new world.  You meet characters that you empathize with and you find yourself hoping for a happy ending.  The ending was not quite what I wanted but nothing is predictable or right in this world.  Mr. Hill even throws a ghost in for good measure.  After you've read it, you'll be thinking about it for a while.

Shadow Show: Stories In Celebration of Ray Bradbury by Joe Hill, and others

I've always admired Ray Bradbury's stories.  He had a way of making chills run up and down my spine.  In many cases, his stories disturbed me because they were a little too close to the truth.

Diamond Book Distributors and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published July 7th, so make a note to pick it up then.

This is done as a graphic novel which is very fitting.  You have the opportunity to see what other writers thought of his work.  They have written stories based on his titles and concepts but with their own interpretation of how it ends.  The stories are based on "By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain," "The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury," "Backward in Seville," "Weariness," "Live Forever!," "Who Knocks?," "Earth (A Gift Shop)," "Altenmoor, Where the Dogs Dance," and "Conjure." 

All the stories are good, some are confusing and most still leave you wondering, just like Bradbury did.  My favorites are "Where the Dogs Dance" and "Conjure".   Neil Gaiman's story has a hook at the end that makes you wonder just what he meant by that.  You can be sure he did that on purpose.

Grab a copy of the book, sit in your favorite reading spot, and get ready to enjoy the graphics and the text that goes with it.  It makes for a very pleasant afternoon of reading.  I prefer to read these kind of stories during the day but you might feel different about it.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

So, how do you kill a vampire of youth who keeps the children's bodies in Christmasland anyway?  That's the burning question in this 686 page book written by Mr. Hill, son of Mr. King; you know, Stephen King?  And, yes, it's a horror story.

William Morrow sent me an ARC of this book for review (thank you).  It was published this month, so you can grab a copy at your local bookstore now.

Vic is young woman who has a talent for finding things.  She rides her bike across a bridge to the past, to another part of the country, to where the lost item has landed.  She retrieves it and leaves.  But each trip she makes she loses a piece of herself.

When children start disappearing on a regular basis, everyone is on guard and being careful.  But Vic suddenly finds herself too close to Christmasland and things almost go very badly for her.  She manages to escape, but the thought of what she saw makes her shudder.

There is a little bit of everything in this story:  ghosts, monsters, rape, murder, paranormal beings, a live car, and just a few determined good people.  The author keeps your attention but the novel is a bit wordy.  It could have been stated in fewer words without losing the central idea.

If you like horror and supernatural influences, this book will work for you.  The ending is interesting and was unexpected for me.  Why not give it a read and see what you think?

Happy reading.

Horns by Joe Hill

This book is NOT boring. I knew it was going to be something different when the lead character woke up with horns. This not normal...

If having horns wasn't enough to make him wonder what the hell had happened, he finds out that when he touches someone, they have to tell him what they are really thinking. This in not an enviable power. Who wants to know what warped thoughts folks are entertaining?

His life was bad enough before. The love of his life was raped and murdered by someone, and the police thought it was by him. There wasn't enough proof to find him guilty, but the community believed he was.

The only way he was going to clear himself is if he can find the real killer. He has no idea where to begin, but he's finding this "truth telling" talent he has is more of a hindrance than a help. It seems everyone was harboring secrets - most of which he'd rather not know!

Can he separate the wheat from the chafe and find the murderer? Or will the murderer find him first?

If you'd like my copy of this ARC, please leave a comment here on the blog and then email me at info @ bookfaerie.com (take the spaces out)and give me your name and address and tell me why you'd like to read it. I'll be choosing a winner in about a week.