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Joe Hill
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Book
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Publisher | Gollancz | ||
ISBN | 978-057507916 | ||
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Reviewer
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Gareth
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Synopsis
Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache ...and a pair of horns growing from his temples. Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more - he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic. Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone - raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances - with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty. Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look, and he means to use it to find the man 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. HORNS: It's moving, sad, often funny, redemptive, and filled with hope.
Review
Yet again, Joe Hill emerges triumphant with another grand horror yarn. The most original premise: Ig Perrish wakes up with two horns growing out of his head and can make people tell him their deepest darkest secrets; which is just as well because he's been framed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend!
Such an intriguing premise and really well executed; in Joe Hill's world there is no black and white just muddy shades of grey. Here no one is innocent; every person harbours some past secret, something that taints their soul and Ig Perrish becomes the focal point for that, able to see through the layers of veneer and expose them for who they really are.
It's never explained where Ig gets his horns from, and I'm quite relieved about that - it adds to the story. The only thing that I found difficult is that the story kept delving into the past and I lost the train of the story by the end. However, despite that I found the character insights very revealing and intricate - with more depth than the average horror.
I enjoyed this book, as I have done the other two Joe Hill books, and will look forward to his next!
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