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!

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 was a good story, very freaky, and although I enjoyed it for the most part, some parts were a bit too gorey for my taste-JMO! Loved the ending...some parts brought tears to my eyes...all in all, Hill is a talented writer!

A horror first, then morphing to thriller - this book is an excellent page turner, and doesn't fall into many cliches unwillingly. This is high praise for a novel of this genre, a genre very hard to break ground in. I hope its not just knowing who his dad is that led me to draw many comparisons between their work, but its pretty much impossible not to do so. Apologies for that, but Mr. Hill starts that ball rolling with his dedication on page 1. Nods/tributes to Steven King seemed to fill the book - maybe its just because SK has so fully explored all the horror archetypes, while building a number of his own along the way. Joe knows the language - and breaks a good deal of new ground himself. It ends well, if a little too cleanly (I'm not saying 'happily')- which is something many horror/thriller writers fail to do.
I'd say the original concepts only carry the book about halfway - and that the second half of the book has outgrown the plausibility established in the first half. The subject matter is handled with a lot of maturity - depending far more on very real human psychology rather than supernatural crutches.
It read as a screen play - with lots of camera direction, I strongly suspect that this was intentional and a businessman's approach to writing (less reworking/reinterpreting to do when/if a movie comes along, which I think is inevitable for this book). This was distracting at times - especially when time motion flicker effects are described (think The Ring or House on Haunted Hill). A novel limited by camera effects - or a novelist calling upon the readers visual vocabulary, you decide.
I give it an 8.5 out of 10 - and though people do seem to love it a bit more because of its 'royal' heritage (Neil Gaiman gives an orgasmic review that comes across to me as excessive and comical), it is defiantly a good read. His comparisons to Clive Barker's first turn out of the gates are apt (Damnation Game is good stuff - highly underrated Barker).
I too have a fascination with the upstarts in the fiction industry - and there is plenty of magic in the idea of Joe Hill following in some very big footsteps.

Impressive first novel by the "prince" of horror (if he chooses to go that route). Plot is a little too linear but the scary moments, when they do come, are horrific indeed. This is not your child's horror a la R.L. Stine or Goosebumps. There is serious heart pounding action and gore. Prepare yourself for even greater screams.

Spooky, spooky, spooky--yet compelling. I could not hardly put it down. When I did put it down, I thought about it constantly. Did not see the end of this one coming. I read it in two days, but that was only because I could not fight off sleep anymore! A must read. I am going to keep this one for my personal library.

Superb! An excellent "ghost story". Unpredictable, well-developed, good to see a more balanced fight between good and evil.

Jude is an old rock star who collects death-related paraphernalia. When he hears about a ghost for sale, he buys it. He gets a dead man's suit with ghost attached. Only this was not the random auction-winning-bid deal he thought it was. He was specifically baited into buying the ghost by the seller, who is the sister of a girl-friend he dumped a while ago, and who committed suicide.

This is a very good book, makes great Sunday afternoon reading. The characters are very well developed, and the author really pulls you in with his descriptions of how the ghost hypnotically infiltrates Jude's and his girlfriend's minds.

Good horror novel filled with suspense, intrigue, and a few twists. While the plot resembles that of his father (i.e. Stephen King), the writing is sometimes cliched, trite, and under-developed. This book also contains some detailed descriptions of violence, gore, and abuse (toward humans and animals), so if you are uncomfortable reading in-depth about those subjects you my NOT want to read this. However, the story is unique and though the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly for my taste and left several questions unanswered, I would still recommend this book to fans of the horror genre.

Joe Hill (AKA Joseph Hillstrom King, yes...Stephens SON) is one hell of a writer! I loved this novel. The book revolves around Judas Coyne, an aging metal rock star who has an affinity for collecting macabre artifacts. When he sees an internet advertisement for a ghost, he quickly buys it, and then things quite literally go to Hell. Joe Hill's writing style is similar to his famous fathers, however, I found it much more edgy and action-filled. The older King can tend to ramble sometimes in his story telling, however, his son, in this novel, grabs your attention from the very first page and keeps your eyes locked to every word until the end. GREAT BOOK!!

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I think I had higher expectations for this book because of the clerk at Borders' rave review - and he certainly loved it more than I did. Though, he did tell me that "Joe Hill" is really Stephen King's son, which I thought was rather interesting. And I did enjoy this ghost story - it was pretty thrilling, though not at all mysterious. It wrapped up nicely, and while I wouldn't recommend it as strongly as it was recommended to me, I would read others by him.

I am an avid reader of Stephen King, and I can say with strict confidence that Joe Hill has made his father proud with this book! I was frightened from the moment I began reading!! I couldn't put it down and finished it in 1 day. Turn on all the lights AND the TV before you open this one!! An excellent book!

I really enjoyed this book. It kept my interest the whole way through. I made my husband read it and he also enjoyed it. It would make a great movie.

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! This book caught me from the very first chapter and was a spectacular story. Horror at it's best, I will definately look forward to more from Joe Hill!!!! Would recommend to all fans horror, you won't be disappointed

INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!

Very scary, written by Stephen King's oldest son. He definitely inherited his dad's sense of horror and then some.

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