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 Read his short stories instead December 2, 2008
When I read Joe Hill's wonderful collection of short stories, 20th Century Ghosts, I didn't yet know he was the son of Stephen King. If I'd read this one first, I would have guessed. You can see how he learned from his dad in this novel.
On the good side, he gives us an interesting and unusual set of characters, one of whom does develops considerably through the series of events in a heartwarming way (pun not originally intended although I think it's relevant), and a real hand with the suspense. You really are kept on the edge of your seat, and I found it a mistake to read this book at night before bed. On the not-so-good side, the entire first half is extremely repetitive and could be... well, cut by half, and not much would be lost. The gimmicks with the truck are very S.K. The basic idea of buying a ghost on eBay is an inventive way to make horror relevant to our lives now.
It has some great quirky -and likely useful- advice for dealing with the supernatural, such as (small potential spoiler) the presence of animals and the use of song. One quote I liked sums that up: "It was an idea that made no rational sense, but Jude did not care what was rational. Only what was true."
On the whole, it was a fun read but I wouldn't give it as a gift. That is not true for 20th Century Ghosts, which I found one of the best collections of short-stories by a single author put out this year.
 A Dissapointment November 30, 2008
I was very excited to read Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill - between the advertising, summary and title it sounded downright cool.
I bought and finished the book, and personally I was quite dissapointed.
The characters were shallow - they didn't seem real, I felt no connection to them or liking for them.
The story was ridiculously farfetched (I know it was a ghost story, but still - it doesn't have that creppy edge that lets you imagine for just a moment that its real. It's too ridiculous to be scary, moving or even enjoyable.)
There were some scenes of ridiculous violence that came off as a lame attempts to seem dark and goth-y, sort of like a cheap shiny vinyl trench coat from Hot Topic.
 Extraordinary first novel. November 27, 2008
I must admit I only picked up this book because I'd read that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, and I'm a long-time King fan. Perhaps that wasn't fair to Hill, so I'll avoid comparisons with his father's work.
Hill has written a dark tale about an aging rocker, Jude, and his girlfriend, Georgia, who are pursued by a ghost seeking revenge. This sounds like pretty standard horror-genre fare, but Hill avoids the usual cliches in both plot and prose. His characters are complex and interesting, his dialogue natural yet compelling, and the pacing is just about perfect. His flashbacks provide necessary background without being intrusive or taking over the story. His use of language is impressive; it's easy to read, yet bold, subtle and textured, with none of the awkwardness you often see in a new writer's work. In fact, it's hard to believe this is Hill's first novel, his writing is so confident, yet so well-crafted.
I read this novel because it was written by Stephen King's son. I'll read his next novel because it's written by Joe Hill.
 A Treat for those identifying with Goth I guess November 16, 2008
This may be a treat for those who can identify with, depression, self-mutilation, suicide, and other low forms of human behavior exclusive of there being anything better in life. An interesting start, it's as if the reader (or audiobook listener in my case) jumps onto a literary sinking ship and goes down, down, blub, blub, blub. Aging rock star musician Judas Coyne and his victim-of-life girlfriend "Georgia," have to figure a way to end being chased by a murderous ghost who was the father of one of Judas' many former slutty girlfriends, "Florida." She committed suicide after Judas tossed her aside in his pursuit to screw his way through all 50 states.
Although not scary as was stated in the review that got me to pick this one up, I could have really appreciated this story as a short story leaving out the numerous acts of horrendous injustices the main characters experienced as naive youth at the hands of close family members. Each incident is related during periods of ghostly inaction, and each character is able to whip out an incident that tops that of the last told. By disc six I was calling to have them put out of their misery...
Joe Hill can write, the audio narration was fine, I just didn't care for the story as entertainment. In this genre what pops to mind at this moment that I have liked was Apt Pupil by Stephen King, the audio version of The Mist also by Stephen King, the Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz, A Watcher by the Dead an old short story by Ambrose Bierce, it's worth finding.
Creepy Beginning, Slow Ending November 13, 2008
I expected a lot from this novel - not only because the author is Stephen King's son, but it received many 5-star reviews and generally positive reception from the critics.
This book started out as a very promising horror story; but after the first 150 pages, the plot slowed down and it did not captivate me as much compared to the beginning. The beginning was truly creepy (the first appearance of the old man's ghost, Danny's call, and all the weird events happening in the house), and I thought Hill's writing was flawless in describing all the chilling details. But as the story progressed, the plot got a little far-fetched and dragged out, and the old man's motive for killing the main characters, Jude and Georgia, became more and more unconvincing and vague (maybe it's just me, but I thought the motive in the beginning made a lot more sense). Also, the relationship between Jude and Georgia got a little dull and generic compared to the beginning (when they still have some personalities). The timing of the book was also very weird; it felt like the author omitted time when Jude and Georgia were on the road... it was like as if the characters were jumping places to places (this novel isn't the Dark Tower series... when time didn't matter). I was also disappointed by the ending because it didn't fit in with the horror theme and felt a little forced.
I would give this book 5 stars for the first 150 pages because it was really freaky to read, but overall an average rating because of the dragged out plot and anticlimactic progression of the book.
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