Horns by Joe Hill

As a writer, Joe Hill definitely takes after his father, Stephen King, although he goes by a different last name to deflect any claims of birthright. I became a fan of Hill long before I learned of the family connection, after reading his recently concluded comic book series Locke & Key, and horror novel NOS4A2. So when I found out one of his earlier books was being adapted into a movie for release this Halloween, it seemed like a perfect time to give it a look.

Horns starts with a brief chapter that serves to give the reader an uneasy feeling within minutes. Twenty-six-year-old protagonist Ignatius Perrish wakes up with horns sprouting from his forehead.  The titular horns make people tell Ig their most sinister opinions and desires when they look at his forehead. Then when Ig knows those desires, he has the power to prod the person to act on impulse, such as making someone eat the last donut when she's already full. He discovers other devilish abilities as the story progresses. Ig goes to his childhood home and hears straight from his family's mouths how much they hate him... for allegedly raping and murdering his girlfriend. The paranormal element of the story takes a backseat for roughly the middle third of the book, which flashes back to how Ig met and courted Merrin, his presently dead significant other, as well as insight on friend/romantic rival Lee Tourneau. These flashback chapters went a little long and left me impatient to see what would happen next in the present, as the heinous crime had new details come to light and I wanted to know how Ig would proactively handle that information. Lee and Ig have a lopsided friendship, that mostly involves Ig doing favors for Lee after he saved Ig's life. It surprised me when Hill explored Lee's point of view of certain pivotal events, after most of the novel had closely followed Ig as he learns to accept the literal devil inside him and investigate Merrin's murder.

Horns will shock you and keep you on your toes as a reader, though some of the violence may be a turn-off if you're not into the genre. There are also surprises to learn about Merrin, and Ig's celebrity brother Terry, showing that nobody is entirely infallible. The cat and mouse game and fight that Ig has at the end seemed cliched, but ultimately the conclusion was satisfying. If you like a horror story and don't mind sexual and violent content mixing with religious overtones, you'll probably find Horns an intriguing read, and I look forward to reading more by Joe Hill.

I am curious to see how Daniel Radcliffe handles the lead role in the movie, since he is clearly trying to grow as an actor rather than be known as Harry Potter his whole life. What might not have been the best idea was to hand directing duties over to the director of Mirrors and Piranha 3D, but maybe he found a worthy approach. It certainly can't be much worse than the majority of movies adapted from Stephen King stories.