Author: Joe Hill
Type: Fiction, short story (Kindle single)
Published: 2014
I read it: August 2015
I downloaded this one right on the heels of finishing Throttle. I had to get a sense of Joe Hill on his own, though it was tough to read this without the constant comparison to King.
And this pretty much reads like a Stephen King story. It’s about an American capitalist boarding a train in England. He’s a despicable character who stumbles into a situation you wouldn’t wish on anyone, and he’s kind of funny and has a cold logic. Creatures exist that are very much kin to King’s Low Men in Yellow Coats, and the protagonist struggles with the overlap of reality and madness.
The fun in the story is the atmosphere and tangible nature of it all, and how Hill both satisfies the reader’s curiosity to know what’s happening while leaving the full explanation nonexistent. It could be read as a direct indictment of ruthless capitalism, or a meditation on the fears of becoming old and irrelevant, or just a strange tale about a stroke of bad luck.
I still can’t say that this story shows Hill coming out from under King’s shadow, other than that it’s as brief as it needs to be and I can imagine King doubling the length for no reason. Also, this line is a good bit of fun:
His first wife said it made him look like Jack Nicholson with the ax in that movie.
I’d like to chip away at more Hill to keep the comparisons coming.
Leviathan, Bound 
Have you read Heart-shaped Box? It’s the only Joe Hill I’ve read, I wanted to try him out since I love King so much. I wonder if I would have liked the novel better if I hadn’t known he was Stephen king’s son, because I remember finishing it and thinking, it was okay, but his dad is better
Nope, haven’t had a chance to check out any Hill novels yet. Ideally, I’d go through them chronologically to see how his writing evolves. That doesn’t sound very reasonable though, so I’m kind of trying to keep an ear open to hear what his “best” is so far. I’ve heard good things about NOS4A2. I agree that it will always be tough to keep the King comparisons at bay.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Heart Shaped Box is his best work. I loved it! Horns is interesting, and NOS4A2 feels like Stephen King is ghost-writing him.
Thanks for the rundown. I like the idea that people think his first novel is his best. I’ll probably add this to the old to-read list.
I’ve read a handful of Hill and my favorite has been Heart-Shaped Box. Although, NOS4A2 is a perfect read for the upcoming holiday season.