Discovering the Terrifying Talent of Joe Hill

Joe Hill has made a significant impact on the horror community and on me! I first experienced his writing while I attended community college studying to become a horror writer myself. Then life took over, and it wasn't until Covid pandemic that I rediscovered Hill's work. Now I cannot get enough of Hill's work. So, let's dive into the life and work of an accomplished writer, Joe Hill.

Joe Hill, born to parents Steven and Tabitha King, grew up in Bangor, Maine. He has a brother Owen and a sister Naomi. He met his first wife Leanora Legrand at Vassar College. The couple had three children together and divorced in 2010. Hill married his second wife Gillian Redfearn, a British publisher, in 2018. The couple's twins were born in 2022.

So far, I have read five of Hill's books. Each has left a lasting impact. As stated above, I first experienced his writing with the novel Horns, a novel not only blends horror and dark comedy but also explores the themes of love and redemption. What struck me the most about this novel was the main character being plagued by those around him revealing their darkest secrets and thoughts. I could only imagine how terrifying that would be to truly know what those around me were thinking.

I read Heart-Shaped Box during the Covid lockdown. The tale was creepy and filled with the macabre as it followed the adventures of a rock star who, it would appear, took on more than he could handle with his latest purchase of memorabilia from the dead. This was truly a chilling and psychological horror!

I listened to The Fireman on Audible. The writing was stunning and there were times that I would stop what I was doing and just listen to the beautiful words of Hill as he weaved this incredible tale. A plague rips through populations literally setting people on fire. As the story progresses, the reader begins to question if this is truly a disease or an evolution of humankind. What is more terrifying than the disease is the reactions of those struggling against it. The true horror are those who seek to exterminate the plague by any means necessary.

I decided to take a break from the novels and picked up Strange Weather. This collection contains four novellas: Snapshot, Loaded, Aloft, and Rain. These tales contain themes of psychological terror, the supernatural, apocalypse, civil unrest, domestic terror, and racism. Truly shocking and horrific these tales have filled me with awe and will have a lasting imprint on my mind!

Had to save my favorite for last: NOS4A2! I will never think about or look at Christmas the same again. If you like the fantastic and the macabre with morally grey characters, then this book is for you. This book bends worlds and dimensions, contains twisted individuals who relish torture, and children transformed into monsters cast into a land of misfit toys on steroids. I am thoroughly excited that there is a sequel and cannot wait to get my hands on it!

I have a new favorite in the horror genre and cannot wait to read more from Hill. I admire that he did not want to go by Joe King, but instead wanted to build up his reputation based on his own merits and not by his father's name. I also admire that he not only gives props to his father but also his mother for his writing style and success. Hill is truly an amazing author and if you haven't read him yet you should!