Book · 2013
NOS4A2
by Joe Hill
A woman with a bike that finds lost things rides straight into a man who steals children to a place called Christmasland.
What does Reddit think of NOS4A2?
One self-described Joe Hill superfan says it plainly: "I hated NOS4A2, so yes it is worth trying" (↑64). Someone else just "couldn't get into NOS4A2" and blames Hill's prose generally, the same complaint they raise about Heart-Shaped Box (↑87). Set against that, two separate commenters call it "excellent" and "truly awesome" without hedging (↑58 each). The comparison that keeps showing up isn't to other horror, it's to Hill's father: r/suggestmeabook frames this as the entry point precisely because it reads like King but "less sexualized," with a female lead (↑56). Christmasland and the vampire premise are the actual hook. Mostly, though, it turns up as one line in somebody's longer list, Buehlman and Dilouie included, nothing said about it specifically (↑53, ↑52).
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · A book that splits opinion even inside individual fans of the author
- · Constant framing against Stephen King, Hill's father
- · Christmasland and the vampire premise as the calling card
- · Recommended in genre starter-pack lists more than raved about solo
Common praise
- + A self-described Joe Hill superfan still calls this one "truly awesome" without qualifying it (↑58).
- + r/suggestmeabook pitches it as the entry point specifically for having a female lead and reading "less sexualized" than King (↑56).
- + One commenter who says they "couldn't believe how much I loved" it uses it as the reference point for recommending something scarier (↑125).
Common criticism
- − A self-described Joe Hill fan says flatly "I hated NOS4A2" in the same breath as telling people to read it anyway (↑64).
- − Another commenter "couldn't get into" it and pins the problem on Hill's prose style in general, not this book specifically (↑87).
Who it's for
Start here if the King comparison is what's pulling you in. r/suggestmeabook frames this as the less-sexualized, female-led entry point into Joe Hill (↑56). Already know you bounce off Hill's writing style in general? This one won't be the exception, r/horrorlit says as much twice (↑87, ↑64). Christmasland and the vampire premise are the actual sell, not a whimsical holiday read despite the association (↑58). "My favorite author, hated this specific book" turns out to be a real category of reader here, not a contradiction.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/horrorlit 703
- r/suggestmeabook 452
- r/booksuggestions 231
- r/Fantasy 30
- r/printSF 4
- r/RomanceBooks 4
Which Reddit comments matter for NOS4A2?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Have you read **The Summer I Died**? (goodreads link) I'm afraid to read it, maybe it will hit the spot. I really enjoy Joe Hill's horror novels but wouldn't say they give me nightmares. I couldn't believe how much I loved **N0S4A2** …
“Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. I think I just don’t like his writing style, couldn’t get into NOS4A2 either.
“Joe Hill might be my favorite author. I hated NOS4A2, so yes it is worth trying. If you bounce off of Horns or Heart-Shaped Box, *then* I would say it's time to give up on him.
“NOS4A2 by Joe Hill is excellent. It's not centered around the Christmas holidays, but, without spoiling too much, a "vampire" and "Christmasland" are where his victims are whisked away.
“NOS4A2 is truly awesome. And I really liked his collection of stories in Full Throttle.
“Joe Hill might be up your alley. He’s King’s son and lives up to that. His writing hits the same high points I expect from King, but is less sexualized. I’d start with NOS4A2 or The Fireman, both of which have female protagonists.
“NOS4A2. Audiobook was so creepy I had to read it at the end because it was freaking me out.
“I really hope this is true. HSB, Horns, and NOS4A2 were fire. Haven't read Fireman yet but I've heard mixed reviews. I like Joe Hill as an author, but the problem with him is that you just never know what you're going to get. He's big in the graphic novel scene to the point where he doesn't really…
“NOS4A2 Listen to the sample. Kate Mulgrew does an incredible job narrating the story and makes it far more chilling/thrilling than it would be without her.
“NOS4A2 by Joe Hill! I was recommended it for a Christmas-themed horror read last year and it did not disappoint, I finished it on New Year's Day!
“I loved Nos4a2 by Joe Hill. Anything by Robert R McCammon. Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts is a good one too. Very different but enjoyable.
“I enjoyed NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King)
“Nos4a2 by Joe Hill. The thought of an old car driving up and playing Christmas music in summer is so creepy. A man named Charles Manx kidnaps children to bring them to a nightmarish Christmas land. He is horrifying and the man he gets to help him kidnap the children is equally disgusting. Charles al…
“I got freaked out hard by NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s kid). Extra scary: read it during Christmas-time, so all the references to Christmas Land and the scent of gingerbread were everywhere.... so I was always thinking of the story.
“NOS4A2 holds a special place in my heart, divisive as it is around here. There’s a scene at a gas station. A Good Samaritan army vet gets doused in gasoline and lit on fire. And, for whatever reason, out of all of the horror in that book, that scene stuck with me. It happens in front of his wife a…
Convinced? Pick up NOS4A2
What else does r/horrorlit read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
NOS4A2 — frequently asked
Is NOS4A2 a good entry point into Joe Hill's books?+
Depends who you ask, per r/horrorlit. One commenter recommends starting with NOS4A2 or The Fireman specifically for their female leads and less sexualized style versus King (↑56). Another, a self-identified Joe Hill superfan, says "I hated NOS4A2" in the same reply as recommending it (↑64). Both were describing the same book.
Is NOS4A2 scarier than Stephen King's books?+
The sample makes a style comparison rather than a scare-factor one. r/suggestmeabook describes Hill's writing as hitting "the same high points" as King but "less sexualized," using NOS4A2 as the example (↑56).
Why do some Joe Hill fans dislike NOS4A2 specifically?+
The complaint isn't really book-specific, it's about Hill's prose overall. One r/horrorlit commenter "couldn't get into NOS4A2" and blames not liking his writing style generally, the same objection they raise about Heart-Shaped Box (↑87).
What is Christmasland in NOS4A2?+
It's the destination the book's vampire figure takes his victims to, per an r/horrorlit description that calls the novel "excellent" despite it not being a cozy holiday story in any sense (↑58).