Horns, by Joe Hill

The book Horns possesses certain qualities I’d like to see more of in horror fiction; it has an interesting concept, well-written characters, and is satisfying to read. Bonus, there’s not even a hint of vampires.

After a night of heavy drinking and bad decisions, Ig Perrish stumbles from his bed and to the bathroom, looks in the mirror, and discovers that there are horns growing out of his head. Naturally, the first thing he does is piss himself.

After Ig gets himself together, he discovers that his horns grant him a measure of power over other people. Ig starts learning things about his family and friends that he never wanted to know, and he doesn’t deal well with the new knowledge. But ultimately, Ig decides to use his newfound abilities to find out who raped and killed his long-time girlfriend, Merrin Williams. It’s a crime that Ig was suspected of committing, but was never cleared of by the police. To this day, everyone in Ig’s hometown are convinced that Ig was the one who did it. Even his parents.

But now Ig has the means to find the real killer, though finally bringing him to justice proves more difficult than he expected.

So yes, there is a lot to enjoy in this novel. Though one thing I liked in particular is that Joe Hill doesn’t spell out the origin of the horns in heavy-handed detail. Instead, he gives the reader enough just info to draw their own conclusions, while keeping back enough to keep Ig’s transformation mysterious. It’s a great approach, and one that more storytellers could learn from.

In any case, I would recommend Horns to fans of horror. Especially those who are interested in something a little more solid than another vampire or zombie tale.

- Nate