NOS4A2
By Joe Hill
Narrated by Kate Mulgrew
Story: 5 stars
Performace: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars **Rina’s Audio Hall of Fame**
Genre: Horror
“I felt like it needed some color down there, so I painted the walls with the m***** f******.”
Victoria McQueen learns at the tender age of eight, she has an incredible ability to find things by way of a covered bridge; things that may even be hundreds of miles out of reach. Vic must only travel through the darkness, on her Raleigh Tuff Burner, with the object in mind, to end up exactly where she needs to be.
In search for more answers, Vic meets Maggie Leigh and learns there are others with similar gifts, including a stealer of children known as the Wraith. Disregarding Maggie’s warning to never seek out the sinister Rolls Royce with the license plate NOS4A2, Vic comes face to face with it’s driver, Charlie Manx, in turn initiating a war she might not be strong enough to win.
NOS4A2 is an epic roller coaster ride for the mind, full of characters that resonate long after the story has ended. I applaud Joe Hill for creating such a strong female lead in Victoria McQueen, compelling the readers themselves to cheer, cry and bite their nails, as she takes on the evil that is Charlie Manx. Although NOS4A2 is at times gruesome and graphic, the author brilliantly keeps certain aspects off book, allowing the reader’s imagination to do it’s job. A detail I appreciate dearly, considering some of the subject matter.
Kate Mulgrew’s performance reaches hall of fame territory, when Charlie Manx makes his first appearance in NOS4A2. So eerily spot on, I may hear that voice in my nightmares for years to come. I highly recommend the audio version in conjunction with the actual hardcover, which contains illustrations by award-winning Locke & Key artist, Gabriel Rodríguez. If you love a story chock full of exciting ups and emotional downs, weaved expertly by a talented author and performed by an incredible narrator, give NOS4A2 a listen.