Have A Very NOS4A2 Holiday

Ready for a holiday getaway of your nightmares? Climb into the Charlie Manxs’ 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith and take a trip to Christmasland! Where every day is Christmas and the children of Christmasland never want to leave! 

Now an AMC original series, Joe Hill’s 2013 novel NOS4A2 takes us on a journey to Christmasland. A place of soul sucking Charlie Manxs’ imagination. For years, Manx has been taking children with “naughty parents” to Christmasland where he promises their safety and eternal happiness and then punishes the parents for how they could have potentially created a delinquent child. While Manx claims and believes to be liberating the children and bringing them to his winter wonderland, the children change when they arrive at Christmasland. Their teeth fall out and are replaced with pointed ones, they begin to eat flesh, and play sinister games. As the children change, Manx continues to feed and appears to grow younger and stronger. However, Manx may have finally met his match in Vic “The Brat” McQueen.  

A young girl with a supernatural knack for finding lost things, is somewhat of a trouble maker. At 17, she runs away from home where she encounters Charlie Manx and his Rolls-Royce Wraith. Vic doesn’t go down without a fight and eventually proves to be a bump in the road (pun intended) for Manx. After ten years, the car and Manx are out for revenge. Vic, with her magical mind that can create shortcuts in the universe and take her where she needs to go, sets off on her motorbike to find Manx and his symbiotic car. Now a mother, Vic must push through the nightmares of Christmasland and put an end to the eternal playtime for the victims of Charlie Manx. 

This was my first Joe Hill novel and I must say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Much like his father, the iconic King of Horror, Hill has a way of creating completely unique and complex worlds and magic systems. Complete with jarring time jumps, King novel references, creepy men, creepy kids, and magic cars, this seemed like a slightly more focused Stephen King work of horror. 

As many critics and even admirers of Stephen King often comment on his “long windedness” (myself included) Hill seems to have inherited that writing style as well. Because of this, the reader is intimately acquainted with the minute inner thoughts of each character. Whether on the pages for one chapter or thirty chapters, the reader knows each character’s personality and can most likely guess their fate based on their interactions with others and internal dialogue. While this was heavily character based, there was also a large and complex sci-fi concept to grasp that was often difficult to understand. In my case, this did not slow the story down as it is my understanding that you do not need to understand the absurdity to accept it. 

Our two main characters, Charlie Manx and Vic McQueen, perfectly compliment and juxtapose each other. Both are able to use their mind to transcend time and space, have a symbiotic relationship to a motor vehicle,  are driven by a primal need to survive, fiercely protective of their children and will do anything to protect them. They are different in the traditional “good” vs “evil” sense, but also in their weaknesses. Manx is driven by the need for souls that give him eternal youth. While he wholeheartedly believes he is giving the children a better life and justifiably punishing the parents, he is evil at this core. Vic acknowledges her shortcomings and realizes she is not a fit parent. She wishes she could do better for her son and ultimately puts him and his well being above all. 

A harrowing christmassy tale that will horrify, shock, and take you on the ride of your life (ok no more car jokes), vampire story lovers and christmas enthusiast will appreciate this holly jolly horror. 

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