Heart-Shaped Box discussion

I'll admit that the first 100 pages or so of this book are some of the scariest I've ever read, and the meat of the book when Judas and Georgia go looking for a way to stop the ghost are really entertaining but the big ending was just a real letdown for me. I felt like Hill just decided to call it quits and pulled something out of his ass. At first I didnt have a problem with it but the morw I thought about it the more it bothers me. Did anyone else think the ending was bad?

HSB is the only Joe Hill book I have ever read. Although the library has copies of Horns and NOS4A2 I just was not motivated to pick them up and read them, possibly because the end of HSB just wasn't good.

He gets better, N0S4A2 is good and Horns is great. HSB is easily the worst of the three. I did reviews of all of them here: corrosiveteapot.wordpress.com

I disliked Horns. The other two are much better.
I'm afraid I don't remember the ending of HSB to answer this question though.

Horns was my favorite, what didn't you like about it?

I have to agree with John. I liked Horns best, too. Excellent characters, moral ambiguity and just a really good story. NoS4A2 and HSB were good, but not as good. All in all, though, I'd have to say Hill is a chip off the old block.

I think that final chapter might have left the door slightly ajar for another book. I don't know, but the pale truck passing on the highway...

Just finished reading HSB. For me the whole story started to fall down during the drive to Florida. I was hoping it would pick up at the end but also felt a little let down.

Enjoyable in parts. Found the idea that the daughter, Rainer, would visit Judas as a teenager a little strange. Probably the last thing she would do is visit someone who attacked her mother in her own home, no matter how horrible the mother.

John wrote: "I'll admit that the first 100 pages or so of this book are some of the scariest I've ever read, and the meat of the book when Judas and Georgia go looking for a way to stop the ghost are really ent..."

HSB = loved it. NoS4A2 was unreadably bad, imo. Horns was meh.

I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 of his books. I read HSB before I knew he was SK's son and discovered the relationship by going to post a review. He has some new ideas for the horror genre, and they have been sorely needed.

Gmaharriet wrote: "I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 of his books. I read HSB before I knew he was SK's son and discovered the relationship by going to post a review. He has some new ideas for the horror genre, and they hav..."

I agree completely! I appreciate some aspects of his approaches to horror in the other books, but HSB just scared the shit out of me, and I loved that:).

I barely remember the ending, but when I was reading the book I knew who he was related to, and it pissed me off that he played a game about it because I thought he was implying that the average reader is too dumb to know anything about genetics and totally incapable of making the connection by looking at the picture of him on the book.
Though, since I'm a Paramedic, I suppose that's what really bothered me about someone implying I don't comprehend how genetic make-up is passed from father or mother to the child. I know what BOTH his parents look like; I can't believe it took so long for the world to make the connection.
Someone will have to remind me how HSB ended.
At the time, the ending seemed okay but now I can't recall what it was.

It's been a while since I've read it, but I LOVED Heart Shaped Box. Only after did I learn of Joe Hill's connection to his famous father. But Horns I was sorta "eh." and NOS4E2 (or whatever the title is) I didn't even finish.

HSB is one of my favorite books. The ending seems to tie everything up pretty well, which I liked. Every time I read the novel I find more themes that perfectly come together. As far as his other works, NOS4A2 is the book that taught me horror novels can actually be scary. I couldn't read it after dark I was so freaked. Haven't read Horns yet, but I've been meaning to. I love Hill.

I loved Heart Shaped Box!! I was completely oblivious to the fact he was Stephen Kings son and thought this is something new to add to the horror genre!! It's a truly terrifying concept what occurs on HSB and the ending to me makes me think a second book may well be on the cards.

Heart shaped box is a pretty good novel,no doubt. I think the ending was good but was not good enough . Joe hill could have written the ending more dark and horrifying which would have made the book a more better one. But if you consider the starting point and the ending both, the book was absolutely amazing. Even though I did like the ending I rated it 4 stars. 1 star deducted for the ending, which could have been more better.

The ending was nonetheless a good one, I believe.

I liked Heart Shaped Box but was a little let down by the ending, hence 4* instead of 5*. I loved Horns. I've just started NOS4R2. Been saving it to read just before Christmas. So far so good, or do I mean so disturbing?

The ending (which has no reflection on the book itself, because it was easily the best ghost tale of the 21st century) was piss poor.
The final pages with Jude and Anna's niece were touching, though. If only the REST of the 30-plus page 'ending' had been like the last 3, I might've respected it more.
But, I'm such a hypocrite. I hated the ending and I still gave it a five-star rating.

John wrote: "I'll admit that the first 100 pages or so of this book are some of the scariest I've ever read, and the meat of the book when Judas and Georgia go looking for a way to stop the ghost are really ent..."

I totally agree John! I had been trying to get thru this book from the past 2 years and always ended up dropping it since I was too scared to continue reading... this year I forced my self to go pass the first 100 pages and finally completed it... but I was a bit disappointed by the corny end!

HSB was good in my opinion. It was sufficiently creepy and had it's good and bad moments (much more of the former than the latter). Horns was a great book, and I haven't read N0S4A2 yet. Anyone read 20th Century Ghosts. I think that his short stories are excellent.

I enjoyed HSB until, like someone else said, the drive to Florida. Went totally downhill after that and just became another "horror" novel. Loved Horns though. Great character and thought the story was very unique... haven't gotten the nerve to read his newest though (not cause of the horror aspect, just doesn't seem like it would be good based on reviews and the distaste I have for HSB).