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Wolverton Station (Kindle Single): A Gripping Dark Fantasy Thriller – Supernatural Horror Where Fairy Tales Turn Deadly
Saunders made his fortune as a hatchet man for hire and has come to England to do what he does best: chop down the little guys to clear the way for a global firm. But his train north just made an unexpected stop to let on some passengers straight out of the worst kind of fairy tale. Now he's up to his ankles in blood and finding out just what it really means to live in a dog-eat-dog world...
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2014
300 people are currently reading
3664 people want to read
About the author
Joe Hill
505 books29.6k followersJoe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
October 9, 2021
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: A predatory allegory, it's basically a business story: a panic-laden monster thriller, with businessmen just civil killers.
Notes: A predatory allegory, it's basically a business story: a panic-laden monster thriller, with businessmen just civil killers.
February 13, 2024
“Wolverton Station” by Joe Hill is a very quick novella that’s perfect for reading during a lunch break. At just 34 pages, Hill’s writing skills shine as you start to hate the main character, Saunders. His character development was fantastic and the buildup to what would eventually transpire was awesome.
This is one of those short stories that gets right to the point and even the main horror event that happened was insane. I love going into every book I read blind to everything, I don’t even read the descriptions so I can get pleasantly surprised. My goodness, this one delivered in that regard and then some.
Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for you but the bloodbath that happens and the creepy situations that Saunders finds himself in were great. It’s crazy to think what anyone would do in that situation he was in and Hill wrote this so brilliantly that it felt real, weird, and something straight out of a CREEPSHOW episode.
Those were the vibes I got while reading this, especially with all the tension, suspense, and that devilishly good ending. You know, that patented CREEPSHOW style where the ending is wrapped up nicely in a bloody bow because it all came back full circle. I also have to give Hill a high-five for making me smile with that subtle reference to a certain Stephen King character who loves his axe. I’ll leave it at that.
I give “Wolverton Station” by Joe Hill a 5/5 for being a unique horror story that also flirts with fantasy. If you’re looking for a novella you can easily finish in 30 minutes or less and enjoy lycanthropic horror, I highly recommend checking into Wolverton Station. It’ll be your last stop.
This is one of those short stories that gets right to the point and even the main horror event that happened was insane. I love going into every book I read blind to everything, I don’t even read the descriptions so I can get pleasantly surprised. My goodness, this one delivered in that regard and then some.
Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for you but the bloodbath that happens and the creepy situations that Saunders finds himself in were great. It’s crazy to think what anyone would do in that situation he was in and Hill wrote this so brilliantly that it felt real, weird, and something straight out of a CREEPSHOW episode.
Those were the vibes I got while reading this, especially with all the tension, suspense, and that devilishly good ending. You know, that patented CREEPSHOW style where the ending is wrapped up nicely in a bloody bow because it all came back full circle. I also have to give Hill a high-five for making me smile with that subtle reference to a certain Stephen King character who loves his axe. I’ll leave it at that.
I give “Wolverton Station” by Joe Hill a 5/5 for being a unique horror story that also flirts with fantasy. If you’re looking for a novella you can easily finish in 30 minutes or less and enjoy lycanthropic horror, I highly recommend checking into Wolverton Station. It’ll be your last stop.
August 3, 2015
Quick read but quite entertaining!
IN THE QUICK
This is a horror short story about a businessman dealing with unexpected passengers while traveling in a train in the countryside of England.
A very entertaining surreal short story of horror that denounces the tendencies of commercial expansionism.
THE GOOD
Nevertheless that it's a short story, Joe Hill, the author, is able to make an explicit and strong complain about the American commercial expansionism. In a very large way, about the big fast food franchises but also he is able to mention here and there other big corporations of other lines of business. Even the last name of the main character is wordgame of that since his last name is "Saunders", and even at some point is mentioned that he is 61 years old (I wouldn't surprised if at some moment he would be described wearing glasses, Southern-like goatee and white clothes, hehehe).
And while it's widely mentioned the several American franchises that have "invaded" other countries, I think that Hill skillfully established that America has been "invaded" too in cases like certain four musicians from Liverpool.
THE BAD
Something that it's not in the book and totally out of the control of the author: my own expectations. I read the synopsis of the short story and I expected some guy with actually a real ax battling for his life in a bloody mess against paranormal monsters. And this is not case. Please, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a lot the reading. I just wanted to mention it as something bad by me.
There is a moment where the main character recalled details that happened before realizing the importance of them, but hey, this is a short story, I read them just some minutes ago and I got their importance. I think that in a short story wasn't necessary to "lead" the reader as he/she wasn't smart enough to understand those details.
THE ODD
A decision by the main character but I guess that it's as odd as it can be in a horror story where characters always go to the haunted house that everybody tells them that if you go there you will die, but nevertheless, they go. In this case, it's like just the opposite case, it's said to the main character that he is safe staying where he is but nevertheless he escapes in the first chance. Oh, those wonderful logic in horror stories that we all enjoy and without that, almost all those stories wouldn't function. You just have to love it or hate it. Still, it's odd, hehehe.
IN THE QUICK
This is a horror short story about a businessman dealing with unexpected passengers while traveling in a train in the countryside of England.
A very entertaining surreal short story of horror that denounces the tendencies of commercial expansionism.
THE GOOD
Nevertheless that it's a short story, Joe Hill, the author, is able to make an explicit and strong complain about the American commercial expansionism. In a very large way, about the big fast food franchises but also he is able to mention here and there other big corporations of other lines of business. Even the last name of the main character is wordgame of that since his last name is "Saunders", and even at some point is mentioned that he is 61 years old (I wouldn't surprised if at some moment he would be described wearing glasses, Southern-like goatee and white clothes, hehehe).
And while it's widely mentioned the several American franchises that have "invaded" other countries, I think that Hill skillfully established that America has been "invaded" too in cases like certain four musicians from Liverpool.
THE BAD
Something that it's not in the book and totally out of the control of the author: my own expectations. I read the synopsis of the short story and I expected some guy with actually a real ax battling for his life in a bloody mess against paranormal monsters. And this is not case. Please, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a lot the reading. I just wanted to mention it as something bad by me.
There is a moment where the main character recalled details that happened before realizing the importance of them, but hey, this is a short story, I read them just some minutes ago and I got their importance. I think that in a short story wasn't necessary to "lead" the reader as he/she wasn't smart enough to understand those details.
THE ODD
A decision by the main character but I guess that it's as odd as it can be in a horror story where characters always go to the haunted house that everybody tells them that if you go there you will die, but nevertheless, they go. In this case, it's like just the opposite case, it's said to the main character that he is safe staying where he is but nevertheless he escapes in the first chance. Oh, those wonderful logic in horror stories that we all enjoy and without that, almost all those stories wouldn't function. You just have to love it or hate it. Still, it's odd, hehehe.
July 12, 2016
Saunters, the main character, is a big bad wolf in the business world. He is the “woodcutter”, a man who does the “dirty job” for other business wolves thereby snatching away smaller enterprises of their living. One day he starts seeing wolves (the literal ones in business suits, lol!) at Wolverton Station. Are they simply products of his imagination? Or is it his conscience lashing back at him mockingly? Or is this fate ready to let him pay?
This is my first Joe Hill read and I can say that I was easily impressed regardless of this being a short and weird story. It tackles an economic issue in a dark, satirical and amusing way. So, if you’re looking for a short, weird but entertaining short story, this is definitely it.
Thanks to Kuya Alejandro’s very meaningful review that made me read this.
Trivia: “Kuya” is a Filipino term which means “big brother”. In other cases, it is also used as a sign of respect to older men who may not be relatives but are older (not that I’m saying Kuya Alejandro is old, just that he’s older than I am. Lol.)
January 30, 2020
I really enjoyed this satirical horror grotesque. An american businessman named Saunders is in Britain due to the success of American coffee chain Jimi Coffee. Of course he's met by many protesters decrying job conditions and raw material production. Saunders is nicknamed the Woodcutter. On a train from London to Liverpool he sees himself in a train full of business wolves, real wolves in business suits. Will he survive when he leaves at a small station and takes a cab? Here an American author shows his readers to have a critical look on American products and culture. The story is seasoned with some horror elements and quick to read, not only on trains. Recommended!
October 31, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Kindle Book
Mr. Hill has his dads sense of humor and writing talent, that much is certain. I found myself chuckling a few times. Probably not what you’re supposed to do with a horror story, but I have a sick sense of humor apparently. The story itself was interesting. I kept asking myself why he’d leave the train when he was told he was safe? I guess human nature is to think the worst, especially of a ‘stranger’. There’s definitely a moral there. Great short read and highly recommended!
Mr. Hill has his dads sense of humor and writing talent, that much is certain. I found myself chuckling a few times. Probably not what you’re supposed to do with a horror story, but I have a sick sense of humor apparently. The story itself was interesting. I kept asking myself why he’d leave the train when he was told he was safe? I guess human nature is to think the worst, especially of a ‘stranger’. There’s definitely a moral there. Great short read and highly recommended!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2014
Awesome. One day, I'm going to meet Joe Hill, and I'm going to hump his leg. Just like a fanwolfgirl would do. Theoretically.
Before I get going here, can I just say that I love these book covers for Joe's stories? I love the dual-color simplicity, and even though orange and green is my least favorite color combination ever, my eye is still drawn to it and I love the layout and the concept.
This was a very short story, and going into it, I had no idea what to expect. This story is kind of divided in half, first we meet Saunders, who... well... He's not a nice man. We learn about who he is, and why he's on the train he's on... and then he sees the wolf. And then things get interesting in the second half. I was struck by how disparate the parts of it seem. What does Saunders' past have to do with the rest of the story? What about the wolves? What do they have to do with his past? And, I still don't know, but oddly, the story works despite that disconnectedness. Or maybe because of it.
It's also surreal. It's just bizarre enough to make the reader take a step back and think "Is this some sort of hallucination Saunders is having?" but at the same time, it's related in such an everyday way that it feels like it could happen... it just hasn't yet.
In a way, this made me think of Stephen King's story "Crouch End", which is an awesome one about people who find themselves in a... weird situation. This one is quite different, but it's got the same kind of feel.
One of the things that I liked was how wrong-footed Saunders felt once the wolf appeared. Usually, he's the one in the position of having the upper hand, of being the one to ruin someone's day, or life, if he felt like. Now, all of a sudden, there's a wolf that's got HIM scared, and he has to decide how to deal with that. I quite liked how he did. I thought the ending was fantastic. His pride really shone through here, and even though he's absolutely not a character I would ever root for, I admired his decision to face things on his terms.
This is a great story, as most of Joe Hill's stories are. I love how he can take 30 pages and make them stick with you.
Before I get going here, can I just say that I love these book covers for Joe's stories? I love the dual-color simplicity, and even though orange and green is my least favorite color combination ever, my eye is still drawn to it and I love the layout and the concept.
This was a very short story, and going into it, I had no idea what to expect. This story is kind of divided in half, first we meet Saunders, who... well... He's not a nice man. We learn about who he is, and why he's on the train he's on... and then he sees the wolf. And then things get interesting in the second half. I was struck by how disparate the parts of it seem. What does Saunders' past have to do with the rest of the story? What about the wolves? What do they have to do with his past? And, I still don't know, but oddly, the story works despite that disconnectedness. Or maybe because of it.
It's also surreal. It's just bizarre enough to make the reader take a step back and think "Is this some sort of hallucination Saunders is having?" but at the same time, it's related in such an everyday way that it feels like it could happen... it just hasn't yet.
In a way, this made me think of Stephen King's story "Crouch End", which is an awesome one about people who find themselves in a... weird situation. This one is quite different, but it's got the same kind of feel.
One of the things that I liked was how wrong-footed Saunders felt once the wolf appeared. Usually, he's the one in the position of having the upper hand, of being the one to ruin someone's day, or life, if he felt like. Now, all of a sudden, there's a wolf that's got HIM scared, and he has to decide how to deal with that. I quite liked how he did. I thought the ending was fantastic. His pride really shone through here, and even though he's absolutely not a character I would ever root for, I admired his decision to face things on his terms.
This is a great story, as most of Joe Hill's stories are. I love how he can take 30 pages and make them stick with you.
November 23, 2015
How cool was that? Perfect way to spend a lunch break (besides eating).
I hate comparing Hill to his Dinh (Father), Stephen King, because Joe Hill is a brilliant author on his own merits. But I will say that this story shows another trait they share - the talent to take what might be a ridiculous idea in the hands of most authors and make it brilliant.
That's all I will say on the comparison. That's really all I will say on the story too. It's too short to read a summary in a review when that time could be spent reading the story itself.
But I'll say that, as with most Joe Hill stories, this kicks ass.
And that I wish I was listening to while reading it.
Oh, and one more thing. Hill's awesome new word: I love it.
I hate comparing Hill to his Dinh (Father), Stephen King, because Joe Hill is a brilliant author on his own merits. But I will say that this story shows another trait they share - the talent to take what might be a ridiculous idea in the hands of most authors and make it brilliant.
That's all I will say on the comparison. That's really all I will say on the story too. It's too short to read a summary in a review when that time could be spent reading the story itself.
But I'll say that, as with most Joe Hill stories, this kicks ass.
And that I wish I was listening to while reading it.
Oh, and one more thing. Hill's awesome new word: I love it.
October 30, 2022
3.5* felt it lacked a bit of a surprise factor somehow
January 20, 2023
Stars: 3 out of 5.
Can't believe this has been languishing on my TBR list since 2014. Well, I finally got around to it, and it was a very short read.
I liked it fine, but it lacked a particular spark that would have made it from an okay story into an excellent one. Something didn't quite mesh with me in this story. But all in all, this was quick an enjoyable enough, and that's one less book on my TBR list.
Can't believe this has been languishing on my TBR list since 2014. Well, I finally got around to it, and it was a very short read.
I liked it fine, but it lacked a particular spark that would have made it from an okay story into an excellent one. Something didn't quite mesh with me in this story. But all in all, this was quick an enjoyable enough, and that's one less book on my TBR list.
January 8, 2014
Joe Hill delivers another Kindle Single, this one a short story previously published in Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2 in 2011.
A well-written and mostly enjoyable - albeit predictable - Tales from the Darkside-type morality play. Little Red Riding Hood for capitalists, in a matter of speaking. Be prepared to suspend disbelief.
It was a mostly fun read with some good grisly horror, but almost ruined by Joe Hill's insistence on imbuing the story with a sense of anti-American self-loathing that seems to be so popular these days among those born into money. His short story 'Thumbprint' was full of the same pretentiousness - thankfully NOS4A2 was not. The last time I checked, greed and the corruption of power was part of the universal human condition, not something that is an uniquely American trait.
Love Joe Hill - but I hate being force-fed ideology of any kind, especially with my horror. Like medicine sprinkles on ice cream. And the bitter taste it left makes me have to knock a four-star story down to three, to be honest about it. Others may not be as bothered by it.
Decent tale, but not amazing.
A well-written and mostly enjoyable - albeit predictable - Tales from the Darkside-type morality play. Little Red Riding Hood for capitalists, in a matter of speaking. Be prepared to suspend disbelief.
It was a mostly fun read with some good grisly horror, but almost ruined by Joe Hill's insistence on imbuing the story with a sense of anti-American self-loathing that seems to be so popular these days among those born into money. His short story 'Thumbprint' was full of the same pretentiousness - thankfully NOS4A2 was not. The last time I checked, greed and the corruption of power was part of the universal human condition, not something that is an uniquely American trait.
Love Joe Hill - but I hate being force-fed ideology of any kind, especially with my horror. Like medicine sprinkles on ice cream. And the bitter taste it left makes me have to knock a four-star story down to three, to be honest about it. Others may not be as bothered by it.
Decent tale, but not amazing.
December 28, 2014
I liked the idea for the story but I would have liked it even more if it had been longer. But all and all, quite good for being so short.
January 17, 2023
i love Joe Hill he is a king (no pun intended) but this wasn't for me.
Wasn't fun to read, the horror was short lived and the story was blurry to me as it was so rushed
I did see the message and i respect it but the story just wasn't enjoyable. It felt very lacking of anything. It felt like if you gave AI the words -Wolves, train, morally debatable- and pressed enter and it gave you this 30 pages jumble.
Wasn't fun to read, the horror was short lived and the story was blurry to me as it was so rushed
I did see the message and i respect it but the story just wasn't enjoyable. It felt very lacking of anything. It felt like if you gave AI the words -Wolves, train, morally debatable- and pressed enter and it gave you this 30 pages jumble.
August 10, 2016
This is a Kindle Single - an individual short story released for a whooping price of one dollar. It's Not Joe Hill's first exclusive digital short, but it's the first one that I've read - I can see that it's becoming a trend for him, but I don't mind. I love short stories. As long as Joe Hill will keep delivering quality material, he'll be my man.
Wolverton Station is the story of Saunders, an American businessman who made a career of eliminating small mom and pop cafes to clear the way for Jimi Coffee, a global coffee chain. Saunders used the dirtiest tactics available in the business, never giving up at pushing the little guys down even if it meant months - years - of selling his products below the cost.
Saunders is in England for his usual business, and is looking forward to performing more hatchet jobs on a strange turf. But soon after boarding a train to London, Saunders discovers that things are not quite right...there's a wolf on board! And not your regular canis lupus, but one in a suit and with an English accent, reading a newspaper (I only hope it wasn't the Daily Mail). How does Saunders get out this situation?
Partly dark-comedy and part a tale of comeuppance, Wolverton Station is an adequate work but one which would benefit from more development. While the characters of Saunders (could this be an allusion to the American author of surreal short stories?) is drawn well as someone we all love to hate, the situation he finds himself in and especially the way its resolved is hardly original and lacking any new twist which would make it memorable. Still, it can be read on your coffee break and for 99 cents you can't really go wrong, and it made me interested in checking out his other singles.
Wolverton Station is the story of Saunders, an American businessman who made a career of eliminating small mom and pop cafes to clear the way for Jimi Coffee, a global coffee chain. Saunders used the dirtiest tactics available in the business, never giving up at pushing the little guys down even if it meant months - years - of selling his products below the cost.
Saunders is in England for his usual business, and is looking forward to performing more hatchet jobs on a strange turf. But soon after boarding a train to London, Saunders discovers that things are not quite right...there's a wolf on board! And not your regular canis lupus, but one in a suit and with an English accent, reading a newspaper (I only hope it wasn't the Daily Mail). How does Saunders get out this situation?
Partly dark-comedy and part a tale of comeuppance, Wolverton Station is an adequate work but one which would benefit from more development. While the characters of Saunders (could this be an allusion to the American author of surreal short stories?) is drawn well as someone we all love to hate, the situation he finds himself in and especially the way its resolved is hardly original and lacking any new twist which would make it memorable. Still, it can be read on your coffee break and for 99 cents you can't really go wrong, and it made me interested in checking out his other singles.
February 18, 2014
This is a short story and since it's Joe Hill it's also a little weird and Lovecraftian but this story just doesn't work. It's kept me thinking about it but only in a bad way like thinking about all the holes in the plot and wondering why he wrote the story.
March 31, 2022
3.5 rounded up
August 13, 2016
Mostly set in an English train between London and Liverpool this is nonetheless a face paced story - fun & horror-ish - about a Ray-Kroc-like American business man discovering that there is more to this country than he would like to know. A story with a bite that I enjoyed very much.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
February 23, 2017
Being an avid reader of Hill's works (both in novel/short story or comic format) i couldn't miss this one. For .99 cents, it's a little gem of a short story that can be wolfed (pun!) down in under an hour. It's got a pretty eerie atmosphere and the writer does a great job describing it and putting the reader in a seat on that train. I've seen some people complaining it's predictable. I don't share their opinion, although the book needs a tad more "connective tissue" to get the story going, I think all in all it's a pretty good read for a coffee break. Enjoyed it !
February 8, 2014
Wolverton Station by Joe Hill is a Kindle Single of about 30 pages. Saunders is a very successful and ruthless executive, who is working to eliminate the competition for his firm’s global expansion in England. However, he finds himself in a life threatening position on a nighttime train shortly after leaving Wolverton Station. It’s a very quick and entertaining story by a very accomplished author.
January 7, 2014
A short story about an asshole traveling by train and ending up somewhere unexpected. Could have been longer, but I enjoyed the ride while it lasted.
June 12, 2018
Joe Hill can write! this tasty little morsel is sure to get your blood running, your emotions boiling, and your gorge rising... this is how short stories should be written... it's less about genre, nearly all about a powerful tale in a concise package... most great authors do the novel, novella, or short story well... few do more than one deftly... even fewer do all three with aplomb... Hill, much like his father, can just write superbly at any length... some may say this story ends before it gets going, or doesn't finish on the page, or isn't enough of whatever they wanted... all possible angles of analysis... how about just enjoying a story that not only creeps you out, scares you to pants-wetting, and makes your stomach churn, but also makes some thought-provoking statements about people, capitalism, and self-righteouness?? enjoy, 'cuz Joe Hill will eventually be dead and who's going to write this stuff this well when that happens???
January 8, 2014
Joe Hill is doing more than his fair share at keeping the art of the short story alive and kicking in the 21st century. This latest release, 'Wolverton Station,' just shovels more coal onto the fire.
Like all great horror, the majority of this work focuses on the very real darkness that permeates the human condition. Like all great horror, once the otherworldly terrors take center stage, they are terrible indeed. Like all great horror, the monstrosities within this tale mock our human failings even as they reflect them.
Joe Hill is on track to have one of the best careers of any writer in the modern age, producing consistently enjoyable and meaningful work. This is a great example of that.
Like all great horror, the majority of this work focuses on the very real darkness that permeates the human condition. Like all great horror, once the otherworldly terrors take center stage, they are terrible indeed. Like all great horror, the monstrosities within this tale mock our human failings even as they reflect them.
Joe Hill is on track to have one of the best careers of any writer in the modern age, producing consistently enjoyable and meaningful work. This is a great example of that.
August 12, 2016
Joe Hill has a knack for succinctly telling a good story. This one doesn't disappoint. It tells the story of Saunders, who is hired by Jimi Coffee to take the stores internationally. When he arrives in England for the grand opening of the latest store, he gets more than he bargained for while riding the train to Liverpool.
I loved the back story involving Kashmir and references to The Beatles. It also includes a nice shout out to the movie version of The Shining.
This short story was much like an episode of the Twilight Zone, it takes you on a journey to another dimension. I enjoyed the ride...
I loved the back story involving Kashmir and references to The Beatles. It also includes a nice shout out to the movie version of The Shining.
This short story was much like an episode of the Twilight Zone, it takes you on a journey to another dimension. I enjoyed the ride...
August 31, 2014
"Wolverton Station" seemed more a Twilight Zone episode than anything else. It wasn't a bad story. It just wasn't particularly outstanding either.
I was waiting for the punchline and when it finally came I couldn't help but to think, "That was it?".
3 STARS
I was waiting for the punchline and when it finally came I couldn't help but to think, "That was it?".
3 STARS
March 14, 2020
Joe Hill writes such strange horror and I love it so much.
April 27, 2015
WOLVERTON STATION starts out like a love letter to the Occupy Wall Street crowd, then transitions into something seemingly tailor-made for George Romero fans, and ultimately winds up becoming…I’m not sure what, exactly.
The story is about a CAPITALIST IMPERIALIST SWINE named Saunders whose successful coffee franchise is TAKING BUSINESS AWAY FROM LOCAL MOM ‘N’ POP STORES. (I’m using all-caps in the places where I felt the story was shouting at me.) Unsurprisingly, Hill isn’t content with making Saunders merely a misguided capitalist. Nooooo, he’s also got to be an epic douche bag. Think Jodie Foster in ELYSIUM when she murders immigrants for trying to access better medical equipment. Or Ed Harris in SNOWCATCHER when he forces little children to work themselves to death in the bowels of a train engine (and feeds them bugs to boot!). I haven’t seen THE LEGO MOVIE yet, but I’m willing to bet Lord Business is up to no good…
Does Joe Hill also see the world in black-and-white like a soccer ball? Based on the ending of WOLVETON STATION, I’m genuinely perplexed. I have no idea what he was attempting to say here, unless it's a simple matter of "what goes around comes around." Perhaps his political message simply got swallowed up in the horror elements of the story. All I can say for sure is that Joe Hill is an excellent writer, a statement easily proven by the fact that WOLVERTON STATION is far more readable than it has any right to be.
The story is about a CAPITALIST IMPERIALIST SWINE named Saunders whose successful coffee franchise is TAKING BUSINESS AWAY FROM LOCAL MOM ‘N’ POP STORES. (I’m using all-caps in the places where I felt the story was shouting at me.) Unsurprisingly, Hill isn’t content with making Saunders merely a misguided capitalist. Nooooo, he’s also got to be an epic douche bag. Think Jodie Foster in ELYSIUM when she murders immigrants for trying to access better medical equipment. Or Ed Harris in SNOWCATCHER when he forces little children to work themselves to death in the bowels of a train engine (and feeds them bugs to boot!). I haven’t seen THE LEGO MOVIE yet, but I’m willing to bet Lord Business is up to no good…
Does Joe Hill also see the world in black-and-white like a soccer ball? Based on the ending of WOLVETON STATION, I’m genuinely perplexed. I have no idea what he was attempting to say here, unless it's a simple matter of "what goes around comes around." Perhaps his political message simply got swallowed up in the horror elements of the story. All I can say for sure is that Joe Hill is an excellent writer, a statement easily proven by the fact that WOLVERTON STATION is far more readable than it has any right to be.
January 10, 2014
I kept expecting Wolf from the Talisman to show up for the first few pages! This was a super quick read and very entertaining. Hill has a way with words and is very good at giving you enough background to know the characters, but not too much to feel tedious. Did any of Saunders background matter? Hill could have said "he was not a nice man" and gotten across the same feelings, but I like the way he uses finer strokes to draw out your opinions of people. He leads to the opinion he is drawing you toward, he doesn't just spell it out for you.
Saunders is a crappy human being and whatever happens to him you don't feel bad for him, but you can certainly be entertained by it and almost root for it. Hill states what's happening in such a dry, matter-of-fact voice you can almost believe there is nothing all that strange happening. Wolves? Sure. They're everywhere. Everyday. Uh huh.
The story has the same feeling as "Crouch End". Everything strange, scary, supernatural, that is happening is just that. Happening. No big bells and whistles, just narrative.
I love Hill's writing and am always glad to find these little "snippet" styles stories to fill in the void between his novels. That's something great e-books have done for us rabid readers. Given us the sip in between gulps.
And by the way, what the hell does "scally" mean?! He used the word twice. O_o
Saunders is a crappy human being and whatever happens to him you don't feel bad for him, but you can certainly be entertained by it and almost root for it. Hill states what's happening in such a dry, matter-of-fact voice you can almost believe there is nothing all that strange happening. Wolves? Sure. They're everywhere. Everyday. Uh huh.
The story has the same feeling as "Crouch End". Everything strange, scary, supernatural, that is happening is just that. Happening. No big bells and whistles, just narrative.
I love Hill's writing and am always glad to find these little "snippet" styles stories to fill in the void between his novels. That's something great e-books have done for us rabid readers. Given us the sip in between gulps.
And by the way, what the hell does "scally" mean?! He used the word twice. O_o
March 14, 2014
Have I ever said that I think Joe Hill is an effing genius?
I wish there were a key that I could put in the back of his neck so I could take a peek inside his head.
It'd go something like this:
Me: *Gasp!*
JH: "Yay!"
Me: "What is THAT?"
JH: "Oh that." He grins a wolfish grin as he reaches into his head and pulls something out.
"Oh that."
He places it on the floor and the little blobby thing grows in a big massive scary... something.
I look up and a scream is stuck in my throat as this thing licks its slimy lips and then...eats me in one bite.
It shrinks back down to it's normal size and Joe Hill just picks it up and places it back in his head.
"Oh, that's good." He says. "That's a great idea for a story."
He walks away, still grinning.
Yeeeeah.
This story was amazing. I really loved it a lot. I bought it this morning and read it at the gym. After I was finished reading it I stood there grinning and chuckled, I noticed people looking at me, but I didn't care. They would never understand. Understand that sometimes, when something bites, it's...not scary...but...thrilling.
I wish there were a key that I could put in the back of his neck so I could take a peek inside his head.
It'd go something like this:
Me: *Gasp!*
JH: "Yay!"
Me: "What is THAT?"
JH: "Oh that." He grins a wolfish grin as he reaches into his head and pulls something out.
"Oh that."
He places it on the floor and the little blobby thing grows in a big massive scary... something.
I look up and a scream is stuck in my throat as this thing licks its slimy lips and then...eats me in one bite.
It shrinks back down to it's normal size and Joe Hill just picks it up and places it back in his head.
"Oh, that's good." He says. "That's a great idea for a story."
He walks away, still grinning.
Yeeeeah.
This story was amazing. I really loved it a lot. I bought it this morning and read it at the gym. After I was finished reading it I stood there grinning and chuckled, I noticed people looking at me, but I didn't care. They would never understand. Understand that sometimes, when something bites, it's...not scary...but...thrilling.
December 29, 2020
This story may seem pretty silly, but I think that there's more to it than would appear on the surface, even if the execution was a bit messy. A ruthless American businessman is traveling through England on a train; he's come overseas to do what he does best: Put the little, independent people out of business and make way for corporate expansion with dirty tactics—he's the big bad wolf in a dog-eat-dog-world, pardon the bad double pun. At the Wolverhampton train station, passengers of a different and blood-thirsty kind get on...
I'm still not quite sure what to make of this odd, surreal story. Is it a parable? A satire? Is he hallucinating the wolves haunting him, are they a sign of his conscience catching up with him? Or are they truly manifesting as a punishment for his ways? In any case, it's a very on-the-nose denouncement of (American) capitalism with gruesome, dark humor.
—————
This story is also published in Joe Hill's collection Full Throttle. You can read my full review here.
I'm still not quite sure what to make of this odd, surreal story. Is it a parable? A satire? Is he hallucinating the wolves haunting him, are they a sign of his conscience catching up with him? Or are they truly manifesting as a punishment for his ways? In any case, it's a very on-the-nose denouncement of (American) capitalism with gruesome, dark humor.
—————
This story is also published in Joe Hill's collection Full Throttle. You can read my full review here.
February 21, 2015
Hill can make even the most unbelievable believable. And this one is a doozy. Is your business floundering? Then Saunders is the man to hire. He gets paid very well to gobble up the little mom and pop stores all in the name of profits and pleasing the shareholders. But, on a train ride out of London, he learns what it really means by eat or be eaten. Wall St meets a twisted children's fairy tale. If you don't take it too seriously, Wolverton Station can be a fun story. If you can't check your head, it'll come across as silly.
3 out of 5 stars
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
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3 out of 5 stars
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
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