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Faun
50 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2023
80 people want to read
About the author
Joe Hill
505 books29.9k 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 15, 2022
4.5/5
I loved this short story. I wish it was a full-length novel.
A group of four hunters pay a ton of money to a man who promises them big things. The man has a door to a mythical world in his house, and he charges large sums for the opportunity to hunt mythical creatures. He has very specific rules and stipulations for those doing the hunting, or things could go very wrong. On the day of the big hunt, of course things do not go according to plan. The twist at the end is just **chef's kiss**
Love love love this one!! Found in Joe Hill's Full Throttle collection.
I loved this short story. I wish it was a full-length novel.
A group of four hunters pay a ton of money to a man who promises them big things. The man has a door to a mythical world in his house, and he charges large sums for the opportunity to hunt mythical creatures. He has very specific rules and stipulations for those doing the hunting, or things could go very wrong. On the day of the big hunt, of course things do not go according to plan. The twist at the end is just **chef's kiss**
Love love love this one!! Found in Joe Hill's Full Throttle collection.
December 21, 2019
So good. This is probably my favorite short story of Joe Hill's. It can be found in his Full Throttle book. I wish there was more to this story.
October 2, 2023
weirdly written and weird but not in a good way
June 29, 2023
This is a not-short review of short fiction, because this short story is that good.
I obtained this book for free through my local library.
“Christian followed the man Fallows out of the tent. The killer crossed the ground in slow, careful steps, always planting his feet just so, like a pallbearer lugging one corner of an invisible coffin. He laughed and smiled easily, but he had attentive, chilly eyes, the color of lead. Those eyes made Christian think, randomly, of the moons around Saturn, airless places where the seas were acid... The way Fallows killed, it was as if he himself were the weapon and the gun was only incidental.” “Faun” by Joe Hill
Final Rating: SS-tier / FIVE stars
Genre: Urban fantasy / horror / fairy-tale but grim
Content warnings: animal death, cannibalism
Page count: 42 pages
Estimated time to read: 1 hour
Recommended for people who want GrimDark chronicles of Narnia; those who want to forget our world exists for an hour because the escapism here potent.
Overview: The story begins during an African safari where a big-game hunting party assembles in hopes of bagging a lion. We are introduced to Mr. Fallows — an injured war veteran — and the very wealthy Mr. Stockton, Stockton’s son Peter, and Peter’s scholarship friend Christian. Billionaire-Stockton baits Fallows with information regarding a little door through which a man named Charn will guide a hunting party for “the hunt of a lifetime” all for the low, low price of $250,000. This hunt is invite only and ONLY occurs twice annually. Very exclusive. All trophies for the hunt must remain on Charn’s property. No other hunts will ever be able to compare.
Reflection: In “Faun” Joe Hill crafts something that is distinct and NEW — he evokes in me a feeling of *novelty* that as a lifelong reader Is becoming more an more rare. Within our vast libraries of literature, the pool of stories that remain untold dwindles. Hill demonstrates remarkable precision with his narrative choices and the architecture of foreshadowing culminates to an incredibly powerful resolution for the reader. By conjuring images of death and pain in the excerpt above — Fallows ambulating with deliberate and painful steps “like a pallbearer lugging one corner of an invisible coffin” — Hill immediately achieves a foreboding and ethereal tone within the narrative. This sets the table for the rest of the tale, the reader tense with knowledge of the inevitable wrong turn that is featured consistently throughout the horror genre. “Faun” uses a 3rd person limited narrator with shifting POV / Multiple protagonists — which is difficult to pull off with grace in such a brief span — but Hill is able to make it work without stuttering the action and the choice even makes for a stronger experience, IMO.
Depth/Impact: I am still hungover from “Faun” and I read the story at *the end of May — over 30 days ago now*. It finally satisfied the longing left by “The Rampart Trilogy” in early April, but now I am dealing with larger and more unyielding void after “Faun.” You know that ache that gnaws after you have finished a work of fiction for the first time, and you recognize that it has forever changed you. That is the feeling that haunts me after completing Faun. The rights to Faun were recently purchased by Netflix after a relentless bidding war, and I eagerly anticipate the story’s adaptation to film.
I will regard this work as an all-time favorite for the rest of my life and look forward to reading it again in time to come.
One hour of reading bliss in exchange for (at least) a month of feeling globally unsatisfied by reading anything else… worth it? You decide.
I read this in ebook format for free through my local library system via the Libby App. Can’t afford books? Me either. Libraries steal from the rich and give to the poor. Check out what kind of digital catalog is available at your local library system.
I obtained this book for free through my local library.
“Christian followed the man Fallows out of the tent. The killer crossed the ground in slow, careful steps, always planting his feet just so, like a pallbearer lugging one corner of an invisible coffin. He laughed and smiled easily, but he had attentive, chilly eyes, the color of lead. Those eyes made Christian think, randomly, of the moons around Saturn, airless places where the seas were acid... The way Fallows killed, it was as if he himself were the weapon and the gun was only incidental.” “Faun” by Joe Hill
Final Rating: SS-tier / FIVE stars
Genre: Urban fantasy / horror / fairy-tale but grim
Content warnings: animal death, cannibalism
Page count: 42 pages
Estimated time to read: 1 hour
Recommended for people who want GrimDark chronicles of Narnia; those who want to forget our world exists for an hour because the escapism here potent.
Overview: The story begins during an African safari where a big-game hunting party assembles in hopes of bagging a lion. We are introduced to Mr. Fallows — an injured war veteran — and the very wealthy Mr. Stockton, Stockton’s son Peter, and Peter’s scholarship friend Christian. Billionaire-Stockton baits Fallows with information regarding a little door through which a man named Charn will guide a hunting party for “the hunt of a lifetime” all for the low, low price of $250,000. This hunt is invite only and ONLY occurs twice annually. Very exclusive. All trophies for the hunt must remain on Charn’s property. No other hunts will ever be able to compare.
Reflection: In “Faun” Joe Hill crafts something that is distinct and NEW — he evokes in me a feeling of *novelty* that as a lifelong reader Is becoming more an more rare. Within our vast libraries of literature, the pool of stories that remain untold dwindles. Hill demonstrates remarkable precision with his narrative choices and the architecture of foreshadowing culminates to an incredibly powerful resolution for the reader. By conjuring images of death and pain in the excerpt above — Fallows ambulating with deliberate and painful steps “like a pallbearer lugging one corner of an invisible coffin” — Hill immediately achieves a foreboding and ethereal tone within the narrative. This sets the table for the rest of the tale, the reader tense with knowledge of the inevitable wrong turn that is featured consistently throughout the horror genre. “Faun” uses a 3rd person limited narrator with shifting POV / Multiple protagonists — which is difficult to pull off with grace in such a brief span — but Hill is able to make it work without stuttering the action and the choice even makes for a stronger experience, IMO.
Depth/Impact: I am still hungover from “Faun” and I read the story at *the end of May — over 30 days ago now*. It finally satisfied the longing left by “The Rampart Trilogy” in early April, but now I am dealing with larger and more unyielding void after “Faun.” You know that ache that gnaws after you have finished a work of fiction for the first time, and you recognize that it has forever changed you. That is the feeling that haunts me after completing Faun. The rights to Faun were recently purchased by Netflix after a relentless bidding war, and I eagerly anticipate the story’s adaptation to film.
I will regard this work as an all-time favorite for the rest of my life and look forward to reading it again in time to come.
One hour of reading bliss in exchange for (at least) a month of feeling globally unsatisfied by reading anything else… worth it? You decide.
I read this in ebook format for free through my local library system via the Libby App. Can’t afford books? Me either. Libraries steal from the rich and give to the poor. Check out what kind of digital catalog is available at your local library system.
July 24, 2024
It's a solid short story, but I think it lacks originality. I saw the twist coming a mile off, and as an avid gun guy, I know u ALWAYS load ur own firearm and DOUBLE check it if someone says they loaded yours
April 14, 2023
rating- 3.5
- a dark fantasy tale in the vein of narnia which transforms to a thriller(kinda)
- the premise, setting and concept are cool , the second half is gripping with some unexpected moments and surprises.
- the second half feels short and could've been explored in more depth. i wanted much more of it.
- the characterization and setup could be shortened.
- kinda wish this was expanded into a novella as the concept is so good.
recommended
- a dark fantasy tale in the vein of narnia which transforms to a thriller(kinda)
- the premise, setting and concept are cool , the second half is gripping with some unexpected moments and surprises.
- the second half feels short and could've been explored in more depth. i wanted much more of it.
- the characterization and setup could be shortened.
- kinda wish this was expanded into a novella as the concept is so good.
recommended
March 8, 2021
The only thing i wish is that there was more to it this was such a interesting and disturbing story and i loved it i want him to do another story about this wether its a prequel or a sequel i would be all over it the day it came out.
February 4, 2022
This is the tale of hunters that pay an immense sum of money to a “guide” who has access to a little door where hunters may pass to kill mythical creature such as cyclops and faun. On the actual hunt, they are surprised to learn they are not simple hunters, they are also the hunted.
April 9, 2024
Nice short story this. Managed to grab a lovely copy with beautify illustrations. The imagery Hill conjures up is stunning, I’d have read another 100 pages of him describing behind the door, but alas we have bad humans to slaughter and a world of mystical creatures to terrorise them. How I applauded.
February 10, 2020
Hill crafts a smart and all to likely take on the door to another world story.
May 27, 2023
I wish there was more to this book, I absolutely loved it!
November 29, 2023
from At Home in the Dark collected in
April 2, 2024
A very interesting fantasy story.
August 1, 2024
So far this is my favorite short story in Full Throttle!
I loved it
I loved it
May 18, 2025
Beautiful storytelling, and the world-building was just gorgeous.
Read
January 4, 2026Loved it both in concept and execution. The POV shifts are pulled off masterfully. And Hill can definitely write compelling characters. I cannot wait to read more of his works.
July 6, 2020
A good story
January 1, 2025
I love the idea behind this short story. Hunters discovering a fantasy world and using it for hunting exotic magical creatures. The way the story actually goes is not as great as the premise but this is still a fun one.
September 25, 2023
Absolutely brilliant.
The character set-up for the hunters, the magical world beyond the little door, the hunt that happens behind said door - it's all brilliant. Would love this as a longer work just to enjoy the story more.
The character set-up for the hunters, the magical world beyond the little door, the hunt that happens behind said door - it's all brilliant. Would love this as a longer work just to enjoy the story more.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews