Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for NOS4A2 by Joe Hill starting on October 1, 2025.


Happy Reading!

Thank you! This is a Spooktober thread. Read any time in October!

So, I started this accidentally--for the past hour or so, I thought I was listening to Girl With All the Gifts and was thinking "huh, this isn't the story I thought it was" LOL. Though this isn't the story I thought NOS4A2 would be either... where are the vampires? It's interesting so far, I'm about 1 hour in (15%), and (view spoiler)[the dimensional-cutting bike and toll it takes on the girl's body... I especially liked the librarian with the stutter and fortune-telling scrabble. (hide spoiler)]

About 36% in and not really sure where this book is going... (view spoiler)[The MC has grown up and had a kid of her own, and the first scary person is in prison in a coma... the car is killing people and the creepy kid is still around...

I was glad to see that the MC had sort of straightened herself out--deciding to randomly sleep with the guy who rescued her turned out to not be as horrible a decision as it seemed at the time... I'm glad he was a nice guy, even if it didn't work out with them. So, what's going to get messed up next? I can't help but think it's going to involve her son...

There's still quite a lot of book left... how far will this story go, time-wise? (hide spoiler)]

I don't remember if there are vampires, except in the metaphorical sense...

My 5 star review compared it to Brotherhood of the Wheel... Ghost Roads might be a good comparison too...

About 50% this really took off for me and I really started loving the story. It just had a really slow opening sequence. I haven't read Brotherhood of the Wheel, but I was feeling the Ghost Roads comparison.

By the time I finished, my favorite aspect was the relationship between Vic and Lou. (view spoiler)[And just Vic's character development in general--having had her life messed up and then further messing up her life on her own, but turning it around on chance with a move that could've easily messed her up more..

Lou was just a really sweet guy, and I like that they were still good friends and cared for each other even though they'd split up. You don't often see exes--especially parents--have such a good relationship with each other. Though theirs also still had some romantic undercurrents too--not entirely platonic. I feel a bit ambivalent about his weight though; in an age where fat-shaming is very big, on the one hand it's nice to see a good character (and romantic interest) who isn't cookie cutter athletic or slim, but on the other hand the magical ending of him losing weight (even if due to post-injury) feels like a deus-ex-machina solution/reward that sends a mixed message. Kind of like a book where someone with a physical handicap is magically cured at the end.

The son's story and the whole Christmasland stuff was less interesting to me in general--can't even remember his name. Wyatt? Wyman? Something with a W. The teeth were twisted though... and I like that W still had lingering echoes he had to deal with as he grew up, and that we got that glimpse of the future too. (hide spoiler)]

Question: Does anyone know if the TV show is worth watching or not? So sorry if this might be off topic or not, but i am interested in watching it since i am on hold for the book (at my local library), might as well pass the time somehow, lol

I was wondering that myself. I haven't seen it--it might be worth asking in the TV thread too. Might be there're some folks who've seen the TV series and weren't planning on joining this BR.

TV/Movies thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...?

Joe Hill was an Executive Producer on the show, so I assume he had creative input to keep it relatively faithful...

Can hope so--but "Executive Producer" can be a fluff title too--just a peach tossed out to make people happy when they have no real power... or a nod/acknowledgment/marketing ploy...

Doing my re-read tonight... this was on my shortlist to get to... been looking forward to a re-read... and seeing you reading cinched it...

Reading now, this feels like it could be set in the same world as Book of Doors / Society of Unknowable Objects...

Something about the family vibes reminds me of Finn Fancy Necromancy (which honestly makes very little sense)...

I love "road books", and am vaguely actively seeking to read more... I struggle to think of any I've hated, over the years...

Hm, I can see that connection to the Doorverse... though these items seem more malignant...

I think the villains' intent played a big part, too... the killer here isn't much different from the object collector in Book of Doors... tone isn't very different, either, really... hero is a bit more desperate here...

Doing a google now, I just learned Joe Hill is the pseudonym of Joseph Hillstrom King... son of Stephen King... that explains being a horror writer, a bit... and understandable, trying to stand on own, for people that don't look into authors beyond seeing names on books...

Interesting... and good for him!