Horns is a dark fantasy novel written by Joe Hill, son of renowned horror science fiction author, Stephen King. Horns tells the story of Ignatius “Ig” Perish, a misunderstood and depressed guy in his mid-twenties, who was blamed for the peculiar sexual assault and murder of his ex-girlfriend, Merrin Williams. Although he denies being involved and was never held, he is still widely blamed for this tragic occurrence, and is thus regarded as the black sheep of his town.

On one particular morning, Ig is shocked and horrified, realizing he has grown horns over the night, which give him strange and disturbing powers. He utilizes these powers throughout the course of the book to discover the truth behind Merrin’s untimely death and a number of other truths, which he finds he would be better off without knowing.

The structure of Horns is quite complex, consisting of fifty chapters divided into ten chapters and separated into five larger sections. Each of the five larger sections deals with a specific time of Ig’s or his best friend Lee’s lives, fluctuating between present day and flashbacks. Slowly over the course of the novel the reader is able to piece together what truly happened the night of Merrin’s horrific end. The syntax of the novel is also notable, strengthening the fresh and, although not always likable, often sympathetic voice of Ig Perrish.

If I could describe this book in one word it would be “bizarre.” Hill constructs an epic, disturbing, and confusing story, featuring a main character struggling with his identity and the moral issues of what is good or evil, ending on the theme that the devil is not a villain, but merely an antihero.

At times Horns was confusing, uncomfortable, and the pace irregular. It may be incredibly offensive to those who are very sensitive regarding the issues of Heaven and Hell. Although this book was not uniformly good, occasionally shaky or muddled, it was hard to put down. One simply must know what happens next and the shorter chapters make for easier reading.

This book evokes very strong feelings within a reader, marking itself as a book one will either adore or detest. The humor of the book also nicely balanced out the dark tone and creepy happenings.

I’ll give it 3 1/2 stars.