The Bookshelf

Since this is already the worst-kept secret in all of contemporary literature, I’ll start this post by saying it right out: Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son, and let’s just say the apple doesn’t fall from the tree as far as his writing style goes. I imagine that statement alone helps divide the Constant Readers from those who wouldn’t be interested.

Hill has already had success in as a teller of short stories (20th Century Ghosts), and as a novelist (Heart-Shaped Box), but Locke & Key showcases a wholly different talent – writing for comics.

Contrary to what you might think, this isn’t a skill that transfers easily. Jodi Picoult wrote a story for Wonder Woman that didn’t quite impress, and comic book writer Warren Ellis failed to stick the landing with his debut novel Crooked Little Vein. The form requires the author to pair concise dialogue with a knack for description – and do both without sacrificing your story. Add in the need to work with an artist (in this case, the exemplary Gabriel Rodriguez), and you’re exercising a completely different writing muscle. With Locke & Key, Hill just finished a literary triathlon.

Follow the Locke children as they move with their mother to Lovecraft, Mass. following the shocking murder of their father. Keyhouse is the name of the creepy old mansion that’s been in their family for decades, and it’s filled with secrets.

Did that strange black key actually turn young Bode into a ghost?

What’s with the strange voices coming from the well in the backyard?

Will Keyhouse keep the Lockes safe from their father’s killer?

These answers are only the beginning in this first volume of Locke & Key.