Joyland by Stephen King was released in 2013 by Hard Case Crime as a paperback exclusive – reviewed here by Mark Yon on publication – yet has gone on to spawn many different editions. A brief search will turn up the original publication plus an ebook, audiobook, limited hardback, and this latest illustrated hardback edition. I’ve read Joyland three times now, and while the audiobook is an excellent narration of this story, it’s this release that is the defining version of Joyland.
In Joyland, King has written a novel that has many of his trademark story elements: coming-of-age, mystery, murder, and friends. It recognisable as a Stephen King story almost from the get-go, and the further in you read the more you realise just how King is able to weave a fairly simple story into something more than the sum of its parts.
The narrative is told from the point of view of Devin Jones, remembering his summer working at Joyland during his time at university. While events are recounted, the benefit of hindsight allows some comments to creep in here and there, giving the story more emotion and grounding, letting you believe that this truly is an old man telling a tale of his youth. His memory of his first love, the fall-out of the relationship, and his reaction, all play a large part in the story, a seemingly central point around which most of his thoughts revolve, at least to begin with. It’s fortunate that King doesn’t dwell too much on these aspects of Devin, instead focusing on the main attraction of Joyland: the park itself.
Anyone that has been to an amusement park, or a touring fair, will instantly recognise the vivid descriptions King employs in exploring Joyland. I suspect that even those that haven’t will be hard pressed not to close their eyes and see the place come to life. The park is a character in itself, not simply a location in the novel to serve a purpose – although the purpose it serves certainly elevates its status. With a carny spirit and enjoyable characters, Joyland is every bit the perfect place for this story. The history of the murder plays a large part in the revelations we discover, but perhaps not as large as you may think.
With this new illustrated edition release in hardcover, there is even more fuel for the imagination. While the cover art is lovely – though not an entirely accurate portrait – it’s the interior art and back-cover map that really grabs the attention. The art contains new pieces done by Robert McGinnis, Glen Orbik, Mark Summers, and Pat Kinsella, and with each it brings the scenes to life, while the map also adds a perspective to the park that I didn’t have prior to this edition. Overall, everything here adds to what is already a highly recommended novel.
Joyland is an exceptional novel. Not only does King deliver an interesting murder-mystery that will keep you guessing, but does so without it obviously being one. It’s often heartfelt and emotional, with relationships playing a large part throughout, and never is it a chore to read. Perhaps one of King’s best novels in recent memory, Joyland is a slow-burner that will not let you down.
Publisher: http://www.hardcasecrime.com/
Author: http://stephenking.com/
October 2015, 304 Pages
Hardcover, ISBN: 9781783295326
Review copy received from the publisher
© 2015 Mark Chitty
I’ll have to add this one to my Good Reads list. Thank you SFFworld.com!
I just picked it up on kindle after reading this review. It is under $3 in the kindle store.
Hope you both enjoy it!