🌲 Book Review: Jackknife by Joe Hill (Kindle Edition, The Shivers Collection #1)
A razor-sharp horror short that blends supernatural vengeance with psychological dread—Joe Hill kicks off The Shivers Collection with a tale that’s eerie, unsettling, and impossible to forget.
🧠 Overview
Published in April 2025, Jackknife is the first entry in Amazon’s Shivers Collection, a series of standalone horror stories by acclaimed authors. In this 46-page novella, Joe Hill introduces Dennis Lange, a disgraced journalist desperate for redemption. When Dennis stumbles upon a cursed sycamore tree and removes a decades-old jackknife embedded in its trunk, he unwittingly awakens something ancient—and hungry.
The tree once bore witness to vigilante justice. Now, freed from its restraint, it begins to reclaim its power. What follows is a descent into madness, guilt, and supernatural terror, as Dennis becomes the target of a force he can neither understand nor escape.
🌳 Key Themes & Highlights
- 🔪 Tree horror: Hill transforms a sycamore into a vessel of vengeance, turning nature itself into a source of dread
- 🧍♂️ Morally flawed protagonist: Dennis is deeply unlikable, yet compelling—his downfall feels earned and inevitable
- 🧠 Psychological tension: The horror builds slowly, rooted in guilt, manipulation, and the consequences of past sins
- 🎯 Social commentary: Subtle nods to the #MeToo movement and themes of grooming and abuse add emotional weight beneath the scares
“Every page had me hoping for some intense karmic retribution, which made the reading experience all the more entrancing.” — Not Enough Bookshelves review
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.61/5 from over 8,000 ratings
- 📖 Readers praise Hill’s tight pacing, cinematic atmosphere, and inventive horror premise
- 🧾 Some felt the story left threads unresolved, but most found the ending satisfying and chilling
- 💬 “It’s like The Conjuring meets Lord of the Rings—if the Ents were out for blood.” — Reader comment
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At under 50 pages, it’s a quick read—ideal for fans of bite-sized horror
- 🌫️ Ambiguous elements: Some plot points remain mysterious, adding to the story’s eerie tone
- 🧠 Dark themes: Includes references to abuse, manipulation, and psychological trauma—recommended for mature readers
🏁 Final Verdict
Jackknife is a gripping and atmospheric horror short that showcases Joe Hill’s talent for blending supernatural terror with human flaws. As the opening act of The Shivers Collection, it sets a high bar—delivering thrills, chills, and a lingering sense of unease. If you enjoy horror that’s as thoughtful as it is terrifying, this Kindle edition is a must-read.
