I watched the movie adaptation (very faithful to the book) starring Tom Hanks way before reading this book. So I badly wanted to read it and I got the chance at last. Did I like it? Very much. I've always had a curiosity about the life of Executioners. What was it like to see deaths on a monthly basis? Hear people's last words and pulling the final trigger. Doesn't it affect their state of mind or cause a moral dilemma? Well, the book had answers to all of that. It deals with executions in a raw, matter-of-fact way. So I must warn you, they are a few explicit scenes of gore. I really liked the scenes which showed the tender, humane side of the prisoners. The novel has all the elements to keep you hooked - emotions, fantasy and mystery. 
 So do I recommend this book ? Absolutely but I shouldn't have watched the movie first. Since it was a page by page adaptation, sometimes I felt like watching the movie again through the book. There are a few differences towards the climax which the book dealt brilliantly. 
 SPOILERS : 
 (view spoiler)[I almost broke down when John refers to himself as an 'orphan child' when praying, during his execution. (hide spoiler)]