Famed horror and suspense author Stephen King is back with a new collection of noteworthy novellas to keep readers in goosebumps.
If It Bleeds (named after the third of the included novellas and the oft-used line in journalism, “If it bleeds, it leads) is another stellar offering of shorter tales meant to quicken the heart beat and, possibly, make one think. King is as good as writing novellas as he is novels. One only has to think back to those included in Different Seasons (and later adapted for the screen) such as “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” (The Shawshank Redemption) and “The Body” (Stand by Me), to name a few.
In If It Bleeds, King touches on universal themes such as life, death, human connections (and, of course, some non-human ones) as, some would argue, only he can, tossing in human ambitions and frailties in the mix.
Here we have intergenerational friendship, the ills and gains of technology, and, yes, the inevitable creepy factor in “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” when Craig, a child, discovers that the iPhone he had given to his elderly neighbor and employer and which he’d snuck into Mr. Harrigan’s pocket right before he was buried still works. In “The Life of Chuck,” for teacher Marty, his recent divorce isn’t the worst of it. The world appears to be in apocalyptic mode (power and Internet outages, sinkholes, etc.), while inexplicably on every screen appears a photo of this same unknown guy with the message, “Charles Krantz. 39 great years. Thanks, Chuck.” – as though meant for a retirement sendoff. This sendoff, however, is one of a different sort, with King seemingly drawing analogies between the death of a loved one and the end of the world. The title story “If It Bleeds” begins with an all-too familiar case of school violence, with recurring King character private investigator Holly Gibney noticing that a certain news correspondent (and the first on the scene at this latest middle school bombing) appears present at many other tragic events. Coincidence? Lastly, in “Rat,” a failed writer with an idea for a story strikes a deal with an unlikely character to bring his ambition to fruition, but at what cost?
Stephen King can always be trusted to turn out writing that is as unsettling as it is good. Fans of his work won’t be disappointed with this latest venture.
Availability: Book; Large Print Book; eBook on CloudLibrary; eAudiobook on CloudLibrary; Playaway
Rating: *** Stars (I liked it)
Reviewer: Katina, Area Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! If It Bleeds
GENRE: Horror
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