5 Lexapro laced pretzels for this little gem.
Uncle Stevie is back with a short story collection, possibly his best since Different Seasons.
Let’s get into to it, shall we?
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
Creepy ass old man pays a young boy not near enough money to tend his flower beds and read to him. But the kid is sweet and kinda likes the old man despite him being a cranky butt, so he goes along with it. As a gift, the boy gets the old man a cell phone, and old man’s world is opened up. Then he dies. Then shit gets weird.
It’s classic Stephen King. Take something totes normal like a phone and make it creepy. It’s what he does best, and it works really well here.
The Life of Chuck
Told in three acts in reverse order, this story is different than his typical creep factor. But there is a really fun supernatural twist. I really enjoyed this one. Act Three, the beginning of the story, but the end of the time line, is super fun. Act Two was probably my favorite. King wrote in a fun little street dance scene that absolutely delighted me.
If it Bleeds
This is the one I was waiting for. If it Bleeds is a Holly Gibney story and I for one was here for it. Here’s the thing, kids; if you plan to read this one, you need to read four books first. I know that sounds like a lot, but what if I told you they’re all super fun, five star reads? You won’t be disappointed.
So, before cracking open If it Bleeds, read in this order:
- Mr. Mercedes
- Finders Keepers
- End of Watch
- The Outsider
You can even take a small break from reading and watch The Outsider on HBO. It has Jason Bateman in it. Do I need to say anything else? No. No I don’t.
At its core, If it Bleeds is a detective story. But a detective story with a supernatural twist, making it the perfect case for Holly. It was a joy to have a standalone Holly story, to see Jerome and Barbara Robinson again, to get to know a little bit of what makes Holly Holly.
Rat
I love it when King writes about writers. Dark Half is one of my favorites of his. You can read that review here.
Rat is about a writer who, like all of us at times, is struggling to put his ideas down on paper. He’s a wiz at short stories and makes a decent living teaching writing at the college, bu the dreams of writing a full length novel one day. Except, every time he tries, he goes completely round the bend. Like, set his own house on fire round the bend.
When he tells his lady love he wants to head up to the cabin to work on a novel, she is understandably like, “Say what???” But he goes. And things go swimmingly. He writes during the day, relaxes in the evening, is back home in a quick twenty one days. I’m kidding. It doesn’t go that way at all.
So, there you have it, kids. We’re officially back to the reading and the reviewing. Not quite the writing yet. Our next project is actually a three woman job and we’re trying to be responsible as possible, so we are socially distancing even from one another. It’s been a rough year, but we’ll get through it.
If you’re looking for something lighter and hilarious, check out our book. It’s $1.00. Probably the best dollar you’ll ever spend.
Okay, byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Smoky Lynx
Holland + Harper Productions 