#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four new “exceptionally compelling novellas that reaffirm [King’s] mastery of the form” (The Washington Post). Readers adore Stephen King’s novels, and his novellas are their own dark treat, briefer but just as impactful and enduring as his longer fiction. … just as impactful and enduring as his longer fiction. Many of his novellas have been made into iconic films, including “The Body” (Stand By Me) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (Shawshank Redemption).
Four brilliant new tales in If It Bleeds are sure to prove as iconic as their predecessors. Once again, King’s remarkable range is on full display. In the title story, reader favorite Holly Gibney (from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider) must face her fears, and possibly another outsider–this time on her own. In “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” an intergenerational friendship has a disturbing afterlife. “The Life of Chuck” explores, beautifully, how each of us contains multitudes. And in “Rat,” a struggling writer must contend with the darker side of ambition.
If these novellas show King’s range, they also prove that certain themes endure. One of King’s great concerns is evil, and in If It Bleeds, there’s plenty of it. There is also evil’s opposite, which in King’s fiction often manifests as friendship. Holly is reminded that friendship is not only life-affirming but can be life-saving. Young Craig befriends Mr. Harrigan, and the sweetness of this late-in-life connection is its own reward.
“Exactly what I wanted to read right now,” said Ruth Franklin in a rave on the cover of The New York Times Book Review. “Phenomenal,” said Brian Truitt in USA TODAY. “King still owns the fright business like none other.”
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This is a collection of four novellas by King and each have their good points and bad points. Overall, I found myself (as I so often do with King’s work lately) mumbling, “Get to the point” as I listened to the audiobook.
I really enjoyed the first story about a boy who gives an old man a phone, then the man dies and strange things happen when the boy calls the number. Unfortunately, the story ended too abruptly. Just bam, it was like King said, “I’m tired of writing this one.”
The second story was my favorite, although i could have done without the VERY long description of the guy’s improv dancing. Otherwise, it was a cleverly done, reverse-timeline tale.
The third story should come with spoiler alerts for anyone who hasn’t read the Mr Mercedes books. I had, so no big deal, but it gives away a lot of what happens in the final book. Anyway, again, an enjoyable story with a favorite character, but long and rambling and rambling at times.
The fourth story just annoyed me. Maybe because it felt a bit trite to have a guy write a manuscript in only a couple weeks (even with a little bizarre help) and have no need to edit it before it was ready for publication. I know, I needed to suspend my belief, but really….? Anyway, beyond my annoyance, this was another story that just took far too long to get to the point.
Did I hate the stories? No, they were enjoyable overall, but I’m glad I listened to it on audiobook where I could speed up the tales a bit.
Another great selection of short stories by the Master of Horror!
There are only four stories in this book and I will set them out with a tiny tidbit of what to expect without giving away spoilers.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone:
This was told in the first person of Craig and how he was involved with an elderly neighbor man by the name of Mr. Harrigan. The story revolves around a cell phone that Craig gives Mr. Harrigan for Christmas one year and how their friendship grows.
Life of Chuck:
The apocalypse has happened within this story which revolves around a man named Chuck and why there are billboards with his name etched into them.
If It Bleeds:
This story revolves around characters from the Stephen King’s book “The Outsider” and with an explosion that happens at a middle school. It is best to read the book The Outsider to understand this story as it not only involves the characters from that book it also has references to that story as well.
Rat:
This story is about a man named Drew who seems to be struggling trying to finish a novel, but when during a storm a rat comes across his path things go awry after that which really becomes a strange story, but then again this is a King novel and it is to be expected that there are strange things brewing within the pages.
Thoughts for all the stories:
All of them were very good, but my favorites were Mr. Harrigan’s Phone and If It Bleeds. All the stories were classic King though and when this book was released I was excited about the one story ” If It Bleeds” as I have been wanting to reconnect with the characters from “The Outsider” as that book is one of my favorites, so I really wanted to sink my teeth into this book. As always the Master of Horror has done it again with creating short stories that give the reader something to think about. Five stars for creative horror!
I love Holly Gibney with all her quirks! She definitely would make Bill Hodges proud, even though she still doesn’t listen worth a tinker’s damn. A worthwhile read with a few twists and turns that made for an interesting foray into Holly’s world. It was good to see Jerome and Barbara but some of the things they did were not in character given their past experiences with the cases Holly was involved with.
All in all though it was a good story and I enjoyed the ride. Holly has come a long way baby!
more diverse and original King short stories!
I honestly will never get tired of this book.
Only King can develop characters so fully.
“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” reminded me, so much, of Hearts in Atlantis!
This collection is a must-buy. You’ll want to read these stories over and over.
I loved 3 of the stories. The life of Chuck did not hold my interest. I don’t like political statements in his books. Isn’t there ENOUGH of that in the media? “The Rat” was my favorite!
These short stories, while good, were a bit confusing. The first 2 had a common element, and so I began to think maybe it was going to be a single story that hadn’t yet tied itself together. I continued to look for that tie until almost finished with the book, when I realized they were separate…sort of. I deducted a star because it was a distraction from all of them.
It was ok but it felt tired by the time I got to the fourth story.
On the edge reading
Classic King – he’s still got stories to tell!
Four stories and I wish I could give it four stars, but I just can’t bring myself to round up.
I loved the first story, “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”. It had heart and it gave me just the right amount of dread. Stories like these are exactly why I keep coming back to King’s work.
If the chapter change hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known the second story, “The Life of Chuck”, had actually ended. In true @Stephen_King fashion, we have a lot of intriguing build up, then it just fizzles. Great idea, but characteristically low on follow-through.
If I’d known one of the “shorts” (short by Stephen King’s standard, anyway) in this 15-hour audiobook was a novel-sized follow-up to The Outsider and The Bill Hodges Trilogy, I likely would have passed. The narrator in the third story, “If It Bleeds”, Will Patton, then and now makes Holly’s character sound utterly ridiculous, with this overly lilting, flighty and breathy voice. It was so distracting and awful that I bailed on Finders Keepers and could not return to the trilogy. I didn’t enjoy it here either, but I powered through.
The final story, “The Rat”, was simply bizarre, and takes place fully in King’s World. I love how we are always in King’s World, no matter the story, and that world just continues to build. It makes you feel like you’re a part of that world every time a reference brings you back to another King story or introduces another facet of the world.
I’m a big SK fan and this new collection of short stories did not disappoint!
Great collection of 4 short stories! Loved it!
Another great mix of short stories!!!
I enjoyed all 4 stories although the “If It Bleeds” story is a continuation of The Outsider with Holly Gibney so there was a familiarity with that one whereas the others for me were fresh and exciting.
“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” was my favorite of the 4 due to it’s strange mix of morbidness and nostalgia, followed by the bizarre and philosophical “The Life of Chuck” and then “Rat” which gives us an inside look at the struggles of a writer trying to complete his first novel.
Great
Definitely not one of his best but still worth reading.
The fourth and final story in the collection should terrify authors everywhere.