Stephen King is never more virtuosic than when he’s at his most concise. I love “The Stand”, and “Duma Key,” and “Under the Dome” — but it’s in the shorter form, where his ideas are honed knife-sharp, that his stories become incandescent.
“If It Bleeds” is a collection of four novellas that demonstrate King’s storytelling pliability. The titular novella — a sequel to “The Outsider” and the Mr. Mercedes trilogy — is the most straightforward and (dare I day) ‘generic’ of the bunch. Holly Gibney notices something peculiar about a reporter, Chet Ondowsky, reporting on an explosion at a middle school, and soon learns it’s no coincidence he’s first on the scene at incidents of mass casualties. “If It Bleeds” is a clever mashup of police procedural and pulse-pounding horror, and is entertaining as heck, but is definitely King writing at his ‘safest.’
My favourite story is the collection’s opener, “Mr Harrigan’s Phone,” about an iPhone possessed by a supernatural force hellbent on punishing wrongdoers. But of course, it’s about far more than that; it’s the humanity of the characters, and King’s examination of their willingness (or trepidation) to utilise the ‘ghost in the machine’ that makes it a standout, and one of King’s most haunting stories in recent times.
“Rat” is another classic that sees King mining familiar ground, but still digging up gold. Drew Larson is a struggling writer, cut off in the wintery backwoods by a cataclysmic storm, where he encounters a talking rat he is certain must be a consequence of a fever dream. But when the Rat asks what price Drew is willing to pay for personal success, and they agree terms, Drew’s life is unalterably changed. As unsettling as it is intriguing, as King — through Drew — contemplates creativity and the writing life.
“The Life of Chuck” is the strangest, most beguiling story of the quartet, transpiring in reverse chronological order as it unveils the biography of Chuck Krantz, beginning with the end of the world, as Chuck lays dying from a brain tumour, and ending with his childhood, where he learns ‘every year you life, that world inside your head will get bigger and brighter, more detailed and complex.’ It’s not esoteric, but it’s definitely King at his most nuanced, and effective.
A strong collection from King, which will sate his legion of fans, and likely inspire new ones. These stories showcase the breadth of King’s powers, and would be perfect for any reader keen to sample his work for the first time.
ISBN: 9781529391541
Format: Paperback / softback
Pages: 384
Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publish Date: 21-Apr-2020
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
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