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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Writing is Stephen King's job. It's what he does. He writes books. Sometimes he's better at his job than other times. Here is the case where he isn't bad, but he isn't at the top of his game. Are the stories well-crafted? Sure. Do they leave something to be desired? Yes. There are two stories here, Blockade Billy and Morality. They both have their upsides, but they both feel a little empty, like maybe King was just filling his quota. Still, King always pushes himself to try new things and genres. The first story Blockade Billy is a surprising example of this. It plays itself off as a "True Story" of a controversial baseball player who has been erased from the history books. It works well. You can hear/read King's voice slip through a few times through his narrator, the third base coach for the titular Billy. Other than those few times which led me to believe it's fiction, King pulls off telling the story so well that I was still left wondering. It's a spellbinding and effective suspense story that had me wanting to know what happened to Billy. It's a shocking payoff, but still, the story was missing something.
Morality, the second story, works fine, but . . . I actually don't know what to say about it. Is it trying to raise questions of morality, because it fails. It's characters aren't fleshed out very well. And the crime that they commit that has them questioning their morality . . . is both stupid and awesome (few authors would let their characters do something so asinine.) Still, how the characters handle the situation is dealt with well, and their are portions that I enjoyed.
I'd have to say King succeeded in writing a book. He didn't really fail in any aspect. I just enjoy some of his other stuff better and can't wait to see what's next.
Morality, the second story, works fine, but . . . I actually don't know what to say about it. Is it trying to raise questions of morality, because it fails. It's characters aren't fleshed out very well. And the crime that they commit that has them questioning their morality . . . is both stupid and awesome (few authors would let their characters do something so asinine.) Still, how the characters handle the situation is dealt with well, and their are portions that I enjoyed.
I'd have to say King succeeded in writing a book. He didn't really fail in any aspect. I just enjoy some of his other stuff better and can't wait to see what's next.
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this story alot more than I thought I would. I found myself totally immersed and enjoying the story but my mind kept trying to work it out. The whole time I am reading the story and enjoying it I keep thinking "What happened?" until I finally find out. Not horror, but a great mystery story.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up on a whim at the library and finished it tonight. A short novella (around 100 pages of large type) that was easy to read on the bike at the gym. I liked it, but I think it's more of a baseball fan/boy book. It would be a good waiting room read, too.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse