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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I give this 3.5 stars. It was definitely amusing, but for my personal taste it had too much baseball jargon and too many characters. However, I kept wanting to know more about Blockade Billy, so that kept me hooked until the end.
Summary: An ex baseball team manager (I think) is interviewed by Stephen King. The manager reminisces about his experience with Blockade Billy. We learn Billy was an odd one although he is likeable. As the story unfolds we learn more about Billy, his past, and what had him "legendary".
Summary: An ex baseball team manager (I think) is interviewed by Stephen King. The manager reminisces about his experience with Blockade Billy. We learn Billy was an odd one although he is likeable. As the story unfolds we learn more about Billy, his past, and what had him "legendary".
I didn't realize this was just a short novella when I started it, nor did I have any idea what it was about. I was simply reading it to check another Stephen King work off my list. This was a pleasant surprise. If you like King, you'll probably like it. If you're a fan of the game of baseball, you'll probably enjoy it as well. If you happen to be a fan of both, you're in for a treat. I love when writers go back to the heyday of baseball, the stuff prior to the 60s, back when baseball almost took up a mythical quality. This feeling plays into Kings story and really carries is for it's short journey. We're quickly introduced to fictional teams and fictional players, but that seem all to real because of that feeling created from baseball lore. Things happen, surprising circumstances arise, and of course, King puts an interesting twist into a story involving America's pastime like only he can.
dark
mysterious
fast-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
The stories are decent, but I see no reason they should get their own volume. These should have been included in a much larger book for short stories, instead.
If nothing else, this short story is a perfect example of how to write a compelling, genuine narrative voice. King's narrator, the long retired third base coach George "Granny" Grantham, leaps off the page, and you can easily visualize him narrating the tragic tale of Billy Blakely from his retirement home.
The first thing I will say is that I think in order to really enjoy this book you need to be a fan of both Stephen King and baseball. The first 75% or so of the book is all baseball, following the defunct New Jersey Titans. I guess you could call it a slow burn as it comes to the big reveal of the story but honestly, I really enjoyed it. The play-by-play of the baseball games were great, like reading a history excerpt on baseball, and the characters in the story were built up quickly and well to where they seemed like actual people, which is pretty impressive for a novella just slightly over 100 pages. Blockade Billy is also a very quick read that can be done in one sitting, and the payoff, in the end, makes the read well worth it.
LJ review:
Combining a reminiscent, folksy first-person point of view of a third-base coach now in a retirement home with one of his best forms, the novella, King (Under the Dome) takes readers on a nostalgic journey to 1957. The framing device is forgotten almost instantly as the reader becomes engrossed in the story of a young player, William "Billy" Blakely, who is called up from the minors to get his big break on a major league team. There's something not quite right about Billy, but he scores as a catcher and a hitter until his sinister secret is unveiled. King excels when he mines the slightly off-kilter reality of seemingly ordinary people who are hiding dark secrets, and this story is no exception. Verdict Readers unfamiliar with baseball may feel a bit lost in the narrative, which is heavy in both baseball lingo and action, but those who love the game will appreciate the insider's knowledge and loving detail that King shares. Lavishly illustrated with Alex McVey's gorgeous pen-and-ink drawings., this read-at-one-gulp tale, which ends with an expected gruesome twist, will appeal to both King and baseball fans.-Charli Osborne, Oxford P.L., MI
Combining a reminiscent, folksy first-person point of view of a third-base coach now in a retirement home with one of his best forms, the novella, King (Under the Dome) takes readers on a nostalgic journey to 1957. The framing device is forgotten almost instantly as the reader becomes engrossed in the story of a young player, William "Billy" Blakely, who is called up from the minors to get his big break on a major league team. There's something not quite right about Billy, but he scores as a catcher and a hitter until his sinister secret is unveiled. King excels when he mines the slightly off-kilter reality of seemingly ordinary people who are hiding dark secrets, and this story is no exception. Verdict Readers unfamiliar with baseball may feel a bit lost in the narrative, which is heavy in both baseball lingo and action, but those who love the game will appreciate the insider's knowledge and loving detail that King shares. Lavishly illustrated with Alex McVey's gorgeous pen-and-ink drawings., this read-at-one-gulp tale, which ends with an expected gruesome twist, will appeal to both King and baseball fans.-Charli Osborne, Oxford P.L., MI
This is a hard book to rate. It was a good story, sure. But for the life of me I can't figure out why it was released as a stand-alone novel and not tucked into one of his many short-story collections.
emotional
fast-paced
Rating: 2 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: .5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Writing: 2/5
Genre: Horror/Sports
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Meh
Another SK book that just misses the mark. For a simple fiction novella it would have been an okay book. 3/3.5 at most but better than a 2. The sheer fact that this was under HORROR and there was really none. For someone who is as hyped as he is I expect way more than what he has given.
Characters: 3/5
Cover: .5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Writing: 2/5
Genre: Horror/Sports
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Meh
Another SK book that just misses the mark. For a simple fiction novella it would have been an okay book. 3/3.5 at most but better than a 2. The sheer fact that this was under HORROR and there was really none. For someone who is as hyped as he is I expect way more than what he has given.