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tcgarback's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s pretty bad to package two mid short stories together in a hardcover for $28…but I read this quickly and all in good fun. Are the stories that good? No. But I enjoyed them a good deal, so the book is successful.
A FACE IN THE CROWD
Critical Score: C
Personal Score: B-
Predictable. Very unlikeable protagonist. And I don’t like baseball. But otherwise engaging. Sorta creepy. Pretty depressing.
THE LONGEST DECEMBER
Critical Score: C+
Personal Score: B
This reeks of problematic straight man ego, so that distracted me a bit. But I was still invested in the mystery. The ending is a little implausible, and the whole story feels like a metaphor for sympathizing with friends of abusers…maybe I’m reading into it too much, but basically the subtext here is icky. Despite all of this, the writing style and pacing made this novella go down smooth.
Surprisingly, Chizmar’s is the stronger of the two because it’s more gripping and faster paced. Sorry, King (and O’Nan, I guess).
It’s pretty bad to package two mid short stories together in a hardcover for $28…but I read this quickly and all in good fun. Are the stories that good? No. But I enjoyed them a good deal, so the book is successful.
A FACE IN THE CROWD
Critical Score: C
Personal Score: B-
Predictable. Very unlikeable protagonist. And I don’t like baseball. But otherwise engaging. Sorta creepy. Pretty depressing.
THE LONGEST DECEMBER
Critical Score: C+
Personal Score: B
This reeks of problematic straight man ego, so that distracted me a bit. But I was still invested in the mystery. The ending is a little implausible, and the whole story feels like a metaphor for sympathizing with friends of abusers…maybe I’m reading into it too much, but basically the subtext here is icky. Despite all of this, the writing style and pacing made this novella go down smooth.
Surprisingly, Chizmar’s is the stronger of the two because it’s more gripping and faster paced. Sorry, King (and O’Nan, I guess).
jennysides's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
alisonswing's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
edholms's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
Enjoyed the King side, nice story about life, death. Chizmar's side felt too similar to Boogeyman 2. Outside the end felt like a condensed version of the novel so it didn't hit well for me having just read Boogeyman 2 a few months back
cbushwrite's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
carynrjones's review
5.0
I really like a good drama with a twist.
A Face in the Crowd - a story of death and how the time is coming for you. They say Life flashes before your eyes, but what if it were your mistakes, people you hurt or all the the people you were unkind to? Well this is what happens during normal days of watching baseball. Dean Evers is widowed and a baseball fan. While he watches the game he notices faces of people in his past staring from behind the Umpire...the ones he didn't treat so kindly.
Longest December - a story of what happens when your neighbor/friend/family turns out to be a serial killer. You start to question yourself, it's not real, there is now way he killed those people, what do I do, do I tell the truth, do I hold things back, what secrets should I revel. This story questions your loyalty and trust. What do you believe and what happens when a secret is revealed that you did not see coming. This what the Howard's face when they discover their neighbor and closest friend lied to them and turned out to be a murderer. Their loyalty is test, so is their trust to their neighbor, the police and to themselves.
I loved them both.
A Face in the Crowd - a story of death and how the time is coming for you. They say Life flashes before your eyes, but what if it were your mistakes, people you hurt or all the the people you were unkind to? Well this is what happens during normal days of watching baseball. Dean Evers is widowed and a baseball fan. While he watches the game he notices faces of people in his past staring from behind the Umpire...the ones he didn't treat so kindly.
Longest December - a story of what happens when your neighbor/friend/family turns out to be a serial killer. You start to question yourself, it's not real, there is now way he killed those people, what do I do, do I tell the truth, do I hold things back, what secrets should I revel. This story questions your loyalty and trust. What do you believe and what happens when a secret is revealed that you did not see coming. This what the Howard's face when they discover their neighbor and closest friend lied to them and turned out to be a murderer. Their loyalty is test, so is their trust to their neighbor, the police and to themselves.
I loved them both.
moerod's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
King Story was alright, I liked the baseball aspect...Chilmark was better little twist at the end, fast reads, pretty good