Eight stars
A short story by Stephen King is a treat like no other, particularly one that pulls the reader into the middle of an exciting tale. As I needed to fill some time before my next major reading adventure, I turned to one of these short pieces. Alan Parker is a student at the University of Maine. He receives a troubling call that his mother is in the hospital after having a stroke. Without a vehicle of his own and worried about his only living parent, Alan makes the decision to hitchhike down to see her. His first driver is an older man with some obvious health issues, so much so that Alan begs off early into their journey. As he awaits the next vehicle to pass by, Alan comes across a small graveyard with markers. When headlights illuminate the road, Alan gets in and strikes up a conversation with the young man behind the wheel, which veers towards a death-defying rollercoaster called The Bullet. Alan has eerie memories about it, but listens as his driver tells of riding it multiple times. What follows is a scary tale about riding the Bullet and a bargain made on the way to central Maine. Another interesting piece with twists that only King can create effectively. Perfect for a short trip or to pass the time.
I have long been a fan of Stephen King’s work, both the longer stories and shorter pieces like this. He has a wonderful ability to create characters and offer them much backstory in short order. His ideas seem plentiful and he uses the simplest event as a major plot twist. With themes woven into the fabric of his pieces, the reader learn a great deal about themselves as they read. The tangential nature of a well-crafted King piece is sometimes lost in the shorter works, but there is no lack of depth or intrigue. No matter what choice Alan Parker makes in this story, the possibilities are endless and King always lays them out for the reader to ponder, even late into the night.
Kudos, Mr. King, for another winner. I love how my mind races whenever you are writing and cannot wait to see what you have in store for your fans next!
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
Book Reviews to Ponder 