Book Review: If It Bleeds by Stephen King
Title: If It Bleeds
Author: Stephen King
Release date: April 21st, 2020
Lately, it seems to be in style to bash Stephen King, or rip on his work. No author is above criticism, it’s the reality of writing something you love and releasing it into the public void, but if you spend any time on any social media platforms, you’ll see the King hate.
2022 marks, what I think, is at least my 32nd year of reading his work. I don’t know if I started when I was eight but I’m pretty confident I was at least nine when I borrowed one of his books from our neighbor, Patti, and I’ve been hooked ever since. For many, many years, based on my remoteness and limited access too, he was the only author I really ever read that was horror. Peter Straub joined in, after I read The Talisman, but for the most part, I was limited.
No matter whether you enjoy King or not, one thing you can’t accuse him of is sitting back and resting as he’s getting older. His output is equal to, if not higher than, a lot of Indie authors and he’s opened a ton of doors for so many things in the horror world.
All of this is to say – while he is one to never be hurting for reviews – I still wanted to review this collection of novellas for two reasons. Number 1 – there are some out there who’ve still not read any of his work and this might entice them. Number 2 – as ridiculously arrogant as this sounds (good grief, I can’t believe I’m even typing this!!) there are two or three of you out there who read all of my reviews and would be genuinely curious as to what my thoughts were.
Let’s dive in!
What I liked: One thing King is renowned for is his ability to draw you in with his tried and true writing voice. It’s phenomenal. Much like my own favorite authors (Pyper, Nevill, Moncrieff, Sodergren etc) you’re instantly transported into his world and the characters and locations are vibrant and alive.
The first story is ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ This story is classic King. The story follows a young kid who unknowingly befriends a reclusive billionaire. They strike up an unlikely friendship and each bringing something unique to the other’s life. The second half is a paranormal rollercoaster. I found it unique that the story itself would’ve been one of the best short stories I’d ever read, even before the ‘shift,’ which is testament to King’s versatility.
Up next was ‘The Life of Chuck.’ King throws us for a loop with a story told in reverse over three acts. It was a unique spin on following a singular character and the opening piece, with a doomsday secondary story was really well done.
The third novella was the title piece, ‘If It Bleeds.’ This story was the reason I delayed reading this novella and the collection. This one is a sequel story to ‘The Outsider,’ and follows Holly Gibney after the events and during a new occurrence. You need to read that first to really follow along, which is why I held off. I, personally, actually really enjoy Holly’s character. I know she’s a sticking point for many folks, but I dig her and always want to root for her. This one was the weakest of the four – which I’ll discuss shortly, but still super engaging.
Lastly was ‘Rat.’ The novella follows a man who has an idea for a novel fall into his lap and he has to chase it. His previous attempt was a colossal failure, but this time he knows it’ll be different. So, with his family’s blessing, he heads to the family cabin to get it onto paper ASAP. King does a phenomenal job of telling this story, and much like ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,’ this one would’ve been stellar even without any paranormal/supernatural occurrences.
What I didn’t like: As I mentioned previously – for me the title story was the one that fell flat compared to the others. Saying that – I still really enjoyed it – but, I think it would’ve been better as a whole novel. A lot is covered in this novella, which led to the dreaded “quick finale” occurring. A lot of build up for a few paragraphs that finished off the danger. In ‘The Outsider,’ the final battle was drawn out and really well done, so in comparison, this one felt stunted and over far too quickly. It does open up the potential for a really intriguing follow up, so we’ll see if the reported next Holly Gibney book follows this path or not.
Why you should buy this: If you’re a long-time constant reader, you’ll already have this on your shelf (or your Kindle or both), and it’ll just be a matter of time until you read it. Much like every novella King produces, the story is really engaging and the writing voice shines through. If you’re new to the King world, you could read three of the four novellas and find an author who has been delivering some dark goods for fifty years. King will remain an auto buy for me and his storytelling still makes me a happy reader.
4/5
