These two bring us their first collaborative novel, with a twist on the old Twilight Zone episode, "Button, Button".
Gwendy is the recipient of a little wooden box, that will dispense tiny chocolates when she presses one of the levers on its side. These chocolates, eaten once daily, improve her health, her intelligence, her happiness and somehow, her parent's drinking. The box will also dispense her the occasional silver dollar when she presses its second lever, a handy way of sourcing a bit of money.
The downside to this handy box of treats is that along with the levers, it has a collection of buttons, which correspond to each of the continents. There's also a button that will do "something" and a button that will do "anything". Can Gwendy resist the urge to push them?
Not a bad book, but also not a great one. It's got quite an interesting central idea, and it's a very well written style (obviously, as it's Stephen King - I don't know how much is him though). Trouble is, the book doesn't really go anywhere.
There is a plot, but it doesn't come anywhere near to making proper use of the idea of the box. It's much more of a character piece than a thriller or horror. I reached the end and was left with a very definite feeling of "is that it?" I was definitely expecting more to happen. The book has a conflict arc, but it's not a particularly strong conflict.
There are enough other Stephen King books that are far superior, and that I can see myself re-reading easily, that this is very much in the "one and done" pile. I've no experience of Richard Chizmar's work, so I can't say how it compares. But essentially, this is rather low on the scale of King's work, so I'd skip it and dig out an old favourite instead.
Not recommended.
Tagged: Book Horror Spooky object Novel Print