But, as we’ve always come to expect with dark fiction books, things aren’t what they seem and not everyone is trustworthy. But, if you’re like me, and have been reading King for 30 years now (and I’m only now 40!) and love the way he tells a story and how his worlds all get intermingled, this will right up your alley. I say this not to disrespect or lesson Chizmar here. In truth, this book most likely wouldn’t exist if Richard hadn’t pushed to continue Gwendy’s story in book two and the two author work and write seamlessly together.

Before going further – I do need to say thanks to Richard for sending me a physical ARC of this – seriously blown away by that act of kindness.She finds herself in a space trip to Mars during the pandemic with hidden agenda: instead of protecting the box, she has to dispose it! She’s the one who has important mission to be achieved for the sake of universe! Then, in 2022, King returned with Chizmar to tell the ending and boy, let me tell you, this is a definitive ending, but also an emotional rollercoaster.

Keri Russell, whose breakthrough role in the college drama Felicity was only two years away at that point, plays a crucial but difficult role in The Lottery . Popular school teacher Felice Dunbar is unlike other New Hopers, who are more standoffish than usual. No, she greets Jason with a warm smile that hides an unpleasant secret. Having grown up in New Hope, Felice naturally believes The Lottery serves a good purpose, but meeting Jason makes her question everything. And for a minute, it would seem Russell’s character is capable of shaking off years worth of indoctrination. From what little I have read of King, I do still feel like Richard Chizmar has done an excellent job recreating what started off as an unfinished King book and became a trilogy. He has very much immersed himself in the King universe - although I did bring up to my dad that it was convenient that Stephen’s old pen name was Richard Bachman, and now it’s Richard Chizmar … But I’m maybe seeing coincidences where there aren’t any! To see what this whole button box is all about was very thought-provoking and just made me see things in a whole new light. I’d highly recommend reading this trilogy consecutively as it’s just a great story from beginning to end. It’s another bit of a slow burn but my goodness, it delivers and then some towards the end. The payoff is real as you get to the last 30% of this novel. Make no mistake, this might not be the most rewarding way to read Gwendy’s Final Task; the climax of her journey will definitely be more emotionally resonant if you’ve spent more time with her than just reading a swift (yet expertly told) summary. And that’s to say nothing of the connections to King’s other books. But you’ll still be able to follow the plot with relative ease. I will say, here and now, that if Chizmar's name ever gets associated with King's on another retirement fund writing project, I will happily and joyfully pass, knowing I saved my eyes a bunch of rolling, and saved my money by passing on yet another polished turd.

The Maximalist

So for the completist out there, the ultimate reading experience for the end of the Gwendy trilogy (or anything written by King) means reading everything that came before it. A daunting task, for sure. But hey, a lot of you have probably done it already.

I could tell that this isn't solely Stephen King's writing, but just barely. The ideas, pacing and writing are so similar to pure SK (as was the case with GWENDY's MAGIC FEATHER) that King and Chizmar could probably (and did probably on occasion) finish each other's sentences, while talking or writing. Gwendy's Button Box is a horror novella by American writers Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. [1] It was announced by Entertainment Weekly on February 28, 2017. [2] Bound in a deluxe material (to match our other Gwendy’s special limited editions) with coloured head and tail bands There was this weird writing tic for a chunk of the book, where whichever author was responsible kept murdering the chapter endings with overexplanation. The first and worst followed Richard Farris's last visit to Gwendy's home. As he is wont to do, he vanished like a fart in the wind while Gwendy was momentarily distracted, with this final line: One maybe “complaint” is that this book gets very political. I didn’t used to have an issue with politics in books, but after the past few years I am exhausted by it and want my books to be an escape. You are definitely not escaping modern political opinions in this one. I am not going to focus on which side of things the politics fall in this book (I am bet all of you probably can guess which way they fall) because all of it exhausts me!I thought to myself, the way to – pun intended – button this up is Gwendy's gotta get rid of the button box,” King says. “And the answer seemed clear: The only place to really get rid of something for good is the universe.” The epilogue also got me. The setting, the final note and the last gift. King and Chizmar decided to really make readers blubber and struggle to read through watery eyes.

Kudos, Messrs. King and Chizmar, for bringing a wonderful conclusion to the series. I like what I have seen and can only hope that there is something else brewing soon.To be clear, you by no means have to read seven books outside the Gwendy’s series (and maybe The Wind Through The Keyhole if you’re feeling ambitious) to enjoy Final Task. But it will make the fairly breezy novel feel all the more epic. Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums. Aktuelle politische Bezüge sind bei King nie zu kurz gekommen und so sind fake news und der Corona-Virus hier Bestandteil des erzählerischen Hintergrunds, genau wie die allgemeine Verschärfung des politischen Diskurses und das Erstarken der privaten Raumfahrt - die sich hier ernsthaft auf eine Marsmission vorbereitet. Und die Gwendy nutzen muss um ihre letzte Aufgabe zu erfüllen. Bevor in mehrerlei Hinsicht zu spät ist.