Review: "Gwendy's Button Box," by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

Gwendy's Button Box was a fun story, but I'm glad I only spent 9$ on the eBook and not $30 for the hardcover copy. First, it's short - novella short. Second, the overall story wasn't developed well enough to justify asking someone for $30 in exchange for it. The first half of the story is good. It's quick paced with its snappy little chapters. Gwendy herself is fine as a character, and the premise of the story is kind of interesting. But it ultimately falls flat. And frankly, I have no idea what the hell they were trying to accomplish with the ending (the only thing I can guess is that there might be a sequel that tells us just what the hell all those buttons were actually for...?). In many way, King should have just written this himself and fleshed the story out into an actual novel. There is enough to work with, and it would have had more impact. There are definitely metaphors all over the pages in this book, especially relevant with the political unrest we're seeing globally. But the story lacked punch. The gaps were too large and I felt like it was missing substance - it was like eating a pizza with no toppings, only the dough. The foundation was there for something amazing, but it turned out bland.

Props to the artistic person who threw together the cover art - the colours and the story the cover tells is compelling. Ultimately, I was somewhat entertained. It was so-so. Gwendy's Button Box was a novel trying to be a novella. The thing I'm most happy to take away after reading this: the $20 extra bucks I didn't spend on the hardcover.