Book Review: Gwendy's Final Task

 

•  Authors: Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

• Where I bought this book: The Book Loft, Columbus, Ohio

• Why I bought this book: King is my favorite writer 

*******

    As the title hints, this is the final book in the Button Box trilogy. It's only the second I have read; I skipped the middle one because King wasn't involved.

 

    And make no mistake, this is a King story. I am not quite as familiar with Chizmar, but all the King trademarks are there: the strong if ordinary characters put in an extraordinary situation, the fate of good versus evil played out in the plot, and the references to the King universe -- including the city of Castle Rock, Maine, which plays a prominent role.  

    Heck, even the men in the yellow coats make an appearance.

    I don't think I missed anything in the second book because it's not a complicated story, and this one quickly brings you up to date.

    In short: When she was 12, a stranger gave Gwendy Peterson a special box to watch over. It looked like a normal box with buttons and switches, but it had extraordinary powers. In Book One, Gwendy's Button Box, she finds out what those powers can do.

    Now, U.S. Sen. Gwendy Peterson, D-Maine, a successful writer and politician, has another visit from Richard Farris. He again gives her the box, this time with another message: Get rid of it.

    How she does so -- and why some people are committed to stopping her and grabbing the box for themselves -- is her final task.

    The writing here is compelling, as it brings you into the story, easily explains what background is necessary for the tale, and gently carries you to the end. The characters are people we know, if a bit exaggerated  -- the good senator from Maine is a bit too thoughtful and concerned, and the businessman is so dramatically evil you expect him to wear a top hat and twirl his mustache.

    At times, the dues ex machina is flagrantly used, and the writers employ other tropes such as excessively helpful characters, to move the plot along. 

    It's a King-driven story, meaning that supernatural or superhelpful things happen at the right time. But it works. It's a good story, well told.