“If It Bleeds, it leads,” the old news trope goes, but what if it bores? That’s the problem with this book; a set of Stephen King novellas à la Full Dark No Stars, Four Past Midnight and Different Seasons. The worst is The Life Of Chuck; a fictional biography about a man I couldn’t care less about.

The best is Rat, which seems like it’s going to be a decent story; the headline here reads something like Novelist With Flu Stuck In Cabin During Killer Cyclone; until its ridiculous title character comes into play. It’s Stephen King’s preference for the strange and supernatural that ruins this one.

Mr Harrigan’s Phone, about a boy gifting a dying “luddite” with an iPhone, plods along drearily, though John Harrigan is probably the most interesting character If It Bleeds has to offer. The silly title bit, which stars Holly Gibney and follows The Outsider, is about a shapeshifting news reporter.

my rating : 2 of 5

2020
 

richardhdent :

Look forward to reading it!