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gbweeks's review against another edition
3.0
A strange novella. The writing style is very much like The Eyes of the Dragon, where the tone is light and the narrator is really speaking to the reader. And, same as that novel, we get an R.F. figure who is clearly Flagg, though in this case he doesn't seem particularly evil. Finally, the theme is similar to The Institute, with a question about what someone would/should be willing to do in order to avoid larger disasters.
It flows perfectly well, but the ending fell flat for me, and I just didn't quite get the point of the story.
It flows perfectly well, but the ending fell flat for me, and I just didn't quite get the point of the story.
brackenmacleod's review against another edition
5.0
Stephen King and Richard Chizmar have written a tight, compelling character study of an empowered child. While the book is clearly a spiritual sibling to Richard Matheson's "Button Button," the question asked here goes further. In "Button Button" a married couple are given the choice of receiving a large sum of money in exchange for pushing a button that will kill a complete stranger somewhere in the world. If they choose not to push, no death, no money, and no more button (for them, anyway). Here, Gwendy is given a similar box (perhaps by the Devil, or someone like him), but with an array of buttons that are mysteriously tied in to the entire world, and a final one that will do whatever she wants. Though, the heavy implication is that it won't sprout flowers and butterflies if she pushes it. That final button still has a grim purpose. It's her darkness given form. The task given to Gwendy is not whether to push a button (though she realistically struggles with that), but the mere safekeeping of the box. Like Tolkien's ring, tremendous potential has been entrusted to a small person possessed of no dark motives. Yet. She's an innocent given the power to perhaps end it all if she'd like.
Again, like Matheson's tale, this is a quiet story without cataclysmic bombast. It centers on Gwendy's internal life and the emotional effect that the box has on her. And this is where it really shines and becomes wholly original. Unlike Matheson's story, it's not about asking the simple moral question of avarice versus humanity. Gwendy--and if you've read the interviews, this is ALL Chizmar's doing--posits the thematic question, "what if you gave a struggling child the power to be everything she wanted to be?" Would she rise up, or lay us all low?
On the surface, it's a story about a magic box that gives out money and chocolates, and maybe can destroy the world. But deep down it's about a child who is allowed to have control of her life, and the choices she makes when she doesn't have to fight as hard to be the person she dreams of being. Is the box a corrupting influence, or an empowering one? I won't spoil it. But I will say that this is a mature story about trust. It clearly asks and answers the question, can we trust the next generation with the fate of the world?
If this is an indication of how well King and Chizmar work together, I sincerely hope they collaborate again.
Again, like Matheson's tale, this is a quiet story without cataclysmic bombast. It centers on Gwendy's internal life and the emotional effect that the box has on her. And this is where it really shines and becomes wholly original. Unlike Matheson's story, it's not about asking the simple moral question of avarice versus humanity. Gwendy--and if you've read the interviews, this is ALL Chizmar's doing--posits the thematic question, "what if you gave a struggling child the power to be everything she wanted to be?" Would she rise up, or lay us all low?
On the surface, it's a story about a magic box that gives out money and chocolates, and maybe can destroy the world. But deep down it's about a child who is allowed to have control of her life, and the choices she makes when she doesn't have to fight as hard to be the person she dreams of being. Is the box a corrupting influence, or an empowering one? I won't spoil it. But I will say that this is a mature story about trust. It clearly asks and answers the question, can we trust the next generation with the fate of the world?
If this is an indication of how well King and Chizmar work together, I sincerely hope they collaborate again.
sunnyzspinz's review against another edition
4.0
Neat story
A good, quick read. It certainly left me wanting more, as the first book of a trilogy should. Interesting enough to make me look further into the second author.
A good, quick read. It certainly left me wanting more, as the first book of a trilogy should. Interesting enough to make me look further into the second author.
kaybuzzbuzzbee's review against another edition
5.0
I'd have given this 6 stars if I could. Classic Stephen King.
candacesovan's review against another edition
3.0
King collaborated with Richard Chizmar on this novelette about a grade-school girl who is given a mysterious box by a black-suited stranger. It's well-written and interesting, but there's much we never learn about the "button box." Doesn't really break any new ground, but it's an engrossing story.
elrobhubbard's review against another edition
4.0
Sort of a bounce off of Richard Matheson's "Button, Button", GBB focuses on a young preteen girl who ends up shepherding a device of great power through her junior high- and high-school years. One of King's better novellas of recent date (co-written with Richard Chizmar).
kimabill's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't even realize Stephen king had written a new novella (co-written with another author) until I saw this on the "new" shelf while browsing at the library. This is the story of a young girl named Gweny who is out one day when a strange man gives her a box with several different colored buttons on it and two small levers on it. Gweny doesn't understand exactly what the button box does or why the man gave it to her and he quickly vanishes without much explanation. She figures some things out about the box, and is able to use some of its more benign functions to create a better life for herself - more success in school, better home life, etc. But of course, there is a dark side to the box which comes into play a little bit later on. Overall, this book was good and the story was pretty engaging, but I felt like something was missing. I wanted more exploration of Gweny's motivations around the box, more description of why it had the "bad" functions that it did. I feel like Stephen King could write a full-length novel about the life of this box and what happens when it falls into the wrong hands and what the consequences are when it isn't used wisely. I know I'm being vague here, but I don't want to give too much away.
lady_icarus's review against another edition
4.0
I had high hopes because it was Stephen King and Castle Rock. I was a bit disappointed but I couldn’t rate it down because of disappointment the lack of a real Castle Rock. I was hoping for some more nods to prior stories but it was still a good story. Summaries abound so here’s the short version: Gwendy, a slightly chubby and unpopular girl with borderline alcoholic parents on the verge of divorce, is gifted a strange box by a strange man, Mr. Farris. Over the course of several years, everything works out for Gwendy thanks to this box…until one day the local creep, who we later find out raped several girls, tries to rape Gwendy, her boyfriend saves her but is killed in the process. Gwendy uses her special powerful box and sends the rapist to hell. Years after that, Mr. Farris returns for the box and congratulates Gwendy on being such a excellent caretaker of the box and because she was so selfless and not using the box for evil, she averted several global disasters. He takes the box and leaves.
Good story, engaging and relatively short. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
Good story, engaging and relatively short. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
lindsey_reads_alot's review against another edition
2.0
A little girl gets a box from a weird man that gives her candy and money. Without hesitation, she’s like’ sign me up’. I mean, i guess she's a kid and free candy is a plus, but still. STRANGER DANGER!! I don’t really remember anything else about this one.
mysteriousnorse's review against another edition
4.0
A brief novella involving temptation and how difficult it can be. I really enjoyed Gwendy and will likely continue this series later. I love the central magical item and how quirky it is. Also, this has the usual King darkness that I've come to expect. I was most surprised that King's co-author Richard Chizmar wrote the end as it really seems like a King ending. However, that might just reflect how well the collaboration worked as the story hangs together really well.
"The Music Room" 2.5 Stars
The audiobook version also contains this King short story, which is fine. I didn't really find it all that interesting, but it wasn't really bad.
"The Music Room" 2.5 Stars
The audiobook version also contains this King short story, which is fine. I didn't really find it all that interesting, but it wasn't really bad.