Gwendy's Button Box: Includes bonus story "The Music Room" (1) (Gwendy's Button Box Trilogy) Audio CD – CD, May 16, 2017

I'll start with this: Stephen King does not just write horror. This is a good example. Yes, there are some horrible things that happen in this book, but it is not a horror novella. It is a tightly written, beautiful book about what it's like growing up. It's about good vs. evil (and making the right choices to keep one or the other at bay). It is about the gray areas of life -- choices made and the consequences that come with them. It is fantastical, to be sure. But it also nails Stephen King's ability to create characters that happen to be children that are incredibly complex. When I picked up this book, I didn't know a thing about the other author listed -- and I'm not sure how much he was involved in the writing of the book, but I'm going to check his work out based on how much I liked this.

Gwendy's Button Box was one of those long-abandoned stories that Stephen King had never been able to finish, so he gave Richard Chizmar a crack at it, and they collaborated on the final product.To be honest, I wish he'd just stuck with it and allowed his imagination to tackle it alone. While King's endings seem to be a source of disappointment for many readers, I have always loved how brutally dark they can be, with even victories that feel sad and sorrowful. Don't get me wrong, he's done a few silly ones (Under the Dome and Tommyknockers immediately come to mind), but for the most part I like his endings.Not here. After a fantastic beginning involving Castle Rock, the Man in Black, and a mysterious box; followed by an equally exciting middle involving some very creepy explorations of power and responsibility; we get a soft ending that is all whimper and no bag. King and Chizmar completely side-step what should have been an epic climax. Not only that, but they offer up a weak closing that is entirely out of character for the Man in Black.For a book that had so much promise early on, and which had me devouring pages at a frantic pace, I came away thoroughly disappointed.Since I felt like there was a clear distinction in the text where King handed off the literary baton, with the whole style of the narrative changing, I do feel as if I got a fair taste of Chizmar's writing - and it's not bad. He's a solid writer who did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of Gwendy, and who contributed story elements that feel very much in keeping with King's style. I suspect he wasn't sure how to end it either, where to take such massive stakes without ending the world altogether, but certainly the two of them could have come up with something better than this.Gwendy's Button Box certainly starts out as a vintage King story, hitting all the right buttons and getting the reader excited, and it plays very well with the mystery of that box, but it's timid refusal to confront a true ending undoes much of that potential.

I started to give this novella three stars, but the description for that rating says "it's okay." The description for four stars says "I like it." Those three words describe my feeling toward this slight and yet meaningful story. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, primarily because I enjoy the rich details and well-developed characters that make the stories come alive. in this collaboration with Richard Chizmar, his tendency to go big has been restrained. This is a simple tale that poses a question for the reader to ponder. I think of it as a parable or a morality tale. Gwendy receives a mysterious gift from a mysterious person that challenges her in her developmental years to reflect on power and its use. Gwendy is a wonderful character whose development is full of challenges and dilemmas. She struggles with her love of the good things that the box brings to her and the potential for problems that it poses. That for me is the heart of the tale - what price are we willing to pay for the good things we crave? It's only toward the end that the power of the story diminishes. I believe the authors wanted to leave the question open-ended for the reader. But to me it felt like the drive behind the events in Gwendy's life just fizzled out. I liked the concept. I enjoyed reading the story. I think it is a good one for young readers. It just could have used a bit more "punch" at the end,

More of a novella, being only 180 pages, there is one very good story and lesson to be told here. The book is a ten year slice in Gwendy’s life from ages 12-22. She’s given a “button box” by a complete stranger. How does she handle being in charge of the box, all the while going through her teen years into young adulthood? The box appears to give her all sorts of benefits. It may also be a very evil device. Exactly what is it? Is there a price for Gwendy to pay for having possession of the device?There isn’t any horror story in this tale. It’s more a lesson on life. There are no ogres here; unless possibly we are the ogres.Given the powers and benefits of the box, could we resist its possible dark side? Is the actual power in the box or in how we perceive ourselves?This is a partnership between Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. It’s such a good collaboration of authors, I’ll be checking out some of Mr. Chizmar’s solo work.

What else can you expect from Mr King? Until 'Gwendy', I had not read anything by Richard Chizmar, but I'll make a point of doing so now.The collaboration has produced a fabulous novella with all the SK hallmarks of quality narrative, sympathetic characters and the ability to create a gripping plot line in the most banal setting.The only criticism I have is the price. Luckily these days I can afford to buy books, but that was not always the case. I remember going to my local library and being put on a waiting list for the latest SK novel, it was torture! I have no idea who sets the price for a book, but perhaps another look at the costings could enable more people to enjoy such brilliant fiction.

When I saw that this was a collaboration between Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, I wasn't at all sure what to think. Was this going to be like one of those dead horses publishing houses like to flog, where a deceased best-selling author continues to have their name slapped on the cover while a replacement dutifully makes a story out of the scraps of plot found while rummaging through the star's notes? (Granted, King is not dead but the principle remains the same).Well, it doesn't seem to be that at all. I genuinely couldn't tell by the prose style who was writing what, so congratulations to Mr Chizmar! This is a recognisable Stephen King story, not just because it is set in Castle Rock but because the characters and plot and themes are definitely those of Stephen King (by the bye, Stephen, whoever the big hulking lout who used to beat you up in high school was, we get it by now. You can stop writing that character in to everything, and making him smelly, with rotten teeth, ugly and stupid, a drop-out and juvenile delinquent who comes to a sticky end - honestly, we get it by now. It's been years, let it *go*, man; write a different villain!)Where I *did* notice a difference was in the shifts of tone - where you can see King gearing up for a good old massacre as in previous books and then Richard steps in and goes "No, Stephen, we're not doing that in this book".So people (generally) survive, the ending is (more or less) happy, there are only a few deaths, and whatever huge apocalypse you might have been anticipating (because after all, this *is* a Stephen King book and at the very least half the town will fall into a suddenly gaping sinkhole, right?) never eventuates.You can see the connections between other books, not alone in the Castle Rock continuity but the Gunslinger series. This leads to a certain tension between the plot of this particular book (which is much more optimistic than normal) and the expectations you have for a King novel (bad things will happen to good people, very bad things indeed). You get this when King is getting into his stride, dropping dark hints, setting a tone of brooding anticipation about the danger posed by the button box, and just when you expect something disastrous to happen - it's then that Chizmar (I imagine) steps in and damps it all down.There *is* a disaster (taken right from real life) and a very bad thing does happen to a good person, but in general life goes on remarkably well. You expect Gwendy, the heroine, to end up paying a dreadful price for the good things that happen to her as a result and looking at it one way, you could say she does (looking at it another, someone else pays that price for her) but the end seems to be genuinely good future for her, with no lingering "ah yes, but twenty years down the line, this bill will come due - with added interest" foreboding. The giver of the button box is also a surprisingly benign figure, given the intimations of darker purpose King attributes to him.The main problem with that is that this is a novella - it should either have been a short story, where the compression would keep us going forward with the momentum of the tale and the untroubled future, and seeming lack of lasting effect on Gwendy, would not have been so noticeable, or expanded into a novel, where events over the five or so years of the story's timespan could have been examined in more detail and the characterisation given more depth and the recovery of Gwendy from her trauma given space to breathe and happen.But it's a decent story all the same, and a real Stephen King story, and worth the time to read it.

I loved this book and like most read it in one sitting. I was almost put off buying it by some of the reviews, but thought to hell with it when I'm in a dark place nothing cheers me up more than a Stephen King book. I didn't pay a lot for the book as I bought it on my kindle and well worth the money. I don't understand why some of the reviewers didn't know what the buttons did on the box, I thought that was clear. The book does have an air about it of needful things, but that is one of my favourite books. I found the book clear and mysterious at the same time as well as thought provoking - it is great, I'd love to read another book about the button box in someone else's hands, hears hoping!

​I have now read Gwendy's Button Box twice, the previous time in 2017. I still enjoy it as much as I did on the first read, and it was a book that drew me in, and is something that I wished I'd read as a child.It's one of those books, perhaps one that you may not have read as a child, due to some adult themes (Frankie talking about Gwendy's "sugar tits" and how tight her ass is, amongst other things, like death). But there are certain themes included in here, which would have sparked my imagination at a young age and perhaps been a better introduction to Stephen King than Carrie was.For such a short book (it's only 171 pages, with extremely short chapters), it will be a book that will leave you thinking afterwards. I wanted Gwendy to use the Button Box more, but it was nice to see her life improve little by little, even the bits that don't necessarily feel like improvements. From the plump girl at the beginning in 1974, to the grown up teenager at the end, you are sucked into Gwendy's journey from that little girl, through her first love, and everything that teenage-dom can throw at her.Of course, it's set in Maine, and more specifically Castle Rock. The "Suicide Stairs" make for an interesting beginning to the book, and the fascinating character of Richard Farris. I don't know if anyone else made a connection between the man who killed himself on the stairs in the 1930s and Richard Farris - or maybe it was just something that King was hinting at or my brain thinking of connections which aren't actually there.This isn't one of those James Patterson collaborations, where he's slapped his name on the cover to give some unknown publicity. I haven't heard of Richard Chizmar before this, and it's very much a Stephen King novella, with the darkness and foreboding there. I don't feel that the pace dragged at any points either but I do feel that some parts could have been fleshed out a bit more. Gwendy does go from 12 to 18 thereabouts pretty quickly and I wanted more from her, more about her life.Interestingly, I loved this more than my Dad did, and he's the big Stephen King fan. But I think Gwendy "spoke" to me, in a way that she probably didn't speak to my dad. Perhaps there was a little part of me that identified with her.You will read this in one sitting, and I'm re-reading this prior to reading the  sequel . There was nothing here that led me to need a sequel and I was quite happy with the way the book ended - there was no cliffhanger ending, but obviously Richard had a bee in his bonnet or more ideas about what happened to Gwendy. It will be interesting to see how the sequel turns out, since it's a considerably longer book. I would definitely recommend this, if you're after a quick read and it might be something I will introduce my children to in the future. sequel

Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar is an excellent novella which considers the possibilities that come with having great power. This is a story that will resonate with me for a long time to come, and will be relevant in a political sense forever. Gwendy is a striking character, but essentially one of the rare ‘mostly good’ characters from King’s universe. I can understand why Chizmar wanted to explore more about this character in Gwendy’s Magic Feather, which I will be reviewing next week.The storyGwendy’s Button Box follows teenage Gwendy, who is a little overweight, is averagely intelligent and has one very close best friend. Gwendy is approached by a mystery man. Richard Farris presents Gwendy with a box that has a variety of buttons and levers that do unexplainable things. One lever releases delicious chocolate treats that leave you feeling full after just one, and another releases rare coins. The buttons, on the other hand, are seemingly less helpful and more potentially harmful, in ways Gwendy can only imagine. One button could destroy an entire continent, another the world.Why I like this book…Gwendy’s Button Box is a great book because it seriously considers the possibilities of this box being in the wrong hands. There are moments in Gwendy’s adolescent life where she gets hormonal and wants to end it all, but she is a very strong young lady and this self assurance throughout the narrative is compelling and beautiful to read.As she takes care of the box, it rewards her; she is smarter, prettier, loses weight, her parents stop drinking and fighting, and this is a great reflection of what would happen to our planet and society if we actually took care of it. The less we destroy, the more we are rewarded. This would be a great read for Trump and Johnson right now!I like also that this can be read as young adult fantasy; it is dark and tense at times, but ultimately considers what could happen the majority of the time, rather than having many of the characters actually being bad people. This must have been Chizmar’s influence on King, as there are plenty of redeemable characters in this novella and I truly enjoyed watching Gwendy’s internal struggle all the way through.Overall, I would rate this book 4.5*. I would recommend it to people who enjoy slightly dark, but short narratives and who enjoy a strong female protagonist. If you like something that is partially political, but not too in-your-face, then this will be a great read for you. I look forward to reviewing Gwendy’s Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar next week.