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The Button Box #3
Gwendy's Final Task
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Horror (2022)The final book in the New York Times bestselling Gwendy’s Button Box trilogy from Stephen King and Richard Chizmar.
When Gwendy Peterson was twelve, a mysterious stranger named Richard Farris gave her a mysterious box for safekeeping. It offered treats and vintage coins, but it was dangerous. Pushing any of its seven colored buttons promised death and destruction. Years later, the button box entered Gwendy’s life again. A successful novelist and a rising political star, she was once again forced to deal with the temptation that box represented. Now, evil forces seek to possess the button box and it is up to Senator Gwendy Peterson to keep it from them at all costs. But where can you hide something from such powerful entities?
In Gwendy’s Final Task , “horror giants” (Publishers Weekly) Stephen King and Richard Chizmar take us on a journey from Castle Rock to another famous cursed Maine city to the MF-1 space station, where Gwendy must execute a secret mission to save the world. And, maybe, all worlds.
When Gwendy Peterson was twelve, a mysterious stranger named Richard Farris gave her a mysterious box for safekeeping. It offered treats and vintage coins, but it was dangerous. Pushing any of its seven colored buttons promised death and destruction. Years later, the button box entered Gwendy’s life again. A successful novelist and a rising political star, she was once again forced to deal with the temptation that box represented. Now, evil forces seek to possess the button box and it is up to Senator Gwendy Peterson to keep it from them at all costs. But where can you hide something from such powerful entities?
In Gwendy’s Final Task , “horror giants” (Publishers Weekly) Stephen King and Richard Chizmar take us on a journey from Castle Rock to another famous cursed Maine city to the MF-1 space station, where Gwendy must execute a secret mission to save the world. And, maybe, all worlds.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2022
About the author
Stephen King
2,592 books852k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,165 reviews
March 2, 2023
The KING of the authors& brilliant Richard Chizmar saved the best for the last! And guess what they smartly weaved Roland Deschain’s universe into this story! Good news for Dark Tower fans! Both stories blended perfectly for us! I gave extra nerdy shrieks during my read each time I read those references! My geeky cells truly had a big celebration!
We have our last waltz with Gwendy Peterson who was only 12 years old little girl who has possessed the Button Box. After 5 decades later she lost her husband and she slowly loses the last pieces of memories she’s bottled up for years!
She finds herself in a space trip to Mars during the pandemic with hidden agenda: instead of protecting the box, she has to dispose it! She’s the one who has important mission to be achieved for the sake of universe!
I’m not gonna give much away. I know when I start to talk about plot, I cannot stop myself without giving too much spoilers! I can only say I loved this thrilling wild space ride!
Ending made me sad as expected but I always cry when something is too good eventually runs out of its own time. I’m saying goodbye to this brilliant trilogy with misty eyes and highly recommend to you read each book, enjoy the talents of the authors!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
We have our last waltz with Gwendy Peterson who was only 12 years old little girl who has possessed the Button Box. After 5 decades later she lost her husband and she slowly loses the last pieces of memories she’s bottled up for years!
She finds herself in a space trip to Mars during the pandemic with hidden agenda: instead of protecting the box, she has to dispose it! She’s the one who has important mission to be achieved for the sake of universe!
I’m not gonna give much away. I know when I start to talk about plot, I cannot stop myself without giving too much spoilers! I can only say I loved this thrilling wild space ride!
Ending made me sad as expected but I always cry when something is too good eventually runs out of its own time. I’m saying goodbye to this brilliant trilogy with misty eyes and highly recommend to you read each book, enjoy the talents of the authors!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
May 31, 2022
Gwendy survived the Button Box, and then the Magic Feather, and now in her 60s she is faced with her final task... getting rid of the Button Box, in space! Nope, that wasn't a typo! What were they thinking? And to add insult to injury this is a The Dark Tower, Derry and Castle Rock crossover!
Stephen King lost me on this one, lots of leaps and bounds are needed for me to accept this series ends on a spacecraft! The Caste Rock small-town genius of the first book in the series is completely cast away at this stage as Senator(!) Gwendy last task is away from Earth! Ya got to be kidding me? To add insult to injury there are references to newly added parts of her past, as well as other annoying things that I can't share as they're spoilers. I don't even think a re-read will save this one for me! 4 out of 12, Two Star Read, just about! FAIL! I only managed to read th ebook so quickly because of the large print / short chapter format.
2022 read
Stephen King lost me on this one, lots of leaps and bounds are needed for me to accept this series ends on a spacecraft! The Caste Rock small-town genius of the first book in the series is completely cast away at this stage as Senator(!) Gwendy last task is away from Earth! Ya got to be kidding me? To add insult to injury there are references to newly added parts of her past, as well as other annoying things that I can't share as they're spoilers. I don't even think a re-read will save this one for me! 4 out of 12, Two Star Read, just about! FAIL! I only managed to read th ebook so quickly because of the large print / short chapter format.
2022 read
July 24, 2023
“Gwendy's Final Task” by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar continues the epic story of Gwendy and this mysterious button box. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, it all comes back full circle with this final entry in Gwendy's Button Box Trilogy and it ends everything to the point of perfection.
Now before I begin my review, I’d like to go over the two main trigger warnings I found while reading. There are situations involving the COVID-19 pandemic as well as everything to do with Alzheimer’s Disease. If either of these trigger you, please don’t read this novel.
Moving along, I love this journey I’ve been on with Gwendy and this entire trilogy as it’s been such a reading adventure. It was great to go through all the phases of Gwendy as a little girl in the first one, an adult in the second one, and now as an older woman in her 60s. This novel was delightfully written in a way that not only gave some updates on previous characters met in the first two books but introduced another lineup of even more awesome characters.
Just like the previous two novels, the graphic illustrations were all throughout “Gwendy's Final Task” to add that extra immersion to the reading experience. I grew up reading a ton of horror paperbacks that did this and it is such a nice touch. The short chapters easily made this a breeze to read in yet another genuine pageturner. Both King and Chizmar delivered another incredible story with brilliant writing and several events that just hit your heart.
Don’t worry, I would never spoil anything for you but my goodness, I was blown away by this novel. This was a unique way to end this trilogy as it’s a story within a story on top of finally understanding what this whole button box is all about. If you are a fellow Constant Reader, you will LOVE what is revealed from King’s Universe in this one. I’ll leave it at that but let’s just say you will be delighted with what awaits. Especially if you enjoy clowns.
To see what this whole button box is all about was very thought-provoking and just made me see things in a whole new light. I’d highly recommend reading this trilogy consecutively as it’s just a great story from beginning to end. It’s another bit of a slow burn but my goodness, it delivers and then some towards the end. The payoff is real as you get to the last 30% of this novel.
You know you’re reading a great finale to a trilogy if it ends with a solid cast of characters including one you just love to hate. Thanks to that, this novel checks a lot of boxes for me when it comes to everything. You’ll find fantasy, suspense, thriller, a bit of mystery, and of course, natural pure horror. Just like in the first entry, this one has yet another insane, creepy, horrific situation that I completely loved. I enjoyed it so much, I had to read that particular situation twice, and needless to say, it’s King and Chizmar doing what they do best.
This was such an emotional read for me and to be honest, that’s pretty rare for me. That’s why it felt like a powerhouse of a read because it tugs on your heart while keeping you on your toes as to what will go down with this final task for Gwendy. She’s my favorite character in this entire trilogy because she’s so relatable it makes you want to root for her in everything she does. I connected with her character so much since she always does what’s right and well, that’s something I try to do as well in life.
The ending was breathtaking and just left me in awe. That epilogue? Perfection. Again, it’s very rare for me to feel this way after a horror novel and I cherished every single moment of it. I genuinely closed my Kindle Paperwhite when done and just let it all soak in. All these words came into my mind when done. Unbelievable. Fascinating. Meaningful. Impactful. Magnificent. Wonderful. Unforgettable.
I give “Gwendy's Final Task” by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar a perfect 5/5 and would give this entire Gwendy's Button Box Trilogy trilogy a 10/5 if I could. This was the first trilogy I’ve ever read on my Kindle and it completely blew me away. I wish I read this sooner because this is going to stick with me for many years to come. I’m so glad I finally got to it and can’t recommend this trilogy enough for fans of King, Chizmar, and for those readers that just want an awesome story. One that will leave quite an impression on you while leaving you beyond satisfied.
Now before I begin my review, I’d like to go over the two main trigger warnings I found while reading. There are situations involving the COVID-19 pandemic as well as everything to do with Alzheimer’s Disease. If either of these trigger you, please don’t read this novel.
Moving along, I love this journey I’ve been on with Gwendy and this entire trilogy as it’s been such a reading adventure. It was great to go through all the phases of Gwendy as a little girl in the first one, an adult in the second one, and now as an older woman in her 60s. This novel was delightfully written in a way that not only gave some updates on previous characters met in the first two books but introduced another lineup of even more awesome characters.
Just like the previous two novels, the graphic illustrations were all throughout “Gwendy's Final Task” to add that extra immersion to the reading experience. I grew up reading a ton of horror paperbacks that did this and it is such a nice touch. The short chapters easily made this a breeze to read in yet another genuine pageturner. Both King and Chizmar delivered another incredible story with brilliant writing and several events that just hit your heart.
Don’t worry, I would never spoil anything for you but my goodness, I was blown away by this novel. This was a unique way to end this trilogy as it’s a story within a story on top of finally understanding what this whole button box is all about. If you are a fellow Constant Reader, you will LOVE what is revealed from King’s Universe in this one. I’ll leave it at that but let’s just say you will be delighted with what awaits. Especially if you enjoy clowns.
To see what this whole button box is all about was very thought-provoking and just made me see things in a whole new light. I’d highly recommend reading this trilogy consecutively as it’s just a great story from beginning to end. It’s another bit of a slow burn but my goodness, it delivers and then some towards the end. The payoff is real as you get to the last 30% of this novel.
You know you’re reading a great finale to a trilogy if it ends with a solid cast of characters including one you just love to hate. Thanks to that, this novel checks a lot of boxes for me when it comes to everything. You’ll find fantasy, suspense, thriller, a bit of mystery, and of course, natural pure horror. Just like in the first entry, this one has yet another insane, creepy, horrific situation that I completely loved. I enjoyed it so much, I had to read that particular situation twice, and needless to say, it’s King and Chizmar doing what they do best.
This was such an emotional read for me and to be honest, that’s pretty rare for me. That’s why it felt like a powerhouse of a read because it tugs on your heart while keeping you on your toes as to what will go down with this final task for Gwendy. She’s my favorite character in this entire trilogy because she’s so relatable it makes you want to root for her in everything she does. I connected with her character so much since she always does what’s right and well, that’s something I try to do as well in life.
The ending was breathtaking and just left me in awe. That epilogue? Perfection. Again, it’s very rare for me to feel this way after a horror novel and I cherished every single moment of it. I genuinely closed my Kindle Paperwhite when done and just let it all soak in. All these words came into my mind when done. Unbelievable. Fascinating. Meaningful. Impactful. Magnificent. Wonderful. Unforgettable.
I give “Gwendy's Final Task” by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar a perfect 5/5 and would give this entire Gwendy's Button Box Trilogy trilogy a 10/5 if I could. This was the first trilogy I’ve ever read on my Kindle and it completely blew me away. I wish I read this sooner because this is going to stick with me for many years to come. I’m so glad I finally got to it and can’t recommend this trilogy enough for fans of King, Chizmar, and for those readers that just want an awesome story. One that will leave quite an impression on you while leaving you beyond satisfied.
March 14, 2022
No matter how careful you were, no matter how good your intentions, the button box always extracted its due. In blood.Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sending me an ARC of Gwendy’s Final Task in exchange for an honest review.
…
“People don’t need a button box to do horrible things. There is plenty of evil f*ckery in the human spirit.”
Gwendy’s Button Box was a very entertaining novella. Young Gwendy was a really believable, interesting character, and the story was an exploration of the weight of power and responsibility, reminiscent of an old Twilight Zone or Outer Limits plot. Gwendy’s Magic Feather, written without Stephen King, was a disappointment. Middle-aged Gwendy had some middle-aged worries, but the story was much too slow and seemed to simply spend too much time setting up the third book in the trilogy. So I went into Gwendy’s Final Task nervously but cautiously optimistic that the combination of Stephen King’s return and the build up from the middle book would pay off here in the finale.
Gwendy’s Final Task takes place in a post-Covid 2026 (there are a few references to it, but not too much). Gwendy is now a 64-year-old US Senator who is having memory issues due to early onset Alzheimer’s. That would be troubling under any circumstance, but Gwendy is about to travel to an international space station, so it’s even worse. The novel tells the tale of how she came to be in that position, what she plans to do when she gets into space, and what it all has to do with Richard Farris and the button box—because you know it has something to do with Richard Farris and the button box.
The portion of the novel told in flashbacks, which catch the reader up on what’s happened to Gwendy since the last book, have a number of references to It, which was a bit of nice nostalgia. But those and other references are a double-edged sword. If there’s a flaw to the book, it’s that the whole story is intertwined with other Stephen King novels, most notably The Dark Tower series. It makes this story feel like an extension of other tales rather than a free-standing one. As the third of a trilogy, I suppose that was inevitable, but not to this extent.
Still, I enjoyed Gwendy’s Final Task. It has a solid story and Gwendy remains an interesting character. The presentation of her struggle with Alzheimer’s was moving and unusual; not a lot of popular fiction revolves around elderly characters, and certainly not ones in her condition. The first book in the trilogy is still the best one, and leaving Gwendy’s Button Box as a stand-alone tale probably would have been the best choice looking back. But if you read the second book, the finale is well worth reading. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
February 21, 2022
Possibly the worst thing I've ever read with Stephen King's name attached to it. I cannot conceive of how he could be proud or happy to see his name on the cover of this steaming pile of shit.
The writing is odious and obnoxious and so lovingly awful that I have to assume Chizmar wrote the bulk of this, and King dipped in and filled in some of the Low Men and Dark Tower references. It's amusing that, toward the end, Gwendy thinks, I've wandered into a comic book when most of the damn thing is written far worse than the average comic book is, these days.
The characters are almost uniformly good, or terribly bad with no real motivation either way. The antagonist, Winston, is such an obnoxiously cookie cutter villain that he sucks what little life there may be in the story right out. He's obscenely rich, obscenely obnoxious, fat, and a closet homosexual. Really, have we progressed so little?
While I know King has let some of his politics bleed into his prose, he usually does it quite sparingly. In Gwendy's Final Crap, the reader is bludgeoned with it. It's thick and heavy enough that even a guy like me, who essentially agrees with the politics being pushed, found it obnoxious and heavy-handed.
And I think that's the key descriptor for this entire story. Heavy-handed.
We seem to be reminded on every damn page that Gwendy's in the throes of Alzheimer's. Honestly, after the 20th reminder, I was done. By the 50th, I was literally rolling my eyes. I did a lot of eye rolling.
But the heavy-handedness bled into all other areas of the story. How can we get Gwendy into space? Let's just layer a ridiculous show of force so one person can believe her. How can we build sympathy for Gwendy? Let's do a bunch of flashbacks to her mom, her dad, the night her husband died, and anything else that could possibly tug on our heartstrings, if only the nostalgia wasn't spackled on with such gooey abandon.
But wait! There's the entire ending. King and Chizmar take it into an entirely new level of ridiculousness, expecting the reader to suspend so much disbelief it could fill the Grand Canyon, just so they can force the ending that had to happen, but never could in any sort of sane, realistic scenario.
It's actually sad to see a writer who has obviously read Stephen King's stuff, enjoyed it, then go attempt to write in that style, only to pick the wrong observances, to snatch the wrong words out of the air, to fumble every character, to allow them to speak the most stilted, unnatural "as you know, Bob" dialogue, and then push them through a ridiculously thin storyline.
I can only hope that Chizmar got his retirement fund out of his connection with King and doesn't continue to milk the everliving shit out of it.
But I'm guessing he will.
After the utter shit that was Gwendy's Magic Feather, I swore I was done with this series, because that one absolutely stank. I should have listened to myself.
I will say, here and now, that if Chizmar's name ever gets associated with King's on anotherretirement fund writing project, I will happily and joyfully pass, knowing I saved my eyes a bunch of rolling, and saved my money by passing on yet another polished turd.
This entire series is complete garbage, and King and Chizmar owe me some reading hours back.
The writing is odious and obnoxious and so lovingly awful that I have to assume Chizmar wrote the bulk of this, and King dipped in and filled in some of the Low Men and Dark Tower references. It's amusing that, toward the end, Gwendy thinks, I've wandered into a comic book when most of the damn thing is written far worse than the average comic book is, these days.
The characters are almost uniformly good, or terribly bad with no real motivation either way. The antagonist, Winston, is such an obnoxiously cookie cutter villain that he sucks what little life there may be in the story right out. He's obscenely rich, obscenely obnoxious, fat, and a closet homosexual. Really, have we progressed so little?
While I know King has let some of his politics bleed into his prose, he usually does it quite sparingly. In Gwendy's Final Crap, the reader is bludgeoned with it. It's thick and heavy enough that even a guy like me, who essentially agrees with the politics being pushed, found it obnoxious and heavy-handed.
And I think that's the key descriptor for this entire story. Heavy-handed.
We seem to be reminded on every damn page that Gwendy's in the throes of Alzheimer's. Honestly, after the 20th reminder, I was done. By the 50th, I was literally rolling my eyes. I did a lot of eye rolling.
But the heavy-handedness bled into all other areas of the story. How can we get Gwendy into space? Let's just layer a ridiculous show of force so one person can believe her. How can we build sympathy for Gwendy? Let's do a bunch of flashbacks to her mom, her dad, the night her husband died, and anything else that could possibly tug on our heartstrings, if only the nostalgia wasn't spackled on with such gooey abandon.
But wait! There's the entire ending. King and Chizmar take it into an entirely new level of ridiculousness, expecting the reader to suspend so much disbelief it could fill the Grand Canyon, just so they can force the ending that had to happen, but never could in any sort of sane, realistic scenario.
It's actually sad to see a writer who has obviously read Stephen King's stuff, enjoyed it, then go attempt to write in that style, only to pick the wrong observances, to snatch the wrong words out of the air, to fumble every character, to allow them to speak the most stilted, unnatural "as you know, Bob" dialogue, and then push them through a ridiculously thin storyline.
I can only hope that Chizmar got his retirement fund out of his connection with King and doesn't continue to milk the everliving shit out of it.
But I'm guessing he will.
After the utter shit that was Gwendy's Magic Feather, I swore I was done with this series, because that one absolutely stank. I should have listened to myself.
I will say, here and now, that if Chizmar's name ever gets associated with King's on another
This entire series is complete garbage, and King and Chizmar owe me some reading hours back.
April 5, 2022
I was not sure if I would finish the Gwendy trilogy. I really liked the first book but did not care much for the second one. If it was not for the fact that this book was available on Overdrive when I was looking for something to listen to, I am not sure I would have given it a shot.
I must admit I am glad I did. It was much better than the second book and a fitting end to the story.
A mix of mystery, sci-fi, and horror; it has all the elements you love from Stephen King. His collaboration with Chizmar was very good on this and I wonder how much of it is King and how much of it is Chizmar. Something I read previously (don’t ask me to site my source because I honestly don’t remember) led me to believe this series is mostly Chizmar with King mainly serving as inspiration. I cannot say if that is truly the case, but it would make sense.
One maybe “complaint” is that this book gets very political. I didn’t used to have an issue with politics in books, but after the past few years I am exhausted by it and want my books to be an escape. You are definitely not escaping modern political opinions in this one. I am not going to focus on which side of things the politics fall in this book (I am bet all of you probably can guess which way they fall) because all of it exhausts me!
So, politics aside, it is a better book than the second one, has a good ending, and I am 100% glad I finished this adventure. Should you try the trilogy? I am not sure that I can recommend it, but I am also not sure I can discourage you. At least each of the books are short so if you get to a place you just don’t feel like it is working for you, at least you will have not committed too much time to it!
I must admit I am glad I did. It was much better than the second book and a fitting end to the story.
A mix of mystery, sci-fi, and horror; it has all the elements you love from Stephen King. His collaboration with Chizmar was very good on this and I wonder how much of it is King and how much of it is Chizmar. Something I read previously (don’t ask me to site my source because I honestly don’t remember) led me to believe this series is mostly Chizmar with King mainly serving as inspiration. I cannot say if that is truly the case, but it would make sense.
One maybe “complaint” is that this book gets very political. I didn’t used to have an issue with politics in books, but after the past few years I am exhausted by it and want my books to be an escape. You are definitely not escaping modern political opinions in this one. I am not going to focus on which side of things the politics fall in this book (I am bet all of you probably can guess which way they fall) because all of it exhausts me!
So, politics aside, it is a better book than the second one, has a good ending, and I am 100% glad I finished this adventure. Should you try the trilogy? I am not sure that I can recommend it, but I am also not sure I can discourage you. At least each of the books are short so if you get to a place you just don’t feel like it is working for you, at least you will have not committed too much time to it!
March 8, 2022
Completing their collaborative trilogy, Stephen King and Richard Chizmar bring Gwendy and her mysterious button box back for another adventure, complete with a new challenge that could prove more daunting than meets the eye. After years living with her button box as a memory, Gwendy Peterson is visited once again by the elusive Richard Farris. After much secrecy, Farris mentions that he has one final task for Gwendy that involves the button box, which must be completed post haste. Peterson has made a name for herself, now a member of the US Congress and is headed on a space mission. With the button box in hand., Gwendy takes her task seriously and hopes that she can fulfil the final wish Richard Farris asked of her, saving the world one final time. King and Chizmar end the series with this great story that works well alongside the previous two.
At the age of twelve Gwendy Peterson was visited by a man in a black bowler hat. Richard Farris offered her a small box with many buttons, but warned that with this gift came a great deal of responsibility. Gwendy accepted this, as series readers know well from the previous two pieces, as she explored the powers of this box and what it meant for her.
Decades later, Gwendy has taken on many other responsibilities in life including as a sitting US senator, as well as being prominent around her home state of Maine. When she is asked to join a space mission, she is eager to see what that will mean and how she might be able to influence those around her.
Richard Farris appears to her with a task, to take the button box once again for a final mission. It would seem that the past seven holders of the box have met horrible demises and he is worried about the future of the button box. He asks Gwendy to take possession of it and take it along with her into space, where it can be disposed of properly.
After a few catastrophic events prove to Gwendy that the box still has negative powers, she prepares to take it up with her into space. Gwendy learns that there are others who want to get their hands on it, hoping to use the box’s powers to advance themselves in ways they could not accomplish on their own. Gwendy will have to make some serious choices, as she orbits Earth, hoping to make Richard Farris proud and ensure the world is a safer place. A great end to the trilogy, in which King and Chizmar left the reader thinking a great deal about the power of suggestion and how control can sometimes be too much for a single person to handle.
I remember picking up the novella that began this series, thinking that it was an ingenious idea by two established authors. The collaborative efforts of Stephen King and Richard Chizmar brought about this unique story that has many interesting twists to keep the reader engaged. Chizmar worked well on bridging the novella with a full-length novel and now both authors are back to tie everything off nicely. With a great story and some effective plot twists to keep the story moving along, King and Chizmar solidify their collaborative efforts with this series finale.
Gwendy Peterson has come a long way since her appearance at age twelve, when she was first handed the button box. She’s matured and developed a life of her own, which is paralleled by the added responsibilities put upon her by repeated time with the box. Her backstory and character development work hand in hand throughout this final story in the series, which pushes the reader to really come to understand Gwendy on many levels. Complementing her are some strong characters who pave the way for a climactic ending, just what the authors had in store for series fans.
When authors are able to work well together, the fruits of their labour are usually beneficial for the reader. Such is the case here, with Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. Both have established themselves before and bring this renewed connection to craft a strong story for all to enjoy. A great narrative pushes things forward, never sure where things will go, and the characters are usually quite unique. King and Chizmar keep the reader guessing with twists in the narrative, such that there is little time to rest and ponder, as something is always happening. Short chapters serve as teasers, while longer ones develop the storyline effectively. While there was a great deal of jumping around to provide context for Gwendy Peterson’s life, it is done properly and proves easy for the reader to follow throughout. It is sad to see the series end, but I wonder if this is the last we have seen of the King-Chizmar team!
Kudos, Messrs. King and Chizmar, for bringing a wonderful conclusion to the series. I like what I have seen and can only hope that there is something else brewing soon.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
At the age of twelve Gwendy Peterson was visited by a man in a black bowler hat. Richard Farris offered her a small box with many buttons, but warned that with this gift came a great deal of responsibility. Gwendy accepted this, as series readers know well from the previous two pieces, as she explored the powers of this box and what it meant for her.
Decades later, Gwendy has taken on many other responsibilities in life including as a sitting US senator, as well as being prominent around her home state of Maine. When she is asked to join a space mission, she is eager to see what that will mean and how she might be able to influence those around her.
Richard Farris appears to her with a task, to take the button box once again for a final mission. It would seem that the past seven holders of the box have met horrible demises and he is worried about the future of the button box. He asks Gwendy to take possession of it and take it along with her into space, where it can be disposed of properly.
After a few catastrophic events prove to Gwendy that the box still has negative powers, she prepares to take it up with her into space. Gwendy learns that there are others who want to get their hands on it, hoping to use the box’s powers to advance themselves in ways they could not accomplish on their own. Gwendy will have to make some serious choices, as she orbits Earth, hoping to make Richard Farris proud and ensure the world is a safer place. A great end to the trilogy, in which King and Chizmar left the reader thinking a great deal about the power of suggestion and how control can sometimes be too much for a single person to handle.
I remember picking up the novella that began this series, thinking that it was an ingenious idea by two established authors. The collaborative efforts of Stephen King and Richard Chizmar brought about this unique story that has many interesting twists to keep the reader engaged. Chizmar worked well on bridging the novella with a full-length novel and now both authors are back to tie everything off nicely. With a great story and some effective plot twists to keep the story moving along, King and Chizmar solidify their collaborative efforts with this series finale.
Gwendy Peterson has come a long way since her appearance at age twelve, when she was first handed the button box. She’s matured and developed a life of her own, which is paralleled by the added responsibilities put upon her by repeated time with the box. Her backstory and character development work hand in hand throughout this final story in the series, which pushes the reader to really come to understand Gwendy on many levels. Complementing her are some strong characters who pave the way for a climactic ending, just what the authors had in store for series fans.
When authors are able to work well together, the fruits of their labour are usually beneficial for the reader. Such is the case here, with Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. Both have established themselves before and bring this renewed connection to craft a strong story for all to enjoy. A great narrative pushes things forward, never sure where things will go, and the characters are usually quite unique. King and Chizmar keep the reader guessing with twists in the narrative, such that there is little time to rest and ponder, as something is always happening. Short chapters serve as teasers, while longer ones develop the storyline effectively. While there was a great deal of jumping around to provide context for Gwendy Peterson’s life, it is done properly and proves easy for the reader to follow throughout. It is sad to see the series end, but I wonder if this is the last we have seen of the King-Chizmar team!
Kudos, Messrs. King and Chizmar, for bringing a wonderful conclusion to the series. I like what I have seen and can only hope that there is something else brewing soon.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
October 9, 2023
Very gripping, easy read. The ending had me welling up. I liked that if referenced ‘It’ and ‘the dark tower’ throughout the book. I haven’t read the previous two books (which I’m going to do!) however its is still good as a stand alone book, no need to read the other two to understand what is going on etc as its explained throughout
March 30, 2022
The only reason why I am giving this a grudging two stars is because of the Easter eggs to other King works. If not for that, this would barely get a 1. What kills me with this story honestly is that if you have not read the Dark Tower, Castle Rock books, and IT you are going to be totally lost. I ended up just wishing that King had done a last book on the Dark Tower series, or maybe done a third book in the Talisman series, anything but do this final book starring Mary Sue, otherwise known as Gwendy. The character development in this book was sparse. I think we finally get maybe a sentence or two of dialogue from Gwendy's husband, but he was just a plot point. The setting of this book takes mainly in space (yes really) and the whole thing was tedious. I should have felt something by the time we got to the end, and I really didn't until we get to read a common saying in many of King's works "there are other worlds than these." But those words just filled me with nostalgia and yearning for earlier and better books.
"Gwendy's Final Task" follows 60 plus year old Gwendy, who is now a Senator from Maine. We have a quick scene showing how "the Box" has come back into Gwendy's position with a fear that something is making those who are in possession of it, want to push the final cancel button that ends everything. When Gwendy realizes that she is going to need to destroy the Box, she takes a risk doing it when she is in space for a jaunt with NASA (yes this is really happening, I didn't write this, don't come for me about it). The story follows Gwendy's political career and what she finds out about those who are hunting for the Box.
Gwendy is just....sigh. I don't care about her. She's just there to move the story along. I don't rate her as high as other Stephen King female protagonists like Susannah Dean (the Dark Tower), Susan Delgado (the Dark Tower), Dolores Claiborne (Dolores Claiborne), and Susan Norton (Salem's Lot). I loved the first story starring her character and each subsequent one since then has been a disappointment. I think it's because King and Chizmar don't quite know what to do with her. They just made her uber Gwendy and she's gone from being a member of the House of Representatives, to a best-selling author, and now a Senator from Maine. I wish that King and Chizmar had kept her more grounded instead of doing these big leaps with her that didn't feel true to the character.
We see some familiar people/places in this one, such as Sheriff Norris Ridgewick, (Needful Things, Bag of Bones, Lisey's Story, etc.) We also return to Derry which has been central to many of King's novels. I assume that this book may be a reason why there is going to be a prequel showing Derry and I just hard sighed. I felt like the book skipped over too many things and that overall this was a loose idea that never really settled.
The other characters are paper thin though. I am too tired to look up Gwendy's husband's name, but he didn't feel real, so any grief she had about him didn't do much for me. We have the astronauts and billionaire that Gwendy goes into space with and once again, everyone was paper thin. I found myself wondering what was going on and when things started to click in place I was like ehh this could have stayed in the drafts.
The writing was King like and not at times. I honestly wonder if King and Chizimar took a dart board and just tried to figure out how to loop things into fitting with the Dark Tower and other books. I am usually happy about that, but this book it felt ham fisted.
For Constant Readers here are some King Easter eggs:
-Low Men in Yellow Coats (Hearts in Atlantis, Black House, The Dark Tower)
-Clown (IT, The Dark Tower)
-Derry, Maine (IT; Secret Window, Secret Garden; Bag of Bones; Everything's Eventual;
-Dreamcatcher; Full Dark, No Stars; and 11/22/63)
-The White/Gan (The Dark Tower, Insomnia, IT, The Talisman, Black House)
I can say that the flow is good, it's the only thing that kept me reading. The chapters are short/choppy and the book runs back to before (when Gwendy ran for Senator) to the now (Gwendy in space).
The setting of this book kind of made me laugh. Has any King book taken place in space before? This may be the first. We are in the year 2026, and COVID-19 is still a thing, but with vaccines people have moved on. We have Donald Trump and the current GOP in this world and it made me shake my head. I don't really care about Stephen King's politics or him talking about them via characters in his books. I know some readers got mad about it, but it is what it is. I think he's going to keep inserting Trump in his books because he writes about terrible things all the time and I think he can't quite grasp how Americans fell for someone he sees as worse than Greg Stillson (The Dead Zone). I also thought that King was taking a swipe at the whole rich men space race that was going on a few months ago in this one too and showing why he thinks it's stupid to uplift billionaires.
The ending just didn't make a lot of sense. I just leaned into it at that point. I don't think it's clever when an author is like yes I am totally using an deus ex Machina to not really have you look too deep at this. Don't get me started on the whole we supposedly knew how Gwendy's story was going to end (see book #1) that did not come to pass which also got handwaved away. I wish that I could have felt something at the end. As I said earlier, it wasn't till the epilogue and I read "there are other worlds than these" that I did.
"Gwendy's Final Task" follows 60 plus year old Gwendy, who is now a Senator from Maine. We have a quick scene showing how "the Box" has come back into Gwendy's position with a fear that something is making those who are in possession of it, want to push the final cancel button that ends everything. When Gwendy realizes that she is going to need to destroy the Box, she takes a risk doing it when she is in space for a jaunt with NASA (yes this is really happening, I didn't write this, don't come for me about it). The story follows Gwendy's political career and what she finds out about those who are hunting for the Box.
Gwendy is just....sigh. I don't care about her. She's just there to move the story along. I don't rate her as high as other Stephen King female protagonists like Susannah Dean (the Dark Tower), Susan Delgado (the Dark Tower), Dolores Claiborne (Dolores Claiborne), and Susan Norton (Salem's Lot). I loved the first story starring her character and each subsequent one since then has been a disappointment. I think it's because King and Chizmar don't quite know what to do with her. They just made her uber Gwendy and she's gone from being a member of the House of Representatives, to a best-selling author, and now a Senator from Maine. I wish that King and Chizmar had kept her more grounded instead of doing these big leaps with her that didn't feel true to the character.
We see some familiar people/places in this one, such as Sheriff Norris Ridgewick, (Needful Things, Bag of Bones, Lisey's Story, etc.) We also return to Derry which has been central to many of King's novels. I assume that this book may be a reason why there is going to be a prequel showing Derry and I just hard sighed. I felt like the book skipped over too many things and that overall this was a loose idea that never really settled.
The other characters are paper thin though. I am too tired to look up Gwendy's husband's name, but he didn't feel real, so any grief she had about him didn't do much for me. We have the astronauts and billionaire that Gwendy goes into space with and once again, everyone was paper thin. I found myself wondering what was going on and when things started to click in place I was like ehh this could have stayed in the drafts.
The writing was King like and not at times. I honestly wonder if King and Chizimar took a dart board and just tried to figure out how to loop things into fitting with the Dark Tower and other books. I am usually happy about that, but this book it felt ham fisted.
For Constant Readers here are some King Easter eggs:
-Low Men in Yellow Coats (Hearts in Atlantis, Black House, The Dark Tower)
-Clown (IT, The Dark Tower)
-Derry, Maine (IT; Secret Window, Secret Garden; Bag of Bones; Everything's Eventual;
-Dreamcatcher; Full Dark, No Stars; and 11/22/63)
-The White/Gan (The Dark Tower, Insomnia, IT, The Talisman, Black House)
I can say that the flow is good, it's the only thing that kept me reading. The chapters are short/choppy and the book runs back to before (when Gwendy ran for Senator) to the now (Gwendy in space).
The setting of this book kind of made me laugh. Has any King book taken place in space before? This may be the first. We are in the year 2026, and COVID-19 is still a thing, but with vaccines people have moved on. We have Donald Trump and the current GOP in this world and it made me shake my head. I don't really care about Stephen King's politics or him talking about them via characters in his books. I know some readers got mad about it, but it is what it is. I think he's going to keep inserting Trump in his books because he writes about terrible things all the time and I think he can't quite grasp how Americans fell for someone he sees as worse than Greg Stillson (The Dead Zone). I also thought that King was taking a swipe at the whole rich men space race that was going on a few months ago in this one too and showing why he thinks it's stupid to uplift billionaires.
The ending just didn't make a lot of sense. I just leaned into it at that point. I don't think it's clever when an author is like yes I am totally using an deus ex Machina to not really have you look too deep at this. Don't get me started on the whole we supposedly knew how Gwendy's story was going to end (see book #1) that did not come to pass which also got handwaved away. I wish that I could have felt something at the end. As I said earlier, it wasn't till the epilogue and I read "there are other worlds than these" that I did.
September 28, 2022
2026, the covid is not completely defeated. but there are vaccines against the identified strains. A rocket is launching from Cape Canaveral. Senator Wendy as part of the Oops crew, I remember when it all started in 1974, Gwenda was about thirteen, so she's in her seventies, isn't it too much?
We fell in love with this girl from Castle Rock with the story of the Button Box, pretty disappointed in her with the story of the magic feather. And so, she returns with "Gwendy's Last Case," surprising in a good way. After the disastrous second part, when you don't expect anything from the heroine, suddenly there is a completely Stevenking ending, and it's wonderful.
A great story, at the same time Tolkien, King and Bradbury. Sure. you'll like it.
Гвенди в небо улетает, до свидания, гуд бай
Люди всеми силами отворачиваются от правды. Кто-то должен возвысить голос и ткнуть их носом в те вещи, в которые им удобнее и проще не верить.
2026 год, ковид не побежден окончательно. но против выявленных штаммов есть вакцины. С мыса Канаверал стартует ракета. Сенатор Гвенди в составе экипажа Упс, помнится, когда все начиналось в 1974, Гвенди было лет тринадцать, значит она на седьмом десятке, не слишком ли?
Слишком, а в дополнение к почтенному возрасту, героиня похоже отчаянно борется с подступающей деменцией, но об этом никто из окружающих не догадывается. И ты уже готова сказать: "Что за...", - но не говоришь, потому что начинаешь понимать, зачем она здесь, как это оказалось возможным, каков источник проблем. Отключаешь Внутреннего критика и без душевного сопротивления принимаешь исходные данные, только отмечая про себя, что не зря еще в рецензии на первую книжку писала, что Гвенди - это такой хоббит.
Эту девочку из Касл-Рока мы полюбили с историей Пуговичной шкатулки, изрядно разочаровавшись в ней с историей волшебного перышка. И вот, она в��звращается с "Последним делом Гвенди", по-хорошему удивив. После провальной второй части, когда от героини уже ничего не ждешь, внезапно совершенно стивенкинговский финал, и это чудесно.
Тут надо пояснить. автор серии Гвенди не Кинг, вынесенный на обложку, а Ричард Чизмар, его издатель. Он подхватил и развил сюжет о девочке которой незнакомец дает удивительную вещицу, не то большой пульт, не то маленькую шкатулку для рукоделия с кнопочками и рычажками. Вещь, если потянуть за рычажок, выдает крохотные, с дивным искусством выполненные фигурки шоколадных животных, а иногда серебряные доллары. А вот нажимать на кнопки ни в коем случае не нужно, если ты это делаешь, в каком-то месте на Земле происходит страшное: землетрясение, наводнение, цунами или теракт. И есть одна кнопка, которая уничтожит все.
Мэтр начинал эту повесть в середине 70-х, да так и забросил, Чизмар попросил ее, завершил, вышло очень недурно. Продолжение он писал в одиночку, в своем стиле криминальных ужастиков и получилось тривиальное маниак-шоу. Третья часть проникнута пафосом "Властелина колец" и плотно ввязана в космогонию Стивена Кинга с его множественностью миров, Башней, лучами, разрушителями, гадкими-людьми-в-ярких-машинах - всем, по чему мы безошибочно опознаем его, за что принимаем немыслимое допущение начала.
Когда на пороге снова появился человек в охотничьей шляпе, Гвенди совсем не обрадовалась. Он объяснил, что ее задачей на ближайшее время должно стать спасение мира, с каковой целью она не просто вернется в политику, но будет баллотироваться в сенаторы, а добившись этого, станет первой пожилой женщиной, полетевшей в космос.
Злобная сила Пульта возрастает, заставляет Хранителей делать страшные вещи, двое из них покончили самоубийством, еще один перед этим убил жену и детей, последняя, не в силах сопротивляться, нажала зеленую кнопку и в провинции Хэнань мутировал вирус (помните, с чего я начала рассказ о книге?) На Земле для него нет места Всякому Кольцу Всевластия свой Ородруин.
Отличная история, одновременно толкиновская, кинговская и брэдбериевская. Уверена. вам понравится.
Мальчуган на проселочной дороге поднял голову и воскликнул:
— Смотри, мама, смотри! Звездочка падает!
Яркая белая звездочка летела в сумеречном небе Иллинойса.
— Загадай желание, — сказала его мать. — Скорее загадай желание.
Брэдбери "Калейдоскоп"
We fell in love with this girl from Castle Rock with the story of the Button Box, pretty disappointed in her with the story of the magic feather. And so, she returns with "Gwendy's Last Case," surprising in a good way. After the disastrous second part, when you don't expect anything from the heroine, suddenly there is a completely Stevenking ending, and it's wonderful.
A great story, at the same time Tolkien, King and Bradbury. Sure. you'll like it.
Гвенди в небо улетает, до свидания, гуд бай
Люди всеми силами отворачиваются от правды. Кто-то должен возвысить голос и ткнуть их носом в те вещи, в которые им удобнее и проще не верить.
2026 год, ковид не побежден окончательно. но против выявленных штаммов есть вакцины. С мыса Канаверал стартует ракета. Сенатор Гвенди в составе экипажа Упс, помнится, когда все начиналось в 1974, Гвенди было лет тринадцать, значит она на седьмом десятке, не слишком ли?
Слишком, а в дополнение к почтенному возрасту, героиня похоже отчаянно борется с подступающей деменцией, но об этом никто из окружающих не догадывается. И ты уже готова сказать: "Что за...", - но не говоришь, потому что начинаешь понимать, зачем она здесь, как это оказалось возможным, каков источник проблем. Отключаешь Внутреннего критика и без душевного сопротивления принимаешь исходные данные, только отмечая про себя, что не зря еще в рецензии на первую книжку писала, что Гвенди - это такой хоббит.
Эту девочку из Касл-Рока мы полюбили с историей Пуговичной шкатулки, изрядно разочаровавшись в ней с историей волшебного перышка. И вот, она в��звращается с "Последним делом Гвенди", по-хорошему удивив. После провальной второй части, когда от героини уже ничего не ждешь, внезапно совершенно стивенкинговский финал, и это чудесно.
Тут надо пояснить. автор серии Гвенди не Кинг, вынесенный на обложку, а Ричард Чизмар, его издатель. Он подхватил и развил сюжет о девочке которой незнакомец дает удивительную вещицу, не то большой пульт, не то маленькую шкатулку для рукоделия с кнопочками и рычажками. Вещь, если потянуть за рычажок, выдает крохотные, с дивным искусством выполненные фигурки шоколадных животных, а иногда серебряные доллары. А вот нажимать на кнопки ни в коем случае не нужно, если ты это делаешь, в каком-то месте на Земле происходит страшное: землетрясение, наводнение, цунами или теракт. И есть одна кнопка, которая уничтожит все.
Мэтр начинал эту повесть в середине 70-х, да так и забросил, Чизмар попросил ее, завершил, вышло очень недурно. Продолжение он писал в одиночку, в своем стиле криминальных ужастиков и получилось тривиальное маниак-шоу. Третья часть проникнута пафосом "Властелина колец" и плотно ввязана в космогонию Стивена Кинга с его множественностью миров, Башней, лучами, разрушителями, гадкими-людьми-в-ярких-машинах - всем, по чему мы безошибочно опознаем его, за что принимаем немыслимое допущение начала.
Когда на пороге снова появился человек в охотничьей шляпе, Гвенди совсем не обрадовалась. Он объяснил, что ее задачей на ближайшее время должно стать спасение мира, с каковой целью она не просто вернется в политику, но будет баллотироваться в сенаторы, а добившись этого, станет первой пожилой женщиной, полетевшей в космос.
Злобная сила Пульта возрастает, заставляет Хранителей делать страшные вещи, двое из них покончили самоубийством, еще один перед этим убил жену и детей, последняя, не в силах сопротивляться, нажала зеленую кнопку и в провинции Хэнань мутировал вирус (помните, с чего я начала рассказ о книге?) На Земле для него нет места Всякому Кольцу Всевластия свой Ородруин.
Отличная история, одновременно толкиновская, кинговская и брэдбериевская. Уверена. вам понравится.
Мальчуган на проселочной дороге поднял голову и воскликнул:
— Смотри, мама, смотри! Звездочка падает!
Яркая белая звездочка летела в сумеречном небе Иллинойса.
— Загадай желание, — сказала его мать. — Скорее загадай желание.
Брэдбери "Калейдоскоп"
May 14, 2024
People don't need a button box to do horrible things. There's plenty of evil fuckery in the human spirit.
In this third book in The Button Box trilogy Gwendy has the difficult mission of disposing of the dangerous and sinister button box which she first had it in safe-keeping when she was twelve years old.
As the years have passed, the box has become more powerful and destructive, luring the innocent and tempting the vulnerable.
Gwendy is the only one who has the power to destroy the box once and for all and there is no better place to dispose of such an evil force than the space.
But can the aging and ailing Gwendy pull it off and save the Earth?
In this third book in The Button Box trilogy Gwendy has the difficult mission of disposing of the dangerous and sinister button box which she first had it in safe-keeping when she was twelve years old.
As the years have passed, the box has become more powerful and destructive, luring the innocent and tempting the vulnerable.
Gwendy is the only one who has the power to destroy the box once and for all and there is no better place to dispose of such an evil force than the space.
But can the aging and ailing Gwendy pull it off and save the Earth?
March 20, 2022
A nice finish to Gwendy's story, perhaps a little (or maybe a lot 😬) unlikely at times, but I loved the Dark Tower references and spending some time back in the toxic atmosphere of Derry. No spoilers, but I'm not sure about the plot concerning Gwendy's husband, I liked it, but why did it happen? Was it just to get us to Derry? Or (which is entirely likely) did I miss something? As ever though, with Mr King, and Mr Chizmar too it seems, I was completely absorbed and entertained.
December 16, 2022
I started this book with a bit of skepticism, as King's last 20 years of career haven't thrilled me like his first 20 years. However, since I had read "Gwendy's Button Box" some time ago, I wanted to see how it turned out. This is in fact the final chapter of the Gwendy trilogy and her button box. It is certainly not a masterpiece of literature, but in any case it is a very current novel, which makes you think and which all in all deserves three stars.
It all began when Gwendy Peterson was twelve and a stranger in a black bowler hat handed her a mysterious box to keep with care. The box had colored buttons and through small drawers could provide chocolates or ancient coins, but it was very dangerous, because pressing one of its seven colored buttons could lead to death and destruction all over the world. In this last chapter we are in 2026 and Gwendy is sixty-four years old and is a United States Senator. Gwendy will be the first senator to travel to a space station with an official assignment to do some work on climate monitoring, but it soon becomes clear that this is all a cover and that the “Top Secret” box that Gwendy carries with her on the rocket is the button box. I don't say anything more, otherwise I would spoiler and I don't want to. But I will say that the writing style is very fluid and pleasant and that the plot is very current, so much so that it starts from the Coronavirus pandemic to analyze how society has changed and how the world is changing. It is a short story, very intense and with a lot of material to reflect on, as well as containing many interesting characters, well defined and all useful to the story. Fortunately, there are also some beautiful twists that keep the reader attentive until the finale, perhaps a little too Hollywood-like, but still memorable.
It all began when Gwendy Peterson was twelve and a stranger in a black bowler hat handed her a mysterious box to keep with care. The box had colored buttons and through small drawers could provide chocolates or ancient coins, but it was very dangerous, because pressing one of its seven colored buttons could lead to death and destruction all over the world. In this last chapter we are in 2026 and Gwendy is sixty-four years old and is a United States Senator. Gwendy will be the first senator to travel to a space station with an official assignment to do some work on climate monitoring, but it soon becomes clear that this is all a cover and that the “Top Secret” box that Gwendy carries with her on the rocket is the button box. I don't say anything more, otherwise I would spoiler and I don't want to. But I will say that the writing style is very fluid and pleasant and that the plot is very current, so much so that it starts from the Coronavirus pandemic to analyze how society has changed and how the world is changing. It is a short story, very intense and with a lot of material to reflect on, as well as containing many interesting characters, well defined and all useful to the story. Fortunately, there are also some beautiful twists that keep the reader attentive until the finale, perhaps a little too Hollywood-like, but still memorable.
March 30, 2022
As the title indicates, this third book in the trilogy wraps up all of the loose ends and brings Gwendy's story to a fine and satisfying conclusion. There are plenty of little Easter eggy allusions to other King works in the Dark Tower and Maine mythos, enough to cheer most Constant Readers. (I added up the digits to the safe-box combination and, yes, they totaled nineteen.) I found it to be one of King's scariest works, because it deals with the most horrifying affliction I can imagine, early onset Alzheimer's Disease. I've noticed that there are a lot of very, very negative reviews of the novel posted here, and it seems to me they're so passionately negative due to the reviewer being so opposed to the political content. Trump is mentioned several times, as is the coronavirus, which is stated to be a real thing and of real concern, and I think that bears witness to the current political divide of the country, which is also addressed in the book. Scary times indeed, but thankfully there are other worlds than this.
June 12, 2022
Story 3.75 stars**
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator Marin Ireland
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator Marin Ireland
February 28, 2022
Stephen King ruined an enjoyable trilogy with his political views. I am quite aware of his views, but wish he would keep them out of his books.
March 15, 2022
Gwendy’s Final Task is the final novel in a trilogy that has a girl, later a woman, and Final an aging Senator Gwendy Peterson carrying around a Pandora’s Box, which emits irresistible treats and could end the universe as we know it. This novel opens with a 64 year old Gwendy’s battling with early onset Alzheimer’s at the same time she’s shipping out on a rocket ship to a space station. The idea of someone suffering from dementia hiding it from fellow crew members and dealing with the myriad procedures of space travel world quite well. The story itself is filled with numerous flashbacks offering glimpses of what occurred in the first two novels. An intriguing idea that takes quite a while to get going.
June 23, 2022
4.25🌟
Como fan de La Torre Oscura me ha encantado 🌹.
Honestamente, de las casi 500 páginas merecen la pena las 200 últimas ya que es donde ocurre toda la acción y todo lo referente a la existencia de esa caja de botones.
Finalmente, recomiendo leer antes toda la saga de LTO para comprender esta entrega.
.
As a fan of The Dark Tower I loved it 🌹.
Honestly, of the almost 500 pages the last 200 are worth it as that is where all the action happens and everything related to the existence of that box of buttons.
Finally, I recommend reading the entire TDT serie first to understand this book.
Como fan de La Torre Oscura me ha encantado 🌹.
Honestamente, de las casi 500 páginas merecen la pena las 200 últimas ya que es donde ocurre toda la acción y todo lo referente a la existencia de esa caja de botones.
Finalmente, recomiendo leer antes toda la saga de LTO para comprender esta entrega.
.
As a fan of The Dark Tower I loved it 🌹.
Honestly, of the almost 500 pages the last 200 are worth it as that is where all the action happens and everything related to the existence of that box of buttons.
Finally, I recommend reading the entire TDT serie first to understand this book.
August 8, 2022
4.5 🌟
En la última misión de Gwendy, King y Chizmar dejaron lo mejor para el final de esta trilogía.
Gwendy es ahora una senadora estadounidense de 64 años que tiene problemas de memoria debido a la aparición temprana de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Eso sería preocupante bajo cualquier circunstancia, pero Gwendy está a punto de viajar a una estación espacial internacional para deshacerse de La caja de botones, por lo que es aún peor.
Hay muchas menciones a obras anteriores de King y si eres aficionado a sus lecturas tendrás un plus aún mayor con este libro.
El libro me lo he leído bastante rápido gracias a su letra grande, las páginas con ilustraciones y el formato del libro. También sus capítulos cortos y descripciones no demasiado extensas, ayudan a devorar sus casi 500 páginas en un santiamén.
En fin, que para haberme leído solo el último de los tres libros me ha parecido una lectura muy amena y he disfrutado mucho su lectura. Os lo recomiendo sin despeinarme.
Saludos. 👋🏻
En la última misión de Gwendy, King y Chizmar dejaron lo mejor para el final de esta trilogía.
Gwendy es ahora una senadora estadounidense de 64 años que tiene problemas de memoria debido a la aparición temprana de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Eso sería preocupante bajo cualquier circunstancia, pero Gwendy está a punto de viajar a una estación espacial internacional para deshacerse de La caja de botones, por lo que es aún peor.
Hay muchas menciones a obras anteriores de King y si eres aficionado a sus lecturas tendrás un plus aún mayor con este libro.
El libro me lo he leído bastante rápido gracias a su letra grande, las páginas con ilustraciones y el formato del libro. También sus capítulos cortos y descripciones no demasiado extensas, ayudan a devorar sus casi 500 páginas en un santiamén.
En fin, que para haberme leído solo el último de los tres libros me ha parecido una lectura muy amena y he disfrutado mucho su lectura. Os lo recomiendo sin despeinarme.
Saludos. 👋🏻
March 9, 2023
In book 3 of this trilogy, the Button Box once again makes an appearance in Gwendy's life. She is tasked with getting rid of the box at all costs in order to save humanity. Can she stave off temptation and the sinister forces who want the box for themselves?
First off, you absolutely must read the first two books before tackling this one. While this is a good story that can be read rather quickly, there was something about it that just didn't keep me as interested as the other two. The plot didn't have me as hooked this time until the action really picked up at the end of the book. Everything else about the book worked well, perhaps a little more about the new characters in this book would've helped. I will still recommend it though as it wraps everything up nicely.
My appreciation to Gallery Books, authors Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
First off, you absolutely must read the first two books before tackling this one. While this is a good story that can be read rather quickly, there was something about it that just didn't keep me as interested as the other two. The plot didn't have me as hooked this time until the action really picked up at the end of the book. Everything else about the book worked well, perhaps a little more about the new characters in this book would've helped. I will still recommend it though as it wraps everything up nicely.
My appreciation to Gallery Books, authors Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
February 5, 2022
I received an ARC and wanted to complete my review before the book release date. I will not post any spoilers, as we all know this is the end of Gwendys saga. This is a must-read for this series fans and look forward to the next endeavor between Richard and Stephen.
March 6, 2022
overall, I liked the book. It's probably ranked in the middle for the 3 Gwendy books.
January 25, 2022
What a fantastic way to wrap up this series! I’m going to be honest in saying that I was curious about how Final Task would measure up to Button Box, and I’m pleased to say that King and Chizmar saved the best for last. It's beyond comforting how The Dark Tower was tied up nicely within these pages, too. Final Task will be another instant recommendation to our customers at work.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss, the publisher, and authors for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thanks so much to Edelweiss, the publisher, and authors for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
November 3, 2022
Lots in this story that seemed like firsts… King writing science fiction 🚀- literally outer space - And what an unexpected conclusion! I was cheering for a different ending but it was oddly satisfying. Maybe Gwendy will appear again someday. ☄️
February 21, 2022
I loved book 1 & 2 and was excited for a book #3. Sad to say I was unable to even listed to half of the book. I know Stephen Kings political views and don't have any issues with them, I wish he would have kept them out of this book. Would loved to have been able to finish this series, but I won't. I have read all of SK's books, started when I was in high school. Sad this is the ending of the his books for me.
July 26, 2022
Oy. The last 100 pages bumped it up a star, mostly by virtue of the Dark Tower connections, which of course have always been part of the series if only by virtue of its mysterious "man in black," this reality's R.F., and also a satisfying ending, but prior to that point I found it full of annoyances. The following contains no spoilers that aren't in the first ten pages and/or the jacket blurb or have no right to be surprises if you've read one or both of the prior books.
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
First, it was the book's basic setup. The first button box book took place in the 70s; the next in the 90s, I think. This one finds us in the year 2026, and COVID-19 is still hanging around, so thank you very much for that. Trump is ior was president, despite that the series already riffed on a Trump-like president in the middle book. But the kicker is that this time, Gwendy and the button box are going ... to space. You know, that place where all franchises that have definitely not jumped the shark go to. Leprechaun 4. Jason X. Hellraiser IV. Space Buddies (see, it's not just horror movies.) Moonraker. Classics, all.
STEPHEN KING --------------------------------
There was this weird writing tic for a chunk of the book, where whichever author was responsible kept murdering the chapter endings with overexplanation. The first and worst followed Richard Farris's last visit to Gwendy's home. As he is wont to do, he vanished like a fart in the wind while Gwendy was momentarily distracted, with this final line:
Okay, I get it, it's a cliche line that everyone has heard countless times, but alri—
Jesus Christ I know it's like Elvis! I've heard the line, everyone's heard the line thousands of times, "Elvis has left the building," what the fuck are you spelling it out for?
-----------------------------RICHARD CHIZMAR
I'm okay. Everything's okay. Deep breaths.
It happens again, not quite as egregiously, but still someone felt the need to cap several chapters with a completely unnecessary extra two-word paragraph. Following a mysterious phone call leaking information that Gwendy was seeking but was otherwise stonewalled,
Totally unecessary! Again, after a demonstration of the button box's power, which twisted the user's intention to take human lives,
Right! Every time it's been used, people die. It's a force for evil, barely contained. It's alwa—
Fuuuuuuuuck we get it! Please stop!
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
Also, the print version has this
STEPHEN KING --------------------------------
obstrusive interior design so that every
-----------------------------RICHARD CHIZMAR
page has this obnoxious framing around all four
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
sides. This
STEPHEN KING --------------------------------
is what reading the
-----------------------------RICHARD CHIZMAR
book feels like.
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
Finally, the story's resolution draws on an eminently predictable Chekhov’s Gun situation, one which in the grand scheme is silly.
Still, there was some welcome King magic near the end with direct references to the Dark Tower, much more elegant than the shoehorned visits to "another famous cursed Maine city" (in addition to Gwendy's home Castle Rock; can you guess what it is? Have you even ever read a Stephen King book before?) Later also made (a better) reference to It, and between there and here, I take heart that, after a disheartening decade with the Bill Hodges series and his forays into the hard-boiled style, Uncle Steve seems to have rediscovered the path of the beam.
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
First, it was the book's basic setup. The first button box book took place in the 70s; the next in the 90s, I think. This one finds us in the year 2026, and COVID-19 is still hanging around, so thank you very much for that. Trump is ior was president, despite that the series already riffed on a Trump-like president in the middle book. But the kicker is that this time, Gwendy and the button box are going ... to space. You know, that place where all franchises that have definitely not jumped the shark go to. Leprechaun 4. Jason X. Hellraiser IV. Space Buddies (see, it's not just horror movies.) Moonraker. Classics, all.
STEPHEN KING --------------------------------
There was this weird writing tic for a chunk of the book, where whichever author was responsible kept murdering the chapter endings with overexplanation. The first and worst followed Richard Farris's last visit to Gwendy's home. As he is wont to do, he vanished like a fart in the wind while Gwendy was momentarily distracted, with this final line:
Richard Farris had left the building.
Okay, I get it, it's a cliche line that everyone has heard countless times, but alri—
Like Elvis.
Jesus Christ I know it's like Elvis! I've heard the line, everyone's heard the line thousands of times, "Elvis has left the building," what the fuck are you spelling it out for?
-----------------------------RICHARD CHIZMAR
I'm okay. Everything's okay. Deep breaths.
It happens again, not quite as egregiously, but still someone felt the need to cap several chapters with a completely unnecessary extra two-word paragraph. Following a mysterious phone call leaking information that Gwendy was seeking but was otherwise stonewalled,
...she had an intuition that it had been a cop who called her ... but she never found out who.
Or why.
Totally unecessary! Again, after a demonstration of the button box's power, which twisted the user's intention to take human lives,
To Gwendy it was relearning an old lesson. No matter how careful you were, no matter how good your intentions, the button box always extracted its due.
Right! Every time it's been used, people die. It's a force for evil, barely contained. It's alwa—
In blood.
Fuuuuuuuuck we get it! Please stop!
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
Also, the print version has this
STEPHEN KING --------------------------------
obstrusive interior design so that every
-----------------------------RICHARD CHIZMAR
page has this obnoxious framing around all four
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
sides. This
STEPHEN KING --------------------------------
is what reading the
-----------------------------RICHARD CHIZMAR
book feels like.
-----------[GWENDY'S FINAL TASK]-------------
Finally, the story's resolution draws on an eminently predictable Chekhov’s Gun situation, one which in the grand scheme is silly.
Still, there was some welcome King magic near the end with direct references to the Dark Tower, much more elegant than the shoehorned visits to "another famous cursed Maine city" (in addition to Gwendy's home Castle Rock; can you guess what it is? Have you even ever read a Stephen King book before?) Later also made (a better) reference to It, and between there and here, I take heart that, after a disheartening decade with the Bill Hodges series and his forays into the hard-boiled style, Uncle Steve seems to have rediscovered the path of the beam.
March 13, 2022
I'm gonna make this a sort of catch-all review for the Gwendy Button Box Trilogy, and I'll start by saying that this is an excellent little series of books that happily skirt the border of horror and fantasy; they're dark, but they're sweet, much like the chocolates the button box provides Gwendy, and others, when called upon.
The final book was a nice--and somewhat surprising--wrap-up to a 3-novel story that takes place over the entirety of a woman's life and deals with issues well beyond what most people are burdened with: visitors from alternate universes, the horrific deaths of loved ones, difficult choices that might, or might not, save the entire planet, or, possibly, planetS. Because there are other worlds than these, don't you know, including the land of Roland and the Dark Tower, and a certain malicious clown haunting the sewers of Derry, Maine.
King and Chizmar did a very nice job with Gwendy, creating an empathetic character dealing with supernatural problems. The stories are quick reads and feature plots that are pleasantly surprising in their scope. So much so that Gwendy goes from being a little girl in over her head, to a politician with national influence, to a space traveler shouldered with an impossible final task.
I highly recommend the trilogy for anyone who loves "light" horror with tinges of fantastical drama. But don't get me wrong, while I would not describe these books as "chilling" (your not gonna have to leave the lights on when you go to bed), there are some solid horror moments that remind you--much like a slap in the face--that these are Stephen King books (at least partially), and woe those who get complacent, because some fresh hot horror tends to spill off the pages when you least expect it.
Bottom line: these books are fun, and sweet, and entertaining as hell, with just enough tension and bloodshed to keep the pages turning at a rapid pace. Definitely recommend picking them up and spending a few days with Gwendy, who has some surprises in store for you, believe me.
The final book was a nice--and somewhat surprising--wrap-up to a 3-novel story that takes place over the entirety of a woman's life and deals with issues well beyond what most people are burdened with: visitors from alternate universes, the horrific deaths of loved ones, difficult choices that might, or might not, save the entire planet, or, possibly, planetS. Because there are other worlds than these, don't you know, including the land of Roland and the Dark Tower, and a certain malicious clown haunting the sewers of Derry, Maine.
King and Chizmar did a very nice job with Gwendy, creating an empathetic character dealing with supernatural problems. The stories are quick reads and feature plots that are pleasantly surprising in their scope. So much so that Gwendy goes from being a little girl in over her head, to a politician with national influence, to a space traveler shouldered with an impossible final task.
I highly recommend the trilogy for anyone who loves "light" horror with tinges of fantastical drama. But don't get me wrong, while I would not describe these books as "chilling" (your not gonna have to leave the lights on when you go to bed), there are some solid horror moments that remind you--much like a slap in the face--that these are Stephen King books (at least partially), and woe those who get complacent, because some fresh hot horror tends to spill off the pages when you least expect it.
Bottom line: these books are fun, and sweet, and entertaining as hell, with just enough tension and bloodshed to keep the pages turning at a rapid pace. Definitely recommend picking them up and spending a few days with Gwendy, who has some surprises in store for you, believe me.
March 30, 2022
A few years ago, NPR asked Stephen King about his worst fear. He said it was dementia, and in this book King paints a picture of his boogieman with sure and terrifying strokes.
Gwendy Peterson, the woman who-- as a girl-- was originally put in charge of a box that could destroy the world, is now in her 60s and experiencing the first signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. She knows her condition will only get worse. Still, she has a mission: get rid of the Box once and for all.
It's an amazing creation with overwhelming powers to destroy and only a few benefits, but even those come at a hefty price. Not sure where it came from, Gwendy realizes that its powers are getting stronger and that those forces who want to reclaim it will stop at nothing to get it back.
This is great King storytelling. No doubt there was help from Richard Chizmar, but a lot of the writing is just too “King” to be from anyone else.
I appreciate the realistic portrayal of dementia as viewed from the mind of one of its victims, and the tie-in to King’s epic masterpiece is also a lot of fun.
Well worth the read.
Gwendy Peterson, the woman who-- as a girl-- was originally put in charge of a box that could destroy the world, is now in her 60s and experiencing the first signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. She knows her condition will only get worse. Still, she has a mission: get rid of the Box once and for all.
It's an amazing creation with overwhelming powers to destroy and only a few benefits, but even those come at a hefty price. Not sure where it came from, Gwendy realizes that its powers are getting stronger and that those forces who want to reclaim it will stop at nothing to get it back.
This is great King storytelling. No doubt there was help from Richard Chizmar, but a lot of the writing is just too “King” to be from anyone else.
I appreciate the realistic portrayal of dementia as viewed from the mind of one of its victims, and the tie-in to King’s epic masterpiece is also a lot of fun.
Well worth the read.
March 4, 2022
"There is plenty of evil fuckery in the human spirit."
A truer thought was never thunk. Given what we have witnessed of humanity these past few years, I can't help wondering if Gwendy might have done better if she just pushed the black button.
If you're eager to read this and wondering why I only gave it three stars, it's largely because I'm just generally not fond of stories involving space travel. I also felt like the situation with the death of Gwendy's husband was not sufficiently explained. (That's not a spoiler. We find out early in the story that he died.)
Also, if any of you are wondering why most of my reviews have become very brief, it's because I am losing the use of my left hand, and typing has become a slow and frustrating process.
March 13, 2023
Regardless of other reviews and opinions I have read or heard, I thought that this was a pretty good ending to the trilogy. Putting all political opinions to one side and just taking the book for what it is, an entertaining if at times a simple read.
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