Reviews

Blockade Billy by Stephen King

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trentl14's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

neverblue7's review

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3.0

I was intrigued by the premise but couldn't quite follow the intricate baseball descriptions, which are likely part of the enjoyment of this book. King delivers his signature twist ending,

though I have to admit I thought it would be supernatural but turns out to just be your everyday psychopath.

Tracks overall with King's work, of which I'm still a lukewarm fan.

gracingyouwithbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

teriboop's review against another edition

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3.0

I am an avid King reader. I enjoy his tales that are out of his usual genre. This novella nearly was one of those gore-less stories but there was bloodshed by the end. Told from the point of view of an aged baseball manager to King himself, Blockade Billy is a baseball story of an eccentric kid called up to the majors and the strange mishaps that occur during his tenure. The ending wraps up with the reader learning of Billy's not too distance past and the story behind his bizarre behavior. I enjoyed this short story, but have to chalk it up to one of his typical horror tales.

destinyyyzz's review

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adventurous informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I read this book because of the Stephen King book club, this is actually one of the books that I haven't even considered reading before then!

As it may not be a well-known fact, I am not a sports person nor do I know much about it which is why I was a little hesitant to try reading it but I can say that I wasn't disappointed. It started off a little slow but dare I say, it picked up a little in the end and I'm glad that I was able to get to it!

Probably my favorite quote from the book was within the starting chapter, "My advice for you Mr. King, don't get old!" And I like how instead of talking to the audience we are in a way, Stephen King listening to this man. Another part that I loved is how he tries to interact with us as he is talking like when he asked for water maybe this is just a speech pattern but he does say, "You see," a lot while explaining.

And when we get a little over halfway through we are now looking at the lives of Nora and her husband, the reveal was not what I was expecting for the most part but as it is a Stephen King book there will always be a twist.

This was a nice light read and I can confidently say that I enjoyed it.