By Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

Hodder, out June 27 (UK); Cemetery Dance, out now (US)

Gwendy Peterson is a normal girl in the not so normal town of Castle Rock, Maine – until a stranger gifts her an unusual box to look after which has the potential to change not just her life but the lives of many others…

When writers collaborate, it can be a bit like mixing a cocktail: sometimes the end result is like one of those traffic light drinks, where the layers are distinct; other times the ingredients blend and produce something that is completely different from either original; and there are times when the ingredients seem to swirl around each other. Gwendy’s Button Box, the new novella from Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, seems to be of the last variety and the end result works well.

Having not read that much of Chizmar’s material before – a lacuna in my reading habits I intend to fill – it’s harder to identify which bits are distinctly his. However, there are moments that feel like vintage King (and bearing in mind what King has said about his work with Peter Straub in the Talisman series, that probably means they were written by his co-author!) and others that have a different perspective and insight. The story is set in the years following 1974, before Castle Rock has gone through its many upheavals (there’s a nice secondary cameo appearance by a familiar figure), and the authors incorporate real world events to ground the tale (or perhaps to try to make sense of the otherwise inexplicable). There’s the odd gross-out moment, but the dramatic tension comes from the character of Gwendy and the way in which she changes as she matures – and you’re left wondering how much this is affected by the “gift” she’s given, and how much would have happened naturally – as well as the way in which she uses the button box.

It’s a thoroughly enjoyable story, and I hope that it’s just the first of many such collaborations between the pair. Praise is also due to the terrific illustrations – Ben Baldwin’s cover and Keith Minnion’s monochrome interior pictures add to the air of unease that surrounds the tale.

Verdict: An unsettling tale that is likely to haunt you for some time. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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