Stephen King shows off his undying
adoration for baseball in this sports novella. Written in the voice of a
retired third-base coach, King demonstrates his mastery of storytelling, and
his ingenuity with narrative and style. This is the macabre tale of the tragic
William Blakely, who might have become the greatest baseball player, but has
since been erased from the record books. The story drips of suspense, as
natural for a King story, but unnaturally for King, the novella is
substantially short. Perhaps because of its length, it is straightforward,
though decently wrought. As a fan of the game, King evokes nostalgia for the
way baseball was played in the fifties. “Blockade Billy” is probably a novella
best enjoyed by Constant Readers of Stephen King or fans of the sport in
general. However, what this story wins in style, it lacks in substance. The joy
of being sweet and short also makes “Blockade Billy” relatively depthless in
comparison to his weightier selection of works. New readers may want to immerse
themselves in his classics before enjoying this treat.
The companion short story,
“Morality,” is reminiscent of King’s short story masterpieces. It is a
character study of a married couple with financial difficulties faced with a
terrible opportunity. From reading his autobiographical work, “On Writing,”
Chad Callahan’s teaching career and attempts to write a book seem to be taken
directly out of King’s own past, another case of art imitating life. As I read,
what kept popping up in the back of my head was that Twilight Zone episode, “Button, Button”, which might have been an
influence. The moral dilemma is sufficiently engaging to surpass the titular
story in entertainment.
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