Year 4, week 9: Full Throttle

This week's book:
Full Throttle
By Joe Hill Collection

This week's book is a collection of short stories by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son). Last October, I read two of Hill's other books and so I thought I would give this book a try. I listened to it as an audiobook and each story is narrated by a different person. I really enjoyed the introduction that was read by Hill himself. The catalyst of some of the stories is his father and the fun/super messed up things that they did together. What's funny is that he makes these weird things that good old dad and I are doing, just sound normal. He is talking about the king of horror as if he is just a normal guy, which I guess to his son he is. It was fun to hear some stories about Stephen King and his family. It was also fun to hear Hill experience of becoming an author and such. 

1 Throttle

A story of a semi trucker running a motorcycle gang off the highway. It's a bit yucky at parts, but scary enough.

2. Dark Carousel

A story of revenge, maybe? There are horses from a carousel and it's just depressing/weird, not that scary. 

3. Wolverton Station

Werewolves riding a train, I think. I was nursing my daughter and falling asleep while listening to this one.

4. By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain

Two kids think they find a dead dinosaur or something like the Loch Ness monster. It's just a bit of a depressing story. 

5.Faun

A young man goes hunting with his roommate. At first I thought of The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl, where the birds get back at the hunters for killing their families. As a non-hunter I thought that would be a great idea. Then when I learned that the hunters in the Hill story go through a portal where they hunt. I thought of the Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; regardless, it's kind of an interesting story.

6.Late Returns

A bookmobile and ghosts. I really liked this one. Not scary what so ever, just bittersweet, and this story was a good one. 

7.All I Care About Is You

This one is sort of a YA story about robots and a spoiled teenaged girl. This one is definitely Si-Fi and just not up my alley. 

8.Thumbprint

This story is about the way war can be very damaging to one's mental health. It's really a hard read and I didn't like this one. 

9. The Devil on the Staircase

No idea what this story is about. I was working out and I have no idea the story is about.

10. Twittering From The Circus of the Dead

This is listed as one of the stories, but apparently it doesn't work as an audiobook so I didn't get to hear/read it. Apparently it's about zombies and social media.

11. Mum's

This is a story about domestic terrorists. It reminded me of a book I read a few years ago called Brother by Ania Ahlborn, kinda. A young man is trying to find his path with this father that is really a scary person. Scary in a real way, not fantasy.

12.In the Tall Grass

This story is by Joe Hill and his dad Stephen King. It definitely can be seen that King had his twist in this one. I feel like it could be a sequel to Children of the Corn, or what people could be hearing if they are walking by the corn in that story. This is definitely a creepy story.

13. You Are Released

End of the world due to bombs, told from the point of view from people on an airplane. Not scary, but depressing. I have always HATED end of the world stories ever since I was little. 

At the end of the book, Hill goes through each of the stories (which who doesn't want to hear what the author was thinking while writing?). If you are interested in some scary short stories, I would definitely recommend it. The stories are a little uneven but not bad.