#39 – Gwendy’s Final Task

Plot

With the passing of time, the box has grown ever stronger and evil forces are striving to possess it. Once again, it is up to Gwendy Peterson, now a United States Senator battling the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, to keep it from them. At all costs. But where can you hide something from such powerful entities?

Review

Stephen King co-wrote Gwendy’s Final Task with Richard Chizmar, whom he also wrote Gwendy’s Button Box (yet to be revealed). Richard wrote a novel that belongs in between the two, called Gwendy’s Magic Feather, which was a major disappointment. Heading into this Final Task I was nervously optimistic but ended up with positive vibes upon completion.

Previously I’ve talked about “The Mystery Box” but King and Chizmar bring it to another level in this trilogy. In the last installment, they bring closure to the entire series in a fitting – and noble – way. Taking place largely in outer space, Gwendy – who started as a 12-year-old – is now 65 and a United States Senator. She was given the box by Richard Farris 50 years ago, and now Richard has asked her for one more favor.

What worked well here was that both King and Chizmar utilize the backstory well with Gwendy to tell her current story. They also sprinkle in references to The Dark Tower and Derry, Maine (IT) which are much appreciated Easter Eggs for Constant Readers like me.

One aspect worth mentioning was the short chapters. Even though I read this in just a couple of sittings, the short chapters were well constructed and made for an “easy-peasy” read (as my 6-year-old son would say).

Details

Pages: 408

Dates Read: February 15 – February 19, 2022

Quote: “People don’t need a button box to do horrible things. There’s plenty of evil fuckery in the human spirit.”

Best Part: Any time Derry comes into the picture – especially when a clown is involved – is usually a highlight.

Hint for #38: Bruce Greenwood starred in the 2017 Netflix movie based off this book.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.