Gwendy's Button Box

[CyberGhostface]

So for those who read it, what did you think? I'm kind of on the fence myself, I guess I expected something darker or more tied into the history of Castle Rock.

Also Richard Farris... is he another manifestation of Randall Flagg? His scene at the beginning came off as pretty blatant but the one at the end made me less sure. At the same time I can't think that the initials are a coincidence.

[Cwalker]

I thought it was a good solid story, but like you, I felt that we were being led to believe Richard Farris was another incarnation of The Dark Man. The opening scenes seemed to be leading us that direction. The ending, not so much. Interested in seeing others opinions.

[stroppygoblin]

Richard Farris was also the name of the Judge in "The Stand'

[Heather19]

I enjoyed it. It was a fun quick little read.

[Roseannebarr]

i did NOT like it. Started great, did not develop, ended wait did it end? i think not. Why was she chosen? Why did it pass on? Why RF? and not the RF i was expecting.

REad like a children's book. NOT worth the $30 much less the $375 or $400 for the S/L. i was expecting ALOT more. Castle Rock as the setting was a gimmick and not even really necessary. Did not feel the connection.

[sentinel]

i did NOT like it. Started great, did not develop, ended wait did it end? i think not. Why was she chosen? Why did it pass on? Why RF? and not the RF i was expecting.

REad like a children's book. NOT worth the $30 much less the $375 or $400 for the S/L. i was expecting ALOT more. Castle Rock as the setting was a gimmick and not even really necessary. Did not feel the connection.

Some good points Glenn, it really was just a twisted re-telling of Pandora's Box of Greek literature. I liked it but I really thought it would have more Castle Rock in it and it could have been a part of a book of novellas, didn't really need to be it's own book.

[bdwyer19]

The story as a whole was uninspiring. Castle Rock was unnecessary. The Richard Farris/Randall Flagg buildup fell flat, and Gwendy's character never seemed to grow. Felt like it read more like the Goosebumps stories I've been reading with my son lately.

[frik]

I enjoyed it. It was a fun quick little read.

+1

sk

[Ricky]

I agree that the Castle Rock setting wasn't really necessary since it didn't really matter where the story took place (the Suicide Stairs could've been anywhere and the story would've been the same), but it was cool for fans.

I liked the story, but was surprised at how short it was (the small pages and big print fooled me into thinking it'd be longer). I'd probably call it a short story rather than a novella.

And I don't think Farris was an incarnation of Flagg at all. He was much too benevolent and seemed genuinely pleased with Gwendy's good decisions.

[Bev Vincent]

I liked the story, but was surprised at how short it was (the small pages and big print fooled me into thinking it'd be longer). I'd probably call it a short story rather than a novella.

Word count is approx 23,000, which puts it solidly in the range most awards use for novellas (17,500-40,000)

[biomieg]

I liked it for what it was. Entertaining, not much substance but not every story needs substance :smile:

[becca69]

Mysterious Galaxy has signed copies if anyone missed it:

http://www.mystgalaxy.com/book/9781587676109

[Brainslinger]

So for those who read it, what did you think? I'm kind of on the fence myself, I guess I expected something darker or more tied into the history of Castle Rock.

Also Richard Farris... is he another manifestation of Randall Flagg? His scene at the beginning came off as pretty blatant but the one at the end made me less sure. At the same time I can't think that the initials are a coincidence.

With those initials, and placing an object of temptation (a bit of a mind-trap if you like) and destruction in her way, I thought it was Randall Flagg too. Then there was the telepathy and future sight, which also drew me to that conclusion,.and of course that little black hat (not RF's usual garb, but he's a somewhat changeable fellow) freaking Gwendy out later.

But the ending, also made me really question that. In many ways the box seemed as good as it was bad, but this RF not so bad either.

I wonder if it was actually Maerlyn*. Maybe he is fed up of the mischief RF causes being mistaken for him and figured he'd turn it around by adopting the same initials and acting more benevolently.

*King's version, not Furth's.

[Merlin1958]

Pardon me and I am sure I will be, how do I say, chastised, but this was an "awful" King book. No offense to, Mr. Chizmar I am sure he is a very good writer but with out his addition this was a questionable "short story" in a King collection at best. To be blunt, this was a money grab, perhaps to benefit the small press publisher, which I support however kind of blatant in that regard IMHO. What rubbish as a "Novel" IMHO.

[Brainslinger]

Right! Assume the position sir! Spankification* to commence!

Just kidding. I liked it, but fair enough.

*I invented a new word there.

[CyberGhostface]

I asked Chizmar during the Q&A and he all but confirmed Farris is our buddy Flagg:

https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/6imqhl/im_richard_chizmar_horror_writer_editor_publisher/dj7hqad/

[kpaul]

I posted this on the Reddit but wanted to post here to get your thoughts.

Richard Farris = Randall Flagg or someone else?

The year on the silver dollars was 1891, the sum of the numbers is 19. Besides the common links like this one, this book has me veering down a new path of ideas.

The colored buttons on the box represent either 8 of the 13 glass orbs of the Wizards Rainbow, or possibly the beams that hold the tower. There are 6 beams and the box has 6 buttons in the middle, with the red, and black buttons to the sides.

The chocolate animals that Gwendy got from the box all represent the Guardians of the Beams, the main one being Maturin aka the Skoldpadda, aka the turtle. This box with the "Black 13" button and the turtle in the same box strikes an uncanny comparison to the Mid-World Lanes bowling bag that Jake found in the abandoned lot. They used the bag to carry "Black 13" around in, and later discovered the tiny scrimshaw turtle hidden inside. Good and evil in the box, and in the bowling bag as well.

This one raised some questions for me. The box has good (the chocolate guardians), and evil (the red and black buttons). Farris chose her to be the custodian of the box for now because she was the best choice at the time. He knew she would have the willpower to not use the buttons. Somehow this best served his purpose/goals for the time being, rather than the opposite which would have been death and destruction. That's only saying that he didn't want death and destruction right now, not necessarily later.

When Gwendy asks who gets the box next, Farris replies "some boy in California, but you don't know him..." Who might that be, and is it because he knows that boy will be a button pushing maniac?

Gwendy only pushed the red button twice, but mainly focused on the coins and the chocolates(Good). Farris told her in the end that Jonestown was because of Jones, and that her friend committed suicide for her own reasons. Leaving the only action the box might have done is insta-melting the guy who killed Streeter like in the scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

So if her button pushing did not cause those things to happen as Farris eluded to, then one possible conclusion is that when the buttons are pushed, the actions take place in another world(Mid-World or Keystone World perhaps?) If this is true, then what actions happened in thise worlds, and did those actions affect Roland's Ka-tet?

This made me immediately think about the Leatherheads at the end of Under the Dome, where those infant alien beings were just playing with an inter-dimensional x-box the whole time.

Next question my mind was stewing around was about the silver dollars. They used silver dollars in "It" to defeat Pennywise that one time, but have no idea if this correlates to Gwendy's silver dollars.

So then it makes me think about Flagg in a completely different light(if in fact, Ferris is Flagg, which I think he is). If you have read Insomnia, one of the three bald doctors named Atropos is an agent of the random, whereas Clotho and Lachesis are agents of order. This made me think of Flagg acting much like Atropos. It would appear that his intentions are not always just one sided. Is he is on board with the agenda of the Crimson King or not? Does he play both sides, and if so to what end? Is he the chaos element that keeps everything in check?

Or, could Farris be a twinner of Flagg??? Only this one being more helpful in nature versus evil and destructive?

Anyway, just some ideas I have going on at the moment.

Would love to hear your ideas!

[racerx45]

I posted this on the Reddit but wanted to post here to get your thoughts.

Richard Farris = Randall Flagg or someone else?

The year on the silver dollars was 1891, the sum of the numbers is 19. Besides the common links like this one, this book has me veering down a new path of ideas.

The colored buttons on the box represent either 8 of the 13 glass orbs of the Wizards Rainbow, or possibly the beams that hold the tower. There are 6 beams and the box has 6 buttons in the middle, with the red, and black buttons to the sides.

The chocolate animals that Gwendy got from the box all represent the Guardians of the Beams, the main one being Maturin aka the Skoldpadda, aka the turtle. This box with the "Black 13" button and the turtle in the same box strikes an uncanny comparison to the Mid-World Lanes bowling bag that Jake found in the abandoned lot. They used the bag to carry "Black 13" around in, and later discovered the tiny scrimshaw turtle hidden inside. Good and evil in the box, and in the bowling bag as well.

This one raised some questions for me. The box has good (the chocolate guardians), and evil (the red and black buttons). Farris chose her to be the custodian of the box for now because she was the best choice at the time. He knew she would have the willpower to not use the buttons. Somehow this best served his purpose/goals for the time being, rather than the opposite which would have been death and destruction. That's only saying that he didn't want death and destruction right now, not necessarily later.

When Gwendy asks who gets the box next, Farris replies "some boy in California, but you don't know him..." Who might that be, and is it because he knows that boy will be a button pushing maniac?

Gwendy only pushed the red button twice, but mainly focused on the coins and the chocolates(Good). Farris told her in the end that Jonestown was because of Jones, and that her friend committed suicide for her own reasons. Leaving the only action the box might have done is insta-melting the guy who killed Streeter like in the scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

So if her button pushing did not cause those things to happen as Farris eluded to, then one possible conclusion is that when the buttons are pushed, the actions take place in another world(Mid-World or Keystone World perhaps?) If this is true, then what actions happened in thise worlds, and did those actions affect Roland's Ka-tet?

This made me immediately think about the Leatherheads at the end of Under the Dome, where those infant alien beings were just playing with an inter-dimensional x-box the whole time.

Next question my mind was stewing around was about the silver dollars. They used silver dollars in "It" to defeat Pennywise that one time, but have no idea if this correlates to Gwendy's silver dollars.

So then it makes me think about Flagg in a completely different light(if in fact, Ferris is Flagg, which I think he is). If you have read Insomnia, one of the three bald doctors named Atropos is an agent of the random, whereas Clotho and Lachesis are agents of order. This made me think of Flagg acting much like Atropos. It would appear that his intentions are not always just one sided. Is he is on board with the agenda of the Crimson King or not? Does he play both sides, and if so to what end? Is he the chaos element that keeps everything in check?

Or, could Farris be a twinner of Flagg??? Only this one being more helpful in nature versus evil and destructive?

Anyway, just some ideas I have going on at the moment.

Would love to hear your ideas!

Very nice first post. That all sounds plausible to me.

[Lurker]

I just finished the book and liked it. Don't really know enough histories to try to read into it. But I have a question about ARC's. I know reviewers get them, and maybe rabid collectors but how many are really ever read? And do they look for the errors to correct them - or is it too late at that point so they stay in the book.

[kpaul]

Thank you!

[firemonkey66]

I know this is old news, but I finished reading the story earlier today, and man, I was so disappointed that I had to write something down about it just to get it off of my chest. The story was so thoroughly devoid of 'the spark' that makes short Stephen King works awesome that I actually regret reading it. Seriously. Compared to other Stephen King short stories, Gwendy's Button Box is a lifeless husk. It was like reading The Mist, but a version of The Mist where the mist, the alternate dimension, all of the good characters, and all of the monsters were edited out of it, so that the most interesting thing about the story was the grocery store itself.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but my favorite Stephen King stories are the short ones. Remember The Jaunt? I haven't read The Jaunt in years, but I still think about it once in a while because it captured my imagination and made an actual impression on me. I mean, in just a few short pages, King managed to make me really question the concept of infinity and picture the horror of spending infinity alone, and then managed to increase that horror ten-fold by making me picture it happening to someone I love! Haha, it still gives me a little chill thinking about it! How does Gwendy's Button Box compare to that? It just....doesn't. I think if I were to sit my actual hardcopy of Gwendy's Button Box on the table and read The Jaunt to it out loud, that Gwendy's Button Box would explode into flames the way vampires do when they get caught in the sun.

All that being said, it was well written, and if I didn't have all of King's previous short stories to compare it against, it would have been okay. Maybe it'll turn out to be a start of a series or something. If it was chapter 1 of say, a 5 chapter book, it might be a decent introduction chapter depending on where the other 4 chapters go.

[WeDealInLead]

The e-book is on sale from Amazon. $1.60 US, $2 CAN.

[WeDealInLead]

2 out of 5. I'll co-sign firemonkey66's review.

[Still Servant]

I took a trip to Ohio in August. I was driving from Connecticut. I never do audiobooks, but I figured this would be a good way to pass the time. I decided to purchase Gwendy's Button Box because I had been meaning to read it.

I must say, I was underwhelmed, but it was a nice way to pass the time. The weird thing about audiobooks as opposed to reading an actual book is that you really don't know how far into it you are, unless you check your phone/tablet to see how much is left. To saw I was a little caught off guard when it ended where it ended is an understatement, I was sure there had to be more to the story.

Anyway, as I mentioned it was an enjoyable way to pass the time alone in a car, especially driving through Pennsylvania. Ooof.

[TheByteSmasher]

Howdy all. I'm going to throw my 2¢ in here. Firstly, I've seen cries that this was a money grab. I don't think so. It is a neat little story. Similar to Joyland. It's just a quiet story. There are a ton of King-isms in this book. Down to the writer's word choices... pish-tosh and so on. As for Flagg and Farris being the same, I'd say yes. in TDT and The Stand (maybe eyes of the dragon) Flagg is a more centrally located character. We see more of him, we see more into him... As such I believe that A) Flagg does not always remember what he did or who he even is while traveling between worlds, even on the King's bidding. B) Flagg isn't evil, just selfish and ruthless. In the stand he was very dictatorial but in the wind through the keyhole, as the covenant man, he was a bit like Richard Farris in Gwendy's BB. A little harsher in manner but, he allowed events to happen and for people to make their own choices.. He just set it in motion and watched. That's what he likes doing... I think he's actually a little closer to Fate personified than strictly evil in most cases... Also.. I think there is a little discontinuity because I'm not 100% sure that for his entire writing career, SK thought of RF as the actual same guy in all his books until later on.
Additionally, a word on Horror: I do not believe Horror has to be actually goose bumps scary. Gwendy's is a horror due to the sheer nature of, and visceral reaction from, the situations in the book. That being said, I didn't love the story. Largely because of the basic premise : young girl grows up. I've raised 2 girls and have had enough teenage drama for the rest of my life ;)

[Br!an]

Howdy all. I'm going to throw my 2¢ in here. Firstly, I've seen cries that this was a money grab. I don't think so. It is a neat little story. Similar to Joyland. It's just a quiet story. There are a ton of King-isms in this book. Down to the writer's word choices... pish-tosh and so on. As for Flagg and Farris being the same, I'd say yes. in TDT and The Stand (maybe eyes of the dragon) Flagg is a more centrally located character. We see more of him, we see more into him... As such I believe that A) Flagg does not always remember what he did or who he even is while traveling between worlds, even on the King's bidding. B) Flagg isn't evil, just selfish and ruthless. In the stand he was very dictatorial but in the wind through the keyhole, as the covenant man, he was a bit like Richard Farris in Gwendy's BB. A little harsher in manner but, he allowed events to happen and for people to make their own choices.. He just set it in motion and watched. That's what he likes doing... I think he's actually a little closer to Fate personified than strictly evil in most cases... Also.. I think there is a little discontinuity because I'm not 100% sure that for his entire writing career, SK thought of RF as the actual same guy in all his books until later on.
Additionally, a word on Horror: I do not believe Horror has to be actually goose bumps scary. Gwendy's is a horror due to the sheer nature of, and visceral reaction from, the situations in the book. That being said, I didn't love the story. Largely because of the basic premise : young girl grows up. I've raised 2 girls and have had enough teenage drama for the rest of my life ;)

Good first post, TBS. Welcome to the site.

[DoctorZaius]

Howdy all. I'm going to throw my 2¢ in here. Firstly, I've seen cries that this was a money grab. I don't think so. It is a neat little story. Similar to Joyland. It's just a quiet story. There are a ton of King-isms in this book. Down to the writer's word choices... pish-tosh and so on. As for Flagg and Farris being the same, I'd say yes. in TDT and The Stand (maybe eyes of the dragon) Flagg is a more centrally located character. We see more of him, we see more into him... As such I believe that A) Flagg does not always remember what he did or who he even is while traveling between worlds, even on the King's bidding. B) Flagg isn't evil, just selfish and ruthless. In the stand he was very dictatorial but in the wind through the keyhole, as the covenant man, he was a bit like Richard Farris in Gwendy's BB. A little harsher in manner but, he allowed events to happen and for people to make their own choices.. He just set it in motion and watched. That's what he likes doing... I think he's actually a little closer to Fate personified than strictly evil in most cases... Also.. I think there is a little discontinuity because I'm not 100% sure that for his entire writing career, SK thought of RF as the actual same guy in all his books until later on.
Additionally, a word on Horror: I do not believe Horror has to be actually goose bumps scary. Gwendy's is a horror due to the sheer nature of, and visceral reaction from, the situations in the book. That being said, I didn't love the story. Largely because of the basic premise : young girl grows up. I've raised 2 girls and have had enough teenage drama for the rest of my life ;)

Good first post, TBS. Welcome to the site.

Yes, welcome to the site.

I gotta tell ya though, I don't see the Joyland connection at all. Joyland comes in at 82,000+ words (The Mist comes in around 73,000+ words, Carrie and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon are only 60,000+ words, while The Colorado Kid is only 36,000+ words), so to call it a "neat little story similar to Joyland" is a bit of a disservice. Joyland is one of my favorite King novels. The story may seem small at times, but I find it brilliant. Much of King's worlds take place in these small towns that have secrets hidden underneath. That being said, I agree with your assertion that Gwendy's comes up short (pun intended) in the King cannon on multiple levels. I think that someone on the site had Gwendy at about 23,000 words. There is only so much that can be done at that size.

Again, welcome to the site. It's a fun place where King fans can agree and disagree with each other, hopefully, without too much consternation. I have raised two girls too, so you have my congratulations and my sympathies - mostly congratulations!

[TheByteSmasher]

Howdy all. I'm going to throw my 2¢ in here. Firstly, I've seen cries that this was a money grab. I don't think so. It is a neat little story. Similar to Joyland. It's just a quiet story. There are a ton of King-isms in this book. Down to the writer's word choices... pish-tosh and so on. As for Flagg and Farris being the same, I'd say yes. in TDT and The Stand (maybe eyes of the dragon) Flagg is a more centrally located character. We see more of him, we see more into him... As such I believe that A) Flagg does not always remember what he did or who he even is while traveling between worlds, even on the King's bidding. B) Flagg isn't evil, just selfish and ruthless. In the stand he was very dictatorial but in the wind through the keyhole, as the covenant man, he was a bit like Richard Farris in Gwendy's BB. A little harsher in manner but, he allowed events to happen and for people to make their own choices.. He just set it in motion and watched. That's what he likes doing... I think he's actually a little closer to Fate personified than strictly evil in most cases... Also.. I think there is a little discontinuity because I'm not 100% sure that for his entire writing career, SK thought of RF as the actual same guy in all his books until later on.
Additionally, a word on Horror: I do not believe Horror has to be actually goose bumps scary. Gwendy's is a horror due to the sheer nature of, and visceral reaction from, the situations in the book. That being said, I didn't love the story. Largely because of the basic premise : young girl grows up. I've raised 2 girls and have had enough teenage drama for the rest of my life ;)

Good first post, TBS. Welcome to the site.

Yes, welcome to the site.

I gotta tell ya though, I don't see the Joyland connection at all. Joyland comes in at 82,000+ words (The Mist comes in around 73,000+ words, Carrie and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon are only 60,000+ words, while The Colorado Kid is only 36,000+ words), so to call it a "neat little story similar to Joyland" is a bit of a disservice. Joyland is one of my favorite King novels. The story may seem small at times, but I find it brilliant. Much of King's worlds take place in these small towns that have secrets hidden underneath. That being said, I agree with your assertion that Gwendy's comes up short (pun intended) in the King cannon on multiple levels. I think that someone on the site had Gwendy at about 23,000 words. There is only so much that can be done at that size.

Again, welcome to the site. It's a fun place where King fans can agree and disagree with each other, hopefully, without too much consternation. I have raised two girls too, so you have my congratulations and my sympathies - mostly congratulations!

Thanks. What I meant by the Joyland connection was the... Overall pace. That is a great book


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Bev Vincent]

Brian Keene revealed this in his weekly newsletter today:


I'll be finishing PROJECT CASTLE, which some wily readers have figured out is a graphic novel adaptation of Stephen King and Richard Chizmar's Gwendy's Button Box, and it is... except that it's actually a lot more than that since it's going to include stuff that isn't in the novel. And yes, it is fun to play in Castle Rock. Indeed, this is the most fun I've ever had playing with settings and characters and franchises other than my own.