Full Throttle

Starred review from July 1, 2019
Hill’s haunting second collection of short fiction (after 2005’s 20th Century Ghosts) contains 11 reprints and two new tales, many in homage to films and other stories that have inspired him. Echoes of Richard Matheson’s “Duel” ricochet from the terrifying “Throttle” (cowritten with Stephen King), which features a biker gang at the mercy of a relentless big rig driver with a deadly agenda. Shades of Narnia color “Faun,” in which a small door in a ramshackle farmhouse leads to a hunting ground. In “Thumbprint,” a veteran realizes that her disturbing actions in Iraq might not have been so out of character after all. In the visceral, horrifying “Dark Carousel,” a group of teens runs afoul of magic that animates the ragtag, bloodthirsty animals of a boardwalk carousel. The ghostly, achingly poignant “Late Returns” is a love letter to librarians and a haunting exploration of the transformative power of grief. Hill tackles his dark subjects with humanity and empathy, and his complex, fully realized characters leap into the imagination. This collection cements Hill’s reputation as a versatile master of scares both subtle and shocking. Agent: Michael Choate, Choate Agency.

Starred review from August 1, 2019
The poet laureate of everyday terrors returns with a baker's dozen of deliciously sinister tales. Novelist and short story writer Hill (Strange Weather, 2017, etc.) is, of course, the son of Stephen King, with whom he collaborates here on two stories, including the title tale. As ever with King, the stories have ordinary settings with ordinary people doing ordinary things until something extraordinary happens, in this case involving the familiar King nightmare of menacing vehicles ("Could you supercharge a goddamn semi?"). If one bears in mind that in his last collection Hill posited that near-future rainstorms would shower down steel daggers instead of water, some of his setups seem almost logical. The most memorable comes in "Late Returns," in which an out-of-work trucker (there's that semi again) finds himself behind a bookmobile delivering volumes to denizens of the afterlife, most of whom owe late fees; as one such fellow tells him, the service he offers is something of a reward "for returning overdue books in spite of the inconvenience of being dead." There are other benefits: In the weird chronology of the other dimension, those who are about to enter the great beyond get previews of books that haven't even been written yet--including, perhaps the most frightening moment in the entire collection, "The Art of the Presidency: How I Won My Third Term by Donald J. Trump." Hill plays with form; one story, "The Devil on the Staircase," is told in triangles of carefully arranged prose, a storyline worthy of Poe unfolding with eldritch intent--and a nice punchline to boot. In yet another story, this one of a more satirical turn, Hill depicts a world in which the zombie apocalypse and addiction to social media are hard to tell apart. In a series of tweets, the narrator recounts a zombie being hauled before a human audience and a box of hatchets. "Don't like where this is going," she says. Exactly. Miniature masterworks of modern horror proving that life is hard, weird, and always fatal.

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Starred review from August 1, 2019
Hill returns to short stories (after the novella collection Strange Weather, 2017), where his terrifying genius most brightly shines. The stories that follow the heartfelt introduction, most of which were first printed elsewhere, including one previously only available on LP, incorporate tropes of psychological suspense, science fiction, dark fantasy, and of course horror. Every piece is driven by anxiety and unease and features Hill's trademark characters, who feel absolutely real. But it is also the sense of place that dazzles, whether it's a sinister version of Narnia in Faun, on a coastal pier in Dark Carousel, or on a plane as WWIII breaks out in You Are Released. Hill lulls the reader into deep enjoyment, even as terror lies just around the corner. He rounds out this superb collection with insightful notes and a surprise fourteenth story hidden in About the Author." The tale that will be the biggest hit with library workers and patrons is the beautiful, elegiac Late Returns, featuring a grieving bookmobile driver who sometimes delivers books to ghosts. This is a collection of single-serve, immersive horror for fans of collections by Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Samanta Schewbin, and Elllen Datlow's anthologies.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Several stories, including one written with Hill's father, Stephen King, are in development for TV and Netflix, so be ready for increased demand for this already super-popular author.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2019

Hill's latest collection of short stories is compulsively readable. Thirteen stories weave in and out of gritty realism, whimsical folklore, and futuristic sf, flowing from one to the next in a fast-paced journey through the surreal. Hill fills each story with shocking plot twists, excellent worldbuilding, and satisfying kismet. "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain," a tribute to Ray Bradbury, tells of innocence and friendship before things go horribly wrong. "The Devil on the Staircase" and "Twittering from the Circus of the Dead" play with form while still captivating readers. "Faun" and "Late Returns" are deeply haunting; they will lurk in the back of readers' minds, destined to be relived and retold. "Throttle" and "In the Tall Grass" are coauthored by Hill's father and horror master Stephen King, and while King's voice sometimes overwhelms his son's, the two create compelling and gruesome stories. VERDICT As in any anthology, some tales are stronger than others, but overall this is a winning entry from Hill. Hand to fans of horror, dark fantasy, and ruthless realities.--Kay Strahan, Univ. of Tennessee Health Sciences Lib., Memphis

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