Full Throttle

by Joe Hill

[kimbacaffeinate]

Throttle – Written with Stephen King. Hill was asked to write a piece in honor of Richard Matheson’s work and Throttle came to be. A biker gang burned by a deal gone bad have just left a bloody scene when they find themselves pursued by a trucker. What a ride! 4 cups

Dark Carousel– Step right up and enjoy the Wild Wheel, a carousel ride at a tired seaside resort. Freaky, reminded me of summertime at the boardwalk until we got to the carousel and everything became twisted. 4 cups

Wolverton– ARH-WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Wolves and an American on a London train. Werewolves to be more precise. 3 cups

By the Silver Waters of Lake Champlain – A group of children discover a dead lake monster in this nod to Ray Bradbury’s Foghorn. Once again I am impressed by Hill. He really captures the emotions, mannerisms and voices of young children. I enjoyed this from the narration to the suspenseful finish. 4 cups.

Faun -a hunting game. Mythical creatures, spiders and a twist. 3.5 cups

Late Returns– Love this. A man takes time off from his trucking job to clean up his childhood home after his parents die and ends up driving a relic book mobile for the library; one that receives strange visitors who return and check out books. Clever with another nod to Bradbury. 5 brilliant cups

All I Care About Is You– A futuristic tale featuring where 16 year girl Iris spends her birthday with a clockwork boy named Chip after she inserts 2 tokens into him. She intended to have him haul her bike home and instead they see the sunset. Clever and twisted with a dark turn. 4.5 cups

Thumbprint– Creep stalker, creepy woman. Creepy story. A woman comes home with a medal from the war after a cover-up. Someone begins sending her creepy notes. They know what she did. Twisted with fabulous buildup but alas not my cuppa. 3 cups

The Devil on the Staircase– this felt like a folklore about a climb up stone steps on a mountainside by a coastal Italian town. A young man who makes his living carrying items up and down. He commits a crime and stumbles down unknown steps. This is the story of what happens there. 3 cups.

Mums– A separatist group, a mother trying to save her son and the seeds of youth. An addictive, dark tale. 4.5 cups
In the Tall Grass A Hill/King collaboration also on Netflix. Perfectly creepy, twisted, gruesome and perhaps the darkest of the bunch. See what happen when two siblings try to help a young child and his mom lost in the tall grass on a country road. Now to watch the Netflix show. 5 terrifying cups

You Are Released– Follows travels on a flight across the United States to Baltimore when they learn devastating news. Brilliantly showcases Hill’s abilities. We get multiple perspectives and different angles from including some relevant concerns. I like this type of realistic horror that make you ponder long after its over.

A pdf is available for those who purchase the audiobook for the short; Twittering From the Circus of the Dead. The story is told in a series of tweets.

Be sure to listen to the author notes at the end about each story. It was fascinating!

Narrated by Zachary Quinto, Wil Wheaton, Kate Mulgrew, Neil Gaiman, Ashleigh Cummings, Joe Hill, Laysla De Oliveira, Nate Corddry, Connor Jessup, Stephen Lang, and George Guidall. This was a brilliant cast with some favorites of mine making listening a must. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer