11/11/2025
If It Bleeds by Stephen King. This is the second book in the Holly Gibney "series". I only put quotations because this book actually is filled with four different stories, and only one brings us back to Holly Gibney, after the events of The Outsider.
So, I will review this as a whole, then as the stories themselves.
As a whole I enjoyed the book itself. The stories were fun and really made you think about what was going on in them individually.
Let's start with the first story, Mr. Harrigan's Phone, this story at points weirdly felt like a deal with Apple? But, it was fun to see the progress of technology through the story itself. How people reacted to the first iPhone, and through a perspective of a younger man, teaching an older man, how to use it. I won't spoil the entire story for you. It was good, the story was fun, it was interesting. It did not immediately grab my attention, but ended up doing so as I continued. It dealt with loss and grief. It dealt with how you would love to make one of those last phone calls, just to hear someone's voice and tell them about your life as it was going. Overall, enjoyed it.
Next! The Life of Chuck. I really loved this story. I would love a full novel of this story. Shows what the imagination can do, and how you impact the world. It was somewhat light-hearted and it was just overall fascinating.
Third was the title of the book, If It Bleeds. This brings us back to Holly at Finder's Keepers. I loved getting to know more of Holly as a character, seeing more of her life and circumstances. I loved seeing her development. The story was creepy, mind expanding, and lovely. (And you can bet I have the next one already here)
The last one.. Rat. I like the premise of the story, definitely in a "Monkey Paw" scenario. I wasn't overly excited while reading it, more just ready to finish the book overall. I like the character and watching his descent, almost into madness. I could enjoy those little moments. Overall, wasn't bad, just not a favorite.
I recommend this, if you like short stories, Stephen King does great writing that makes your mind twist.