Gwendy's Final Task is the third installment in the Button Box trilogy by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. Originally released in Feb 2022, this paperback format from Simon & Schuster on their Gallery imprint is 288 pages. The book is also available in all other formats. It's worth noting that the e-book format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of e-books with interactive formats lately.
This is a well told story. I was immersed and engaged from the first chapter and wound up reading it in one sitting. It's linear (although told in back and forth flashbacks throughout), and the characters are simplistic, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. The denouement and resolution are clearly telegraphed from the beginning (more or less), and the ending felt inevitable.
One of the things I enjoyed most (apart from the engaging storytelling) was finding and identifying the Easter egg tie-ins for King's other works: It, The Dark Tower, Talisman, The Black House, and more. There are a few jump-scares which surprised a squeak or two out of me. There's also a smattering of horror (mostly leftover from earlier readings of King's other books which still have the power to scare, decades after reading).
As most other reviewers have pointed out, this is a pandemic book, and the authors don't pull punches when it comes to politics and their (King's) unmitigated loathing of the previous American presidential administration. My own feelings are somewhat more incendiary than King's seem to be, so it didn't bother me. Readers who love the "former guy" will probably find their enjoyment of the story significantly impacted.
Four stars. Although it's the trilogy ending, it's self contained and works well as a standalone. A solid tale.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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