From Library Journal
"Why not read this aloud?" suggests King in the foreword to the first part of his six-part serialized novel that will be released in monthly installments. Better yet, listen to the great Frank Muller read in his scariest voice. Ponder whether to accumulate all six episodes and circulate them together (and thereby frustrate King's intent that they be read serially) or circulate each part separately (and thereby drive your patrons bananas). It's still too early to judge the story, which is about the execution of a Depression Era murderer told from the point of view of the prison's death row superintendent as he languishes in a nursing home. It promises to be typical King, though, with an engaging narrator and a bit too much verbiage. The concluding scene, wherein colored splinters of wood are found in a mouse's hole, is clearly meant to scare the listener, but since we don't yet know the splinters' significance, it falls flat. Popular fiction collections should add a copy to their audio shelves.
John Hiett, Iowa City P.L.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ingram
What woulkd it be like to walk those last 40 yards to the electric chair, knowing you were going to die there? What would it be like for the man who had to strap the condemned in or pull the switch? What would such a job take out of you? Or even creepier, what would it add? This is the premise that is at the center of the six installments of King's new work. This is the first installment.
