Blockade Billy - A Review

Is a novella by the master of suspense, and a pretty good storyteller, Stephen King.

Let me tell you, it is a great read, and also one that will take you no more than a few hours, heck some of you it might not even take an hour, to read. Very entertaining and it just sucks you right in, like most of Mr. King's books do.

Blockade Billy is the story about how William "Blockade Billy" Blakely, made a name for himself as the catcher for the 1957 New jersey Titans. The Titans were having a tough time in the spring of that year with keeping catchers healthy, and had to resort to calling up anybody, not caring if they were from double or triple A, to play catcher for Titans until they could find someone with a little more experience.

Enter William Blakely, from the Davenport Cornhuskers, complete with his rundown truck with the chicken wire holding the license plate on, to the old baseball gear that looked a little worse for wear. Blakely comes in with a wide-eyed look about himself, which makes sense coming from the farm towns of Iowa to the big city and all.The narrator "Granny" worries that the kid might not be made of major league material and doesn't really give the kid a chance.

The rest is history, or lack of history, as the saying goes and Blakely starts off the season on a tear and he earning the nickname "Blockade Billy" by his play behind the plate. He is having a season for the storybooks, and you just know that Mr. King has something special planned.

I highly recommend that you read Blockade Billy if you get a chance, as the story is rich and the characters come to life in a manner that only Stephen King has. An enjoyable and quick read.

Four out of Five stars for this wonderful novella.

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Unknown (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451608217
• ISBN-13: 978-1451608212
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches