IF IT BLEEDS

u003cbu003eThe "gripping...phenomenal...gorgeous" (u003ciu003eUSA TODAYu003c/iu003e) #1 u003ciu003eNew York Times u003c/iu003ebestselling novella collection from master storyteller Stephen King!u003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003eReaders adore Stephen King's novels, and his novellas are their own dark treat, briefer but just as impactful and enduring as his longer fiction. Many of his novellas have been made into iconic films, including "The Body" (u003ciu003eStand by Meu003c/iu003e) and "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" (u003ciu003eShawshank Redemptionu003c/iu003e).u003cbru003e u003cbru003eThe four brilliant tales in u003ciu003eIf It Bleedsu003c/iu003e prove as iconic as their predecessors. In the title story, reader favorite Holly Gibney (from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and u003ciu003eThe Outsideru003c/iu003e) must face her fears, and possibly another outsider—this time on her own. In "Mr. Harrigan's Phone" an intergenerational friendship has a disturbing afterlife. "The Life of Chuck" explores, beautifully, how each of us contains multitudes. And in "Rat," a struggling writer must contend with the darker side of ambition.u003cbru003e u003cbru003eIf these novellas show King's range, they also prove that certain themes endure. One of King's great concerns is evil, and in u003ciu003eIf It Bleedsu003c/iu003e, there's plenty of it. There is also evil's opposite, which in King's fiction often manifests as friendship. Holly is reminded that friendship is not only life-affirming but can be life-saving. Young Craig befriends Mr. Harrigan, and the sweetness of this late-in-life connection is its own reward.u003cbru003e u003cbru003e"An adroit vehicle to showcase the...nature of evil" (u003ciu003eThe Boston Globeu003c/iu003e), u003ciu003eIf It Bleedsu003c/iu003e is "exactly what I wanted to read right now," says Ruth Franklin in u003ciu003eThe New York Times Book Reviewu003c/iu003e.