Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Riding the Bullet

Riding the Bullet
Riding the Bullet
Author: Stephen King
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Horror
Book Type: Audio Cassette
reviewed on + 35 more book reviews


A short and sweet ghost story that Stephen still excels at. As the calendar turned into the 1990s, it's no secret that his novels became more and more bloated. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy them. I simply happen to miss the days where he did more with less and I think that's why I like Riding the Bullet. While the story might not be original,mI'm positive we've all heard some variation at summer camp when we were kids, it's King's delivery that makes it so good. Throw in a moral dilemma that we all might struggle with if put to the challenge and you start to see why this story works.

Alan Parker is a college student that learns that his mom has had a stroke and is in a hospital. His car is broken down and being no stranger to hitchhiking, Alan uses his thumb to get to the hospital. Along the way, he gets a ride from a ghostly visitor that puts him to the test. Choose to save your mother or yourself. The story is all about choices and you constantly ask yourself "What would I do if I was in this situation?" and the dreadful feeling of choosing wrong.