It Took Me Three Years To Read This Book...

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guido tkp

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2009
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outside the dome
buuuuuutttttt......it's NOT really about baseball !!!

that's like saying i won't read 'christine' because i don't like cars...or...'delores claiborne' because i don't like domestic violence....or 'the shining' because i don't like hotels....

c'mon, it's about Billy...

this is a stephen king short story that was sold as a tale with a twist...

good story...i liked 'em both
 

Jimpy

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2014
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I liked it. It was a bit like the stories in Full Dark, No Stars, which came out about the same time. I could mostly see where it was going, but it was a fun, dark little journey. I prefer Stephen King's novellas and long short stories to his novels and short stories. Not that I dislike the others.

Jimpy
If you can't take the heat, don't swim with the big dogs.
 

chief4db

When it doubt, run!
Feb 11, 2015
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whatsamatteru. usa
11/22/63 was the first king book I read and became a huge fan. then it was like a kid in the candy store. all these books to choose to read from. I am a huge baseball fan and played in college so I gravited to this one. I really liked it. I thought there was lot of room for this to continue and wasn't ready for it to end. I got the cemetery dance issue mainly I just don't like cover on board covers. cemetery dance came with a dust jacket and slipcase and the book was a little bigger. if I had to be picky the one thing is I don't quite understand why he couldn't have just gone out and make it on his own if he was that good. I mean there are open tryouts everywhere back then.
 
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Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
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Usually, what I love about King stories is finding some connection among the characters that relates to my own life. In the neighborhood where I grew up, I had two neighbors who loved to talk old-timey baseball. I actually knew a guy who struck out Babe Ruth (or claimed to have) and I used to hear wonderful tall tales about guys like Warren Spahn and even Ty Cobb, who was a notoriously hateful person who would think nothing of cutting a guy up with his spikes.

It may be that some of these old guys were just sharpening their story-telling on a naïve kid, but I prefer to believe they told the truth. There's always been a love affair with baseball in this country. I guess that's dying a little now that the players make so much money and the season never seems to end.

But I do love those old stories . . . just like I love Blockade Billy.
 
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muskrat

Dis-Member
Nov 8, 2010
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Under your bed
I didnt think I'd like it. But someone sent me the nifty little hardback--the one with that hard azz second story...er...Morality? That sucker was cold blooded, man. And the baseball story was a great little afternoon's diversion(better'n watching baseball, do ya).

Reminded me a little of E.C.'s Foul Play. Now THERE's a baseball tale, kiddies.
 
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AudioArtist

Well-Known Member
Sep 25, 2015
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My copy also has the extra story, Morality, in it and no card for me. :(
I enjoyed it even though I'm not a huge fan of any sport but more of a casual watcher from time to time.
I thought that the factual basis was an interesting little tidbit that even many big time baseball fans might be unaware of, so that was a nice little bonus.
 

chief4db

When it doubt, run!
Feb 11, 2015
733
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whatsamatteru. usa
I loved the book. Now I'm probably bias bc I love baseball. Played all growing up and in college at Penn State. But ur right. It's not all about baseball. King always says write what u know. He loves baseball. Red Sox is his team. Faithful is more of a baseball book but blockade billy isn't so if u hate baseball don't pass it up bc of that. But I would pass on faithful if u hate bb. Basically chronicles a entire red Sox season so u will find it a bore if u dislike bb
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
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Cambridge, Ohio
I've only read the version in Bazaar Of Bad Dreams, which is "revised". Were the revisions enough that I should check out another version? I really enjoyed it and would look for the book if there's anything there that adds to the story.
...for me, it didn't make much difference-the bulk of the story remains the same....
 

Paddy C

All Hail The KING...
Sep 18, 2017
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Drogheda, Ireland
I've only read the version in Bazaar Of Bad Dreams, which is "revised". Were the revisions enough that I should check out another version? I really enjoyed it and would look for the book if there's anything there that adds to the story.

Same here, Dynamo. Was nice to see Morality included in that collection as well. I know next to nothing about baseball but I really liked Blockade Billy.
 
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Wayoftheredpanda

Flaming Wonder Telepath
May 15, 2018
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buuuuuutttttt......it's NOT really about baseball !!!

that's like saying i won't read 'christine' because i don't like cars...or...'delores claiborne' because i don't like domestic violence....or 'the shining' because i don't like hotels....

c'mon, it's about Billy...

this is a stephen king short story that was sold as a tale with a twist...

good story...i liked 'em both
Loved Christine even though I know barely anything about car anatomy
 

DKSKFan

Member
Oct 31, 2019
9
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Since I'm Danish I have zero understanding of baseball. No interest in any sports in general. But the baseball stuff was no problem. I liked the story quite well. I also have the version with Morality as the bonus, and that one I loved