Blockade Billy by Stephen King (EPUB)

Description

“I love old-school baseball,and I also love the way people who’ve spent a lifetime in the game talk about the game. I tried to combine those things in a story of suspense. People have asked me for years when I was going to write a baseball story. Ask no more; this is it.” — Stephen KingEven the most diehard baseball fans don’t know the true story of William “Blockade Billy” Blakely.He may have been the greatest player the game has ever seen, but today no one remembers his name. He was the first — and only — player to have his existence completely removed from the record books. Even his team is long forgotten, barely a footnote in the game’s history.Every effort was made to erase any evidence that William Blakely played professional baseball, and with good reason. Blockade Billy had a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse…and only Stephen King, the most gifted storyteller of our age, can reveal the truth to the world, once and for all.This Kindle edition features both the cover illustration by Glen Orbik and the interior artwork of Alex McVey from the limited hardcover edition published by Cemetery Dance Publications.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐It takes you back to the good old days of baseball.As a former catcher I related to this story the relationship between the pitcher and the guy behind the plate, who most people don’t realize is that that tough guy behind the plate really is the one calling all the shots.He’s responsible to know every batter and direct all the players in the field with undetectable instructions.

⭐I’ve been a Red Sox fan for over sixty-five years and a Stephen King fan since my son handed me one of his books when he was about 11 years old and said “l wish he could write books as fast as I can read them.” We have been trading books back and forth for the last 40 or so years. Although he is neither a baseball fan or a Sox fan, this one is going in the mail today. I read it in one sitting and I imagine that he will too.Again, a GREAT story.

⭐Stephen King offers a short story filled with extreme unpredictability. Upon reading the first few passages of Blockade Billy, the storyline line appears to be a recanting of a veteran ballplayer of the golden age of baseball of the 1950s. However, not all of the story suggests that and does not appear to be the case for the narrator George “Granny” Grantham. Indeed, his stories of exciting moments on the field are shared and how he encountered one of the most unique players he worked with, William Blakely otherwise known as Blockade Billy of the New Jersey Titans. Granny tells these stories to King with much vivid detail and vigor as if one can actually picture the images of yesterday.Although the story is a work of fiction, King meticulously provides details and definite love for the game as told by Granny who had been the third base coach and equipment manager for the Titans. He saw firsthand Billy’s first step into the ball club and rise to notoriety as their catcher, but his fame did not happen over night. The Titans had a string of catchers before Billy arrived, Johnny Goodkind and Frank Faraday, but unfortunately, each player experienced their own stumbles before relinquishing their place on the team that also included a history of misfits that were not at all angels on and off the field. And to add to that trait, Billy possessed a few of his own upon his place on the team and the infamous Band-Aid that he wore due during this first day. However, as one reads the story, with every new player that happens to have the spotlight, a shed of information that Granny reveals shows more to Billy’s life before the Titans, he played for the Davenport Cornhuskers and before that went by the name of Gene Katsansis; Katsanis had been hired by the Blakely family as a field hand. It is this tidbit of the Billy’s life that offers insight to what happened on the ball field when the Titans had winning and losing streaks and possibly why.Blockade Billy has the King trait that may entice his fans as well as curious readers. The story has a bit of mystery and slight macabre but one that is subtly placed within the concluding portion of the story. This is a recommended short book that may first have the reader wondering where the story will lead, but by the end, one may have whoa did that really happen?

⭐Worth reading if you have some time to kill but all in all not a very compelling story. It reads more like a documentary than the standard king fair, which doesn’t detract from the story by any means but also doesn’t do much to help it. Being in a reflective interview style makes things feel less tense or engaging for myself at least, now take my interpretations as a non professional simple consumer as you will but confidence holds that some will agree kings conversational off the top style of writing doesn’t work as well presented in this format of story telling. All in all the general feel of the book never really reaches a peak and instead is more of a placid tone story being told by an old man invigorated by the opportunity to share what hes seen. Which is fine and i old no resentment towards a calmer handheld journey through a mans experiences but as a story taking king, the style, and the subject matter out of the equation your still left with a very bland retelling of what would have been an exciting time for someone invested in the events.

⭐I am a big Stephen King fan and was looking forward to reading this one. I was a little disappointed with the story line but that may be because I do not know the rules of baseball and it was nearly all about the sport. Still, as it was Stephen King I did read though till the end but I am still none the wiser about the game at all.

⭐As a Scottish female the world of baseball isn’t my forte shall we say…however by the second page I was hooked as usual when reading a story by the King …pun fully intended. Reading as if I was sitting in that old zombie hotel listening to Granny was spellbinding…such an original idea to write as if he was listening to the story and I cant help but think now…what was Mr King’s reason to be there for the story…more to come… I’ll leave that to my imagination. Thankyou Mr King for another amazing story.

⭐A interesting short story. I’m not really a fan of baseball so some things went over my head somewhat but it didn’t stop my enjoying the story

⭐I expected the book to be longer. Billy could have had a longer career before he was caught. More detail of the people he had lived with would be better.

⭐I only brought this book because it was by my favourite author, but was delighted to find a short story and bonus story that don’t disappoint this constant reader. A little different to other stories, as this one includes Stephen King himself (nice touch), being told the tale of Blockade Billy. The bonus story ‘Morality’ is a thought provoker of a tale.

Keywords

Free Download Blockade Billy in EPUB format
Blockade Billy EPUB Free Download
Download Blockade Billy 2010 EPUB Free
Blockade Billy 2010 EPUB Free Download
Download Blockade Billy EPUB
Free Download Ebook Blockade Billy