Review: Crank the Throttle
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 1, 2012
Throttle is a Kindle Single by Stephen King and his son Joseph Hillstrom King (Joe Hill). The two writers collaborated on this work inspired by the short story, Duel, by Richard Matheson originally published in Playboy in 1971. Both the original short story and this Single tell the tale of road rage involving the driver of a semi-truck pursuing other motorists on winding back roads. In this story, an oil tanker driver relentlessly pursues outlaw bikers after he overhears them talking about murdering two meth dealers. The leader of the small "tribe" of outlaws, Vince, is a Vietnam War combat veteran.  His son Race rides with the group and is a combat veteran of the Iraq War. The major difference between the two vets is that Vince was honorably discharged while his son's discharge from the military was dishonorable. Race had driven away from his fellow soldiers in combat to save himself. The love-hate relationship between the two men is a major theme of the story. The cat and mouse pursuit and ensuing mayhem are exciting and the surprise ending is predictable but satisfying. The final resolution of tension in the father-son relationship is poignant and will produce a visceral reaction in readers.  This is a good work of fiction well worth the low price.