Review: A bit of a bumpy ride
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 26, 2011
Mile 81 is a boarded up rest stop in Maine forgotten by many except for high school kids looking for a place to party. When ten year old Pete Simmons explores the rest stop he finds a bottle of vodka and drinks enough to pass out. He wakes up to a living nightmare - a car that eats people."Mile 81" starts off a bit slowly with the introduction of Pete Simmons but once the flesh easting car comes into the picture it becomes a tension filled short story. A possessed car is nothing new for Stephen King which he openly acknowledges with nods toChristine (Signet)andFrom a Buick 8("Mile 81" is not as good as the former but much better than the latter) and it is not the type of plot you want to think too much about (like where did the car come from and why does it need to eat humans). Instead, sit back and enjoy what King does best - create characters that you care about no matter how briefly you meet them. Ironically, while much of the story is focused around the heroics of young children, none of them comes across very realistically. Pete is a bit too knowledgeable for a ten year old and Rachel is far too mature a six year old when faced with danger. What worked for me were the adult characters, especially Julianne and Trooper Jimmy (who make you wish you could reach inside the Kindle and pull them away from the car). As for the car itself - yes it is a bit creepy but it is also King's take (as only King could do) on the perils of stopping to help a stranger who just may be a homicidal maniac."Mile 81" may not be King's best short story but it is still a heck of a ride and King fans will also enjoy the sneak preview of his next novel11/22/63: A Novel.