REVIEW

Throttle

Posted: November 28, 2008
Category: Short stories
Throttle is a collaboration between King and his son Joe Hill. Don’t ask me who wrote what though because the story is pretty seamless and it’s impossible (at least for me) to tell who wrote what…and that is a very good thing. They feel very compatible with each other and the result is a very tight story.

The story is influenced by Richard Matheson’s story Duel and will appear in the book He is Legend (out next year) that is released in honour to Matheson and his work. And if you have read Duel you will definitely recognize Matheson’s story in Throttle. In King and Hill’s version we get to meat a motorcycle gang with the name The Tribe. It’s lead by Vince and in the Tribe we also find his son and about six other bikers. When we join them they are on the way back from a meeting that has gone terrible wrong. Vince son Race has invested some money in a meth lab that has now burned to the ground. The money is gone and they where going to settle things with Dean Clarke, who’s responsible for this mess.

While they do so one thing leads to another and it all ends with them killing Clarke and his girlfriend. On their way back they stop at a gas station and while arguing about what to do next they notice a truck with the name Laughlin printed on its side. They don’t think much of it but later, while back on the road, the truck appears again, and this time it seams to be following them…

Throttle is a very good story. It’s intense, has well developed characters and a really good ending. Both King and Hill can take pride in writing what’s a really good story and an even better first time collaboration.

Lilja's final words about Throttle:

I don’t think anyone is surprised that King and Hill managed to get a good story out of the collaboration and now I just hope they will collaborate again and this time on something longer.