Gwendy's Magic Feather

By Richard Chizmar and Stephen King

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER

In this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling novella by Stephen King and award-winning author Richard Chizmar, an adult Gwendy is summoned back to Castle Rock after the mysterious reappearance of the button box.

Something evil has swept into the small Maine town of Castle Rock on the heels of the latest winter storm. Sheriff Norris Ridgewick and his team are desperately searching for two missing girls, but time is running out.

In Washington, DC, thirty-seven-year-old Gwendy Peterson couldn’t be more different from the self-conscious teenaged girl who once spent a summer running up Castle Rock’s Suicide Stairs. That same summer, she had been entrusted—or some might say cursed—with the extraordinary button box by Richard Farris, the mysterious stranger in the black suit. The seductive and powerful box offered Gwendy small gifts in exchange for its care and feeding until Farris eventually returned, promising the young girl she’d never see the box again.

One day, though, the button box suddenly reappears but this time, without Richard Farris to explain why, or what she’s supposed to do with it. Between this and the troubling disappearances back in Castle Rock, Gwendy decides to return home. She just might be able to help rescue the missing girls and stop a dangerous madman before he does something ghastly.

With breathtaking and lyrical prose, Gwendy’s Magic Feather explores whether our lives are controlled by fate or the choices we make and what price we sometimes have to pay. Prepare to return again to Stephen King’s Castle Rock, the sleepy little town built on a bedrock of deep, dark secrets, just as it’s about to awaken from its quiet slumber once more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Release date: Jan 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982139735

Richard Chizmar

Richard Chizmar is the coauthor (with Stephen King) of the New York Times bestselling novella Gwendy’s Button Box and Gwendy’s Final Task, and the solo novella Gwendy’s Magic Feather. Recent books include the New York Times bestsellers Memorials, Becoming the Boogeyman, and Chasing the Boogeyman; The Girl on the Porch; The Long Way Home; his fourth short story collection, and Widow’s Point; a chilling tale about a haunted lighthouse cowritten with his son Billy Chizmar, which was recently made into a feature film. His short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustees award. Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, speaker, panelist, and guest of honor. Follow him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky: @RichardChizmar, or visit his website at RichardChizmar.com.

Book preview

Cover: Gwendy's Magic Feather, by Richard Chizmar

Praise for the New York Times bestseller

GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX

BY STEPHEN KING AND RICHARD CHIZMAR

"A different sort of coming-of-age story about a mysterious stranger and his odd little gift.… Cowritten with Richard Chizmar, King’s zippy work returns to the small-town Maine locale of The Dead Zone, Cujo and other early novels.… extremely well-paced … a fun read that never loses momentum.… Gwendy’s Button Box feels like it belongs in this locale that’s always been a pit stop for scary Americana and the normal turned deadly.… Nicely captures that same winning dichotomy between the innocent and the sinister."

—USA Today

Absorbing.… This bite-size gem of a story packs quite a punch.

—Publishers Weekly

Man, I love this story! The whole thing just races and feels so right-sized and so scarily and sadly relevant. Loved the characters … and the sense of one little girl’s connection to the whole world through this weird device. It all just sang.

—J. J. Abrams

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Gwendy's Magic Feather, by Richard Chizmar, Gallery Books

for Kara, Billy, and Noah

the Magic in my life

HOW GWENDY ESCAPED OBLIVION

by Stephen King

WRITING STORIES IS BASICALLY playing. Work may come into it once the writer gets down to brass tacks, but it almost always begins with a simple game of make-believe. You start with a what-if, then sit down at your desk to find out where that what-if leads. It takes a light touch, an open mind, and a hopeful heart.

Four or five years ago—I can’t remember exactly, but it must have been while I was still working on the Bill Hodges trilogy—I started to play with the idea of a modern Pandora. She was the curious little girl, you’ll remember, who got a magic box and when her damned curiosity (the curse of the human race) caused her to open it, all the evils of the world flew out. What would happen, I wondered, if a modern little girl got such a box, given to her not by Zeus but by a mysterious stranger?

I loved the idea and sat down to write a story called Gwendy’s Button Box. If you were to ask me where the name Gwendy came from, I couldn’t tell you any more than I can tell you exactly when I did the original 20 or 30 pages. I might have been thinking about Wendy Darling, Peter Pan’s little girlfriend, or Gwyneth Paltrow, or it might have just popped into my head (like the John Rainbird name did in Firestarter). In any case, I visualized a box with a colored button for each of the earth’s large land masses; push one of them and something bad would happen in the corresponding continent. I added a black one that would destroy everything, and—just to keep the proprietor of the box interested—little levers on the sides that would dispense addictive treats.

I may also have been thinking of my favorite Fredric Brown short story, The Weapon. In it, a scientist involved in creating a super-bomb opens his door to a late-night stranger who pleads with him to stop what he’s doing. The scientist has a son who is, as we’d now say, mentally challenged. After the scientist sends his visitor away, he sees his son playing with a loaded revolver. The final line of the story is, Only a madman would give a loaded gun to an idiot.

Gwendy’s button box is that loaded gun, and while she’s far from an idiot, she’s still just a kid, for God’s sake. What would she do with that box, I wondered. How long would it take for her to get addicted to the treats it dispensed? How long before her curiosity caused her to push one of those buttons, just to see what might happen? (Jonestown, as it turned out.) And might she begin to be obsessed with the black button, the one that would destroy everything? Might the story end with Gwendy—after a particularly bad day, perhaps—pushing that button and bringing down the apocalypse? Would that be so farfetched in a world where enough nuclear firepower exists to destroy all life on earth for thousands of years? And where, whether we like to admit it or not, some of the people with access to those weapons are not too tightly wrapped?

The story went fine at first, but then I began to run out of gas. That doesn’t happen to me often, but it does happen from time to time. I’ve probably got two dozen unfinished stories (and at least two novels) that just quit on me. (Or maybe I quit on them.) I think I was at the point where Gwendy is trying to figure out how to keep the box hidden from her parents. It all began to seem too complicated. Worse, I didn’t know what came next. I stopped working on the story and turned to something else.

Time passed—maybe two years, maybe a little more. Every now and then I thought about Gwendy and her dangerous magic box, but no new ideas occurred, so the story stayed on the desktop of my office computer, way down in the corner of the screen. Not deleted, but definitely shunned.

Then one day I got an email from Rich Chizmar, creator and editor of Cemetery Dance and the author of some very good short stories in the fantasy/horror genre. He suggested—casually, I think, with no real expectation that I’d take him up on it—that we might collaborate on a story at some point, or that I might like to participate in a round-robin, where a number of writers work to create a single piece of fiction. The round-robin idea held no allure for me because such stories are rarely interesting, but the idea of collaboration did. I knew Rich’s work, how good he is with small towns and middle-class suburban life. He effortlessly evokes backyard barbecues, kids on bikes, trips to Walmart, families eating popcorn in front of the TV … then tears a hole in those things by introducing an element of the supernatural and a tang of horror. Rich writes stories where the Good Life suddenly turns brutal. I thought if anyone could finish Gwendy’s story, it would be him. And, I must admit, I was curious.

Long story short, he did a brilliant job. I re-wrote some of his stuff, he re-wrote some of mine, and we came out with a little gem. I’ll always be grateful to him for not allowing Gwendy to die a lingering death in the lower righthand corner of my desktop screen.

When he suggested there might be more to her story, I was interested but not entirely convinced. What would it be about? I wanted to know. He asked me what I’d think if Gwendy, now an adult, got elected to the United States House of Representatives, and the button box made a reappearance in her life … along with the box’s mysterious proprietor, the man in the little black hat.

You know when it’s right, and that was so perfect I was jealous (not a lot, but a little, yeah). Gwendy’s position of power in the political machinery echoed the button box. I told him that sounded fine, and he should go ahead. In truth, I probably would have said the same if he’d suggested a story where Gwendy becomes an astronaut, goes through a space warp, and ends up in another galaxy. Because Gwendy is as much Rich’s as she is mine. Probably more, because without his intervention, she wouldn’t exist at all.

In the story you’re about to read—lucky you!—all of Rich’s formidable skills are on display. He evokes Castle Rock well, and the regular Joes and regular Jills that populate the town ring true. We know these people, and so we care for them. We also care for Gwendy. To tell you the truth, I sort of fell in love with her, and I’m delighted that she’s back for more.

Stephen King

May 17, 2019

1

ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1999, Gwendy Peterson wakes up before the sun, dresses in layers for the cold, and heads out for a run.

Once upon a time, she walked with a slight limp thanks to an injury to her right foot, but six months of physical therapy and orthotic inserts in her favorite New Balance running shoes took care of that little problem. Now she runs at least three or four times a week, preferably at dawn as the city is just beginning to open its eyes.

An awful lot has happened in the fifteen years since Gwendy graduated from Brown University and moved away from her hometown of Castle Rock, Maine, but there’s plenty of time to tell that story. For now, let’s tag along as she makes her way crosstown.

After stretching her legs on the concrete steps of her rented townhouse, Gwendy jogs down Ninth Street, her feet slapping a steady rhythm on the salted roadway, until it runs into Pennsylvania Avenue. She hangs a sharp left and cruises past the Navy Memorial and the National Gallery of Art. Even in the heart of winter, the museums are all well illuminated, the gravel and asphalt walkways shoveled clean; our tax dollars hard at work.

Once Gwendy reaches the Mall, she notches it up a gear, feeling the lightness in her feet and the power in her legs. Her ponytail peeks out from underneath her winter cap, rustling against the back of her sweatshirt with every step she takes. She runs along the Reflecting Pool, missing the families of ducks and birds that make it their home during the warm summer months, toward the obelisk shadow of the Washington Monument. She stays on the lighted path, swinging a wide circle around the famous landmark, and heads east toward the Capitol Building. The Smithsonian Museums line both sides of the Mall here and she remembers the first time she visited Washington, D.C.

She was ten that summer, and she and her parents spent three long, sweaty days exploring the city from dawn to dusk. At the end of each day, they collapsed on their hotel beds and ordered room service—an unheard of luxury for the Peterson family—because they were too exhausted to shower and venture out for dinner. On their final morning, her father surprised the family with tickets to one of the city’s pedicab tours. The three of them squeezed into the back of the cramped carriage eating ice cream cones and giggling as their tour guide pedaled them around the Mall.

Never in a million years did Gwendy dream she’d one day live and work in the nation’s capital. If anyone questioned her of that likelihood even eighteen months earlier, her answer would have been a resounding no. Life is funny that way, she thinks, cutting across a gravel pathway in the direction of Ninth Street. Full of surprises—and not all of them good.

Leaving the Mall behind, Gwendy pulls frigid air into her lungs and quickens her stride for the final home stretch. The streets are alive now, bustling with early morning commuters, homeless people emerging from their cardboard boxes, and the rumble and grind of garbage trucks making their rounds. Gwendy spots the multi-colored Christmas lights twinkling from her bay window ahead and takes off in a sprint. Her neighbor across the street lifts a hand and calls out to her, but Gwendy doesn’t see or hear. Her legs flex with fluid grace and strength, but her mind is far away this cold December morning.

2

EVEN WITH DAMP HAIR and barely a hint of make-up on her face, Gwendy is gorgeous. She draws a number of appreciative—not to mention a few openly envious—stares as she stands in the corner of the cramped elevator. Were her old friend, Olive Kepnes, still alive (even after all these years Gwendy still thinks of her almost every day), Olive would tell Gwendy that she looked like a million bucks and change. And she would be right.

Dressed in plain gray slacks, a white silk blouse, and low-heeled slip-ons (what her mother calls sensible shoes), Gwendy looks ten years younger than her thirty-seven years. She would argue vigorously with anyone who told her so, but her protests would be in vain. It was the simple truth.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open onto the third floor. Gwendy and two others sidestep their way out and join a small group of employees waiting in line at a cordoned-off security checkpoint. A burly guard wearing a badge and sidearm stands at the entrance, scanning identification badges. A young female guard is positioned a few yards behind him, staring at a video screen as employees pass between the vertical slats of a walk-through metal detector.

When it’s Gwendy’s turn at the front of the line, she pulls a laminated ID card from her leather tote bag and hands it to the guard.

Morning, Congresswoman Peterson. Busy day today? He scans the bar code and hands it back with a friendly smile.

They’re all busy, Harold. She gives him a wink. You know that.

His smile widens, exposing a pair of gold-plated front teeth. Hey, I won’t tell if you don’t.

Gwendy laughs and starts to walk away. From behind her: Tell that husband of yours I said hello.

She glances over her shoulder, readjusting the tote bag on her arm. Will do. With any luck, he’ll be home in time for Christmas.

God willing, Harold says, crossing himself. Then he turns to the next employee and scans his card. Morning, Congressman.

3

GWENDY’S OFFICE IS SPACIOUS and uncluttered. The

Reviews for Gwendy's Magic Feather

[faustgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Saying goodbye to friends is often the hardest thing to do.
I loved this series, the characters, the stories never once disappointed me, my only disappointment comes with knowing the series is over. That the button box, the chocolates, Mr. Farris and Gwendy are gone.

King and Chizmar are an amazing team who I hope will write more together in the future.

From the first page in the series to last page in the series I was hooked. The writing, the stories, the characters all came alive for me. I lost myself for moments in time as I read each book. And to me that it why I read, to escape, to believe and to dream, these 3 books gave me all of that and more.

[tyler turner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rich did an incredible job returning us back to Castle Rock. I do not think another author could match Mr. King, himself, at such a fast and thrilling story! Thankee sai, good sir.

[frances stgeorge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really good read. Don’t usually enjoy collaborations, but this one works very well.

[ayoshina-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the continuation of Gwendy story which is a great fit for anyone who loved "Gwendy's Button Box". The creative writing and characters are the same if you enjoyed reading the prequel but now we are in the shoes of a much older, mature Gwendy who is dealing with reinheritance (so to speak) of the button box, dealing with heavy themes and the attempt to help find a mass murderer in her hometown while fighting the button box temptation. It was a light and easy read, and in no way shape or form felt like over 300+ pages. Great read and let's be honest, my fingers are crossed hoping we see more of Gwendy and her adventures in the future.

[sharonmariabidwell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this, the second instalment in the Button Box trilogy, not a lot happens, though Gwendy’s certainly dragged through the mill emotionally. As a middle novel, this works well enough, although the tension in this one has a different feel to the first. On to the third.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A disappointment. First, this book looks a lot longer than it really is, as it has really large type and very short chapters. I'd say it's maybe novella length, if that. That's probably why it's such a fast read, but in all respects, it appears meatier than it ultimately turns out to be. Every character comes across as two-dimensional, and overall there doesn't seem to be much point to this story. It's set in the past but told in present tense, which always irks me. There's a bit of alternative history regarding who's President, but that storyline doesn't go much of anywhere--in fact, there is just no compelling story at all in this book, nothing to tie it all together, no satisfaction at the resolution. There were also several glaring errors in terms of grammar and punctuation, which I always find distracting. None of this excites me to read the third in the series, which I already own, but I guess I will get around to it sooner or later.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this installment, Gwendy is now married and a representative in Congress. Mr. Farris returns with the button box, and this time, Gwendy uses it to help solve the mystery of the disappearance of several young girls. Her parents remind her of the time that she purchased a magic feather when she was a young girl. The feather appears multiple times throughout the book, with a special meaning.

[iira_24 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A decent sequel, a quick read just like the first but perhaps quite not in par with it. Nothing special, but I don't regret spending the time.

[MH · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Second book of Gwendy's trilogy.

This time, 15 years have passed since Gwendy last had the button box. She is now a congresswoman in Washington, married and living a happy life, except for her mother's illness, which she is recovering from.

One day, upon entering her office, she finds a strange object on her desk. Could it be that the button box has returned?

I really like the plot; it is entertaining and you read it without realizing it, even though it is a book of a certain length, it is a short story. I have no complaints, for now, about this trilogy. But I still think I prefer the Stephen King of horror who doesn't hold back in describing scenes of terror. (Translated from Spanish)

[MagalyProcopio · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second in the trilogy, here Gwendy is already an adult when the button box returns to her hands. This time, in addition to the benefits we already know, it gives her a Gift, which will be useful to solve a series of disappearances.

Like the first book, it is a light read, contains good ideas but doesn't delve into details, everything goes very fast, it's not bad but something is lacking. (Translated from Spanish)

[krau0098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Gwendy's Button Box series. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: This was okay but not all that exciting of a story. We hear a lot of what Gwendy has done with her life in the years since the Button Box left her possession. Then, right before her flight home for the holidays, it reappears. When Gwendy gets home she finds there's been a serious of mysterious disappearance of a couple young girls. This, on top of her mother's cancer diagnosis, have Gwendy struggling to decide if she should make use of the box again or not.

This story was a bit boring and was less mysterious and intriguing than the first book, it was also just a bit drier in general. Yes, there is a mystery of the kidnapped girls to help drive the story but this ended up in the background and a lot more time was spent on Gwendy's own struggles with whether or not to use the Button Box again. The majority of the story very much just follows Gwendy around on her holiday break.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was very well done.

My Summary (3/5): Overall I thought his was okay but didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first book in the series. I think for now I am going to skip the final book in this series, the reviews for it aren't very positive and I have a lot on my plate to read right now. I just didn't enjoy this book enough to dedicate time to reading the third book.

[Jovi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great continuation of "Gwendy's Button Box" written solo by Chizmar, where the fast pace and short chapters greatly help to speed up the reading. Very entertaining. (Translated from Spanish)

[Rominaia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is the continuation of "Gwendy's Button Box" by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. Initially, it was a single book, but it has turned into a trilogy. The second one (this) was written solely by Chizmar, and the third will be by Stephen King.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge; Gwendy is now a Congresswoman, but she was also a writer and even won an Oscar.

In her idyllic life, where she has reinvented herself multiple times, the button box will appear in her office. How did it get there? Why does it appear in her life again? And the most important question, what should she do with it?

Gwendy becomes obsessed again, just like in her adolescence, and desperately tries not to succumb to temptation.

Alongside the appearance of the box, she will return to Castle Rock, at a time when two girls are missing, and she will help in the investigation. Will Gwendy be able to find the girls?

The story reads very quickly; everything that happens is interesting, but... There's always a but... It's told in such a cold manner, so detached from the story, as if it were a little tale, a kind of fable... But one does not feel part of it nor empathize with anyone.

Moreover, throughout the narrative, there are things that are not explained and are only revealed at the end, but it’s not as if it leaves you intrigued; rather, it feels like there are holes in the plot. Personally, I was not entirely convinced by the narrative.

And as if that weren't enough: it has an ending copied from another book by Stephen King!!! I really wondered the whole time how he allowed Richard Chizmar to do this. I won't say which book it is to avoid spoiling the story; if you read it and discover it, let me know.

In any case, it’s not bad; it’s a good continuation, but I expected a bit more. I pray to the heavens or to my beloved King, and I hope that the third book, which he did write, does not disappoint me.

I leave it to your judgment, but be careful!!! You must read the first one before reading this: "Gwendy's Button Box."

I'll see you on the dark side. (Translated from Spanish)

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A novella about Gwendys second experience with t the button box. It introduces an earlier time on Gwendys life. More questions are raised than answered. The characters are richly portrayed.

[jreynolds1959 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gwendy Peterson is now 37 years old and a congresswoman from Castle Rock, ME. She is married to Ryan. Her life is pleasant.
From out of nowhere, the button box that she had been the caretaker of when she was a young girl living with her parents has been given to her again. She has been given the duty of the choices that she finds appropriate.
Her Mom becomes sick, girls start disappearing in Castle Rock and Gwendy becomes involved in these circumstances. She makes a few decisions regarding the box during these episodes.

Didn't get the same feel from the second book in this series. There wasn't really much about the power of the box in this story. I found this just a little drab in everyday doings of Gwendy.

[AnnTarditti · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very lovely story where we see Gwendy's life as an adult, although the box does not serve as important a function as in the first one (in my opinion), I believe it is with the idea of pouring all its power into the last book. Richard is an excellent writer, just like King ? (Translated from Spanish)

[angelajmaher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story but it didn't feel fully fleshed out or something. It felt like there was a lot of 'telling' and info dumps. Somewhat disappointed, but the core story was intriguing. The ending felt a little flat.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good sequel! It's twenty years after the first, and Gwendy is all grown up - a congresswoman, author, filmmaker, and wife! And then, the box comes back to her! She heads back to Castle Rock to be with her folks for the holidays, and finds that girls are going missing in her old home town.

This is a good read, that keeps a nice pace and kept me entertained throughout. There is a bit of a "Dead Zone" feeling to the plot development, but that isn't really a bad thing at all. And chapter 71 really ends the story well! Silver coins, chocolate animals, magic feathers, Richard Ferris, and the button box. A good holiday read!