If It Bleeds is a 2020 collection of four previously unpublished novellas by American writerStephen King. The stories in the collection are titled "If It Bleeds", "Mr. Harrigan's Phone", "The Life of Chuck", and "Rat". Originally scheduled for release on May 5, 2020, the release was changed to April 28. The audiobook is read by Will Patton, Danny Burstein, and Steven Weber.
Contents
The four novellas contained in the collection are:
"Mr. Harrigan's Phone"
A teenager finds that a dead friend's cell phone that was buried with the body still communicates from beyond the grave. Craig gets a job working for the retired Mr. Harrigan when he's just nine years old, watering plants and reading to the old man, who has retired to the small town of Harlow, Maine, after a successful business career. As the years go on, Craig buys an iPhone for him as a thank you gift after a scratch-off lotto ticket that Harrigan had gifted the boy pays off. The old man is reluctant to accept the phone at first, but comes to enjoy it. When Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig places the phone in his pocket to be buried with him. One night, missing his friend, he leaves a voice message. To his shock, he gets a text in return. Craig will learn that not everything dead is gone.
"The Life of Chuck"
As the world around him crumbles into oblivion, a man realizes that he contains multitudes. A story told in reverse, starting with the end of Chuck Krantz's life, and moving back in time to show how he'd lived that life.
"If It Bleeds"
of the Finders Keepersdetective agency is working on the case of a missing dog when she sees footage of a school bombing on TV. But when she tunes in again, to the late-night report, she realizes there is something not quite right about the correspondent who was first on the scene. Soon, she will find that she is not the only one to have suspicions about the reporter. Gibney is one of King's recurring characters, having appeared in his Bill Hodges trilogy, and in The Outsider.
"Rat"
The story centers on the aforementioned writer, a man named Drew Larson with an acclaimed short story to his credit. He's given himself over to academia because every time he tries to turn a good idea into a novel, things go seriously bad – mentally, physically, or both. But his latest concept, a Western thriller, is gangbusters, and he goes out to an old family cabin in the woods to get the novel done. When storms, insecurities, and sickness hit, Drew strikes a sinister bargain with a rat that turns out to be a thought-provoking spin on a "Monkey's Paw" situation. The rat offers to get rid of his writer's block in exchange for one of Larson's loved ones dying. Thinking that Larson's imagination is getting the best of him he agrees and goes about his day. Finally, when the storm clears Larson returns home to his family.
Reception
USA Todays Brian Truitt awarded the collection 3½/4, saying, "If It Bleeds is aces with short stories but has real issues getting a novel together.... King still owns the fright business like none other, but the iconic author will keep you up late at night engrossed in four tales about our dreams and our frailties." Publishers Weekly said of the release, "The four never-before-published novellas in this collection represent horror master King at his finest, using the weird and uncanny to riff on mortality, the price of creativity, and the unpredictable consequences of material attachments." Kirkus Reviews summed up the release as "Vintage King: a pleasure for his many fans and not a bad place to start if you're new to him."
Film adaptation
On July 10, 2020, it was reported by Deadline Hollywood that Netflix had acquired film rights to "Mr. Harrigan's Phone", to be produced by Blumhouse Productions and Ryan Murphy. "Rat" was optioned by Ben Stiller, who intends to produce, star and direct. Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures has optioned "The Life of Chuck", with Aronofsky to produce. "If It Bleeds" could be acquired by HBO, due to their use of the Gibney character in The Outsider.
