Scribner (Hardcover), ISBN 0743211375
Stephen King plans on retiring soon, but From a Buick 8 shows that he still can grab a reader, then utterly gross him or her out. (Fear not, Dark Tower fans. King says that the final three books are done, done and nearly done, and should be on bookshelves within the next year and a half.) And although he wrote a "killer car" story before, this tale varies considerably from Christine.

From a Buick tells the story of Pennsylvania State Patrol Troop D and their dark secret; a vintage car -- a nearly mint condition 1954 Buick Roadmaster -- with a nasty appetite. After the car's driver disappears one afternoon during a trip to the men's room at a gas station, the troopers take possession of the car. The car sits in a garage for a few decades. The Buick Roadmaster seems to possess hypnotic powers, fascinating all of the men in Troop D. Curt Wilcox, in particular, seems completely spellbound.

Years later, a drunk driver plows into Wilcox, killing him. Wilcox's son, Ned, begins hanging around the troop's office, hoping for a hint of the past and a few more memories of his father. He does odd jobs for the troop, discovers the Buick and begins asking questions. Finally, various members of the troop sit down with the young man and relate the Buick's history.

This car resembles no ordinary Buick. Ordinary Buicks don't eat troopers. Ordinary Buicks don't cause the temperature in the garage to drop 10 or 15 degrees. They don't cause silent purple-white lightning storms inside the garage. And ordinary Buicks most certainly don't spit out bizarre entities from other dimensions. But this Buick does, and its hypnotic spell calls to Ned too.

Weaving back and forth from past to present, From a Buick 8 hypnotizes the reader for a good, chilling time. It may not be King's finest work, but it will make even the staunchest reader say "EWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!" on more than one occasion. (If you thought dissecting fetal pigs in biology class was bad, wait until you see what comes out of the Buick's trunk ….

Jen Foote

Jen Foote recently moved to central Florida, where she is a copy editor and page designer at a small daily newspaper. She is ecstatic to live an hour away from the ocean.

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