Gwendy's Magic Feather (The Button Box, #2)

Title: Gwendy's Magic Feather (The Button Box, #2)

Author: Richard Chizmar

Published in: 2019

Date read: 3rd March 2022

Score: 4/5

Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Mystery

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Gwendy's Magic Feather" by Richard Chizmar (with Stephen King as a co-author in the series) is the second novella in the Gwendy Peterson trilogy, continuing the story of the mysterious button box and Gwendy's evolving relationship with its immense power.

The story picks up years after "Gwendy's Button Box." Gwendy Peterson is now in her early forties, a successful, married novelist living a seemingly normal life. The mysterious box, which she believed was gone forever after Richard Farris retrieved it, unexpectedly reappears in her study. It's unclear how or why it returned, but its presence immediately brings back a flood of memories and the old, terrifying allure of its power.

Gwendy struggles with the temptation to use the box, knowing the immense responsibility and potential for harm it carries. She's particularly wary of the red button, which she understands has the power of global destruction. However, the world around her begins to darken. Children start disappearing from Gwendy's home state of Maine, a series of baffling and heartbreaking abductions that baffle law enforcement.

As the disappearances escalate, a sense of helplessness and dread grips the community. Gwendy feels a growing urge to use the box's power to intervene, to find the missing children, or to stop the perpetrator. Her internal conflict intensifies as she weighs the moral implications of using such a dangerous artefact, even for a seemingly good cause. The novella delves deep into her psychological battle with the box's influence, and her personal struggles with the idea of being a hero.

Richard Farris, the enigmatic man who initially gave her the box, makes a brief, cryptic appearance, hinting at a larger cosmic struggle and the forces interested in the box's power. He reinforces the idea that the box is tied to something far greater than Gwendy can comprehend.

The climax of the novella involves Gwendy making a crucial decision regarding the box and its use in the face of the mounting crisis. She must confront not only the external threat of the child abductions but also her own deeply personal responsibility and the subtle corruption that comes with wielding unimaginable power. "Gwendy's Magic Feather" is a tale of temptation, morality, and the quiet heroism of ordinary individuals caught in an extraordinary struggle, all while exploring the sinister undertones of the magical artefact.

Comments:
The much needed next instalment adds more intrigue to this trilogy and despite the double edged sword of this box, I still want it.

Books that we've read by Richard Chizmar (5):
Gwendy's Button Box (The Button Box, #1) (2017), Gwendy's Magic Feather (The Button Box, #2) (2019), Chasing the Boogeyman (2021), Gwendy's Final Task (The Button Box, #3) (2022), Becoming the Boogeyman (2023)