I’m mostly into novels and short stories are not my first choice to read but when it comes to evil genius thriller writers, like MY ALL TIME KING that I take a bow and THE PRINCE HILL create something new, I jump up and down to perform my happy dance, grabbing the book, turning off my phone, gathering my munchies and soft drinks, locking myself into my bedroom and starting to flip the pages nonstop!

Don’t get me wrong! After saying some many highly things and expressing my dedication to those writers, I still gave FOUR SHINY, THRILLING, SHORTY STARS but this is average point for the stories I’ve read.

But if it’s only for LATE RETURNS story, I’ll give ten gazillion stars! I honestly say this is one of the best stories I’ve read in my whole life. It’s about grief, time paradox, unfinished business of the people trapped in limbo and it’s about books. It’s about real good books and their importance for the people who need their own closures. I love books and I know how to deal with compelling grief so this is my dream mash-up story!

My other favorite stories which deserve more than five stars with their fantastic plots, great characterizations and mouth widening parts:

“All I Care about is you”, taken place at the 22th century, Iris who celebrates her 16th birthday with Clockwork boy named Chip she’d rented for an hour. But things are getting nastier, twisty eventually. Murdergame is a masterful invention and story’s sucker punching memorable ending is a blast!

“In the Tall Grass”: Father- son collaboration to write this eerie, nerve-bending, ominous story that already has sold to Netflix as a movie! Something is hiding in Kansas grass. Aliens? Monsters? Cannibals? I highly suggest you not to stop your car as you hear a child’s scream for help and please do not dare to walk into the grass if you ever want to find your way out!

“You are released”: You’re cruising at 37.000 feet as the Third World War begins! What? With memorable characters and their fears, their perceptions, their urge to find against the common enemy even they have racial, national, political differences. This is the final story and I couldn’t choose a better one to end our whole journey!

Still good ones:

“Twittering from the circus of the dead”: Your family from hell (real and hot one!) held you captive in a road trip and you write tweets about them. Interesting concept!

“Dark Carousel”: This story reminded me of “Body”( It adapted as “Stand By Me”, I still remember little River Phoenix’s memorable performance with eyes filled in tears) and “It”, a group of boys’ adventurous spirit to discover the enchanted( I think “cursed” is the better definition) carousel at the Cape Maggie Pier. We get vibes of Goonies and Stranger Things (In my opinion they’re all same story’s different versions, tomato, tomahto…)

Not enjoyed so much and made me give lower stars:
“Throttle” ( King and prince collaboration but this one didn’t work for me! I hope they don’t expel me from kingdom or send me to the dungeon for writing these words! Hail for my king and prince!)
“Wolverton Station” ( I’m not into wolves stories, thanks!)

“By the Silver Water of Lake Chamberlain” – (another version of Body but this one is not my favorite)

“Faun” – Hunting game for fantastical creatures! Pass!

“Thumbprint”: Scary stalker stories normally work fine with me but this is too disturbing and I couldn’t connect with the characters.

“Devil on the staircase”: Sorry but I prefer Zeppelin’s Stairs to Heaven or Ac/Dc’s Highway to hell!

“Mums”: Resurrection of a mom with seeds by turning into mummy! It’s too nerve-binding, disturbing one.
Ending part is also not quite satisfying.

As a summary: I enjoyed my full throttle thrilling crazy ride! And I really loved the intimate prologue of the author who told us about his relationship with his father, meeting with George A. Romero, struggling years of his writing experience till he found his way what he really wanted to write about were fantastic beginning of our journey. They’re natural, honest, emotional, genuine words which warmed my heart!

I love my KING, my PRINCE! And I loved this book so much!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers William Marrow for giving me early Christmas present and lighting my day by sharing this amazing ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

If you are a fan of short stories and horror sci/fi this collection is for you. Joe Hill is skilled at writing short stories and keeping you interested. They are not all stellar, but the collection as a whole is great.

I have always loved Joe Hill short stories the best. By the silver water of lake Champlain is my favorite in this collection and in the tall grass actually gave me a few chills. I never read introductions because they are usually long and boring but Hill made it engaging and it was fun to know a little of how he grew up. I can't wait to see what's next.

Joe Hill is fully aware of the comparisons to his father and in the intro to this collection of short stories he takes them head on. Having followed him since 2006 I still get excited when he puts out new things. While I think his last two novels have gotten a little too long winded, Strange Weather his novella collection was great.

When it comes to the shorts here I had read all but three of them; the two previously unpublished and All I Care About is You (from a 2017 collection I somehow missed). These and the three other newer stories Dark Carousel, Faun and You Are Released are my favorites. Perhaps having his Locke & Key comics concluded allowed him more time on these stories.

The rest of the material from the 2007 to 2012 time period was more hit or miss for me. His collaborations with his father feel more like his dad's stories. Using Throttle as the "title track" here seems odd. I never liked the Richard Matheson story that served as the inspiration. If you didn't like these older tales (many released as digital standalones) don't pass this one by. Having gotten comfortable in his father's shadow his newer works are more heartfelt and adventurous. I think it would have been better served to have split this collection using 2012 as the end point of the first collection.

I have been a Joe Hill fan ever since I read Heart Shaped Box though I believe it was The Fireman that earned his place on my must read authors list. I had been meaning to read "In The Tall Grass" for years so I was especially happy to see it included in this collection just in time for me to read it before the made for Netflix movie comes out next month. It was definitely worth the wait and one of my favorites in this collection. It had everything I could want in a horror story, the spine tingling fear of the unknown, coupled with the sheer terror of being suddenly separated from your loved ones. It was a fine example of how no good deed goes unpunished. In fact all of these stories were more than they appeared to be on the surface. They each have a weight and depth that is often lacking in short stories. I can't say that I loved every single one of them, but they all surprised me in their own way. As a horror fan, I most enjoyed the stories that had supernatural elements, including Late Returns, and Dark Carousel. It won't surprise me if someone is smart enough to make movies out of both of them. If thrillers are more your thing Thumbprint, and Throttle are both action packed suspenseful reads. Another of my favorites was Mums, which kind of left me guessing whether delusions or the supernatural were at work after a woman tries to take her child and flee from her survivalist/separatist husband. Those were the 5 star reads for me in this collection.

I am not a big fan of short stories, but I make an exception for Joe Hill or for his father, Stephen King. In this collection, one of the stories is co-authored by the two of them. It is an interesting homage to the Steven Spielberg classic movie DUEL. The author explains his connection to that movie, as well as his feelings towards his parents, horror movies, books, and other topics in an introduction that is as entertaining as the stories in his collection. He also provides notes about each story at the end of the book that offer helpful background information. My favorite story is “Late Returns,” an intriguing tale about a bookmobile driver who encounters some unique library users during his travels. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a preprint copy.

Joe Hill has once again shown that he can create stories of the macabre, stories that thrill, and stories that cut to the emotional quick. This collection compiles multiple genres and voices to create a smorgasbord of horror, thriller, and fantasy stories that fit together and complement each other. From lake monsters, to creepy carnivals, to librarians dealing with grief, "Full Throttle" is a well rounded and emotional collection of short stories that will delight fans of Hill, and those who are yet to become fans.

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins Publishers - William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a fan of Joe Hill and the concepts he constructs for all of his novels and this one by far was the most extravagant that from beginning to end kept us on the edge of our seats and I immediately fell in love with the book for the obvious choice of one of the main characters in one of the stories is a librarian of the dead. I am also a fan of Loch Ness Monster and creatures of the sea and this book had a story is where chaos breaks when two kids discover a plesiosaur and that is where all breaks loose. Now on the thrill ride of their lives, they do whatever it takes to discover the hidden secrets of the dead and gather as much info as they can to plan to their greatest escape. I also love any book where Joe Hill and Steven King collaborate on a story and even a book and the first one they had to share right away because it was the best. So as Joe Hill says "bring on the bad guys."

We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Full Throttle is my second Joe Hill experience. My first was Strange Weather which I enjoyed listening to on a long drive. Full Throttle was a nice sit down, read and get lost in each story kind of book. Many of the stories I'd start before work and find myself glancing up at the clock with dismay when I realize I won't finish the story before I had to leave. Joe Hill is a talent to be sure. I highly recommend Full Throttle to fellow readers.
#FullThrottle #Netgalley #reviewathon

What can be said about Joe Hill except each writing gets better, more nuanced, and more mature! Worth the read

Joe Hill writes an introduction to these short stories where he tells you exactly what you are going to get in this collection. He reminisces about his younger days where he loved to read Fangoria and got to watch horror movie makeup put on and fake prosthetics being made.

Each individual story delivers and leaves you wanting to know a bit more, but not much. This is a sweet spot in the short story world.

At the end there is a section where the author discusses inspirations and motivations for each of the stories. It's nice to get a bit of insight to his process.

If you enjoy other works by Joe Hill, you'll enjoy this title.

Overall, a really fantastic set of stories. While not every single one of them wowed me, well over half absolutely stunned me, and I think that’s as good a ratio as you can hope for with such a prolific set of fictions.

If I had to pick a personal top faves list, in no particular order: Faun, Mums, All I Care About Is You, and You Are Released. And to reiterate: that is leaving out several that I loved! I am not surprised though. Honestly, just another brilliant work by a favorite author.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC.

What a fascinating introduction to Hill's short story telling. I was enthralled by the characters and Hill did not disappoint!

I picked up Joe Hill’s writing because his father is my favorite author. I continue to read Joe Hill because his work is awesome. There is clearly something in the DNA makeup of this family because they can all write excellently.
“Full Throttle” features thirteen short stories that range in topic and genre. My two favorites were of course ‘Throttle’ written with King and ‘Late Returns’, being a librarian motorcyclist will do that I suppose. I would recommend these stories to anyone who enjoys sleepless nights, thinking outside the box and can appreciate something well written.

“Throttle” stuck with me because I often find myself thinking how horribly automobile drivers are around motorcycles and how easily anyone riding a motorcycle could lose their life due to vehicle driver error. Unless you have rode a motorcycle, you do not often consider motorcycles and the people on them. I started this story and thought of an older movie I had seen before, Joy Ride, staring the late Paul Walker. The story begins introducing a seedy motorcycle gang with a gruesome background at the beginning of a questionable journey. Once the truck driver realizes the ‘small world’ connection he has with this meth dealing motorcycle gang, he plans to right their wrong his own way. I loved this story and the ‘ah-ha’ connection at the end.

“The walk to the library was the first time I had not felt ugly with grief in months. It felt like I had been paroled.”
“Late Returns” was my favorite because books. I do not really feel like I need to say more but I suppose I will because I want everyone to know how much this will resonate with book lovers. We follow a man who recently was fired from his semi-driving job after the unexpected death of his parents. He returns to his hometown to clean out his parents’ home. He finds a very overdue book and decides to return the book to the library. While at the library, he finds himself taking a job driving the very interestingly painted bookmobile. I will just get this bias out of the way…My husband is a truck driver; I am a librarian without a library science degree. That part of the book is real life. Of course, time travel could be real and just be kept under lock and key really well by the government. I hope it is a thing by the time I pass on because it would be the ultimate afterlife if I could continue to read new works…even more so if it is by Joe Hill.

Thank you Netgalley for the prepub book.

A fantastic collection, diverse and chilling. Joe Hill is a true talent in his own right and adept at many styles, but Yay! when he turns his sights to classic horror. (Be sure not to overlook the introduction.)

I’m not normally a fan of short fiction, but I gave this a shot since I love Joe Hill. Pretty much every story in here is a winner. Hard to find anything to complain about, really.

I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. Joe Hill’s dad (Stephen King) writes some of the best short stories around...so when I saw that Hill had his own new collection, I got really excited. Full Throttle does not disappoint. There’s something for everyone. Fantasy. Horror. Thriller.

Standout shorts (for me) were: Dark Carousel, By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain, Late Returns (my absolute favorite of the whole bunch), and In the Tall Grass (which I had read before, but enjoyed reading again).

I’m excited to go and dive into Hill’s past novels. Come October, I will be purchasing a hard copy of this title for my own collection.

One last note...introductions can be tricky and Hill managed to knock that out of the park too.

Full Throttle is Joe Hill’s latest compilation, and it does not disappoint! The stories have a much broader range than Strange Weather did, and Hill continues to ply his craft with depth and subtlety as he grows as an artist. I so enjoyed the forward in the book where he spoke of his childhood with two authors; how special that time was, and is even now. Full Throttle takes you for the full spectrum of irony, revenge, horror, noir and karma, with more switchbacks than a mountain road with no guardrails. Don’t miss this ride.

I don't read a lot of Joe Hill stuff, I usually gravitate more toward's his dad, Stephen King. However, I wanted to expand and try something new and this book was amazing. It reminds me of the stuff his dad writes but with a different flare. Different in a good way. Highly recommend if you are a Stephen King fan! If not, and you are looking for something scary and unique, this is also the book for you.

I loved this book so much. Short story writing is a unique skill, and Joe Hill has it. Each story is unique and engaging -- and quite different (in tone, in voice, etc.). I particularly loved the introductory and closing essays. These are a wonderful way to stitch together short stories that were all originally published in disparate places.