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erincataldi's review against another edition
3.0
The allure for this short story collection was that it was narrated by a cast of marvelous actors and actresses. Tim Curry, Whoopi Goldberg, Rob Lowe, Gary Sinese, Jerry Garcia, and more narrate this haunting and poetic short story collection by the master of horror. Some were doozies but others were utterly captivating. "Dolan's Cadillac" and "The End of the Whole Mess" were two of my favorites in this large collection. Overall a great read for fans of horror and Stephen King. Perhaps not his best short story collection, but readers will be sure to unearth a few gems that they won't soon forget.
narzack's review against another edition
4.0
Standouts include You Know They Got a Hell of a Band, Rainy Season, Crouch End, Umney's Last Case, and Head Down.
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
Good book. I like short stories and Stephen King's are amount the best. I have read it before though so I knew how many of them end. Unlike a full book, your memory will allow you (or me anyway) to remember a story, whereas I can't remember whole books.
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
Took a while with this audio book...not as much time in the truck as I used to spend. Great as always and a good production on this audio book. Still working my way through all the short story collections!
samama's review against another edition
After waiting to like reading this collection of short stories for almost 15 days, I’ve come to the conclusion to DNF it.
readmetwotimes's review against another edition
3.0
Devo stare indietro di una stella, anzi sarebbe mezza, perché non posso paragonare questa raccolta a Skeleton Crew. Anche se è bella!
https://nonsempreiosonodelmiostessoparere.blogspot.com/2019/03/nightmares-and-dreamscapes-by-stephen.html
https://nonsempreiosonodelmiostessoparere.blogspot.com/2019/03/nightmares-and-dreamscapes-by-stephen.html
laertes's review against another edition
4.0
In my opinion, Nightmares and Dreamscapes is one of King's most varied collections. It contains everything from the gore-streaked (Home Delivery, The Moving Finger), to the quiet and thoughtful (It Grows on You, My Pretty Pony), a sci-fi tale (The House on Maple Street), and a couple of Bachman/Stark efforts (The Fifth Quarter, My Pretty Pony again). There's also a tele-play script (Sorry, Right Number), a piece of sports journalism (Head Down), a poem (Brooklyn August), and a couple of pastiches (The Doctor's Case, Umney's Last Case), along with the Lovecraftian-inspired Crouch End.
There are some genuine curios here -- but there are also a lot of classic King stories, and if you wanted to provide someone with a taster of King's work, this would be a good choice. The tales span King's career up to the point of the volume's publication in 1993, from early tales to contemporaneous creations.
Of course, this could see it accused of being a collection of sub-standard work, stories that weren't quite good enough to make it into other collections. This is something King himself discusses in the introduction and notes -- a lot of these tales have been published elsewhere in marginally different forms, and some were cut from previous volumes. Even so, these tales don't come across as second rate in the slightest -- the variety means that not everyone will like or appreciate every tale, but also that there's something for everyone. This truly is a volume that could appeal to everyone, as it showcases horror in all its various guises and forms, and demonstrates its versatility in a way few others can.
The perfect introductory volume -- and great for any King fan. If horror is your thing, you really don't have anything to lose.
There are some genuine curios here -- but there are also a lot of classic King stories, and if you wanted to provide someone with a taster of King's work, this would be a good choice. The tales span King's career up to the point of the volume's publication in 1993, from early tales to contemporaneous creations.
Of course, this could see it accused of being a collection of sub-standard work, stories that weren't quite good enough to make it into other collections. This is something King himself discusses in the introduction and notes -- a lot of these tales have been published elsewhere in marginally different forms, and some were cut from previous volumes. Even so, these tales don't come across as second rate in the slightest -- the variety means that not everyone will like or appreciate every tale, but also that there's something for everyone. This truly is a volume that could appeal to everyone, as it showcases horror in all its various guises and forms, and demonstrates its versatility in a way few others can.
The perfect introductory volume -- and great for any King fan. If horror is your thing, you really don't have anything to lose.
seren7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mehitabels's review against another edition
4.0
"That was a phrase with which a man bent of revenge could fall in love. It had a dark, smoothly portentous sound. The arc of descent."
samyukta_24's review against another edition
4.0
Stephen King has done it again. Out of the 23 stories in the book, more than 70% of them were memorable ones, with some of the stories just waiting to be made into full-blown novels.
The thing I have always liked about King’s writing is that even though his books are sold under the genre of horror, more often than not, the stories have an uplifting end, and good always seems to prevail over evil. And man, that is so satisfying to read!
My top three favorites would have to be –
1) Popsy – when you have a vampire as your grandpa, there's nothing to fear in this world
2) Chattery teeth – Loved the whole idea of an inanimate object protecting somebody so fiercely.
3) The ten o'clock people – Now, this could make an amazing novel, not that it wasn’t perfect being a short story as it is, but there's nothing more satisfying to read than when a couple of people start a resistance band against evil.
Some of the stories may seem a little repetitive, but all of them have a unique message, while some of them are just so deliciously crazy, that you can't wrap your head around them, no matter how hard you try.
I would also like to give a special mention to King’s last story – a diary entry about the Little League championship his son played in. Even if the baseball terms went over my head, the whole style and feel of the writing was a perfect end to the book, filled with nostalgia and a sense of comfort, which made me forget that I was technically, reading a “scary book”.
I loved this bumper collection of not-so-short stories, and it may not have induced as many nightmares as it proclaimed it would, but certainly sparked my imagination to a great extent.
The thing I have always liked about King’s writing is that even though his books are sold under the genre of horror, more often than not, the stories have an uplifting end, and good always seems to prevail over evil. And man, that is so satisfying to read!
Spoiler
My top three favorites would have to be –
1) Popsy – when you have a vampire as your grandpa, there's nothing to fear in this world
2) Chattery teeth – Loved the whole idea of an inanimate object protecting somebody so fiercely.
3) The ten o'clock people – Now, this could make an amazing novel, not that it wasn’t perfect being a short story as it is, but there's nothing more satisfying to read than when a couple of people start a resistance band against evil.
Some of the stories may seem a little repetitive, but all of them have a unique message, while some of them are just so deliciously crazy, that you can't wrap your head around them, no matter how hard you try.
I would also like to give a special mention to King’s last story – a diary entry about the Little League championship his son played in. Even if the baseball terms went over my head, the whole style and feel of the writing was a perfect end to the book, filled with nostalgia and a sense of comfort, which made me forget that I was technically, reading a “scary book”.
I loved this bumper collection of not-so-short stories, and it may not have induced as many nightmares as it proclaimed it would, but certainly sparked my imagination to a great extent.