You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Book 55 of 2025
The Skeleton Crew
By Stephen King
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I branched out with these short stories, and I really enjoyed them.
Side note: there are racism comments throughout that will make you uncomfortable.
Here are my thoughts on each story. I love that I finished this book on Friday, the 13th. I find it wildly appropriate!
The Mist - the movie has a more Stephen King ending than the story—which surprised me.
Here be Tygers - reminded me of having an activity imagination as a child.
The Monkey - prototypical King.
Cain Rose Up - more terrifying these days when this is a real issue in America.
Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut - a delightfully Stephen King short story. It was so him, but delightful. If that even makes sense. 🤣
The Jaunt - very well done, and I’m stupid for not predicting the end. 🤣🤣
The Wedding Gig - not his style. Insensitive fat shaming and nothing supernatural. Not great.
Paranoid: A Chant - creepy and animal death. 👎
The Raft - @ told me about it, and it’s very creepy with a terrifyingly ambiguous ending.
Word Processor of the gods - I feel like I shouldn’t like it, but I kind of loved it.
The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - predictable, but entertaining.
Beachworld - meh.
The Reaper’s Image - it was all right. Not my fave.
Nona - gory and creepy.
For Owen - another poem.
Survivor Type - so disturbing and disgusting. And racism.
Uncle Otto’s Truck - It reminded me of a tamer version of Christine.
Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1) - so disturbing.
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2) - I don’t get it.
Gramma - a really good, suspenseful build up and creepy ending.
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - this one was too long. Funny enough, it had an editor who told a writer their story was too long and to cut some words…
The Reach - an appropriate way to end the collection.
Some of the stories were spectacular, some didn't really hold my interest. Surprisingly hit-or-miss!
There are some phenomenal stories and a few that just drug. Overall a really solid collection. Although it's a Novella not a short story, The Mist is the crown jewel of this collection and being printed first was a disservice to everything that came after.
My favourites:
The Mist, Mrs. Todd's Shortcut, The Jaunt, The Raft, Survivor Type, Gramma.
The Mist, Mrs. Todd's Shortcut, The Jaunt, The Raft, Survivor Type, Gramma.
Good horror, but damn, they were not kidding about the way this man writes women.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Stephen King has been my favorite author since I was about 12 or 13, and while this does not change anything, Skeleton Crew is definitely the catalyst for me to take a long break from King. I generally enjoy his short stories though I may not always be a fan of every story in each collection, but to me, the majority of stories here are just not worth my time. Perhaps I'm just burnt out on King, but I really did not gain much nor was I grabbed by most of the tales within, though there were a few that I truly enjoyed. He writes brilliantly, and it was fun to notice how many of these shorts would essentially become the bones (pun intended) of some of his more notable novels. Regardless, I just can't bring myself to finish this collection, at least not yet. Sorry, bud.