Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Short story collection; for me King shines in his short stories and that is no different here. A few already published but plenty of new content. Great read.
dark
tense
medium-paced
I am a woman in desperate need of a half star rating system. 3.5 spells it. A couple stories were great, some were fine, others okay. 'Ur' was pretty horrible. This collection is a mixed bag, but I always enjoy King. The themes of death, afterlife, and remorse appealed to me. Stephen King isn't a stranger to writing about death and dying but in this collection it's softer and less sinister. Makes sense, the guy is almost seventy years old.
Reread 2024
Reread via audiobook! As usual a great audiobook production with so many talented narrators. I still love this collection and it was totally worth rereading.
Read 2020 - 4 stars
As a whole, I thought this was great. This is not a jump scare and gore collection, but rather (in most cases), horror of a more subtle and relatable kind. Underlying thematic elements of mortality and morality weave nicely through each story and tie the disparate parts together. I loved the little introductions by King for each one, and which provide the immediacy of the storytellers voice to each selection.
My favourites of the collection are "Ur," "Obits," and "Drunken Fireworks." These are not so much about the horror aspect in the traditional sense, but instead showcase King's best strengths in creating living characters that inhabit engaging stories.
Mile 81
Car shaped monster story with kids at the heroic centre. 3.5/5
Premium Harmony
Slice of life, or rather, death, story. 3/5
Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
Road rage story! As a frequent in city driver I'm sensitive to the impulsiveness I observe in others on the road. 3.5/5
The Dune
Classic twist story reminiscent in feel to a Twilight Zone episode. 3.5/5
Bad Little Kid
Same as The Dune, there wasn't anything surprising, but it didn't make this any less creepy and well told. 4/5
A Death
A Western setting provides the backdrop for a questionable trial. 3.5/5
The Bone Church
Poem in the narrative style. Poetry isn’t my thing so no rating.
Morality
As King says in his introduction to this one, under the right circumstances, anyone might sell anything and live to regret it. Some things seem so innocuous before you realise they are keys to unlocking doors you want to remain firmly sealed shut. 4/5
Afterlife
Interesting idea about what happens after. Left me wanting a bit more to really bring it home. 3/5
Ur
My favourite so far! Who doesn't love the idea of a Kindle that can access the multiverse? 5/5
Herman Wouk is Still Alive
Another good one. Investigating the small tragedies that lead to the larger. 4/5
Under the Weather
A story where the reader is ahead of the narrator; sad, even though it's clear pretty early on what's happened. 4/5
Blockade Billy
This captures the flavour of an old fashioned sports story really well. 4/5
Mister Yummy
An interesting take on the idea of how each person glimpes impending death in a completely individual way. 3.5/5
Tommy
Slam poetry type narrative style; no rating.
The Little Green God of Agony
Creepy with a small side of body horror. 4/5
That Bus is Another World
Unexpected but also expected at the same time. 4/5
Obits
Neat premise, and the resolution was more positive than I thought it would be. 4.5/5
Drunken Fireworks
Things get a little out of hand in a "neighbourly" competition. As funny a story as the name implies. 4.5/5
Summer Thunder
A traditional and melancholy end closes the collection, with no one left standing. 3.5/5
Reread via audiobook! As usual a great audiobook production with so many talented narrators. I still love this collection and it was totally worth rereading.
Read 2020 - 4 stars
As a whole, I thought this was great. This is not a jump scare and gore collection, but rather (in most cases), horror of a more subtle and relatable kind. Underlying thematic elements of mortality and morality weave nicely through each story and tie the disparate parts together. I loved the little introductions by King for each one, and which provide the immediacy of the storytellers voice to each selection.
My favourites of the collection are "Ur," "Obits," and "Drunken Fireworks." These are not so much about the horror aspect in the traditional sense, but instead showcase King's best strengths in creating living characters that inhabit engaging stories.
Mile 81
Car shaped monster story with kids at the heroic centre. 3.5/5
Premium Harmony
Slice of life, or rather, death, story. 3/5
Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
Road rage story! As a frequent in city driver I'm sensitive to the impulsiveness I observe in others on the road. 3.5/5
The Dune
Classic twist story reminiscent in feel to a Twilight Zone episode. 3.5/5
Bad Little Kid
Same as The Dune, there wasn't anything surprising, but it didn't make this any less creepy and well told. 4/5
A Death
A Western setting provides the backdrop for a questionable trial. 3.5/5
The Bone Church
Poem in the narrative style. Poetry isn’t my thing so no rating.
Morality
As King says in his introduction to this one, under the right circumstances, anyone might sell anything and live to regret it. Some things seem so innocuous before you realise they are keys to unlocking doors you want to remain firmly sealed shut. 4/5
Afterlife
Interesting idea about what happens after. Left me wanting a bit more to really bring it home. 3/5
Ur
My favourite so far! Who doesn't love the idea of a Kindle that can access the multiverse? 5/5
Herman Wouk is Still Alive
Another good one. Investigating the small tragedies that lead to the larger. 4/5
Under the Weather
A story where the reader is ahead of the narrator; sad, even though it's clear pretty early on what's happened. 4/5
Blockade Billy
This captures the flavour of an old fashioned sports story really well. 4/5
Mister Yummy
An interesting take on the idea of how each person glimpes impending death in a completely individual way. 3.5/5
Tommy
Slam poetry type narrative style; no rating.
The Little Green God of Agony
Creepy with a small side of body horror. 4/5
That Bus is Another World
Unexpected but also expected at the same time. 4/5
Obits
Neat premise, and the resolution was more positive than I thought it would be. 4.5/5
Drunken Fireworks
Things get a little out of hand in a "neighbourly" competition. As funny a story as the name implies. 4.5/5
Summer Thunder
A traditional and melancholy end closes the collection, with no one left standing. 3.5/5
Stephen King delivers again! It had the usual, expected horror stories, plus short stories that don't fit the mold of horror-scary genre. Nobody can spin a tale like good ol' Stephen King. I got really creeped out a couple of times, which is what I wanted, reading his books are my guilty escape. The stories take you to a parallel world where cars eat people. Where death shows up as object of desire and where crazies are loose among us.
Keep 'em coming Mr. King.
Keep 'em coming Mr. King.
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
This is probably my least favourite collection of Stephen King short stories. That being said, there are a few in the Bazaar that bumped it up to a 3-star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Car accident
Moderate: Animal death
My least favorite collection of King short stories. I think the explanations before each one really took a lot away from many of the stories, and a good number of them were already pretty weak.
There are some wickedly entertaining stories in this collection. After finishing it, what struck me is the overall sense of dread and doom waiting for so many of the characters. This is exemplified in the book's final story, Summer Thunder. There is NO HOPE, there is no chance of redemption here; things look really, really bad, they ARE really, really bad, horrible things happen that rip your heart out, the end.
Stephen seems to be getting pretty introspective about things at this point; he's thinking of his artistic legacy and his own temporary place on the planet, and it's scary stuff. First we had Revival, which definitely competes for the bleakest of all of his novels (that book scared the holy hell out of me, and it had me freaked for days after I'd finished it. MOTHER), and that book was just so very dark and the classic ending so very horrifying. And now we have another horrific take on the afterlife (afterlife), several bleak takes on human nature (Morality!, Herman Wouk is still alive, Drunken Fireworks), and then that last story, which just leaves the reader feeling so very cold and alone (Summer Thunder). That ending hits you like a ton of bricks. I literally wanted to stop reading it, because it felt like there was nothing but hopelessness there, and I knew I was gonna fall apart over that dog and I was right. And then our last main character is giving up the ghost. Pretty disturbing stuff.
Still, there is also so much to enjoy here, how King quickly creates such believable characters, and then puts them in these situations that resonate. A very entertaining book of stories. King is a master, and I almost always feel rewarded by his stuff, and Bazaar is no exception. Now bring on this third Bill Hodges novel please.
Stephen seems to be getting pretty introspective about things at this point; he's thinking of his artistic legacy and his own temporary place on the planet, and it's scary stuff. First we had Revival, which definitely competes for the bleakest of all of his novels (that book scared the holy hell out of me, and it had me freaked for days after I'd finished it. MOTHER), and that book was just so very dark and the classic ending so very horrifying. And now we have another horrific take on the afterlife (afterlife), several bleak takes on human nature (Morality!, Herman Wouk is still alive, Drunken Fireworks), and then that last story, which just leaves the reader feeling so very cold and alone (Summer Thunder). That ending hits you like a ton of bricks. I literally wanted to stop reading it, because it felt like there was nothing but hopelessness there, and I knew I was gonna fall apart over that dog and I was right. And then our last main character is giving up the ghost. Pretty disturbing stuff.
Still, there is also so much to enjoy here, how King quickly creates such believable characters, and then puts them in these situations that resonate. A very entertaining book of stories. King is a master, and I almost always feel rewarded by his stuff, and Bazaar is no exception. Now bring on this third Bill Hodges novel please.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
CHECK THE CONTENT WARNINGS.
A vast collection of short stories. The audio book was pleasant with transitions between the stories by King.
A vast collection of short stories. The audio book was pleasant with transitions between the stories by King.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Some good short stories, some I really didn't care for. My husband loved Drunken Fireworks but it wasn't my cup of tea. My favorite in this book is UR.