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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I'm been a constant reader for a couple of decades now and I always look forward to his short story collections. The rapid fire mix of good, great and crappy is much more palatable than reading something like Desperation and having that depressed negativity hanging around until the next novel comes out.
This is a pretty strong collection and while I've read/got quite a few of these already, there are more good/great stories than the other kind.
I'm a fan of Mile 81 with its nasty throwback style. The Dune has a wicked streak and Ur is still an interesting tale. We also find Stevie waxing lyrical on a variety of other themes while embracing different styles. Afterlife and Herman Wouk... both worked nicely for me, Blockade Billy was a fine tale but fairly incomprehensible for someone who knows nothing about baseball, Drunken Fireworks felt stronger as an audiobook and Morality just fell a little flat. Some of these had a more obvious twist/focus than I'm used to with King and two separate characters committing suicide by swallowing a bar of soap just felt a little lazy. But, small issues because generally these tales were satisfying, broad and well worth the time.
Here's hoping he keeps going as long as Herman Wouk.
This is a pretty strong collection and while I've read/got quite a few of these already, there are more good/great stories than the other kind.
I'm a fan of Mile 81 with its nasty throwback style. The Dune has a wicked streak and Ur is still an interesting tale. We also find Stevie waxing lyrical on a variety of other themes while embracing different styles. Afterlife and Herman Wouk... both worked nicely for me, Blockade Billy was a fine tale but fairly incomprehensible for someone who knows nothing about baseball, Drunken Fireworks felt stronger as an audiobook and Morality just fell a little flat. Some of these had a more obvious twist/focus than I'm used to with King and two separate characters committing suicide by swallowing a bar of soap just felt a little lazy. But, small issues because generally these tales were satisfying, broad and well worth the time.
Here's hoping he keeps going as long as Herman Wouk.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Mile 81 freaked me out in a good way. Think Christine, From A Buick 8, and the Low Men mixed together is a scary soup. Excellent story to start this collection. Also included two poems. The other stories were all spooky, but not in the Mile 81 way. My favorites were Mile 81, The Dune, Bad Little Kid, Ur, Heman Wouk Is Still Alive (anyone who is a mom or has ever felt like giving up can relate to that one), Under The Weather, and Summer Thunder (shades of The Stand). I'll always read Stephen King because I love the scary.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
The standouts for me are 'Ur' and 'The Little Green God Of Agony'.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three stars feels about right for this one. Some of the short stories were fantastic, while others just seemed to drag on forever. Overall, I think the only ones that’ll really stick with me are the ones I genuinely loved (and that last one? Absolutely haunting).
A great collection of short stories by the master of horror. Loved the autobiographical comments before the beginning of the stories. Took one star away because there were some stories that didn't quite hit the mark.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-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:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
3.5 stars. Good collection of short stories here. Not many standouts, none more than a tad creepy but it was an entertaining listen.