Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
dark
reflective
slow-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
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Over 500 pages later and I’m still really glad I read this book.
Not everyone likes Stephen King and that’s fine, I get it. His writing isn’t always pleasant or even comfortable to read; truth be told, I read his books rather than watch the film adaptations so that I can control the pace, location, environment of the scene and just be able to skip the paragraph if need be! But the talent with which Mr. King writes is indeed prolific and he is one of the few writers where I could tell you the synopsis and the feelings his stories invoked in me for each of the books of his I have read. They stick with you, for better or worse, and I’m not mad about it.
Rated “R” because it’s Stephen Freaking King. Of course it’s inappropriate.
Not everyone likes Stephen King and that’s fine, I get it. His writing isn’t always pleasant or even comfortable to read; truth be told, I read his books rather than watch the film adaptations so that I can control the pace, location, environment of the scene and just be able to skip the paragraph if need be! But the talent with which Mr. King writes is indeed prolific and he is one of the few writers where I could tell you the synopsis and the feelings his stories invoked in me for each of the books of his I have read. They stick with you, for better or worse, and I’m not mad about it.
Rated “R” because it’s Stephen Freaking King. Of course it’s inappropriate.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. King covers a lot of ground here — from grief and bad dreams to strange neighbors, haunted roads, and eerie what-ifs. Each story feels different, but all carry that signature King mix of the ordinary colliding with something dark.
My favorites were “Two Talented Bastids,” “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” “The Turbulence Expert,” “Laurie,” “Rattlesnakes,” and “The Answer Man.” Of those, chapters 1, 4, 8, and 12 really stood out. The father–son tension in Two Talented Bastids was powerful, Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream was chilling in its simplicity, The Turbulence Expert was one of the most clever ideas I’ve read from him in years, and The Answer Man was haunting in the way one truth can ruin a whole life.
Overall, this is King doing what he does best: blending human struggle with strange shadows just out of sight. Some stories are sad, some are scary, and a few are both at once. A strong, memorable collection.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix