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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Skeleton Crew is a true showcase of Stephen King's writing prowess and his ability to work across various genres: there's science fiction (The Jaunt), the supernatural (Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut), and horror (The Raft). The highlights of the collection are The Mist and The Monkey, which need no special introduction thanks to their screen adaptations. The two stories stand out due to their length and the number of actively involved characters. At times, they even feel like a blueprint of unwritten novels (especially ...The Mist)—the narrative potential is unbelievable there.
That said, it's hard to shake off the feeling that it's for the best that all these stories, including The Mist and The Monkey, were created in the form of short stories. King clearly excels at the short form more than the long one: while his novels often sag under the weight of countless plotlines and an overload of mundane details, virtually every page of his short stories is charged with tension; while he needs dozens of chapters to establish character dynamics in his novels, he often needs only a paragraph or two to do the same with short stories. These are crystallized narratives—nothing excessive, nothing wasted.
That said, it's hard to shake off the feeling that it's for the best that all these stories, including The Mist and The Monkey, were created in the form of short stories. King clearly excels at the short form more than the long one: while his novels often sag under the weight of countless plotlines and an overload of mundane details, virtually every page of his short stories is charged with tension; while he needs dozens of chapters to establish character dynamics in his novels, he often needs only a paragraph or two to do the same with short stories. These are crystallized narratives—nothing excessive, nothing wasted.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Review and General Opinion
The Mist - The main piece on the book and probably one of the best stories on this tale. I had seen the movie and I expect the same feelings and I got them. Even if the ending was a little different. I must say that this was one of the few times I prefered the movie. The ending in the movie (there are two endings, and I mean the ending where David killed everyone in the car to spare them from confronting the large beast.. and I mean large. Hundreads of meters high). Even so and with these more optimistic ending I give 8.5/10
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut was an interesting piece as well. It has some reminscence with science fiction and wormholes. It remind me of the series "Sliders". 8/10
The Jaunt was the masterpiece of them all. Undoubtly the best story that King has written in my opinion (for what is worth). A Father tell his family about what they are doing called The Jaunt (a kind of tele-transportation). The only difference is that you must be assleep. As the father tells his tale he ommits some parts like anyone who done it alive becomes insane or death by old age. As he tells us the several attemps by the creator the son becomes more interested on the tale. As they are waiting for the nurses to give them some drugs to sleep (there can be no risk of waking in the precise moment of the jaunt) he tells more about the ramifications and why it's so immportant. As the nurses pass the family they make the Jaunt but the son has not be asleep and as he emmerges on Mars (coming from earth after only seconds, that's the time that takes to me jaunt) his hair is completly white with shock, corneas yellowed with age, clawing his own eyes as the boy reveals the terrible truth behind the jaunt "Longer than you think dad. Longer than you think!" While physically the process occurs nearly instantaneously (two miles between two portals in 67×10−12 seconds), to the conscious mind it lasts an eternity and beyond. 10/10 highly advice.
The Raft is another strong tale. It begins with two boys and two girls on a raft in a lake. A mysterious oil creature engulfs one girl. One of the boys tries to flee swimiing fast as he cans but to no avail and his consumed by it. The surviving couple try to make turns and rest without the risk of falling. After some intimid contact they make love and as they make love the girl hair touches the oil thing and it's consumed. The tale ends with the remaining boy pondering on commiting suicide. 8.5/10
Word Processor of the Gods is another masterpiece by Stephen King. With the word processor the writer can write things into existence and also delete things. The work was excelent with the writer even exchanging his wife and son by nephew and his mother which he thought they were nice than their own family. The story is excelent. 8.5/10
Surviving type - This story is gory. That's what I can say. A surgeon is smugling heroin and after an incident he is left marooned on a island. AS the story progress the writing change from a normal writing to an insane figurine. To survive he cuts and eats his own members. 6.5/10
Gramma - As I read this tale I thought it was familiar. Only after reading in wikipedia I remember where I had seen it... Twilight Zone. Very good tale. A Lovecraftian tale 7/10
Conclusion
These were the best tales on these anthology. With 22 stories I felt these tales compensate for the poorer ones. I must say that some of them I skipped because they were unappealing and uninteresting. Stephen King is like that. Either I love the tale or book or no. Even so he is a writer to check everything he writes because there are gems in them. 7/10
The Mist - The main piece on the book and probably one of the best stories on this tale. I had seen the movie and I expect the same feelings and I got them. Even if the ending was a little different. I must say that this was one of the few times I prefered the movie. The ending in the movie (there are two endings, and I mean the ending where David killed everyone in the car to spare them from confronting the large beast.. and I mean large. Hundreads of meters high). Even so and with these more optimistic ending I give 8.5/10
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut was an interesting piece as well. It has some reminscence with science fiction and wormholes. It remind me of the series "Sliders". 8/10
The Jaunt was the masterpiece of them all. Undoubtly the best story that King has written in my opinion (for what is worth). A Father tell his family about what they are doing called The Jaunt (a kind of tele-transportation). The only difference is that you must be assleep. As the father tells his tale he ommits some parts like anyone who done it alive becomes insane or death by old age. As he tells us the several attemps by the creator the son becomes more interested on the tale. As they are waiting for the nurses to give them some drugs to sleep (there can be no risk of waking in the precise moment of the jaunt) he tells more about the ramifications and why it's so immportant. As the nurses pass the family they make the Jaunt but the son has not be asleep and as he emmerges on Mars (coming from earth after only seconds, that's the time that takes to me jaunt) his hair is completly white with shock, corneas yellowed with age, clawing his own eyes as the boy reveals the terrible truth behind the jaunt "Longer than you think dad. Longer than you think!" While physically the process occurs nearly instantaneously (two miles between two portals in 67×10−12 seconds), to the conscious mind it lasts an eternity and beyond. 10/10 highly advice.
The Raft is another strong tale. It begins with two boys and two girls on a raft in a lake. A mysterious oil creature engulfs one girl. One of the boys tries to flee swimiing fast as he cans but to no avail and his consumed by it. The surviving couple try to make turns and rest without the risk of falling. After some intimid contact they make love and as they make love the girl hair touches the oil thing and it's consumed. The tale ends with the remaining boy pondering on commiting suicide. 8.5/10
Word Processor of the Gods is another masterpiece by Stephen King. With the word processor the writer can write things into existence and also delete things. The work was excelent with the writer even exchanging his wife and son by nephew and his mother which he thought they were nice than their own family. The story is excelent. 8.5/10
Surviving type - This story is gory. That's what I can say. A surgeon is smugling heroin and after an incident he is left marooned on a island. AS the story progress the writing change from a normal writing to an insane figurine. To survive he cuts and eats his own members. 6.5/10
Gramma - As I read this tale I thought it was familiar. Only after reading in wikipedia I remember where I had seen it... Twilight Zone. Very good tale. A Lovecraftian tale 7/10
Conclusion
These were the best tales on these anthology. With 22 stories I felt these tales compensate for the poorer ones. I must say that some of them I skipped because they were unappealing and uninteresting. Stephen King is like that. Either I love the tale or book or no. Even so he is a writer to check everything he writes because there are gems in them. 7/10
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The Mist 3.5/5
Somehow took about 60+ pages before I realised I'd watched the film adaption of this. It was a little slow moving/hard to get into right away - which isn't ideal with short stories. Good creepy vibes all the same.
Here There Be Tygers 3/5
There's a tiger in the school toilets. Very short, kind of amusing but nothing much happens.
The Monkey 5/5
Quintessential Stephen King. Never did like those clapping monkeys.
Cain Rose Up 3/5
Shooting stories always feel a bit too real and uneasy. Reminds me of [b:Rage|66370|Rage|Richard Bachman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1299003176l/66370._SY75_.jpg|1657128] but doesn't go into as much depth.
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut 4/5
Slow paced but great dialogue (ayuh) and an interesting twist.
The Jaunt 5/5
What started as a fun, sci-fi teleporting tale... Quite abruptly resulted the darkest ending ever. Kind of love it for that.
The Wedding Gig 2/5
The mobsters period was portrayed well with the language and imagery. The story was somewhat lacking though, and he is harsh on character descriptions to say the least.
Paranoid: A Chant 3/5
A poem that steadily builds. Paranoid indeed.
The Raft 4/5
Stranded on a lake with a suspicious "oil slick". Creepy, bleak, and mysterious. High on the horror front.
Word Processor of the Gods 4.5/5
Who doesn't love a magic typewriter. A bit lighter in tone than other stories, I liked this one and would have enjoyed more.
The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands 4/5
YES, back to "The Club". I need more of this enigmatic house at 249B East Thirty-Fifth Street. More of the usual old-school ghost story vibes.
Beachworld 3.5/5
More sci-fi. For me a more expansive/longer story would have helped to get into the nuances of the world more.
The Reaper's Image 4/5
A decently creepy haunted mirror story, felt in line with 249B East Thirty-Fifth Street.
Nona 3/5
Fast paced tale of a college boy on a murderous car chase, with a mysterious ally. Intriguing but I didn't really connect with it much.
For Owen 3/5
Short poem for Kings son. Not much to it, but its cute and imaginative
Survivor Type 3.5/5
Horrifying in the most gruesome way. The main character wasn't very likeable either, yet I couldn't help but keep reading all the same. They say you are what you eat and if so I haven't changed a bit! *shudder*
Uncle Otto's Truck 4.5/5
Wonderful horror writing, and when you read Kings end notes- turns out the truck actually exists (with murderous intentions? Perhaps not).
Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1) 5/5
Short and fun. Love the juxtaposition of sunshine-y, bird song-y suburbia, with some added deadly nightshade in your dairy.
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2) 1/5
Confusing, this was completely different in tone than Milkman 1. It was basically just 3 drunk men rambling and being gross.
Gramma 5/5
Another good childhood POV + horror fuelled story
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet 4/5
Great story telling. Fornit Some Fornus.
The Reach 4/5
Atmospheric and haunting, love a good isolated island motif. A solid ending to this collection.
Somehow took about 60+ pages before I realised I'd watched the film adaption of this. It was a little slow moving/hard to get into right away - which isn't ideal with short stories. Good creepy vibes all the same.
Here There Be Tygers 3/5
There's a tiger in the school toilets. Very short, kind of amusing but nothing much happens.
The Monkey 5/5
Quintessential Stephen King. Never did like those clapping monkeys.
Cain Rose Up 3/5
Shooting stories always feel a bit too real and uneasy. Reminds me of [b:Rage|66370|Rage|Richard Bachman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1299003176l/66370._SY75_.jpg|1657128] but doesn't go into as much depth.
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut 4/5
Slow paced but great dialogue (ayuh) and an interesting twist.
The Jaunt 5/5
What started as a fun, sci-fi teleporting tale... Quite abruptly resulted the darkest ending ever. Kind of love it for that.
The Wedding Gig 2/5
The mobsters period was portrayed well with the language and imagery. The story was somewhat lacking though, and he is harsh on character descriptions to say the least.
Paranoid: A Chant 3/5
A poem that steadily builds. Paranoid indeed.
The Raft 4/5
Stranded on a lake with a suspicious "oil slick". Creepy, bleak, and mysterious. High on the horror front.
Word Processor of the Gods 4.5/5
Who doesn't love a magic typewriter. A bit lighter in tone than other stories, I liked this one and would have enjoyed more.
The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands 4/5
YES, back to "The Club". I need more of this enigmatic house at 249B East Thirty-Fifth Street. More of the usual old-school ghost story vibes.
Beachworld 3.5/5
More sci-fi. For me a more expansive/longer story would have helped to get into the nuances of the world more.
The Reaper's Image 4/5
A decently creepy haunted mirror story, felt in line with 249B East Thirty-Fifth Street.
Nona 3/5
Fast paced tale of a college boy on a murderous car chase, with a mysterious ally. Intriguing but I didn't really connect with it much.
For Owen 3/5
Short poem for Kings son. Not much to it, but its cute and imaginative
Survivor Type 3.5/5
Horrifying in the most gruesome way. The main character wasn't very likeable either, yet I couldn't help but keep reading all the same. They say you are what you eat and if so I haven't changed a bit! *shudder*
Uncle Otto's Truck 4.5/5
Wonderful horror writing, and when you read Kings end notes- turns out the truck actually exists (with murderous intentions? Perhaps not).
Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1) 5/5
Short and fun. Love the juxtaposition of sunshine-y, bird song-y suburbia, with some added deadly nightshade in your dairy.
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2) 1/5
Confusing, this was completely different in tone than Milkman 1. It was basically just 3 drunk men rambling and being gross.
Gramma 5/5
Another good childhood POV + horror fuelled story
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet 4/5
Great story telling. Fornit Some Fornus.
The Reach 4/5
Atmospheric and haunting, love a good isolated island motif. A solid ending to this collection.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A series of (pretty long) short stories that vary wildly in quality and subject matter. One cool recurring theme is the focus on building the character of the narrator and the context in which they are telling the actual horror story, like a story within a story.
Other less cool recurring themes include alcoholism and fatphobia.
Overall a fun read but very long. My edition of this includes 22 stories.
Highlights include:
Other less cool recurring themes include alcoholism and fatphobia.
Overall a fun read but very long. My edition of this includes 22 stories.
Highlights include:
- Mrs Todds Shortcut
- Beachworld
- Survivor Type
- Gramma
- The Reach
Lowlights include:
- Here There Be Tygers
- The Wedding Gig
- Paranoid: A Chant
- The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands
- For Owen
The mist: I’ve seen the movie multiple times but this is my first time reading it. I enjoyed it except the ending. The ending is different from the movie (understandable) but it’s also so much more confusing. The book spends so much time making the reader fear going outside but then suddenly they find refuge in a Howard Johnson hotel? How did they get from the car to the hotel safely? I was also confused by the ending and the word “Hartford”. 3.5/5
Here there by tygers: fast very short story. I’m confused by it so I had to look up the ending/meaning. 1/5
The monkey: very spooky. Well written. 4.5/5
Cain rose up: short and really fucked up. Kind of confusing but after I read about Cain more I understood it. 4/5
Mrs. Todd’s shortcut: little slow and confusing to understand at the beginning. Have to have an open mind to a different dimensions type of thing. 3/5
The jaunt: slow at the beginning but the ending is so good and creepy! 4/5
The wedding gig: this one was weird. About a fat Irish woman marrying a skinny Italian man. Wasn’t scary. 1/5
Paranoid: a chant: my first poetry-esq writing by king and I kind of liked it. One of the lines reminded me of the stand’s character Randall Flagg. In the poem he says the dark man with no face. 4/5
The raft: now this is a short story. Super eerie and graphic. Definitely a great horror short story. Wouldn’t give it a 5/5 because the ending kind of sucked. I get that it’s supposed to be open ended and the blob is supposed to be hypnotizing but I would love a clean ending SOMETIMES
Here there by tygers: fast very short story. I’m confused by it so I had to look up the ending/meaning. 1/5
The monkey: very spooky. Well written. 4.5/5
Cain rose up: short and really fucked up. Kind of confusing but after I read about Cain more I understood it. 4/5
Mrs. Todd’s shortcut: little slow and confusing to understand at the beginning. Have to have an open mind to a different dimensions type of thing. 3/5
The jaunt: slow at the beginning but the ending is so good and creepy! 4/5
The wedding gig: this one was weird. About a fat Irish woman marrying a skinny Italian man. Wasn’t scary. 1/5
Paranoid: a chant: my first poetry-esq writing by king and I kind of liked it. One of the lines reminded me of the stand’s character Randall Flagg. In the poem he says the dark man with no face. 4/5
The raft: now this is a short story. Super eerie and graphic. Definitely a great horror short story. Wouldn’t give it a 5/5 because the ending kind of sucked. I get that it’s supposed to be open ended and the blob is supposed to be hypnotizing but I would love a clean ending SOMETIMES
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
- The Mist
- spooky, I liked the monster in this one.
- felt like the cheating side romance thing was a bit unnecessary, they could’ve taken Amanda just because; they didn’t have to both commit adultery.
- i much prefer the book ending being ambiguous. i’m choosing to believe they got to safety.
- RIP Ollie
- 4/5 ⭐️ i liked it.
- Here There Be Tygers
- since when has going to the bathroom been embarrassing lol all those kids also have to pee sometimes.
- felt more goose bumpy than adult horror. was there supposed to be a metaphor there?
- 2/5⭐️ kinda boring.
- The Monkey
- “a goose ran over his grave"
- used the n word 👎
- I feel bad for Dennis, he’s 12. why is Hal always hating.
- sometimes the things he puts in parentheses is too long and i lose track of the sentence.
- 3/5⭐️ it was ok
- Cain Rose Up
- truly horrific
- the scariest thing ever to exist is a man.
- 3.75⭐️/5 short, quick, to the point.
- Mrs Todd’s Shortcut
- reminds me of Homer’s Odyssey 👍
- 4/5⭐️
- The Jaunt
- twilight zone-y
- i liked it
- 4/5⭐️
- The Wedding Gig
- listened to the audiobook for this one and it felt like being told a story by a mob boss
- really rude description of the bride
- 2.75/5⭐️
- Paranoid: A Chant
- wished this was longer.
- I like psychological horror & descriptions of someone slowly going mad.
- 4/5⭐️ left me wanting much more
- The Raft
- 3/5⭐️ the monster was interesting. didn’t care for the rest.
- Word Processor of the Gods
- ok ink heart.
- like this one.
- twilight zoney again. 👍
- 3.5/5 ⭐️
- The Man who would not shake hands
- did he never wash his own hands?
- what’s the deal with Stevens? would like a story on him too.
- i have a lot of questions but i did enjoy the story.
- 4/5⭐️
- Beachworld
- “Grimes” and “Shapiro” being the characters names is a bit of a trip. lol that’s exactly who i’m picturing.
- 4/5⭐️ the end made me nervous for them to get off the planet.
- The reaper’s image
- 🪞
- i like it. ominous, mysterious.
- 3.75/5⭐️
- Nona
- might be my favorite.
- ghost?! figment of his imagination?!
- a twist!
- 4/5⭐️
- For Owen
- huh?
- 🍉
- no rating.
- Survivor type
- i love an epistolary
- cannibalism!
- 3.5/5 ⭐️
- Uncle Otto’s Truck
- 3/5 ⭐️ it’s ok
- Morning Deliveries: Milkman 1
- weird. what’s going on here
- tell me more
- 3.5/5⭐️
- Big Wheels A tale of the laundry game: milkman 2
- well alright then.
- liked the first part more i think.
- 3/5⭐️
- Gramma
- 🧙♀️
- ok themes of generational trauma.
- you’re a wizard, george
- 3/5 ⭐️
- The Ballad of the flexible bullet
- this was super interesting.
- as you know I’m a fan of horrors regarding people going mad.
- a little typewriter elf whose kryptonite is electricity is a fun concept.
- 3.75/5⭐️
- The Reach
- 👻
- “do you love” call back from Nona.
- a sad one
- 3/5⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood