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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
4.5 stars for the collection as a whole
The Langoliers - 4 stars
Mysteries of time and reality on are explored in this intense piece. I loved the ensemble of unrelated characters who are thrown together into a terrifying situation they don't understand.
The "locked room" setup of a red-eye flight shares similarities with King's well known supermarket confinement horror story, The Mist, which appears in the collection [b:Skeleton Crew|13440|Skeleton Crew|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660827280l/13440._SY75_.jpg|1814]. Although the threat in The Langoliers, is less overt at the start, it proves itself to be complete, and it's existential nature is every bit as effective as the cosmic horror of The Mist. Once again, we see how the different characters react and change under pressure, and that's where the real meat of the story lies.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - 4 stars
King does stories about writers going off the deep end like no one else. One of the great things about his repeated use of this particular theme is that he does it differently each time. You never know if the writer is sane or not, if the antagonist is real or not, and if the perception of reader is true or not.
Secret Window, Secret Garden starts with the known and the true tightly wrapped, and then slowly unfurls it, building the truth behind story piece by piece. The result is both expected and not, but always tense and discomforting. My only issue might be with the ending. The Epilogue spells out the closure to the story, but honestly, the less defined place we are left without it is perhaps even better.
The Library Policeman - 4 stars
Childhood trauma reawakens to feed a real life, if completely supernatural, monster. Slaying the monster requires taking hold of repressed memory and fear and bringing it fully to life.
The imagery in this story is shocking and frightening (and possibly too graphic in parts for some readers), the characters rich and as real as any person you meet on the street. Among other things, a good reminder that we don't know the story of every person around us, the battles they fight, and the monsters they strive daily to vanquish.
The Sun Dog - 5 stars
My favourite story of the four. There is something about mechanical recording devices, be they tapes or film or a Polaroid camera, that lends itself to the mysterious. The idea of a horror attaching itself to you and drawing itself into being is among the most basic and continually frightening precepts. As usual, King dresses this idea in the most ordinary of clothes and makes it uniquely terrifying.
The writing is particularly good here, capturing the very essence of small towns and big characters. The ending is perfection, and only makes this excellent story even better.
The Langoliers - 4 stars
Mysteries of time and reality on are explored in this intense piece. I loved the ensemble of unrelated characters who are thrown together into a terrifying situation they don't understand.
The "locked room" setup of a red-eye flight shares similarities with King's well known supermarket confinement horror story, The Mist, which appears in the collection [b:Skeleton Crew|13440|Skeleton Crew|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660827280l/13440._SY75_.jpg|1814]. Although the threat in The Langoliers, is less overt at the start, it proves itself to be complete, and it's existential nature is every bit as effective as the cosmic horror of The Mist. Once again, we see how the different characters react and change under pressure, and that's where the real meat of the story lies.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - 4 stars
King does stories about writers going off the deep end like no one else. One of the great things about his repeated use of this particular theme is that he does it differently each time. You never know if the writer is sane or not, if the antagonist is real or not, and if the perception of reader is true or not.
Secret Window, Secret Garden starts with the known and the true tightly wrapped, and then slowly unfurls it, building the truth behind story piece by piece. The result is both expected and not, but always tense and discomforting. My only issue might be with the ending. The Epilogue spells out the closure to the story, but honestly, the less defined place we are left without it is perhaps even better.
The Library Policeman - 4 stars
Childhood trauma reawakens to feed a real life, if completely supernatural, monster. Slaying the monster requires taking hold of repressed memory and fear and bringing it fully to life.
The imagery in this story is shocking and frightening (and possibly too graphic in parts for some readers), the characters rich and as real as any person you meet on the street. Among other things, a good reminder that we don't know the story of every person around us, the battles they fight, and the monsters they strive daily to vanquish.
The Sun Dog - 5 stars
My favourite story of the four. There is something about mechanical recording devices, be they tapes or film or a Polaroid camera, that lends itself to the mysterious. The idea of a horror attaching itself to you and drawing itself into being is among the most basic and continually frightening precepts. As usual, King dresses this idea in the most ordinary of clothes and makes it uniquely terrifying.
The writing is particularly good here, capturing the very essence of small towns and big characters. The ending is perfection, and only makes this excellent story even better.
dark
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
The first story of Four Past Midnight was my favorite, it was the most gripping and suspenseful, and of course features the famous langoliers. In order, my favorite stories were probably the first, third, second, then fourth. It always astounds me how physical a reaction I have when reading King--especially in the third story I found myself feeling sick, and getting that creepy-crawly feeling.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Langoliers: 4 stars. Solid Twilight Zone-esque sci-fi mystery.
Secret Window Secret Garden: 3 stars. Engaging psychological thriller but cliche twist.
The Library Policeman: 5 stars. Starts a little slow but turns out to be the creepiest and most terrifying of the bunch.
The Sun Dog: 2 stars. This one dragged pretty hard. More could have been done with the premise, or it could have been cut down a bit. By far the weakest of the bunch.
Secret Window Secret Garden: 3 stars. Engaging psychological thriller but cliche twist.
The Library Policeman: 5 stars. Starts a little slow but turns out to be the creepiest and most terrifying of the bunch.
The Sun Dog: 2 stars. This one dragged pretty hard. More could have been done with the premise, or it could have been cut down a bit. By far the weakest of the bunch.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
All the stories were great! The Langoliers was my favorite, with The Library Poleethman coming in a close second. Then The Sun Dog in 3rd, another great Castle Rock story, Pop Merrill was great, can't wait for Needful Things. Then Secret Window, Secret Garden was a great psychological mindbender and I was very intrigued the whole time. It comes in last but that don't mean nothin'!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Langoliers - Heart pounding fun with an interesting sci-fi like plot.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - A little predictable but a fun story nonetheless.
The Library Policeman - A classic Stephen King scare, though he reaches past his propensity to be too graphic.
The Sun Dog - The first half felt a little wandering but the second half went by in one quick (scary) reading.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - A little predictable but a fun story nonetheless.
The Library Policeman - A classic Stephen King scare, though he reaches past his propensity to be too graphic.
The Sun Dog - The first half felt a little wandering but the second half went by in one quick (scary) reading.