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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
These are the first Stephen King novels I was able to read completely, and all the way through. Some of these books I had not even heard of. I was looking forward to reading ‘Secret Window’, and the book that I got came with three other novels, so thank you so much for the surprising gifts. I did enjoy what was to be enjoyed of the novels. Seemed like we were in someone else’s dreams. We leave encouraged to pay off extra for any late fees someone else may have to cover the cost. We may think the cabin windows might need to be open to let in some fresh air. We may even think suppressed feelings pop out. Maybe dogs don’t want their picture taken. Perhaps the flash is unlikable and dogs have ghost writers to translate their next moves. 👍
The standout here is "The Langoliers", about a group of passengers that go through a time rip that sends their airplane to the past. In this past, the airport they try to land at is deserted, there is no electricity, foods have no taste, fuel doesn't burn, sounds are muffled, etc. Our passengers must try to go back to the present and escape the Langoliers, whose job to clean up what is left of the past by eating it. This is terrifically written science-fiction.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Overall a really good set of stories! Wasnt a big fan of “Sun Dog”, but enjoyed the rest.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Secret window secret garden is excellent thriller. The twist is a classic but holds up well. The Langoliers is a fun time travel story although a tad long. Library policeman is a disaster. A decent vampire alien story is somewhere in there. Sun Dog is inoffensive like a show on Netflix while you look at your phone.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Four Past Midnight
The Langoliers-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An incredibly creative and breathtaking story that, when it comes down to it, is about appreciating the little things in life. Such an interesting read.
Secret Window, Secret Garden-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A brilliantly written story with an insane amount of depth. Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish!
The Library Policeman-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This novella was disturbingly inspiring and incredibly unique. After reading the first third, I didn’t expect the amount of shock and horror that ultimately came. I really enjoyed the prose and how King wove things together throughout. Definitely not one for the faint of heart…
The Sun Dog-⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one is definitely the worst novella in the collection. The plot is boring, and I could was struggling to get through any of the chapters centered on Pop Merrill. Kevin and King’s gift in writing coming-of-age horror saved this one from a one or two star rating.
Overall 18/20: 4.5 STARS
Thoroughly enjoyed this old school thriller from Stephen King. In my ongoing quest in 2022 to tie up loose ends, this was a big one for me personally. I've started this book numerous times in the past 30 years and I can't tell you why I never finished it. This time, I did. It's a little funny, b/c not long ago on here I wrote about how I typically don't like short story books. Stephen King is one huge exception to that. He is always the exception. This book was so great. And the throwback to relics from another time and era were really wonderful to read about. OMG, remember pay TV's in the waiting room at airports? When Polaroid cameras were a hot thing? (Yes, I know those are kinda en-vogue again, but they're not exactly mainstream) - Really loved every story in here. And this was still the early days of King cross referencing places and characters as they intersected throughout all his works. The Sun Dog is the perfect transition into 2 more King books from this era that I need to check off - The Dark Half and Needful Things. Once again, two books I'm pretty sure I started and never finished. This time, they shall be finished. Anyway, the Langoliers was so so awesome. Tore through that one - excellent characters and what's more terrifying than weird shit on an airplane? Even though it's probably very low tech and terrible, I think I need to go find the TV movie they made of it. My second favorite story was probably The Library Policeman - so creepy. Again, great characters and a call back to the silly things that scared us in our youth. Secret Window, Secret Garden was probably my third favorite - kind of Hitchcock-ian with a nice twist ending that was probably pretty WOW at one time, but these days I kinda figured what was happening. Still good, all the same. And The Sun Dog too was excellent - a haunted polaroid camera. King really has made a scary story out of everything, hasn't he? Not a bad story in the bunch. Thrilled to finally check this one off my list. Fun read!
When I heard about The Langoliers from a friend back in sixth grade, I was terrified. It wasn't a few years later that I finally watched the movie. It gave me nightmares. I waited over a decade later to read the book. I shouldn't have waited...I guess?
Now that I've read the book, I can't say I'm spooked now. The Langoliers seem less scary when put into King's words. He's a great prolific writers, yes, but not all his works are on point. The stories on this book are, at best, meh.
Secret Window, Secret Garden was actually the best novella out of the four. I have yet to watch the movie, but I heard there are quite a lot of differences, not that it'll matter much. The Library Policeman was my least favorite--the whole story was just too much of a stretch. The Sun Dog was okay, but had a disconnect. Kevin didn't seem like a relatable character.
Four Past Midnight isn't a bad book. It's alright. Just not King's best.
Now that I've read the book, I can't say I'm spooked now. The Langoliers seem less scary when put into King's words. He's a great prolific writers, yes, but not all his works are on point. The stories on this book are, at best, meh.
Secret Window, Secret Garden was actually the best novella out of the four. I have yet to watch the movie, but I heard there are quite a lot of differences, not that it'll matter much. The Library Policeman was my least favorite--the whole story was just too much of a stretch. The Sun Dog was okay, but had a disconnect. Kevin didn't seem like a relatable character.
Four Past Midnight isn't a bad book. It's alright. Just not King's best.