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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
An uneven collection of strange tales themed around distortions of reality/space/time.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -✈️The Langoliers: Easily one of my favourite science fiction stories and definitely a favourite in terms of Stephen King novellas. Very gripping!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -✈️The Langoliers: Easily one of my favourite science fiction stories and definitely a favourite in terms of Stephen King novellas. Very gripping!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Probably more of a 3.5 but decided to bump it up to a 4 because I don't do half stars and for the most part this novella collection was incredibly enjoyable and easy to get through!
The Langoliers - I thought I was familiar with the plot, but I think I was mixing it up with some other adaptation of King's work that I remember from my childhood walking in on. This is more a scifi/cosmic horror than anything else, which isn't really typically my preference in horror, but this was surprisingly enjoyable with its almost single location setting and large cast of characters. Some of them faded into each other for me, but the ones that stood out really stood out and there were plenty of incredibly memorable moments in this that made it well worth a read. 3/5 stars.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - This was such a great thriller. I had seen the adaptation, but it was so many years ago that I basically forgot all of the plot points, which helped keep the novella fresh for me. It did start to peter out for me a little at the end, but I was pretty much hooked from the start which is impressive as it usually takes me a little while to drop into the groove of a story, particularly King's stories. Really shocking moments and a pretty effective ending as well! 4/5 stars.
The Library Policeman - My favourite of the collection, and probably the most typical horror here. This was creepy, eerie, and had some truly disturbing disgusting imagery. It actually made me feel something which is really saying something, and despite a slightly slow start, I found the pacing really picked up and didn't let up until the end! It would be really interesting to see if they could adapt this actually. The ending was a little... interesting, but overall I found this really satisfying to read. 4/5 stars.
The Sun Dog - Ah. This one kind of dragged it down for me, which is kind of weird as I loved the concept and really enjoyed the ending (again, King produces an effective ending for me, this is such a rarity!). I just found the execution to be lacking here, and although it was eerie at times and had a truly threatening undertone throughout most of the story, it just felt like it was taking too long to get where it needed to go. Maybe my rating is a little harsh for this one, but it took me a while to get through despite not being as long as some of the other stories, and even though the subject appealed way more to me than in The Langoliers, I felt pulled in by that one more. 2.5 stars.
Overall a pretty solid collection of novellas, and it was great to return to more King horror after being away from it with his thrillers more recently! Definitely recommended.
The Langoliers - I thought I was familiar with the plot, but I think I was mixing it up with some other adaptation of King's work that I remember from my childhood walking in on. This is more a scifi/cosmic horror than anything else, which isn't really typically my preference in horror, but this was surprisingly enjoyable with its almost single location setting and large cast of characters. Some of them faded into each other for me, but the ones that stood out really stood out and there were plenty of incredibly memorable moments in this that made it well worth a read. 3/5 stars.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - This was such a great thriller. I had seen the adaptation, but it was so many years ago that I basically forgot all of the plot points, which helped keep the novella fresh for me. It did start to peter out for me a little at the end, but I was pretty much hooked from the start which is impressive as it usually takes me a little while to drop into the groove of a story, particularly King's stories. Really shocking moments and a pretty effective ending as well! 4/5 stars.
The Library Policeman - My favourite of the collection, and probably the most typical horror here. This was creepy, eerie, and had some truly disturbing disgusting imagery. It actually made me feel something which is really saying something, and despite a slightly slow start, I found the pacing really picked up and didn't let up until the end! It would be really interesting to see if they could adapt this actually. The ending was a little... interesting, but overall I found this really satisfying to read. 4/5 stars.
The Sun Dog - Ah. This one kind of dragged it down for me, which is kind of weird as I loved the concept and really enjoyed the ending (again, King produces an effective ending for me, this is such a rarity!). I just found the execution to be lacking here, and although it was eerie at times and had a truly threatening undertone throughout most of the story, it just felt like it was taking too long to get where it needed to go. Maybe my rating is a little harsh for this one, but it took me a while to get through despite not being as long as some of the other stories, and even though the subject appealed way more to me than in The Langoliers, I felt pulled in by that one more. 2.5 stars.
Overall a pretty solid collection of novellas, and it was great to return to more King horror after being away from it with his thrillers more recently! Definitely recommended.
The Langoliers - 3/5
Secret Window, Secret Garden - 4/5
The Library Policeman - 3/5
The Sun Dog - 2/5
Secret Window, Secret Garden - 4/5
The Library Policeman - 3/5
The Sun Dog - 2/5
While I enjoyed aspects of these stories because I literally could not predict where they would move next, I also found them at times tedious and needlessly violent. I realize that a certain amount of violence is of course expected, but often the descriptions were only there to shock the reader. Some horrific events often did not contribute to the plot. It felt cheap, like an ill-timed jump scare.
Really enjoyed this collection of stories, The Langoliers was creepy and brilliant, about time and the little creatures that can "eat you up." Secret Window was also good, however I had seen the film (Johnny Depp) before reading the story so the ending did not come as a surprise. The Libary Policeman is also fantastic, sending shivers down your spine, and the Sun Dog while a bit slow at the beginning really picks up pace towards the end. A must for any King fan!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I only read Secret Window but I liked it a lot.. It made more sense than the movie.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Awesome from start to finish, every time I think Stephen King can't wow me with another collection of stories I'm wrong. The Library Policeman has to be my favourite of these stories, but it was a hard choice as they're all worthwhile reads.