Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I just read the first store, The Langoliers in this book. Really good classic Stephan King stuff. I think I read the whole thing when I was in high school and so I just wanted to read that story. So I give it a 4 and I'm guessing the other 3 stories are at a similar level
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF
Reading the audiobook and James Woods narration on the Secret Window is killing me. Thrown me in a reading slump. I'll have to try again with a physical copy.
Reading the audiobook and James Woods narration on the Secret Window is killing me. Thrown me in a reading slump. I'll have to try again with a physical copy.
I have read this collection before, so I don't feel too bad about stopping short this go-round. I'm not a huge fan of the short story collections, and this one is particularly hard for me to slog through.
I think a lot of people love Langoliers the most, but I have to say I prefer The Sun Dog the most out of these four stories. Eventually I will finish the second half or so, but for now I'm just marking it as finish because, let's be real, this ain't my first rodeo.
I think a lot of people love Langoliers the most, but I have to say I prefer The Sun Dog the most out of these four stories. Eventually I will finish the second half or so, but for now I'm just marking it as finish because, let's be real, this ain't my first rodeo.
Loved this collection of stories! I think this is the right length for Stephen King to deal with - the stories in other collections such as Just After Sunset are simply too short for King to work his magic (or horror).
Out of the four stories in this book, my favorite is probably The Langoliers, followed by The Sun Dog. I think what King really excels at in these two stories is world-building: not every author can pull off making the paranormal so believable or so 'non-ridiculous'.
I would not really classify Four After Midnight as horror, but the way certain settings or encounters are described did send chills down my spine. It is definitely an interesting read if, as King himself has said often, you are willing to suspend your disbelief.
A bonus for the Constant Reader in this book is the introductory note before each story: you get a chance to enter his head and follow his strange way of thinking.
Would love to reread this in the future!
Out of the four stories in this book, my favorite is probably The Langoliers, followed by The Sun Dog. I think what King really excels at in these two stories is world-building: not every author can pull off making the paranormal so believable or so 'non-ridiculous'.
I would not really classify Four After Midnight as horror, but the way certain settings or encounters are described did send chills down my spine. It is definitely an interesting read if, as King himself has said often, you are willing to suspend your disbelief.
A bonus for the Constant Reader in this book is the introductory note before each story: you get a chance to enter his head and follow his strange way of thinking.
Would love to reread this in the future!
adventurous
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
This was a great collection of novellas, albeit a little long in my opinion. But each one had it’s strong points, with the exception of the third one which I found rather long and boring.
The Langoliers - 4.5/5 A really fun adventure into the unknown and back, strong character development, with a terrifying concept, and I found The Langoliers to be one of Stephen King’s scarier entities, even if the description sometimes came off a little silly.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - 3.75/5 It was a tense novella with a very predictable plot, still really well written, and a lot of fun, the predictability lowers my ranking for it though.
The Library Policeman - 3/5 A long and boring story in the middle, and very intense climax followed by a lacklustre ending.
The Sun Dog - 4.75/5 Not perfect but damn near close. I love taking pictures and this story rocked my socks. The best of the four, it gripped me from start to finish and I believe it’s the shortest of the four novellas and it moves at a great pace with a ending that closes out the collection nicely.
The Langoliers - 4.5/5 A really fun adventure into the unknown and back, strong character development, with a terrifying concept, and I found The Langoliers to be one of Stephen King’s scarier entities, even if the description sometimes came off a little silly.
Secret Window, Secret Garden - 3.75/5 It was a tense novella with a very predictable plot, still really well written, and a lot of fun, the predictability lowers my ranking for it though.
The Library Policeman - 3/5 A long and boring story in the middle, and very intense climax followed by a lacklustre ending.
The Sun Dog - 4.75/5 Not perfect but damn near close. I love taking pictures and this story rocked my socks. The best of the four, it gripped me from start to finish and I believe it’s the shortest of the four novellas and it moves at a great pace with a ending that closes out the collection nicely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape
Moderate: Animal death, Racial slurs
Minor: Alcoholism, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced