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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I calculated all of my ratings for each short story & it came out at 3.95 so I rounded it up to 4 because I’m super kind. Here are my faves & my least faves:
The End of the Whole Mess ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- LOVED THIS, everything about it. Hooked me after the first page. Love apocalyptic shit.
Suffer the Little Children ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- LOVED THIS. SHORT. SCARY. BRILLIANT.
The Night Flier ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- I feel like it should’ve been a novel.
- Too rushed
- Too much plane shit
- Wee bit confused
It Grows on You⭐️⭐️
- Didn’t finish, really dull & I didn’t get what was going on
Chattery Teeth⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- HAD ME ON THE EDGE OF SEAT
As always, read the notes because it really changed my mind on some of my ratings.
OH I FORGOT, LOVED UMNEY’S LAST CASE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The End of the Whole Mess ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- LOVED THIS, everything about it. Hooked me after the first page. Love apocalyptic shit.
Suffer the Little Children ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- LOVED THIS. SHORT. SCARY. BRILLIANT.
The Night Flier ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- I feel like it should’ve been a novel.
- Too rushed
- Too much plane shit
- Wee bit confused
It Grows on You⭐️⭐️
- Didn’t finish, really dull & I didn’t get what was going on
Chattery Teeth⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- HAD ME ON THE EDGE OF SEAT
As always, read the notes because it really changed my mind on some of my ratings.
OH I FORGOT, LOVED UMNEY’S LAST CASE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Introduction – Stephen King
I’ve said this before, but his voice is incredibly dear to me. King references the seven year replacement theory and it has probably been at least seven years since I read this. I love hearing King talk to me and to hear this voiced from decades ago is incredibly nostalgic. I am so excited to begin!
Suffer the Little Children (Whoopi Goldberg)
I haven’t loved this little tale in the past, but Whoopi’s voice leant a credibility I didn’t feel on the page.
Crouch End (Tim Curry)
This will be considered sacrilege to some fans, but I am not a fan of Curry’s narration. Throw in the fact that this is Lovecraftain and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I can applaud King’s skill and cranking up the dread and suspense, but didn’t enjoy the actual Big Bad reveal.
Rainy Season (Yeardley Smith)
Another story that is okay when read on the page, but kicks itself up two stars when read by Lisa Simpson! It’s just weird enough to create great unease, but then kooky enough to dispel it with the final lines.
Dolan’s Cadillac (Rob Lowe)
Rob Lowe makes for a strange listening experience. I can’t help but see that angelic face as I listen, but the things he is doing in this story are so desperately anguished and depraved. I think the disconnect between the two made the story even better somehow.
The House on Maple St. (Tabitha King)
I have always, always loved this story! I liked it even more in Tabby’s voice, which could become as dear to me as King’s. She has an even deeper accent than him, and the story told in that way was very, very realistic. When she was reading me the interactions between these children, which is one of King’s fortes, they were so believable and real! These children deserved a break. So did their mom, and boy did they get one!
Last Case (Robert B. Parker)
This is King’s version of noir fiction and I love it! Only King could make you genuinely feel for Umney using Frankenstein shoes and poop as tools.
Head Down (Stephen King)
I don’t care for baseball, but I love hearing King talk about it. The fact that Owen was on the team that’s portrayed makes it feel almost voyeuristic to read.
Brooklyn August (Stephen J. Gould)
Meh.
Chattery Teeth (Kathy Bates)
I have a pair of these on my King bookshelf. This story has always struck me as a delight to young boys, or the men that used to be young boys. It’s on the verge of ridiculous. Who am I kidding? It IS ridiculous, but wildly entertaining.
My Pretty Pony (Jerry Garcia)
What a sweet reminiscence. This is simply a photograph of youth. When we looked up to our elders and idolized them. A reflection that can only have relevance when we have left youth far behind us.
Sneakers (David Cronenberg)
This is one of those tales that feels like a slice of someone’s life as opposed to a full blown, beginning-middle-end narrative. I love the behind the scenes look at producing music, and when the realization hits our narrator just who he has been working for, that moment is more horrific than the sneakers themselves.
Dedication (Lindsay Crouse)
I could listen to Crouse read a dictionary. Her voice is fantastic, but it’s also her inflection. I generally dislike when a reader puts on accents or creates a different voice for each character, but listening to Crouse makes me realize that I only dislike it when it isn’t done perfectly. Crouse’s narration allows the events to unfold in a way that the disgust sneaks up on you.
The Doctor’s Case (Tim Curry)
Again, not a fan of Curry’s reading. I only listened to half, despite loving this on the page.
The Moving Finger (Eve Beglarian)
The fact that Eve was chosen to read this tale told from the POV of a man is exceptional. It’s told in such a believable way. Like Chattery Teeth, it’s just silliness, but how often do we find horror in the silly parts of life? Pretty often when your last name is King, I guess.
The End of the Whole Mess (Matthew Broderick)
This has always been one of my favorite styles of storytelling. One voice, relaying events, and slowly losing the thread because of a mental decline for one reason or another. Broderick’s voice, which sounds sweet and young, oddly calm, no matter how old he gets, was the perfect vehicle.
Home Delivery (Stephen King)
I love his voice and to hear him talk about the affordability of island life in that Yankee accent is sublime. This is a horror story of the finest type. King lulls you with a calm relaying of events, allows you to identify with the character either because you too have trouble making decisions, or love someone who drives you crazy because of this exact indecisiveness.
It Grows on You (Stephen King)
This is a pretty tame story from King. The horror is told in a quiet voice that belies its subject. Of course if you recognize King’s voice as you listen, you know WTFery is on the way.
The Fifth Quarter (Gary Sinise)
I love Sinise’s voice in films. I didn’t love it so much as a reader. This story is a good one. Very noir and dark, but I think I like it better on the page.
You Know They Got A Hell of a Band (Grace Slick)
Just knowing that I was listening to Grace Slick read this brought the tale up a notch. From **** to ***** at least! Grace freaking Slick! The way she read the stoned girl who has been punished was…well, terrifying, not to put too fine a point on it.
The Night Flier (Frank Muller)
Muller is one of my favorite readers. The reporter in this one is the same reporter that offered Johnny Smith a job making predictions and reading fortunes at a National Enquirer sort of paper. Here we catch up with him again, but this is a bit creepier because we are familiar with him. We’ve all seen those papers as we stand in line at the grocer and would never believe a story written about what he finds in this one. But in the story…he really finds it!!!!
Popsy (Joe Mantegna)
Was Popsy in The Night Flier? Hmmmm… Mantegna is an excellent reader. I’ve listened to him before and I think he can make a decent book sound great. This story is better than decent, but Mantegna does make it better.
Sorry, Right Number
I don’t care for full cast recordings so only listened to about ten minutes of this before I fast forwarded.
The 10 O’Clock People (Joe Morton)
This is so reminiscent of John Carpenter movies like Them or The Thing. The fact that smokers are the only ones that can see the menace, and not just any smokers, but smokers who have cut back, is genius on King’s part. He makes use of the fact that they have a dirty habit that makes them outcasts, but then uses it to make heroes.
Notes (Stephen King)
As I’ve mentioned, I love his voice! I wish I could listen to him anytime I am feeling blue. When he chuckles a bit, or asks the reader a question, it’s as if that fourth wall is broken and he is genuinely talking to me. I am also just voyeuristic to want to know what inspired a story, not just the good ones, either. And his unflinching honesty at the overpriced, over designed limited editions is balm for my book loving soul. I want them ALL, dammit, but King let’s m know its okay NOT to have them all.
The Beggar and the Diamond (Domenic Cuskern)
This was ok. I like the idea of King rewriting a classic piece of faith lore, but otherwise, was not impressed.
I’ve said this before, but his voice is incredibly dear to me. King references the seven year replacement theory and it has probably been at least seven years since I read this. I love hearing King talk to me and to hear this voiced from decades ago is incredibly nostalgic. I am so excited to begin!
Suffer the Little Children (Whoopi Goldberg)
I haven’t loved this little tale in the past, but Whoopi’s voice leant a credibility I didn’t feel on the page.
Crouch End (Tim Curry)
This will be considered sacrilege to some fans, but I am not a fan of Curry’s narration. Throw in the fact that this is Lovecraftain and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I can applaud King’s skill and cranking up the dread and suspense, but didn’t enjoy the actual Big Bad reveal.
Rainy Season (Yeardley Smith)
Another story that is okay when read on the page, but kicks itself up two stars when read by Lisa Simpson! It’s just weird enough to create great unease, but then kooky enough to dispel it with the final lines.
Dolan’s Cadillac (Rob Lowe)
Rob Lowe makes for a strange listening experience. I can’t help but see that angelic face as I listen, but the things he is doing in this story are so desperately anguished and depraved. I think the disconnect between the two made the story even better somehow.
The House on Maple St. (Tabitha King)
I have always, always loved this story! I liked it even more in Tabby’s voice, which could become as dear to me as King’s. She has an even deeper accent than him, and the story told in that way was very, very realistic. When she was reading me the interactions between these children, which is one of King’s fortes, they were so believable and real! These children deserved a break. So did their mom, and boy did they get one!
Last Case (Robert B. Parker)
This is King’s version of noir fiction and I love it! Only King could make you genuinely feel for Umney using Frankenstein shoes and poop as tools.
Head Down (Stephen King)
I don’t care for baseball, but I love hearing King talk about it. The fact that Owen was on the team that’s portrayed makes it feel almost voyeuristic to read.
Brooklyn August (Stephen J. Gould)
Meh.
Chattery Teeth (Kathy Bates)
I have a pair of these on my King bookshelf. This story has always struck me as a delight to young boys, or the men that used to be young boys. It’s on the verge of ridiculous. Who am I kidding? It IS ridiculous, but wildly entertaining.
My Pretty Pony (Jerry Garcia)
What a sweet reminiscence. This is simply a photograph of youth. When we looked up to our elders and idolized them. A reflection that can only have relevance when we have left youth far behind us.
Sneakers (David Cronenberg)
This is one of those tales that feels like a slice of someone’s life as opposed to a full blown, beginning-middle-end narrative. I love the behind the scenes look at producing music, and when the realization hits our narrator just who he has been working for, that moment is more horrific than the sneakers themselves.
Dedication (Lindsay Crouse)
I could listen to Crouse read a dictionary. Her voice is fantastic, but it’s also her inflection. I generally dislike when a reader puts on accents or creates a different voice for each character, but listening to Crouse makes me realize that I only dislike it when it isn’t done perfectly. Crouse’s narration allows the events to unfold in a way that the disgust sneaks up on you.
The Doctor’s Case (Tim Curry)
Again, not a fan of Curry’s reading. I only listened to half, despite loving this on the page.
The Moving Finger (Eve Beglarian)
The fact that Eve was chosen to read this tale told from the POV of a man is exceptional. It’s told in such a believable way. Like Chattery Teeth, it’s just silliness, but how often do we find horror in the silly parts of life? Pretty often when your last name is King, I guess.
The End of the Whole Mess (Matthew Broderick)
This has always been one of my favorite styles of storytelling. One voice, relaying events, and slowly losing the thread because of a mental decline for one reason or another. Broderick’s voice, which sounds sweet and young, oddly calm, no matter how old he gets, was the perfect vehicle.
Home Delivery (Stephen King)
I love his voice and to hear him talk about the affordability of island life in that Yankee accent is sublime. This is a horror story of the finest type. King lulls you with a calm relaying of events, allows you to identify with the character either because you too have trouble making decisions, or love someone who drives you crazy because of this exact indecisiveness.
It Grows on You (Stephen King)
This is a pretty tame story from King. The horror is told in a quiet voice that belies its subject. Of course if you recognize King’s voice as you listen, you know WTFery is on the way.
The Fifth Quarter (Gary Sinise)
I love Sinise’s voice in films. I didn’t love it so much as a reader. This story is a good one. Very noir and dark, but I think I like it better on the page.
You Know They Got A Hell of a Band (Grace Slick)
Just knowing that I was listening to Grace Slick read this brought the tale up a notch. From **** to ***** at least! Grace freaking Slick! The way she read the stoned girl who has been punished was…well, terrifying, not to put too fine a point on it.
The Night Flier (Frank Muller)
Muller is one of my favorite readers. The reporter in this one is the same reporter that offered Johnny Smith a job making predictions and reading fortunes at a National Enquirer sort of paper. Here we catch up with him again, but this is a bit creepier because we are familiar with him. We’ve all seen those papers as we stand in line at the grocer and would never believe a story written about what he finds in this one. But in the story…he really finds it!!!!
Popsy (Joe Mantegna)
Was Popsy in The Night Flier? Hmmmm… Mantegna is an excellent reader. I’ve listened to him before and I think he can make a decent book sound great. This story is better than decent, but Mantegna does make it better.
Sorry, Right Number
I don’t care for full cast recordings so only listened to about ten minutes of this before I fast forwarded.
The 10 O’Clock People (Joe Morton)
This is so reminiscent of John Carpenter movies like Them or The Thing. The fact that smokers are the only ones that can see the menace, and not just any smokers, but smokers who have cut back, is genius on King’s part. He makes use of the fact that they have a dirty habit that makes them outcasts, but then uses it to make heroes.
Notes (Stephen King)
As I’ve mentioned, I love his voice! I wish I could listen to him anytime I am feeling blue. When he chuckles a bit, or asks the reader a question, it’s as if that fourth wall is broken and he is genuinely talking to me. I am also just voyeuristic to want to know what inspired a story, not just the good ones, either. And his unflinching honesty at the overpriced, over designed limited editions is balm for my book loving soul. I want them ALL, dammit, but King let’s m know its okay NOT to have them all.
The Beggar and the Diamond (Domenic Cuskern)
This was ok. I like the idea of King rewriting a classic piece of faith lore, but otherwise, was not impressed.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
some are fun, some are long, it's like a box of chocolates :)
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This wasn't my favorite of his collections of short stories. I don't think many of them will be remembered by me. I did find a few that I enjoyed and some that did stick with me. Especially when going to the bathroom! Overall unless you're looking to try and read every book by SK this is one you could probably skip.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read in German: Idk if this is the complete version? I didn't find the story titled "Pretty Pony" or whatever.
Eh, its Steven King. You get weirdly detailed descriptions of how fuckable the women and girls are, and it never has to do with the plot. Sometimes there's an interesting premise or scene. The short stories make it easier to wade through.
Various physical objects, including an airplane landing strip, are compared to oddly specific gendered things like "the flat breasts of a female student" (so, like, a child????). Bro what
Dolan's Cadillac and the story about the home birth were my favorites, but I did like the Revenge/Self Defense aspects of those.
Not sure what It Grows On You was about at all.
Eh, its Steven King. You get weirdly detailed descriptions of how fuckable the women and girls are, and it never has to do with the plot. Sometimes there's an interesting premise or scene. The short stories make it easier to wade through.
Various physical objects, including an airplane landing strip, are compared to oddly specific gendered things like "the flat breasts of a female student" (so, like, a child????). Bro what
Dolan's Cadillac and the story about the home birth were my favorites, but I did like the Revenge/Self Defense aspects of those.
Not sure what It Grows On You was about at all.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
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
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced