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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
DNF @ page 249, which is partway through "Dedication."
I always try to resist DNFing short story or novella collections, because sure, maybe the ones at the beginning aren't to my taste, but aren't there more that might be better? Of course there are! (In this case, almost 600 pages' worth of stories I might like.)
But because this was such a behemoth, and because I was planning to read it leisurely--a story or two a day, depending on their length, while I also read other things--I was taking notes about each story and giving it a star rating, to help me decide at the end what I thought of the collection as a whole. I finished seven stories and part of an eighth. One of those stories earned a 2, and all of the others either 1 or 0. Yes, I hated some of these stories and they got 0-star ratings.
So why on earth would I keep going, hoping other stories would be better? It wasn't long before I dreaded picking this back up.
My overall complaints that apply, to some degree, to all of the stories I read: too long/wordy for the plot it covered, gross/gory/silly instead of scary, vaguely racist overtones to some, lack of satisfying endings to most. And in one case, putting "Popsy" right after "Night Flier" made it really freaking obvious that the second one was also about vampires, to the story's detriment.
I'm beginning to wonder if I should just be done with Stephen King. I'm tired of playing "will I dearly love or absolutely despise this" every time I pick up a new title. Because he has, without a doubt, written some of my favorite books I've ever read, but it's equally true that he's written some of the worst books I've read, so I can't help thinking it might be time to move on. (I say this with three unread King novels still sitting on my shelves, so I'm not entirely sure yet, because I could give those a try and then give up...?)
I always try to resist DNFing short story or novella collections, because sure, maybe the ones at the beginning aren't to my taste, but aren't there more that might be better? Of course there are! (In this case, almost 600 pages' worth of stories I might like.)
But because this was such a behemoth, and because I was planning to read it leisurely--a story or two a day, depending on their length, while I also read other things--I was taking notes about each story and giving it a star rating, to help me decide at the end what I thought of the collection as a whole. I finished seven stories and part of an eighth. One of those stories earned a 2, and all of the others either 1 or 0. Yes, I hated some of these stories and they got 0-star ratings.
So why on earth would I keep going, hoping other stories would be better? It wasn't long before I dreaded picking this back up.
My overall complaints that apply, to some degree, to all of the stories I read: too long/wordy for the plot it covered, gross/gory/silly instead of scary, vaguely racist overtones to some, lack of satisfying endings to most. And in one case, putting "Popsy" right after "Night Flier" made it really freaking obvious that the second one was also about vampires, to the story's detriment.
I'm beginning to wonder if I should just be done with Stephen King. I'm tired of playing "will I dearly love or absolutely despise this" every time I pick up a new title. Because he has, without a doubt, written some of my favorite books I've ever read, but it's equally true that he's written some of the worst books I've read, so I can't help thinking it might be time to move on. (I say this with three unread King novels still sitting on my shelves, so I'm not entirely sure yet, because I could give those a try and then give up...?)
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Another amazing mix of creepy, absurd, slightly charming, lovecraftian, weird, and wonderful stories from Uncle Stevie. I am so in love with his short story collections.
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Although I definitely liked these short stories better than his other books, I'm still not really a big fan of Stephen King. As reading this was mostly for research purposes anyway, I read about half the book and left it at that. May go back to it at a later date and finish off.
"It's a ghastly sick-joke with no redeeming social merit whatever. I like that in a story."
3.5 Rounded Down.
I did enjoy this collection quite a bit but there were a few stories that either didn't work or went on a little bit too long.
Still stories like The Night Flier and Rainy season definitely made the collection worthwhile.
I even enjoyed the Baseball story, despite having 0 interest in Baseball. King is just that good.
I did enjoy this collection quite a bit but there were a few stories that either didn't work or went on a little bit too long.
Still stories like The Night Flier and Rainy season definitely made the collection worthwhile.
I even enjoyed the Baseball story, despite having 0 interest in Baseball. King is just that good.