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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I still think my favorite collection is Different Seasons, and the best short story collection is Night Shift to me. That said, Nightmares and Dreamscapes had some fun stories, and a few moments of total engrossment. But like any short story collection, some pieces aren't as good as others. I like the fresh ideas, even though King's notes stated that horror stories rely on a few tried and tested tropes. I really enjoyed Head Down. It may even be my favourite. I still would recommend.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
slow-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
First book for my Thriller Month. YAY!
Stephen King does not disappoint. :D The stories are compelling, with some of them so creepy I had to limit myself to only a few a day or my dreams would turn nasty. Thrillers and horror should not be read before you fall asleep is all I’m saying. :D The mix of short stories offers a lot of variety so any reader can find a story for them. I appear to love those in the middle part of the collection. I think I have a thing for ghosts and creepy, nightmarish scenarios involving small towns or small spaces. Yikes.
Here’s the overview of the short stories in this collection and my ratings:
Dolan's Cadillac - murder story - 3.5 stars
The End of the Whole Mess - apocalypse is brought on by a brilliant man who doesn't have enough patience to get his studies done before plunging ahead with his plans - 4 stars
Suffer the Little Children - a supernatural/horror short story set in elementary school. Ugh, it's so creepy. The poor teacher. 5 stars
The Night Flier - Dracula moving around with an airplane - 3 stars
Popsy - abducted child 3.5 stars
It Grows on You - mystery house story, 3 stars.
Chattery Teeth - supernatural object, 5 stars
Dedication - coloured woman's story with magic, excellent 5 stars
The Moving Finger - horror story involving random fingers and drains, 5 stars
Sneakers - ghost story, 5 stars"
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - super scary ghost story in small town, stuff of nightmares - 5 stars
Home Delivery - zombie apocalypse - 5 stars
Rainy Season - supern. Event in small town, creepy - 5 stars
My Pretty Pony - grandpa & grandson bonding - 4 stars
Sorry, Right Number - short script that might have inspired Landline by Rowell - 4 stars"
The Ten O'Clock People - horror with batpeople only moderate smokers can see - 5 stars
Crouch End - horror with alternate universe - 4 stars
The House on Maple Street - house transforming - 4 stars
The Fifth Quarter - murder - 3 stars
The Doctor's Case - Sherlock Holmes story where Watson solves the case first - 4 stars
Umney's Last Case - what happens when a writer takes the place of his character - 3 stars
Head Down - baseball story I didn't care much about
Brooklyn August - poem about baseball; again, not to my taste
Stephen King does not disappoint. :D The stories are compelling, with some of them so creepy I had to limit myself to only a few a day or my dreams would turn nasty. Thrillers and horror should not be read before you fall asleep is all I’m saying. :D The mix of short stories offers a lot of variety so any reader can find a story for them. I appear to love those in the middle part of the collection. I think I have a thing for ghosts and creepy, nightmarish scenarios involving small towns or small spaces. Yikes.
Here’s the overview of the short stories in this collection and my ratings:
Dolan's Cadillac - murder story - 3.5 stars
The End of the Whole Mess - apocalypse is brought on by a brilliant man who doesn't have enough patience to get his studies done before plunging ahead with his plans - 4 stars
Suffer the Little Children - a supernatural/horror short story set in elementary school. Ugh, it's so creepy. The poor teacher. 5 stars
The Night Flier - Dracula moving around with an airplane - 3 stars
Popsy - abducted child 3.5 stars
It Grows on You - mystery house story, 3 stars.
Chattery Teeth - supernatural object, 5 stars
Dedication - coloured woman's story with magic, excellent 5 stars
The Moving Finger - horror story involving random fingers and drains, 5 stars
Sneakers - ghost story, 5 stars"
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - super scary ghost story in small town, stuff of nightmares - 5 stars
Home Delivery - zombie apocalypse - 5 stars
Rainy Season - supern. Event in small town, creepy - 5 stars
My Pretty Pony - grandpa & grandson bonding - 4 stars
Sorry, Right Number - short script that might have inspired Landline by Rowell - 4 stars"
The Ten O'Clock People - horror with batpeople only moderate smokers can see - 5 stars
Crouch End - horror with alternate universe - 4 stars
The House on Maple Street - house transforming - 4 stars
The Fifth Quarter - murder - 3 stars
The Doctor's Case - Sherlock Holmes story where Watson solves the case first - 4 stars
Umney's Last Case - what happens when a writer takes the place of his character - 3 stars
Head Down - baseball story I didn't care much about
Brooklyn August - poem about baseball; again, not to my taste
It's been 8 years since I first read this book, and my rating remains the same - a solid three stars. It's hard to give an overall rating to such a mixed bag of stories. My personal favourites are "The End of the Whole Mess", "The House on Maple Street" and "Umney's Last Case". There are some real snoozers, including "The Fifth Quarter", "The Ten O'Clock People" and lord-why "Head Down". (Its often been said that Stephen King could publish his grocery list and people would read it, but "Head Down" is literally a game-by-game write-up of his son's Little League season!). I think Night Shift and Skeleton Crew are overall more solid collections of King's early works - but then it's also been 8 or 9 years since I last read those, so a re-read will tell.
dark
mysterious
tense
This isn't my first time reading this book but it has been a long time. I have to give this a mixed review as it is a collection of short stories. Some of these stories are fantastic and some are just from straight out of left field. If you ever wonder what it would be like reading Stephen King's version of Dr. Watson that is in here next to stories about killer novelty teeth and an essay on baseball. It is worth a read but don't feel bad if skip through some of the stories that don't jive with you. Some things are a little dated but for the most part, this book really holds up. I think you could turn the Ten O'clock people into a pretty successful TV show concept.
I would rate it overall around 3.5 stars. My favorite stories were Chattery Teeth, Moving Finger, You Know They Got a Hell of a Band. Some of the stories had really great narrators that I thought added a lot to the stories. Sorry, Right Number was fantastic with a full ensemble cast recording. I also love the introductions and notes read by Stephen King. I especially loved that he went into what inspired his stories.
This book has a little bit of everything. After reading the first few stories, and enjoying them, I hit a dry spell (of about three stories starting with "It Grows On You") and decided to then selectively read certain stories, depending on how their synopsis drew my attention. The following are the stories I read.
Dolan's Cadillac
The End of the Whole Mess
Suffer the Little Children
The Night Flier
Popsy
It Grows on You
Chattery Teeth
The Doctor's Case
Umney's Last Case
Brooklyn August (a poem)
and
The Beggar and the Diamond (King's retelling of a non-original folktale)
Some of these stories were gems and others fell short (in my opinion). Overall however, of these one's I read, I'll give this collection an aggregate of...
4/5 Stars
Dolan's Cadillac
The End of the Whole Mess
Suffer the Little Children
The Night Flier
Popsy
It Grows on You
Chattery Teeth
The Doctor's Case
Umney's Last Case
Brooklyn August (a poem)
and
The Beggar and the Diamond (King's retelling of a non-original folktale)
Some of these stories were gems and others fell short (in my opinion). Overall however, of these one's I read, I'll give this collection an aggregate of...
4/5 Stars
Not as good as Skeleton Crew or Night Shift, but it had its moments.