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zhoronto's review against another edition
4.0
It is a funny little story, if you like the way King usually solve the situation with monsters you will like it.
If you hate the way King usually solve the situation with monsters... well, you know what? Go to the Mile 81 and let the old car-thing over there give you a lift.
It will be fun!
If you hate the way King usually solve the situation with monsters... well, you know what? Go to the Mile 81 and let the old car-thing over there give you a lift.
It will be fun!
hellkitty915's review against another edition
4.0
This is Stephen King at his best. Mile 81 is gory, creepy, scary, and FUN! It brings me back to the earliest books, the ones that brought visceral reactions & all of the boogieman fears right up to the surface.
Do not listen to this in the dark. Or maybe you should. Either way, you'll be glad you listened to it - and you'll never look at another station wagon the same way.
Do not listen to this in the dark. Or maybe you should. Either way, you'll be glad you listened to it - and you'll never look at another station wagon the same way.
sarabrennan's review against another edition
3.0
Eh wit? Basically I read this by accident. So I have a long list in my notes of books that I want to read, and I spent a long time going through that list, searching every book on it on my Kindle and then buying every one that was £2 or under. When I saw this one on this list I thought ‘ah this is that Stephen King book about that competition where people have to walk forever’. It was £1.99 so I bought it and started reading it. Turns out the book I was thinking about was actually ‘The Long Walk’ and the book I was now reading was actually about a car that kills people. No, not ‘Christine’, that’s the other Stephen King book about a car that kills people. I think it’s cause it has ‘Mile’ in the title that I thought it was the walking competition book but as we have it established it certainly is not, the question is raised of, why did I add this to my list of books I want to read in the first place? What did I read in the description of this book which enticed me? I genuinely can’t think of a single thing. The story itself was fine cause it was short. Just about this daft car really. And the characters were good enough. But would I recommend that you add it to your list of books to read? No I wouldn’t.
lfields19's review against another edition
2.0
I love Stephen King. I've been reading his books since I was 12 or 13, and he's the writer I judge all other writers by. Anyone who knows me knows how it pains me to give something he wrote two stars. The sad fact is, I'm pretty sure if anyone else had written this I'd only give it one star. I can't seem to bring myself to take off the 2nd star though the book doesn't really deserve it.
I bought this book for my Kindle, happy to give my old friend SK my $2.99. I was surprised when the book ended abruptly at 80%, and the other 20% was a preview of his new novel coming out in November. A cheap ploy, especially considering everyone's going to buy it already so he hardly needs to advertise.
The story opened up with a 10 year old kid, and I found myself wondering if SK has finally gotten too old to write children believably. He has written many child characters I've adored - The kids in It, Jake Chambers, Travelin' Jack, etc etc. The kid in this book, Pete, felt incongruous somehow. Not genuine. The story, about a car that's really an alien that eats people, was pretty stupid, but really, a lot of his stories sound stupid in description. I remember a short story about some plastic teeth that came to life and killed people and I liked that one. This one just felt contrived, like he didn't really care about it any more than I did as I was reading it.
But what really got me, more than anything else, was the AT&T plug. The cop was playing Words With Friends on his iPad, internet provided by AT&T. That's almost exactly how he said it. I have a very hard time forgiving blatant product placement. It's bad enough on TV; it's worse in books. I don't see how SK could possibly need the money and I'd be shocked to hear AT&T had ever inspired that kind of loyalty in anyone, to earn a mention like that. Reading it from my very favorite author of all time made me feel dirty.
All in all, I wish I'd not read this story at all.
I bought this book for my Kindle, happy to give my old friend SK my $2.99. I was surprised when the book ended abruptly at 80%, and the other 20% was a preview of his new novel coming out in November. A cheap ploy, especially considering everyone's going to buy it already so he hardly needs to advertise.
The story opened up with a 10 year old kid, and I found myself wondering if SK has finally gotten too old to write children believably. He has written many child characters I've adored - The kids in It, Jake Chambers, Travelin' Jack, etc etc. The kid in this book, Pete, felt incongruous somehow. Not genuine. The story, about a car that's really an alien that eats people, was pretty stupid, but really, a lot of his stories sound stupid in description. I remember a short story about some plastic teeth that came to life and killed people and I liked that one. This one just felt contrived, like he didn't really care about it any more than I did as I was reading it.
But what really got me, more than anything else, was the AT&T plug. The cop was playing Words With Friends on his iPad, internet provided by AT&T. That's almost exactly how he said it. I have a very hard time forgiving blatant product placement. It's bad enough on TV; it's worse in books. I don't see how SK could possibly need the money and I'd be shocked to hear AT&T had ever inspired that kind of loyalty in anyone, to earn a mention like that. Reading it from my very favorite author of all time made me feel dirty.
All in all, I wish I'd not read this story at all.
racheleileen25's review against another edition
3.0
Imagine if Stephen King wrote Goosbumps. Scary for a child, still entertaining to read with just enough graphic language and imagery to make it an adult audience.
5elementknitr's review against another edition
4.0
Started reading this late last night, raced through the rest of it today.
What a wonderfully creepy story!
What a wonderfully creepy story!
leighanneslit's review against another edition
2.0
Oh, Uncle Stevie, you have let me down. :[
While eagerly anticipating his next release, fans were held over by his release of a short story, Mile 81. Let's go back to the days of Christine for the concept of this one. Not that its like Christine (which I haven't read), but it has to do with a demonic car.
At an abandoned rest stop, a station wagon of ambiguous make and model sits, with no tags, covered in mud, with the door ajar. Several motorists feel that it is their civic duty to stop and assist this stranded motorist, but get a lot more than they bargained for.
Because this is a short story, there isn't too much that I can say about it without giving some things away, so I will only say that this left a huge something to be desired. I was not satiated by this in the slightest. Okay, so the premise is interesting, a demonic car, and it sucks that these good Samaritans are really walking to their deaths, all while a little boy sleeps in the abandoned rest stop after he's tried vodka for the first time. Fantastic.
I was okay with the story, even if it wasn't stellar, but COME ON. The ending was really a WTF moment. Of all ways to end the story Stevie, really. But then, a lot of times, Uncle Stevie isn't known for his spectacular endings.
If you're looking for something new to hold you over until the release of 11/22/63, don't bother with this. You're only going to get pissed off. I suggest going to a tried a true classic. Read Carrie or something. This gets a 2 out of 5. I was sorely disappointed, and I think any King fan would be.
While eagerly anticipating his next release, fans were held over by his release of a short story, Mile 81. Let's go back to the days of Christine for the concept of this one. Not that its like Christine (which I haven't read), but it has to do with a demonic car.
At an abandoned rest stop, a station wagon of ambiguous make and model sits, with no tags, covered in mud, with the door ajar. Several motorists feel that it is their civic duty to stop and assist this stranded motorist, but get a lot more than they bargained for.
Because this is a short story, there isn't too much that I can say about it without giving some things away, so I will only say that this left a huge something to be desired. I was not satiated by this in the slightest. Okay, so the premise is interesting, a demonic car, and it sucks that these good Samaritans are really walking to their deaths, all while a little boy sleeps in the abandoned rest stop after he's tried vodka for the first time. Fantastic.
I was okay with the story, even if it wasn't stellar, but COME ON. The ending was really a WTF moment. Of all ways to end the story Stevie, really. But then, a lot of times, Uncle Stevie isn't known for his spectacular endings.
If you're looking for something new to hold you over until the release of 11/22/63, don't bother with this. You're only going to get pissed off. I suggest going to a tried a true classic. Read Carrie or something. This gets a 2 out of 5. I was sorely disappointed, and I think any King fan would be.
tchristman's review against another edition
3.0
Wait, it's done? Already? It was just getting good...
taliaa_'s review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
david611's review against another edition
4.0
At a deserted rest area called Mile 81 on the I-95, is a place where a station wagon seems to be waiting to gobble down humans. This was a great start to reading King's short stories collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. King has written this novella in such a vivid style, as if the sequences happening through it are all happening for real. The horror is life-like. The ending seemed fast, but I guess that was an intended thing, as what happens in the end is likely to be that fast if it was real. Feels good to return back to the mind of SK. :)