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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
A solid collection of stories.
Willa: a story about death and haunting, yet it’s actually quite sweet. A nice little story about love, and denial.
The Gingerbread Girl: very creepy and effective horror story about a serial killer who has trapped someone. It has a horror movie vibe (and indeed the idea of horror movies is mentioned late in the story) to the point that I found myself shaking my head at what choices the character makes. It takes place in Florida where, like with Duma Key, he’s good at showing how isolated the keys can be.
Harvey’s Dream: short and sweet, basically about nightmares coming true. OK but nothing special. King says in the notes that he just transcribed a dream he had.
Rest Stop: this is a weird one. Basically, it’s about using your pseudonymous author name as a way to think like another, tougher person. It’s King rethinking old ideas—the relationship between the novelist, his pseudonym, and his ideas. In the notes, he mentions Richard Bachman. Kind of peters out at the end, though.
Stationary Bike: this is kind of a dopey one, with a moral about not letting exercise become an obsession.
The Things They Left Behind: a quite sentimental story about the survivors of 9/11.
Graduation Afternoon: an odd, very short story about a massive bomb exploding in New York City. King says it was another transcription of a dream.
N.: Frankly, I found this story repetitive and tedious. People develop OCD in order to save the world, so to speak. The OCD character in the story lives in Castle Rock (though sadly there is no real discussion of it) and notes that the number 19 is “powerful and bad.” At the end, there is a news article by Julia Shumway (from Under the Dome).
The Cat From Hell: a very basic “evil animal” story. Not so exciting.
“The New York Times” at Special Bargain Rates: a nicely creepy story about the afterlife.
Mute: A really compelling story about a man who picks up someone he thinks is deaf mute, though the end just fizzles out. Mentions Derry.
Ayana: A story about performing miracles, but it doesn’t really go anywhere.
A Very Tight Place: A really twisted story about a rivalry (using Florida again). King goes straight for the serious gross-out. As he writes in the notes, “I even grossed myself out.” The end is meh.
Willa: a story about death and haunting, yet it’s actually quite sweet. A nice little story about love, and denial.
The Gingerbread Girl: very creepy and effective horror story about a serial killer who has trapped someone. It has a horror movie vibe (and indeed the idea of horror movies is mentioned late in the story) to the point that I found myself shaking my head at what choices the character makes. It takes place in Florida where, like with Duma Key, he’s good at showing how isolated the keys can be.
Harvey’s Dream: short and sweet, basically about nightmares coming true. OK but nothing special. King says in the notes that he just transcribed a dream he had.
Rest Stop: this is a weird one. Basically, it’s about using your pseudonymous author name as a way to think like another, tougher person. It’s King rethinking old ideas—the relationship between the novelist, his pseudonym, and his ideas. In the notes, he mentions Richard Bachman. Kind of peters out at the end, though.
Stationary Bike: this is kind of a dopey one, with a moral about not letting exercise become an obsession.
The Things They Left Behind: a quite sentimental story about the survivors of 9/11.
Graduation Afternoon: an odd, very short story about a massive bomb exploding in New York City. King says it was another transcription of a dream.
N.: Frankly, I found this story repetitive and tedious. People develop OCD in order to save the world, so to speak. The OCD character in the story lives in Castle Rock (though sadly there is no real discussion of it) and notes that the number 19 is “powerful and bad.” At the end, there is a news article by Julia Shumway (from Under the Dome).
The Cat From Hell: a very basic “evil animal” story. Not so exciting.
“The New York Times” at Special Bargain Rates: a nicely creepy story about the afterlife.
Mute: A really compelling story about a man who picks up someone he thinks is deaf mute, though the end just fizzles out. Mentions Derry.
Ayana: A story about performing miracles, but it doesn’t really go anywhere.
A Very Tight Place: A really twisted story about a rivalry (using Florida again). King goes straight for the serious gross-out. As he writes in the notes, “I even grossed myself out.” The end is meh.
I read this previously, several years ago...
Like all short stories, horror or otherwise, there are hits and misses. Well, with Stephen King, I have noticed that most of his short stories are usually a hit.
Most of the stories in this collection are decent reads, but one of them stands out the best: "N."
Patient N. has OCD. And his OCD is a compulsion to right the world. But righting it for what reason, and the reason behind N's OCD has the same answer, and the answer is terrifying.
"N" is a novella, and it's one that will leave you feeling paranoid, long after the story is over.
Don't miss out on yet another one of King's short horror collections, read "Just After Sunset" when you can.
Like all short stories, horror or otherwise, there are hits and misses. Well, with Stephen King, I have noticed that most of his short stories are usually a hit.
Most of the stories in this collection are decent reads, but one of them stands out the best: "N."
Patient N. has OCD. And his OCD is a compulsion to right the world. But righting it for what reason, and the reason behind N's OCD has the same answer, and the answer is terrifying.
"N" is a novella, and it's one that will leave you feeling paranoid, long after the story is over.
Don't miss out on yet another one of King's short horror collections, read "Just After Sunset" when you can.
I was so excited when I heard Stephen King had a new short story collection. It seems like not many authors write short stories any more, and Stephen King does it so well. These stories were a good mix of creepy, terrifying, and downright disgusting. No spoilers, but here are some of my favorite stories:
"N." - This is a story about a psychiatrist with an obsessive-compulsive patient who believes there is a REAL evil he's preventing by doing all those OCD rituals. It feels like classic Stephen King (The Shining) where you get inside the head of someone going slowly insane and you start to feel yourself getting a little nutty as well. Good stuff.
"Mute" - This one felt like an [b:Alfred Hitchcock|2014794|The Thirty-nine Steps.|John Buchan|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JYVWNH8DL._SL75_.jpg|2422487] movie in some ways -- nothing supernatural, but still creepy.
"The Things They Left Behind" - Stephen King's September 11th story. Horrifying because of the reality of it, but with an interesting spin.
"The Cat from Hell" - Another story that feels like classic Stephen King. Creepy, creepy, creepy - will definitely leave you a little rattled. This story + Poe's "The Black Cat" = I will never have a pet of the feline persuasion.
Another great thing about this collection is that King put "notes" at the end about each story, describing how he came up with the idea and what he thinks of the finished product. I love when he talks about his own writing, so that was a special treat for me. (The last paragraph of the "notes" section is hilarious.)
There are some weak stories in the collection, but I still enjoyed all of them in some way. The last story in the book - "A Very Tight Place" - all I can say is "Ewwwwwww." I just kept thinking that King was trying to be as disgusting as possible in this story, and his "notes" pretty much confirmed that.
If you are a Stephen King fan, I'm sure you'll like most of the stories here in one way or another.
p.s. There is something weird about the cover of this book. I don't know if it is the font or if it is an illusion created by the clear plastic library book cover, but the words look like they are jumping off the page and coming to get me . . .
"N." - This is a story about a psychiatrist with an obsessive-compulsive patient who believes there is a REAL evil he's preventing by doing all those OCD rituals. It feels like classic Stephen King (The Shining) where you get inside the head of someone going slowly insane and you start to feel yourself getting a little nutty as well. Good stuff.
"Mute" - This one felt like an [b:Alfred Hitchcock|2014794|The Thirty-nine Steps.|John Buchan|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JYVWNH8DL._SL75_.jpg|2422487] movie in some ways -- nothing supernatural, but still creepy.
"The Things They Left Behind" - Stephen King's September 11th story. Horrifying because of the reality of it, but with an interesting spin.
"The Cat from Hell" - Another story that feels like classic Stephen King. Creepy, creepy, creepy - will definitely leave you a little rattled. This story + Poe's "The Black Cat" = I will never have a pet of the feline persuasion.
Another great thing about this collection is that King put "notes" at the end about each story, describing how he came up with the idea and what he thinks of the finished product. I love when he talks about his own writing, so that was a special treat for me. (The last paragraph of the "notes" section is hilarious.)
There are some weak stories in the collection, but I still enjoyed all of them in some way. The last story in the book - "A Very Tight Place" - all I can say is "Ewwwwwww." I just kept thinking that King was trying to be as disgusting as possible in this story, and his "notes" pretty much confirmed that.
If you are a Stephen King fan, I'm sure you'll like most of the stories here in one way or another.
p.s. There is something weird about the cover of this book. I don't know if it is the font or if it is an illusion created by the clear plastic library book cover, but the words look like they are jumping off the page and coming to get me . . .
As of writing this I think this is among my favorite of Stephen King’s short story collections, along with the novella collection Different Seasons. The long stories are good to great, and most of the bad ones are short.
"Willa" (2006) 4 Stars
A solid little ghost story that works beyond its twist. Much of the time, King goes long because he gets carried away. With this one, the unfolding narrative only makes things more disturbing.
"The Gingerbread Girl" (2007) 4 Stars
A solid thriller with strong characterization and great suspense.
"Harvey's Dream" (2003) 2.5 Stars
Weird and not terribly interesting. I just didn’t feel much either way.
"Rest Stop" (2003) 2.5 Stars
Weirdly honest, but not in a way that’s interesting, and it goes on for too long.
"Stationary Bike" (2003) 3.5 Stars
A cool, weird story with a great premise and execution.
"The Things They Left Behind" (2005) 4.5 Stars
I hate 9/11 stories. This is a great 9/11 story.
"Graduation Afternoon" (2007) 2 Stars
This story seems like it should be from much earlier in King’s career.
“N.” (2008) 4.5 Stars
A harrowing depiction of mental illness and a fantastic tale of cosmic horror. Best of the collection.
"The Cat from Hell" (1977) 4 Stars
I saw the adaptation in the Tales from the Darkside film, and this is largely the same, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
"The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates" (2008) 3 Stars
This is a decent story about loss, but far less impactful than “The Things They Left Behind”
"Mute" (2007) 3 Stars
I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this one. Cool idea. It might go up on a reread.
"Ayana" (2007) 2.5 Stars
Weird and not terribly interesting. The concept of “pay it forward” powers has promise, but it’s just underutilized.
"A Very Tight Place" (2008) 3 Stars
A neat premise, but nothing spectacular.
"Willa" (2006) 4 Stars
A solid little ghost story that works beyond its twist. Much of the time, King goes long because he gets carried away. With this one, the unfolding narrative only makes things more disturbing.
"The Gingerbread Girl" (2007) 4 Stars
A solid thriller with strong characterization and great suspense.
"Harvey's Dream" (2003) 2.5 Stars
Weird and not terribly interesting. I just didn’t feel much either way.
"Rest Stop" (2003) 2.5 Stars
Weirdly honest, but not in a way that’s interesting, and it goes on for too long.
"Stationary Bike" (2003) 3.5 Stars
A cool, weird story with a great premise and execution.
"The Things They Left Behind" (2005) 4.5 Stars
I hate 9/11 stories. This is a great 9/11 story.
"Graduation Afternoon" (2007) 2 Stars
This story seems like it should be from much earlier in King’s career.
“N.” (2008) 4.5 Stars
A harrowing depiction of mental illness and a fantastic tale of cosmic horror. Best of the collection.
"The Cat from Hell" (1977) 4 Stars
I saw the adaptation in the Tales from the Darkside film, and this is largely the same, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
"The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates" (2008) 3 Stars
This is a decent story about loss, but far less impactful than “The Things They Left Behind”
"Mute" (2007) 3 Stars
I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this one. Cool idea. It might go up on a reread.
"Ayana" (2007) 2.5 Stars
Weird and not terribly interesting. The concept of “pay it forward” powers has promise, but it’s just underutilized.
"A Very Tight Place" (2008) 3 Stars
A neat premise, but nothing spectacular.
A typically engaging collection from King that I had just never gotten around to reading for whatever reason. Highlights for me include "The Gingerbread Girl," "Rest Stop," and especially "N." - which is one of my favorite things King's ever written. It's not often that I'll let something I'm reading really get under my skin and creep me out, but "N." - especially in audiobook form - is pretty undeniable.
A series of short stories from the master of horror and things that creep through your subconscious. Some are a little obvious (Willa and the Cat From Hell); a number deal with natural rather than supernatural horror scenarios (The Gingerbread Woman, for instance); one is really gross (A Tight Space); and one, in my opinion, comes close to some of the very best Stephen King stories (N.) This last story takes you deep into a psychological mystery and nightmare, and draws on the horror trope of something trying to come through into our reality. But the way that something is discovered, and what must be done to keep it at bay, is the real kicker. Stephen King is the real deal, and while not for everyone he truly is a spinner of addictive tales.
Stephen King's short stories were very much hit and miss. Most of the ones in this collection were a miss. I zoned out when reading a lot of these stories. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood? Anyway, I did like a few though. "The Cat From Hell" is a good read, featuring a man hiring a hit man to kill a cat, as well as "Mute", where someone picks up a mute and deaf hitchhiker. Also "Gingerbread Girl" is a great thriller. Those are my top choices of stories.
dark
tense
fast-paced
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes