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marlireads 's review for:
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
by Stephen King
I finally finished it!! I struggled a bit getting through this one. I ended up rating this book 2,6 stars, averaging all of the stories in this collection. I wasn’t very enthusiastic about this as you can see. I really liked these stories in theory, which I guess means that I’m all for the concepts King cooks up, but I’m not a fan of the execution. I’ll probably pick up other (popular) Stephen King books, just to try and see what they’re about, but I probably won’t be making my way through his entire back list.
Anyways, here’s what my thoughts were per story:
Dolan’s Cadillac - 2 stars
Loved the concept of this. Not sure about the writing. I mean, the writing was good, but I skimmed parts of the “technical” aspect of measuring and digging the grave. I can’t tell you if it would have been better without it, because then it probably would have raised more questions about the how from readers, but yeah. Wasn’t a big fan of that aspect.
The End of the Whole Mess - 2 stars
Interesting. Quite entertaining, but didn’t really vibe with the subject matter of this one. Not my cup of tea.
Suffer the Little Children - 4 stars
Short but “sweet”.
The Night Flier - 3 stars
Liked this one, but for the way it was written. I was also a little bit bothered by the two times female body parts were compared to a smooth and firm dirt landing strip and a tight squeeze. At this point I’m just starting to suspect I don’t particularly like Stephen King’s writing style...
Popsy - 3 stars
A companion to the previous one? Liked the concept, but like I often have with short stories, I felt it was too short to properly rate it, or something. I wanted a little bit more. I enjoyed this one though.
It Grows on You - 2 stars
I really don’t know what to think of this one... I guess I liked where it was going - if I ignore all of the misogynistic shit - but I hated the ending?
Chattery Teeth - 3 stars
Bro. Every time a woman is mentioned, King has something to say about her breasts or hips, either positively or negatively. I’m getting tired. But other than that I enjoyed this one
Dedication - 2,5 stars
Parts of this one were just plain fucking weird. Creepy and gross. But I guess that was to be expected. Lesson I learned: apparently it’s okay to be a complete asshole, as long as you can write good books, so you’ll still be seen as “quality”...
The Moving Finger - 3 stars
It’s not a King story if there isn’t a racist in there somewhere!
Sneakers - 3,5 stars
I actually kind of liked this one. Creepy enough, but tied up a bit too prettily in the end for my taste. I wanted that to be more creepy too.
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - 3 stars
More funny (in a way) than anything else.
Home Delivery - 2 stars
Not at all creepy. I wished more happened with the one person we knew by name. A bit boring.
Rainy Season - 3 stars
This one was okay. Kind of creepy, with some humorous twist on it. Wanted more character development. But hey, it’s a short story, so I get it.
My Pretty Pony - 2 stars
This one didn’t really do anything for me. It felt a little bit too pretentious to me. Not a bad story, but it dragged on a bit too much for my liking
Sorry, Right Number - 2 stars
Oh god. Why isn’t this dude able to describe people and the way they look normally?! Bro only describes women as ‘pretty’ or ‘ugly’ or describing their boobs. Like what’s her hair colour? Just be normal and more respectful or something! Ugh.
Solid start, disappointing ending.
The Ten O’Clock People - 3 stars
I liked this one.
Crouch End - 2 stars
I’m getting tired. These descriptions are ruining my reading experience. Not anything special, a bit boring actually.
The House on Maple Street - 4 stars
The best one. This was a little more wholesome and fun.
The Fifth Quarter - 2,5 stars
Not much, kind of thrilling I guess, but nothing special.
The Doctor’s Case - 3 stars
Fun to read, but not sure why this one was in here...?
Umney’s Last Case - 3,5 stars
This one I really liked the concept of! But it sometimes dragged a little too much, but very solid
Head Down - 1 stars
I totally wasn’t interested in baseball as a subject matter. There were waaaay too many technicalities for me to get invested. The writing of King is kind of known for its meandering and I’m not a big fan of it, I have realised, but this one was particularly rough for me to get through because of it. I didn’t enjoy reading it (but that doesn’t mean it’s bad btw)
Brooklyn August - 1 stars
This also does nothing for me, because baseball
The Beggar and the Diamond - 3 stars
Enjoyable enough, short and sweet. I’m not sure what King’s “adaptation practices” entail exactly though...
Anyways, here’s what my thoughts were per story:
Dolan’s Cadillac - 2 stars
Loved the concept of this. Not sure about the writing. I mean, the writing was good, but I skimmed parts of the “technical” aspect of measuring and digging the grave. I can’t tell you if it would have been better without it, because then it probably would have raised more questions about the how from readers, but yeah. Wasn’t a big fan of that aspect.
The End of the Whole Mess - 2 stars
Interesting. Quite entertaining, but didn’t really vibe with the subject matter of this one. Not my cup of tea.
Suffer the Little Children - 4 stars
Short but “sweet”.
The Night Flier - 3 stars
Liked this one, but for the way it was written. I was also a little bit bothered by the two times female body parts were compared to a smooth and firm dirt landing strip and a tight squeeze. At this point I’m just starting to suspect I don’t particularly like Stephen King’s writing style...
Popsy - 3 stars
A companion to the previous one? Liked the concept, but like I often have with short stories, I felt it was too short to properly rate it, or something. I wanted a little bit more. I enjoyed this one though.
It Grows on You - 2 stars
I really don’t know what to think of this one... I guess I liked where it was going - if I ignore all of the misogynistic shit - but I hated the ending?
Chattery Teeth - 3 stars
Bro. Every time a woman is mentioned, King has something to say about her breasts or hips, either positively or negatively. I’m getting tired. But other than that I enjoyed this one
Dedication - 2,5 stars
Parts of this one were just plain fucking weird. Creepy and gross. But I guess that was to be expected. Lesson I learned: apparently it’s okay to be a complete asshole, as long as you can write good books, so you’ll still be seen as “quality”...
The Moving Finger - 3 stars
It’s not a King story if there isn’t a racist in there somewhere!
Sneakers - 3,5 stars
I actually kind of liked this one. Creepy enough, but tied up a bit too prettily in the end for my taste. I wanted that to be more creepy too.
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - 3 stars
More funny (in a way) than anything else.
Home Delivery - 2 stars
Not at all creepy. I wished more happened with the one person we knew by name. A bit boring.
Rainy Season - 3 stars
This one was okay. Kind of creepy, with some humorous twist on it. Wanted more character development. But hey, it’s a short story, so I get it.
My Pretty Pony - 2 stars
This one didn’t really do anything for me. It felt a little bit too pretentious to me. Not a bad story, but it dragged on a bit too much for my liking
Sorry, Right Number - 2 stars
Oh god. Why isn’t this dude able to describe people and the way they look normally?! Bro only describes women as ‘pretty’ or ‘ugly’ or describing their boobs. Like what’s her hair colour? Just be normal and more respectful or something! Ugh.
Solid start, disappointing ending.
The Ten O’Clock People - 3 stars
I liked this one.
Crouch End - 2 stars
I’m getting tired. These descriptions are ruining my reading experience. Not anything special, a bit boring actually.
The House on Maple Street - 4 stars
The best one. This was a little more wholesome and fun.
The Fifth Quarter - 2,5 stars
Not much, kind of thrilling I guess, but nothing special.
The Doctor’s Case - 3 stars
Fun to read, but not sure why this one was in here...?
Umney’s Last Case - 3,5 stars
This one I really liked the concept of! But it sometimes dragged a little too much, but very solid
Head Down - 1 stars
I totally wasn’t interested in baseball as a subject matter. There were waaaay too many technicalities for me to get invested. The writing of King is kind of known for its meandering and I’m not a big fan of it, I have realised, but this one was particularly rough for me to get through because of it. I didn’t enjoy reading it (but that doesn’t mean it’s bad btw)
Brooklyn August - 1 stars
This also does nothing for me, because baseball
The Beggar and the Diamond - 3 stars
Enjoyable enough, short and sweet. I’m not sure what King’s “adaptation practices” entail exactly though...