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333_lucy_333 's review for:
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories
by Stephen King
I need to learn my lesson; when I read one long book by an author and I enjoy it, I should just enjoy it, read someone else's work, and eventually meander my way back to that good author. Now, that's not to say this isn't a good book, because it IS a good book. It's just that too much of anything is, well, too much. And oops I read two 300+ page short story anthologies by King in the same month.
So, TLDR: take this review with a pinch of salt.
Characters: 6/10 stars
Here's one of the problems with reading too much King: lots of his characters feel like the same person, but he's just wearing a new set of clothes with the next story. It's a problem that his plot-centric stories often face, which is unfortunate. It's usually something you feel from King book to King book, but I read several short stories in a row, so it was a little more obvious this time.
Plot/pacing: 7/10 stars
Many of these stories are too long on the plot and too short on the character. That's fine if you're in the mood for that, but having come off of If It Bleeds, I expected things to be more developing and less set-up, punchline.
Writing/structure: 6/10 stars
The only reason that this is getting such a low star rating (because usually, I LOVE King's style) is because almost every story was told in a dialogue-esque style as if the narrator was telling you the story. Normally, this is a fine thing for a few pages, but when it drags on, it can get... annoying. It felt like every story was told in summary through the narrator, and it just really didn't work for me.
Enjoyability: 7/10 stars
I think this book was good, just not great. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but I would express interest if someone said they were reading it if that makes any sense.
Horror: 4/10 stars
The horror quotient just wasn't right on this one. A lot of the stories toed the edge of being campy, but not a really entertaining kind of campy. Since the stories were short and plot-driven, I think they should've been a little more horrific, but they were all just sort of--eh?
(6+7+6+7+4)/50 =
3.0 stars
So, TLDR: take this review with a pinch of salt.
Characters: 6/10 stars
Here's one of the problems with reading too much King: lots of his characters feel like the same person, but he's just wearing a new set of clothes with the next story. It's a problem that his plot-centric stories often face, which is unfortunate. It's usually something you feel from King book to King book, but I read several short stories in a row, so it was a little more obvious this time.
Plot/pacing: 7/10 stars
Many of these stories are too long on the plot and too short on the character. That's fine if you're in the mood for that, but having come off of If It Bleeds, I expected things to be more developing and less set-up, punchline.
Writing/structure: 6/10 stars
The only reason that this is getting such a low star rating (because usually, I LOVE King's style) is because almost every story was told in a dialogue-esque style as if the narrator was telling you the story. Normally, this is a fine thing for a few pages, but when it drags on, it can get... annoying. It felt like every story was told in summary through the narrator, and it just really didn't work for me.
Enjoyability: 7/10 stars
I think this book was good, just not great. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but I would express interest if someone said they were reading it if that makes any sense.
Horror: 4/10 stars
The horror quotient just wasn't right on this one. A lot of the stories toed the edge of being campy, but not a really entertaining kind of campy. Since the stories were short and plot-driven, I think they should've been a little more horrific, but they were all just sort of--eh?
(6+7+6+7+4)/50 =
3.0 stars