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A review by lanternatomika
Flight or Fright by Stephen King
4.0
Flight or Fright is a collection of horror stories based on the theme of...air travel? To be honest, I'm like the world's biggest Constant Reader, but I wasn't entirely sure this was the best idea for a short story collection in the modern age because I can't imagine anyone being that scared of flying anymore. That being said, Stephen King has a great taste in literature and a collection curated by him is bound to have more hits than misses, though Flight or Fright does have its uneven stretches. Let's break it down:
Cargo - E. Michael Lewis: There are 17 stories in this collection, and it can be difficult to remember the ones that failed to make much of an impression. This is one of them. It's alright, I guess, but not the best foot to start off the proceedings. 3/5
The Horror of the Heights- Arthur Conan Doyle: We jump right from that into one of my absolute favorites. The best stories in this collection are from authors who didn't get to live in this era of air travel as routine. Doyle writes like he doesn't know the first thing about airplanes, but he seems the wonder and adventure in the skies and his story will leave you breathless. 5/5
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - Richard Matheson: Another brilliant story that maybe doesn't portray a fear of flying all that well, but it's a darn good yarn that happens to be set aboard an airplane. Richard Matheson is a huge influence on Stephen King himself, as well as Joe Hill, and it's easy to see why. 5/5
The Flying Machine - Ambrose Bierce: This is a joke. I don't mean that it in a nasty way, this is an actual half-page joke. It's not like this book was short on content... 2.5/5
Lucifer! - E.C Tubb: With such a great stretch of stories, you may now be confused as to why I started this review on an 'eh' note. Lucifer! could barely even be considered an airplane story, since only its climactic scene takes place on a plane, but it's still a delicious wish-fullfilment fantasy starring a despicable protagonist that gets his just desserts in a perfectly karmic way. 4/5
The Fifth Category - Tom Bissell: This story is about how the CIA tortures people or something. Interesting on paper, but the execution didn't quite keep me engaged. I still appreciate what the story had to say about the behind the scenes negotiation of torturing people and those who do the torturing, but this was kinda forgettable for me in the balance. 3/5
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds - Dan Simmons: A pretty interesting idea for a story by the very same Dan Simmons who wrote Hyperion and other stories. That being said, it doesn't make much of an impact on you. Still, I can see how it was deemed worth the inclusion here. 3.5/5
Diablitos- Cody Goodfellow: Another story that only makes the cut for this collection because of a climactic scene on a plane, this story is nevertheless excellent. You've got a scary tribe that got wiped out mysteriously, an artifact with dark omens, and it's all happening tens of thousands of feet in the air. This is a definite win for me. 4/5
Air Raid - John Varley: This is a short story taking place in a dystopian future where a team of time traveling 'snatchers' save people from doomed air accidents by bringing them to the said dystopian future. It's a great idea for a story, dripping with atmosphere and tension and a sense of adventure, with an overarching message that's still relevant in this day. I. need. MORE (and more is available, in the form of the novel Millennium by John Varley). 5/5
You Are Released - Joe Hill: Joe Hill is one of my favorite authors, and his contribution to this collection is one that I was looking forward to. It turned out to be...alright, I guess? Hill is channeling Stephen King's energy from Elevation, which means that this is an unimaginative story on a flimsy premise with a very obvious sociopolitical message but excellent character writing. It's a good thing his writing is so engaging as it is. 3.5/5
Warbirds - David J. Schow: A story very much in the vein of Horror of the Heights, but for me, not quite as exciting or engaging. I can see why it's here, but it really wasn't for me. 3/5
The Flying Machine - Ray Bradbury: This is pretty short even for a short story, but it's succinct, extremely well written and makes a great point about how technology may have been perceived by people witnessing for the first time things that seem ordinary to us. A highlight of the collection. 4.5/5
Zombies on a Plane - Bev Vincent: This is the biggest 'whatever' in the collection. It kinda feels like a chapter that was taken out of a longer book and tossed in here. There is no complete plot arc or character arc, and it feels like the story ought to be continued somewhere else. 2.5/5
They Shall Not Grow Old - Roald Dahl: Like Warbirds, I can appreciate that this story is well-written and poignant, but it didn't make much of an impression on me. I imagine many other readers will like it, Roald Dahl didn't come by his reputation by accident. 3/5
Murder in the Air - Peter Tremayne: Murder on Orient Airlines gets off to a great start, but the murder mystery is solved a little too quickly for my taste and it doesn't have the elegance of other well regarded murder mysteries. Still, I won't call it boring. 3/5
The Turbulence Expert - Stephen King: This one is actually pretty good. Stephen King is a short story master, and while The Turbulence Expert probably isn't going to crack his top 10 or even 20, it's still an engaging read with a scary aviation accident rooted in one of the only modern concerns people have with flying. 4/5
Falling - James Dickey: I've never had an inclination to poetry, so I don't think it would be fair for me to give my uneducated opinion on it. Let's just give it a 3/5 for posterity
Overall: 3.61, rounded up to 4/5
Cargo - E. Michael Lewis: There are 17 stories in this collection, and it can be difficult to remember the ones that failed to make much of an impression. This is one of them. It's alright, I guess, but not the best foot to start off the proceedings. 3/5
The Horror of the Heights- Arthur Conan Doyle: We jump right from that into one of my absolute favorites. The best stories in this collection are from authors who didn't get to live in this era of air travel as routine. Doyle writes like he doesn't know the first thing about airplanes, but he seems the wonder and adventure in the skies and his story will leave you breathless. 5/5
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - Richard Matheson: Another brilliant story that maybe doesn't portray a fear of flying all that well, but it's a darn good yarn that happens to be set aboard an airplane. Richard Matheson is a huge influence on Stephen King himself, as well as Joe Hill, and it's easy to see why. 5/5
The Flying Machine - Ambrose Bierce: This is a joke. I don't mean that it in a nasty way, this is an actual half-page joke. It's not like this book was short on content... 2.5/5
Lucifer! - E.C Tubb: With such a great stretch of stories, you may now be confused as to why I started this review on an 'eh' note. Lucifer! could barely even be considered an airplane story, since only its climactic scene takes place on a plane, but it's still a delicious wish-fullfilment fantasy starring a despicable protagonist that gets his just desserts in a perfectly karmic way. 4/5
The Fifth Category - Tom Bissell: This story is about how the CIA tortures people or something. Interesting on paper, but the execution didn't quite keep me engaged. I still appreciate what the story had to say about the behind the scenes negotiation of torturing people and those who do the torturing, but this was kinda forgettable for me in the balance. 3/5
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds - Dan Simmons: A pretty interesting idea for a story by the very same Dan Simmons who wrote Hyperion and other stories. That being said, it doesn't make much of an impact on you. Still, I can see how it was deemed worth the inclusion here. 3.5/5
Diablitos- Cody Goodfellow: Another story that only makes the cut for this collection because of a climactic scene on a plane, this story is nevertheless excellent. You've got a scary tribe that got wiped out mysteriously, an artifact with dark omens, and it's all happening tens of thousands of feet in the air. This is a definite win for me. 4/5
Air Raid - John Varley: This is a short story taking place in a dystopian future where a team of time traveling 'snatchers' save people from doomed air accidents by bringing them to the said dystopian future. It's a great idea for a story, dripping with atmosphere and tension and a sense of adventure, with an overarching message that's still relevant in this day. I. need. MORE (and more is available, in the form of the novel Millennium by John Varley). 5/5
You Are Released - Joe Hill: Joe Hill is one of my favorite authors, and his contribution to this collection is one that I was looking forward to. It turned out to be...alright, I guess? Hill is channeling Stephen King's energy from Elevation, which means that this is an unimaginative story on a flimsy premise with a very obvious sociopolitical message but excellent character writing. It's a good thing his writing is so engaging as it is. 3.5/5
Warbirds - David J. Schow: A story very much in the vein of Horror of the Heights, but for me, not quite as exciting or engaging. I can see why it's here, but it really wasn't for me. 3/5
The Flying Machine - Ray Bradbury: This is pretty short even for a short story, but it's succinct, extremely well written and makes a great point about how technology may have been perceived by people witnessing for the first time things that seem ordinary to us. A highlight of the collection. 4.5/5
Zombies on a Plane - Bev Vincent: This is the biggest 'whatever' in the collection. It kinda feels like a chapter that was taken out of a longer book and tossed in here. There is no complete plot arc or character arc, and it feels like the story ought to be continued somewhere else. 2.5/5
They Shall Not Grow Old - Roald Dahl: Like Warbirds, I can appreciate that this story is well-written and poignant, but it didn't make much of an impression on me. I imagine many other readers will like it, Roald Dahl didn't come by his reputation by accident. 3/5
Murder in the Air - Peter Tremayne: Murder on Orient Airlines gets off to a great start, but the murder mystery is solved a little too quickly for my taste and it doesn't have the elegance of other well regarded murder mysteries. Still, I won't call it boring. 3/5
The Turbulence Expert - Stephen King: This one is actually pretty good. Stephen King is a short story master, and while The Turbulence Expert probably isn't going to crack his top 10 or even 20, it's still an engaging read with a scary aviation accident rooted in one of the only modern concerns people have with flying. 4/5
Falling - James Dickey: I've never had an inclination to poetry, so I don't think it would be fair for me to give my uneducated opinion on it. Let's just give it a 3/5 for posterity
Overall: 3.61, rounded up to 4/5