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maclunkeyy's reviews
29 reviews
Night Shift by Stephen King
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
What a fantastic collection of short stories. These are all from King's early career (70's) and I can see now where his meteoric rise to fame came from.
Not a single bad story in here, but some real horror standouts for me were:
- 'I Am The Doorway': A horrific premise and tense story that kept me on the edge of my seat.
- 'The Boogeyman': A scary and very disturbing story, far darker than I expected it to be.
- 'Battleground' (& 'Trucks' as well): Very funny premises written with a serious tone, which just works for me.
- 'Sometimes They Come Back'; 'The Ledge'; 'I Know What You Need': All 3 are insanely tense stories that had me needing to know what happened.
- 'Quitters, Inc.': Such a unique story, and with a surprising and grounded horror element in it.
The two real standouts in Night Shift for me weren't the horror stories, though.
- 'The Last Rung On The Ladder': This one hit me really hard. At no point does the story try to hide what it's about; the title itself is a clear indication of the theme of suicide, and the ladder metaphor King uses is very heavy handed (but still works). Despite this, the ending still blindsided me, and I found myself wishing it could have gone differently. This story was beautifully done, and the way it's written just exudes sadness, guilt and regret.
- 'The Woman In The Room': Not many stories have made me feel as sad or scared as this one. It's bleak, unforgiving, and depressing. The protagonist's mother's struggle with cancer treatment hurts to read, and as the reader you're really forced to wonder if you would make the same decision he does to end her suffering. I think this was a brilliant story to finish out the collection, and I found myself unable to think of anything else in the hours after putting it down.
Not a single bad story in here, but some real horror standouts for me were:
- 'I Am The Doorway': A horrific premise and tense story that kept me on the edge of my seat.
- 'The Boogeyman': A scary and very disturbing story, far darker than I expected it to be.
- 'Battleground' (& 'Trucks' as well): Very funny premises written with a serious tone, which just works for me.
- 'Sometimes They Come Back'; 'The Ledge'; 'I Know What You Need': All 3 are insanely tense stories that had me needing to know what happened.
- 'Quitters, Inc.': Such a unique story, and with a surprising and grounded horror element in it.
The two real standouts in Night Shift for me weren't the horror stories, though.
- 'The Last Rung On The Ladder': This one hit me really hard. At no point does the story try to hide what it's about; the title itself is a clear indication of the theme of suicide, and the ladder metaphor King uses is very heavy handed (but still works). Despite this, the ending still blindsided me, and I found myself wishing it could have gone differently. This story was beautifully done, and the way it's written just exudes sadness, guilt and regret.
- 'The Woman In The Room': Not many stories have made me feel as sad or scared as this one. It's bleak, unforgiving, and depressing. The protagonist's mother's struggle with cancer treatment hurts to read, and as the reader you're really forced to wonder if you would make the same decision he does to end her suffering. I think this was a brilliant story to finish out the collection, and I found myself unable to think of anything else in the hours after putting it down.
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Re-reading this book for the first time in almost a decade, I remembered how much I love this series. There's a deep catharsis for me in coming of age stories like this for me, and especially in one with so many satisfying moments. You see Will and Horace learn, fail and grow, but also get their moments of triumph. The boar hunt; the Kalkara fight and the fight with (and defeat of) the bullies are all moments that are so fun to read.
I only have a few small gripes. The section of the book set in the Plains is a tad boring at times, but I think that may have been intentional. I also think the epilogue could have used a bit more time to conclude the book, but overall Ruins of Gorlan is a great start to a fantastic series!
I only have a few small gripes. The section of the book set in the Plains is a tad boring at times, but I think that may have been intentional. I also think the epilogue could have used a bit more time to conclude the book, but overall Ruins of Gorlan is a great start to a fantastic series!
Mythos by Stephen Fry
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed Mythos! It was a wonderful retelling of the Greek Myths, which I've adored since I was young and loved re-experiencing in this book.
Stephen Fry has a lot of integrity in his writing, and I like that the book feels almost educational at times. He cites sources, includes some historical photographs of Ancient Greek art and culture, and breaks down some historical inaccuracies or alternate versions of the myths when needed.
Fry's writing style is very humourous at its core, but he conveys a lot of emotive language, wit and prose in a way that suits and bolsters the myths. I especially love his use of alliteration throughout the book. I appreciate that, despite the at-times comedic tone, Fry did not shy away from depicting the violence, darkness and tragedy present in the Greek myths.
My only issue with Mythos is something that cannot be helped with Greek Myths sometimes, and that's how confusing the names and locations of the stories can get. There were a few moments where I found myself lost and re-reading paragraphs to make sense of the stories (not too often, but especially in the last stretch of the book).
Stephen Fry has a lot of integrity in his writing, and I like that the book feels almost educational at times. He cites sources, includes some historical photographs of Ancient Greek art and culture, and breaks down some historical inaccuracies or alternate versions of the myths when needed.
Fry's writing style is very humourous at its core, but he conveys a lot of emotive language, wit and prose in a way that suits and bolsters the myths. I especially love his use of alliteration throughout the book. I appreciate that, despite the at-times comedic tone, Fry did not shy away from depicting the violence, darkness and tragedy present in the Greek myths.
My only issue with Mythos is something that cannot be helped with Greek Myths sometimes, and that's how confusing the names and locations of the stories can get. There were a few moments where I found myself lost and re-reading paragraphs to make sense of the stories (not too often, but especially in the last stretch of the book).
Insomnia by Stephen King
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It's a very long, very dense, and very conceptual story. I found myself wishing it would just be over at times, but it always managed to pull me back in and keep me invested.
The emotional aspects of this book hit me pretty hard, and I found the story of Ralph and the other old-timers very unique and interesting. The ending was beautiful, and definitely touched my heart (especially thathandshake between Ralph and Clotho/Lachesis . Ralph reflecting on Carolyn's death in the hospital ruined me; the line about his metaphors falling away and the inability to explain his deep grief was very raw and painful to read.
The themes of this book felt unique and well explored. Abortion rights and the fighting between 'Pro-Choicers' and 'Pro-Lifers' is, sadly, still relevant today. Abortion was used as a metaphor a few times during the plot, and felt appropriate and well used. I felt King did well exploring both sides of the issue in a fair and even manner.
The imagery of the auras was beatiful and well done, and built a wonderful and unique backdrop for the story. Big fan of Derry as the setting as well, and the small references to IT and even Pet Semetary.
This book is great, but I feel it should really only be read by people also reading the Dark Tower series. It seemed a little complicated and maybe baseless without prior knowledge of the universe. I read this book years ago, before starting the Dark Tower series. The stakes felt low during that read through, and the climax wasn't really that satisfying. This time around, I felt differently.
Spoilers for the Dark Tower series:
I think the book does a great job explaining the purpose of the Dark Tower, and I'm excited to see how the ending of Insomnia impacts Roland and his ka-tet. There is some fantastic worldbuilding present in Insomnia, and I feel that I understand a lot of complex moving parts in the backdrop of King's universe now.
The emotional aspects of this book hit me pretty hard, and I found the story of Ralph and the other old-timers very unique and interesting. The ending was beautiful, and definitely touched my heart (especially that
The themes of this book felt unique and well explored. Abortion rights and the fighting between 'Pro-Choicers' and 'Pro-Lifers' is, sadly, still relevant today. Abortion was used as a metaphor a few times during the plot, and felt appropriate and well used. I felt King did well exploring both sides of the issue in a fair and even manner.
The imagery of the auras was beatiful and well done, and built a wonderful and unique backdrop for the story. Big fan of Derry as the setting as well, and the small references to IT and even Pet Semetary.
This book is great, but I feel it should really only be read by people also reading the Dark Tower series. It seemed a little complicated and maybe baseless without prior knowledge of the universe. I read this book years ago, before starting the Dark Tower series. The stakes felt low during that read through, and the climax wasn't really that satisfying. This time around, I felt differently.
Spoilers for the Dark Tower series:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, and Murder
Minor: Infertility
Rose Madder by Stephen King
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Murder
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really, really enjoyed this book. It's great to know that Stephen King can still write as well as ever, even after all these years.
Empis is an incredible world, and I found that after the halfway mark I couldn't put the book down. But even before Empis is introduced, the book captured me in a way I haven't felt before. The story of Charlie, Radar and Mr Bowditch was incredibly compelling and had a lot of heart.
The characters in Empis were all brilliant, and the prison sequence is Deep Maleen was the standout of this book for me; I didn't expect it at all, and I almost forget about everything else while I was reading it.
the final act of the book had me scared for a while, but thank god RADAR LIVES. I would've been mad if she didn't.
Empis is an incredible world, and I found that after the halfway mark I couldn't put the book down. But even before Empis is introduced, the book captured me in a way I haven't felt before. The story of Charlie, Radar and Mr Bowditch was incredibly compelling and had a lot of heart.
The characters in Empis were all brilliant, and the prison sequence is Deep Maleen was the standout of this book for me; I didn't expect it at all, and I almost forget about everything else while I was reading it.