Most non-fans of Mr. King think of him as a horror writer (usually thinking of gore - which he does very well), and are unaware he gave the world The Green Mile, (Rita Hayworth and) The Shawshank Redemption, Dolores Claiborne, and (The Body) Stand By Me. When I was a bookstore owner, I used those as a comeback to the countless customers who told me they did not like King's writing. In this set of stories "Two Talented Bastids" is wonderful literature masquerading as a bit of SciFi. I wish I were very wealthy so I could buy movie rights to this one, as that would be an excellent investment.
I'm sure many "friends of Bill" will not like what Mr. King has done for the 12 Steps in "The Fifth Step," but I found it to be an extremely funny look at an idea. The main character here is going to have real problems when it comes to making amends, though.
"Willie the Wierdo" actually is a horror story, but it is also close to Jacob's hundred-plus year old classic "The Monkey's Paw".
"Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" is another I would love to have enough money to invest in the movie/TV rights. It is going to be an excellent production. I could see exactly the right actors for the cast all the way through it. It is also the second story here that felt to me like exquisite writing.
The story "Finn" reminds me very much of a Faustian idea I once had for writing a book, but I never got around to writing it. Thank you, Mr. King for doing the hard work for me.
There is no horror or supernatural in "On Slide Inn Road". It is just a very good, very tight action short story that is very satisfying. Mr. King gives a nod to O'Connor, so I guess I'll have to try reading some.
"Red Screen" is a brief glimpse into a world and some characters that you know how things are going to be, but you want it to go on anyway to find out how right or wrong you are.
I have to say "The Turbulence Expert" is one that just did not impress me all that much. It was an interesting idea, and I liked the characters, but it just did not take me anywhere.
"Laurie" is a nice story that moves a little slowly, but that's ok because it doesn't seem to have anywhere that it wants to go. It just introduces you to some diverse characters that are very much like people in your neighborhood and family. There is a bit of excitement, but no horror or supernatural to it.
"Rattlesnakes" is another that will be a good production, either movie or TV. Again I would be willing to invest in the rights for it. It comes with a tip of the hat to John D. McDonald, who is another writer whose every work I read voraciously. This one does drift into the world of supernatural and good versus evil, but not as heavily as some of Mr. King's gargantuan novels. It brings back a character from Cujo in a setting close-by Duma Key, but you don't need to have read either of those to enjoy it (to be honest, I did not recall the character actually making an appearance in Cujo). The TV/movie script will be enormously bolstered by the very real, likable ancillary characters that work throughout this novella.
"The Dreamers" was an interesting idea, but for whatever reason it did not do it for me. I really liked, and felt for the narrator, but the story left me flat. I did not grasp Mr. King's reference to Cormac McCarthy, whose beautiful prose in horrific, sometimes painful to read stories, I love.
The advice to performing artists is to "Always leave 'em wanting more." And Mr. King certainly does that with "The Answer Man" as the finale for this publication. As a better reviewer remarked this story "reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful." At the conclusion of this beautifully written piece, you definitely want more while at the same time it gives a great feeling of satisfaction. And that is good writing!
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Do You Like It Darker, Constant Reader?
- When a man dreams of a dead body, he anonymously gives the exact location of the murder victim. However, because of the psychic phenomenon, now he is the number one suspect of a corrupt investigation. - A man kills his wife in cold blood. Stabs her three times. His defense? That wasn’t my wife, it was…something else. - When a man’s father passes away, he leaves behind an unusual secret, revealing what really happened on that annual hunting trip in the Fall of 1978. Gifts are never earned, only given from the mind-altering “deadlights”. You Like It Darker by Stephen King is his newest collection of creepiness. From an organization whose job is to keep airplanes safe, to a deadly infestation of rattlesnakes, to a complete stranger and his icepick, King wedges into the reader’s imagination and nerve-endings. His twisted tales of terror seem to always have an underlying morbid moral agenda. Such as, “bad things happens to kids sometimes” or “we always think that there’s time, then time runs out.” All of these stories have an unexpected eerinesses in common that only the Twilight Zone can hold a creepy candle to. What can you say about Stephen King that hasn’t already been said. His tales of growing up with childhood friends, his infatuation with death and of course his psychopathic villains, they’re all here. Also included are those subtle tie-ins from past stories, like Castle Rock, Duma Key and of course that precious St. Bernard named Cujo, they’re all here too. I don’t know about you, but when there’s a new King book I drop everything to see what Dirty Deeds have been Done Dirt Cheap. Shock, terror and an impending sense of doom…do you like it darker? If you do, pay attention to that seatbelt sign, buckle up and bring out the airsick bag, King’s plane ride is gonna have some horrifying turbulence. Until next review…see ya later alligators. A Horror Bookworm Recommendation.
Top reviews from other countries
C.L.
Beautiful, dark, thrilling, heartbreaking, everything all at once
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2024