★★★★★
This book is a must read for any Stephen King fan out there. The book contains 20 short stories, a couple of them are previously unpublished:
Jerusalem's Lot: Definitely makes me want to pop in the film 'Salem's Lot' and delve further into the story. It's about a man in the 1800's who moves into an old family home and doesn't know the history of it. Through a series of letters and diary entries, we learn the rumors behind the home and the town that surrounds it.
Graveyard Shift: This little gem was an interesting short about a group of blue collar workers that get together for some extra money and overtime in order to clean out the basement in the building they work in. It's set at night and they discover what really lurks in the dingy, dank shadows of the building.
Night Surf: If you've read The Stand, you'll find the Captain Trip's makes another appearance in this story.
I Am the Doorway: A retired astronaut's story about something he happened to pick up on his last expedition to Venus - definitely worth a read.
The Mangler: This story was awesome! A possessed industrial sized laundry machine is hungry. Read on.
The Boogeyman: A man sits in with a therapist retelling the terrible story of how he lost his family and what still lurks behind the closet door.
Gray Matter: Amazing! A young boy stumbles breathlessly into a gas station in a small town and we find out what really is going on in his apartment where he lives alone with his father.
Battleground: A contract killer arrives back in his hotel room after satisfying his end of the deal and taking out a well-known toymaker. He arrives upon a package especially for him, but I'm sure he wishes he never opened it.
Trucks: This was made into a movie, a movie I happen to remember watching when I was young and being completely terrified of it. Semi's, trucks, airplanes - every large automobile it seems - are taking over the human population and making the world their own. This story follows a small group that's stuck in a diner and what they do in this life or death situation.
Sometimes They Come Back: A teacher's painful past is thrown in his face and he is forced to relive it, quite literally.
Strawberry Spring: A serial killer seems to come out only during this particular season and targets young college students as prey.
The Ledge: A rich, powerful man confronts his wife's lover and makes a terrifying wager with him where his life is literally hanging in the balance.
The Lawnmower Man: Lawn getting a bit out of hand? Call this number and they'll be pleased to send a demon your way to eat your grass and make everything pretty again.
Quitters Inc: A man runs into a former colleague who appears in pristine shape with a great life. He wonders what's changed and his friend offers him a card to Quitters Inc, a company that will change his life forever.
I Know What You Need: A girl becomes friends and eventually lovers with a man who seems to know exactly what she needs and when she needs it. Are his intuitions a bit more than friendly coincidence?
Children of the Corn: Another classic movie I remember watching when I was younger, it was really fun reading the story that it came from. - - A couple on the brink of divorce is travelling across the country and happens on a dirt road with cornfields as far as the eye can see on either side of them. After winding up in a terrible predicament, they head to the closest town but find there aren't any adults to be found.
The Last Rung on the Ladder: Sad, terribly sad story. A brother finds his sisters final letter to him and recalls memories from their childhood.
The Man Who Loved Flowers: A man walking seems to catch the attention of everyone he encounters - he is obviously in love. This story reveals the true meaning behind his gaze and where his love leads him.
One For the Road: On a cold, snowy night in Maine, two elderly men sit and have a few drinks in a bar when an out of towner comes bursting into the room, half frozen to death, telling them of his wrong turn and stranded wife and daughter that are still stranded inside a car in the snowstorm. This is another story that follows up Jerusalem's Lot, and the men all set out to help the man's family all the while prepared for what's happened to them as they are in Jerusalem's Lot.
The Woman in the Room: Another extremely sad story in the anthology about a man's internal battle about his mother who is dying of cancer.
All in all, I gave the book a solid 5 stars. Of course I liked some stories better than others, but I enjoyed every single one of them and I didn't find myself hurriedly reading one story in order to get to the next. Thanks Mr. King!
0 comments:
Post a Comment