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seanml's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Skeleton Crew is another fun collection by Stephen King in the classic era. But this time the stories are either VERY long and very short, and there's little inbetween.
The Mist - This one kicks off the collection for good reason: it's the longest by far. King does a great job at thrusting normal people with normal thoughts into this impossible situation. 8/10.
Here There Be Tygers - Alright. 4/10.
The Monkey - A nice take on the classic haunted doll story. 7/10.
Cain Rose Up - Unsettling in the idea that such an idea was so fantastical back then. A grim precursor to King's Rage. 7.5/10.
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut - King always surprises me with the less scary stuff. This one was sweet with the perfect touch of magic. 8.5/10.
The Jaunt - Yeah. Very nice. 9/10.
The Wedding Gig - A fun setting, but a rather straightforward plot keeps it from sticking out in memory. 6.5/10.
Paranoid: A Chant - Well done poem. 6.5/10.
The Raft - Disgusting, awful, excruciatingly detailed in the worst ways. 8.5/10.
Word Processor of the Gods - I think King mentioned this one was the earliest that he wrote, and you can tell. But it's a fun idea treated like nothing more. 7.5/10.
The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - I liked this one! I wasn't exactly sure what was going on until the end. 8/10.
Beachworld - Love love love when King does the weird-space-horror. The vibes of this one are so strange yet serene. Madcap yet cozy. 9.5/10.
The Reaper's Image - Classic concept and well done, but fairly short. 7/10.
Nona - I couldn't place the meaning of a certain furry element of the story, but otherwise enjoyed it. 7.5/10.
For Owen - A cute message to his son, preceding a story about cannibalism. 7/10.
Survivor Type - Disgusting. 7.5/10.
Uncle Otto's Truck - King loves his murderous vehicles, and for some reason so do I. 8/10.
Morning Deliveries - bad milk man. 6.5/10.
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game - They did my car guy dirty, but that's all I remember. 7.5/10.
Gramma - An unexpected surprise, considering I'd never heard of it. 8.5/10.
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - ANOTHER surprise. This one takes its time, but I found myself very invested in this paranoia-driven recounting that uneasily mirrors some modern day fears. 9.5/10.
The Reach - Very nice. 8.5/10.
Overall, a few more misses than Night Shift, but the stories that are good are still great. 7.5/10.
The Mist - This one kicks off the collection for good reason: it's the longest by far. King does a great job at thrusting normal people with normal thoughts into this impossible situation. 8/10.
Here There Be Tygers - Alright. 4/10.
The Monkey - A nice take on the classic haunted doll story. 7/10.
Cain Rose Up - Unsettling in the idea that such an idea was so fantastical back then. A grim precursor to King's Rage. 7.5/10.
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut - King always surprises me with the less scary stuff. This one was sweet with the perfect touch of magic. 8.5/10.
The Jaunt - Yeah. Very nice. 9/10.
The Wedding Gig - A fun setting, but a rather straightforward plot keeps it from sticking out in memory. 6.5/10.
Paranoid: A Chant - Well done poem. 6.5/10.
The Raft - Disgusting, awful, excruciatingly detailed in the worst ways. 8.5/10.
Word Processor of the Gods - I think King mentioned this one was the earliest that he wrote, and you can tell. But it's a fun idea treated like nothing more. 7.5/10.
The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - I liked this one! I wasn't exactly sure what was going on until the end. 8/10.
Beachworld - Love love love when King does the weird-space-horror. The vibes of this one are so strange yet serene. Madcap yet cozy. 9.5/10.
The Reaper's Image - Classic concept and well done, but fairly short. 7/10.
Nona - I couldn't place the meaning of a certain furry element of the story, but otherwise enjoyed it. 7.5/10.
For Owen - A cute message to his son, preceding a story about cannibalism. 7/10.
Survivor Type - Disgusting. 7.5/10.
Uncle Otto's Truck - King loves his murderous vehicles, and for some reason so do I. 8/10.
Morning Deliveries - bad milk man. 6.5/10.
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game - They did my car guy dirty, but that's all I remember. 7.5/10.
Gramma - An unexpected surprise, considering I'd never heard of it. 8.5/10.
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - ANOTHER surprise. This one takes its time, but I found myself very invested in this paranoia-driven recounting that uneasily mirrors some modern day fears. 9.5/10.
The Reach - Very nice. 8.5/10.
Overall, a few more misses than Night Shift, but the stories that are good are still great. 7.5/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Racism
daisymaytwizell's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kind of a mixed bag, but for the most part King's talent for writing tension pulls the stories through even if the individual concept doesn't hook you. "The Mist" is obviously phenomenal, and some of my other favourites were "The Raft", "Mrs Todd's Shortcut", and "Word Processor of the Gods". The Milkman mythos intrigued me and "Survivor Type" disgusted me, which probably means it was good.
Would trigger warning "The Monkey" specifically for racially insensitive language, "Survivor Type" for drug abuse, "Cain Rose Up" for a school shooting, and a confusing majority of these stories for drink-driving.
Would trigger warning "The Monkey" specifically for racially insensitive language, "Survivor Type" for drug abuse, "Cain Rose Up" for a school shooting, and a confusing majority of these stories for drink-driving.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Alcoholism and Racism
Minor: Cancer and Car accident
jakobvongunten's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Fatphobia, Gore, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Pedophilia
bruinrocks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This collection of short stories started off real strong with some of Stephen King’s most atmospheric stories with characters that I found I cared for and wondered what would happen to them as the stories went on. As I neared the end I found the stories to start becoming a little nonsensical and I had a hard time following that last 5-6 stories. Some of the standouts were The Raft, one of King’s most claustrophobic stories, 4 kids stuck on a raft, a monster lurks in the water, what will become of them? The Monkey was another really strong one that was very unsettling and creepy, a monkey that bangs cymbals, each time he does bad things happen, read it to find out what. Survivor Type, King’s most grisly story, a man stuck on a pile of rocks in the middle of the ocean with no means of escape or hope for help, hunger sets in, how hungry can a man get? Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut, a beautiful imaginative romp through a mysterious world, finding ways to get from Point A to Point B in the shortest way possible, but is it really possible? The Jaunt, King’s version of a space sci-fi, jump on the Jaunt and have a look for yourself.
I’d recommend this collection to any fan of Stephen King, and anyone looking for some grisly and atmospheric horror stories. Not for the ones with a weak stomach, this collection gets messy.
Overall I give this collection a 3/5. The performances were exceptional some really good narration in this collection, with only a few weak ones sprinkled throughout. The writing of the stories varied in quality with some of King’s best work, but also some of his worst, with the last 5-6 stories being fairly uninteresting and hard to follow.
I’d recommend this collection to any fan of Stephen King, and anyone looking for some grisly and atmospheric horror stories. Not for the ones with a weak stomach, this collection gets messy.
Overall I give this collection a 3/5. The performances were exceptional some really good narration in this collection, with only a few weak ones sprinkled throughout. The writing of the stories varied in quality with some of King’s best work, but also some of his worst, with the last 5-6 stories being fairly uninteresting and hard to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
_penny_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail