bibliobethreads's review against another edition
I was torn between giving this book 3.5 or 4 stars and decided on the latter! Some of the stories are a bit blah but some are absolutely brilliant, namely Autopsy Room 4, The Man in the Black Suit, The Little Sisters of Eluria and The Road Virus Heads North. These stories kept me thinking long after I had shut the book.
alexampersand's review against another edition
5.0
It took a little while for me to really settle into this, but I'm not sure if that was more to do with not having a good environment to read in. But regardless, most of the stories were good at best, with some being absolutely AMAZING. Every story had its own characters, its own story and message, and the Stephen King style that I absolutely adore.
So let's go through one by one...
Autopsy Room Four - 4/5
A good story, nicely told.
The Man in the Black Suit - 5/5
Really, pretty damn creepy.
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away - 3/5
This was one of the stories where I'm not sure if it was stronger or weaker for being a short story. Maybe the whole point was to not have the extra detail, or maybe with more words I would have actually felt something from the story. It was interesting enough, but I just... didn't really care.
The Death of Jack Hamilton - 3/5
I just don't really care about outlaws. I respect Stephen King trying a variety of styles, but I wish he would stick to examining human horror and terror and maximising the creep factor.
In The Deathroom - 3/5
And again... a Mexican gangster story just didn't really do it for me. I could deal with it in a short story, but it didn't add anything to my life.
The Little Sisters of Eluria - 4/5
I've never read any of the Dark Tower, so I wasn't looking forward to this because, even though it says it's accessible for people unfamiliar with the series, I still worried that I wouldn't get it at all. To my delight, it was indeed entirely accessible (probably largely because it takes place before the series begins). I found myself totally caught up in the characters and the world, and now I'm actually really excited to read The Dark Tower.
Everything's Eventual - 5/5
It's what I love about fiction - concepts that are expanded to reveal a hidden world that we know nothing about. And a short story provides just enough detail to become acquainted and discover the secrets, without getting bogged down in the logistics.
L.T.'s Theory of Pets - 4/5
I wasn't entirely sold on the pets concept, but I really enjoyed the dynamic and how the tone changed part way through.
The Road Virus Heads North - 5/5
Like a mini version of Rose Madder, and I found myself actually creeped out reading it.
Lunch at the Gotham Café - 4/5
It was good, but I didn't find it quite as fascinating as Stephen King appeared to in the introduction.
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French - 4/5
I liked it, but this one where I felt it suffered from only being a short story. I don't feel like it fully got a resolution, and I didn't feel completely connected. But I loved the concept.
1408 - 5/5
Brilliant, and found myself actually a bit terrified reading it on a beach.
Riding The Bullet - 5/5
Wow. This is one of my favourite things from Stephen King. Not supernatural, but dealing with human terror and emotion. It sent chills down my spine in the Spanish sunshine.
Luckey Quarter - 3/5
It just seemed a bit... something of nothing. It was an okay ending to the book, feeling more like an afterthought or epilogue rather than an actual story up to the calibre of the previous two.
So let's go through one by one...
Autopsy Room Four - 4/5
A good story, nicely told.
The Man in the Black Suit - 5/5
Really, pretty damn creepy.
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away - 3/5
This was one of the stories where I'm not sure if it was stronger or weaker for being a short story. Maybe the whole point was to not have the extra detail, or maybe with more words I would have actually felt something from the story. It was interesting enough, but I just... didn't really care.
The Death of Jack Hamilton - 3/5
I just don't really care about outlaws. I respect Stephen King trying a variety of styles, but I wish he would stick to examining human horror and terror and maximising the creep factor.
In The Deathroom - 3/5
And again... a Mexican gangster story just didn't really do it for me. I could deal with it in a short story, but it didn't add anything to my life.
The Little Sisters of Eluria - 4/5
I've never read any of the Dark Tower, so I wasn't looking forward to this because, even though it says it's accessible for people unfamiliar with the series, I still worried that I wouldn't get it at all. To my delight, it was indeed entirely accessible (probably largely because it takes place before the series begins). I found myself totally caught up in the characters and the world, and now I'm actually really excited to read The Dark Tower.
Everything's Eventual - 5/5
It's what I love about fiction - concepts that are expanded to reveal a hidden world that we know nothing about. And a short story provides just enough detail to become acquainted and discover the secrets, without getting bogged down in the logistics.
L.T.'s Theory of Pets - 4/5
I wasn't entirely sold on the pets concept, but I really enjoyed the dynamic and how the tone changed part way through.
The Road Virus Heads North - 5/5
Like a mini version of Rose Madder, and I found myself actually creeped out reading it.
Lunch at the Gotham Café - 4/5
It was good, but I didn't find it quite as fascinating as Stephen King appeared to in the introduction.
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French - 4/5
I liked it, but this one where I felt it suffered from only being a short story. I don't feel like it fully got a resolution, and I didn't feel completely connected. But I loved the concept.
1408 - 5/5
Brilliant, and found myself actually a bit terrified reading it on a beach.
Riding The Bullet - 5/5
Wow. This is one of my favourite things from Stephen King. Not supernatural, but dealing with human terror and emotion. It sent chills down my spine in the Spanish sunshine.
Luckey Quarter - 3/5
It just seemed a bit... something of nothing. It was an okay ending to the book, feeling more like an afterthought or epilogue rather than an actual story up to the calibre of the previous two.
connormatthew's review against another edition
5.0
Love this one. I've read a few of his short story collections and this one stacks right up there.
5elementknitr's review against another edition
4.0
Apparently, I read this back in 2012? I mean... probably, I did. hah!
I got this audiobook from the library, but kept pushing it aside for every other shiny book that came along (mostly, book club books, to be more accurate).
I loved this! Great stories and excellent readers!
I got this audiobook from the library, but kept pushing it aside for every other shiny book that came along (mostly, book club books, to be more accurate).
I loved this! Great stories and excellent readers!
leighanneslit's review against another edition
4.0
I definitely forgot how much I enjoyed the stories in this volume, definitely a good read
misterkyle1901's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
howattp's review against another edition
3.0
I'm finally finished! This was a long read, but it was quite hit and miss for me.
I have the makings of a long review, though it'll be awhile before I can get to it.
I have the makings of a long review, though it'll be awhile before I can get to it.
bedknobsandbookmarks's review against another edition
4.0
I chose to read this book because it was getting close to Halloween but I was also reading another book and so I thought short stories could be perfect. I was hoping to get scared real bad but was a little let down in that area. The only story that really scared me was The Road Virus Heads North. Although I was let down in the scary department this book still had wonderful writing and was the light read I wanted. I could sit down and finish a whole story in one sitting and Stephen King was as entertaining and creative as always. I especially liked the added touch of the little notes he wrote before/after the stories!
caterpillar's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0