arbaazk1999's review against another edition
4.0
Brilliance. Just pure brilliance. Stephen king shines the most in his short stories i believe.
emelynreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
Second time listening to the audio book and I appreciated different stories from the first time I read it in 2016. A select few stories still stand the test of time.
cateslittlelibrary's review against another edition
2.0
i only read like 4 of them (i started reading this book originally because i heard of 1408 specifically) and while it was well written (it’s stephen king!) it was rather flat while simultaneously unsettling
lucrezi's review against another edition
3.0
I've read this collection more than once, but I think this is the first time I read it in true adulthood (where true adulthood is after graduating college, after growing into myself).
In order of rating:
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away: One of my favorite short stories ever for its humor and poignance. I was much sadder a couple years ago and I wrote a thing on my neglected blog. It's wild how I never noticed the story takes place during winter. It makes me think of BTS' "Spring Day," or Lana Del Rey's "Ride" monologue where she was in the winter of her life and that the men on the highway were her only summer. Alfie Zimmer has no one. As Stephen King ends the chapter, "we could all say a prayer for the Alfie Zimmers of the world." 5/5.
The Man in the Black Suit: I love the image King painted of the devil, and the words he gave him: “Oh, bad!” he cried. “Lovely-bad!” And then he chanted: “Opal! Diamond! Sapphire! Jade! I smell Gary’s lemonade!” 4.5/5.
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe: Like the man in the black suit, the wild maitre'd was a pleasure to read. The chants and phrases King comes up with are breathtaking. I just want to grab a pencil and sketch out the more memorable moments of this story. Diane though? Total bitch. 4/5.
Everything's Eventual: Really cool systems of magic (or science, whatever this is) and their universe get to me. I was surprised by how political this was, too. 4/5.
1408: I can forgive Stephen King for writing his protagonists as the same person simply because no one writes madness like him. 4/5.
The Road Virus Heads North: I got spooked. Weird, because the previous times I read it, I didn't really care. Huh. 4/5.
Riding the Bullet: Could be tighter, but I love the personal details and flourishes King added to Alan Parker's backstory. 3.5/5.
L.T.'s Theory of Pets: There was a thread of something I was grasping for, but it was too restrained in this work. 3/5.
The Death of Jack Hamilton: 3/5.
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French: "Jangle-tangle jingle-bingle, I saw daddy's great big dingle." There he goes again. 2.5/5.
Autopsy Room Four: 2.5/5
In the Deathroom: Reading this short story reminded me how Stephen King's character's are all the same person (except for standouts like Gary from "The Man in the Black Suit," Alfie Zimmer and Dinky). 2/5.
Luckey Quarter: 2/5.
The Little Sisters of Eluria: Didn't bother reading since this is part of his Dark Tower series, which I haven't read.
AVERAGE: 3.38/5
TLDR: Half of the stories are great, half are meh. I bought the ebook at full price, and I think the great half is worth it.
In order of rating:
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away: One of my favorite short stories ever for its humor and poignance. I was much sadder a couple years ago and I wrote a thing on my neglected blog. It's wild how I never noticed the story takes place during winter. It makes me think of BTS' "Spring Day," or Lana Del Rey's "Ride" monologue where she was in the winter of her life and that the men on the highway were her only summer. Alfie Zimmer has no one. As Stephen King ends the chapter, "we could all say a prayer for the Alfie Zimmers of the world." 5/5.
The Man in the Black Suit: I love the image King painted of the devil, and the words he gave him: “Oh, bad!” he cried. “Lovely-bad!” And then he chanted: “Opal! Diamond! Sapphire! Jade! I smell Gary’s lemonade!” 4.5/5.
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe: Like the man in the black suit, the wild maitre'd was a pleasure to read. The chants and phrases King comes up with are breathtaking. I just want to grab a pencil and sketch out the more memorable moments of this story. Diane though? Total bitch. 4/5.
Everything's Eventual: Really cool systems of magic (or science, whatever this is) and their universe get to me. I was surprised by how political this was, too. 4/5.
1408: I can forgive Stephen King for writing his protagonists as the same person simply because no one writes madness like him. 4/5.
The Road Virus Heads North: I got spooked. Weird, because the previous times I read it, I didn't really care. Huh. 4/5.
Riding the Bullet: Could be tighter, but I love the personal details and flourishes King added to Alan Parker's backstory. 3.5/5.
L.T.'s Theory of Pets: There was a thread of something I was grasping for, but it was too restrained in this work. 3/5.
The Death of Jack Hamilton: 3/5.
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French: "Jangle-tangle jingle-bingle, I saw daddy's great big dingle." There he goes again. 2.5/5.
Autopsy Room Four: 2.5/5
In the Deathroom: Reading this short story reminded me how Stephen King's character's are all the same person (except for standouts like Gary from "The Man in the Black Suit," Alfie Zimmer and Dinky). 2/5.
Luckey Quarter: 2/5.
The Little Sisters of Eluria: Didn't bother reading since this is part of his Dark Tower series, which I haven't read.
AVERAGE: 3.38/5
TLDR: Half of the stories are great, half are meh. I bought the ebook at full price, and I think the great half is worth it.
georgepan94's review
3.0
Autopsy Room Four: 3,5/5 STARS
The Man in the Black Suit: 3/5 STARS
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away: 0/5 STARS
The Death of Jack Hamilton: 0/5 STARS
In the Deathroom: 3/5 STARS
The Little Sisters of Eluria: 2/5 STARS
Everything's Eventual: 2/5 STARS
L.T.'s Theory of Pets: 1,5/5 STARS
The Road Virus Heads North: TBA
Lunch at the Gotham Café: TBA
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French: TBA
1408: 5/5 STARS
Riding the Bullet: TBA
Luckey Quarter: 3/5 STARS
The Man in the Black Suit: 3/5 STARS
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away: 0/5 STARS
The Death of Jack Hamilton: 0/5 STARS
In the Deathroom: 3/5 STARS
The Little Sisters of Eluria: 2/5 STARS
Everything's Eventual: 2/5 STARS
L.T.'s Theory of Pets: 1,5/5 STARS
The Road Virus Heads North: TBA
Lunch at the Gotham Café: TBA
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French: TBA
1408: 5/5 STARS
Riding the Bullet: TBA
Luckey Quarter: 3/5 STARS
tms98's review against another edition
3.0
Een collectie aan kortverhalen met zeer verschillende kwaliteiten. De helft is van vrij vergetelijke kwaliteit, terwijl de andere helft werkelijk geweldig is. 1408, Riding the Bullet, Little Sisters of Eluria, Everything's Eventual... zijn allemaal op en top klassiekers, spijtig van de andere mindere helft, want dit had echt een super collectie kunnen zijn.
catriona176's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kevindern's review against another edition
SK writes the best short stories I've ever read. Lots of fun. (Skipped 2 of the 14 in this book.)
quackthump's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5