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You Like It Darker
From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2024
About the author
Stephen King
2,583 books851k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,813 reviews
June 16, 2024
Hell yes! A new collection of Stephen King stories is here, including five never-before-published chillers promised to go as dark as a crocodile-shaped peninsula—or is it a peninsula-sized crocodile?? Amongst the darkness is a sequel to his masterpiece, Cujo. I'm reviewing each story as I read them. For the few I’ve read before, my original review will accompany a revised opinion based on the second experience.
Two Talented Bastids
Previously unpublished!
5/5 - A compelling, poignant opener with memorably creepy moments. Can't say much without spoilers, but I can say the story returns to themes which have seemingly plagued King for some time. That is, the complexity of being a prodigy writer. What causes some artists to possess great talent while others, those who devote their lives to the same goal, never achieve the same success? I believe this has concerned him at least as far back as the invention of Richard Bachman, which King has said was created to see if he could do it again. Was Carrie a right-place-right-time situation, a fluke, or was it him? And if it was him, was he chosen? A pre-destined product of fate?
The issue of "Fate" shows up in this story, though King also provides another explanation for talent—a bizarre, creepy explanation. The characters include a son and his recently deceased famous father, an author of many bestsellers. It's hard not to compare these characters to real-life King and his writer sons Joe and Owen. At 77 years, it's clear death has been on King's mind a lot lately based on several of his recent books.
While I am terrified at the thought of a world without Stephen King, I am loving how impending death is informing his fiction. In many ways, this era is scarier than his killer clown and rabid dog era. It's more real. It's more personal. I love every word of this story! We're off to a great start.
The Fifth Step
Previously published in March, 2020, issue of Harper's Magazine.
4.99/5 - A marvelous example of pacing and sleight of hand. Reminds me of the best of Shirley Jackson. Almost perfect except there's a few lines of dialogue at the end which are perhaps too campy. Loads of fun though, and classic King that could easily have been written during his Nightmares & Dreamscapes years.
Willie the Weirdo
Previously published in the Spring 2022 issue of McSweeney's.
4.99/5 - Same energy as "The Fifth Step" though the world-building here is more complex and fascinating. The ending is perhaps too ambiguous, but I like its unsettling effect. And it made me go back through the earlier pages to find the appropriate clue. A great short story usually invites closer inspection. King offers some masterful dialogue of bickering between adolescent children. Overall, memorable, creepy, and excellent delivery.
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream
Previously unpublished!
100/5 - F*cking mesmerizing. One of King's best novels—it's about 200 pages—in recent years. "Belief is hard" he writes, and that's a good premise for the story because it tackles the difficulty of believing in the supernatural and difficulty in changing one's beliefs in light of new information.
Feels like allegorical commentary on the current state of mental health in America, but it's also a propulsive thriller that's as tense as The Outsider (and comparable in many ways) but even better because there's no bloat. Written in 68 micro chapters, with each scene moving the plot closer to impending doom, it's ideal for on-the-go reading. I found myself lustily devouring chapters at every spare moment. Worth the price of the book for this one alone. Don't miss it!!
Finn
Previously published, May 25th, 2022, as a one-off story exclusive to Scribd.
3/5 - King again showing interest in the horrors of being falsely accused. This story takes a surreal, and European, approach to the subject. The handful of pages turn easily and it's one to devour in a short twenty minutes or less. The ending goes for ambiguity which is appropriate for the tone, but will likely leave many readers unsatisfied. Possibly greater meaning is hidden in metaphor somewhere that's over my head. Anyway, it's fine. Off to the next!
On Slide Inn Road
Previously published in the Oct/Nov 2020 issue of Esquire Magazine.
3/5 - A slow-burn vignette (if that's even possible) concluding with a message that crazy old grandpas can be badasses. Otherwise, it's a standard car-trouble-turned-nightmare story. Characters aren't necessarily developed, but they do feel real. The context is never fleshed out, but the reader can fill in the fuzzy areas without much trouble. Not exceptional, but accomplishes a lot within a short space. Next!
Red Screen
Previously published, Sept. 2021, as a $5 limited edition eBook by Humble Bundle. Proceeds were donated to the ACLU.
4/5 - Original Review from 2021: A breezy, creepy story that requires no more than 15 minutes to read. Set in modern day, its themes explore how easily conspiracies can hatch and gnaw at the brain, while at the same time suggesting a possible reality of unknown horrors. We are in the Stephen King universe, after all. It is a "subtle" horror story, and subtleness is in fact King's major observation about modern day anxieties.
The unresolved conclusion leaves us pondering thanks to a set-up beautifully designed to create uncertainty and unease. Our logical brain knows there's nothing going on, and yet we can't help but wonder. Clues allow for the argument of both sides, making it an excellent short story for discussion.
4.5/5 - Second Reading Review: Still good. Better within the context of this story collection. It meshes particularly well with "Two Talented Bastids" and "Willie the Weirdo." Very short, though. Shorter than I remember. Was it edited down for this collection? I thought I remember more evidence in favor of the conspiracy. Love the concept of supernatural explanation for why our personalities change over time, which I glossed over before. Is becoming cranky really a natural process of aging, or can it be a case of being body snatched? Despite being a very short vignette, it crawls into the brain and lingers there.
The Turbulence Expert
Previously published in Flight or Fright (2018).
4/5 - A fun, high-concept Twilight Zone mind-boggler. The logic isn't clearly explained but if you companion it with other plots in the King Universe, like The Institute, you can just go with it. The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" still haunts the minds of airplane travelers, and that episode came out in 1963. King's story may not infect your mind quite as strongly, but there's a good chance you'll think of it the next time you experience turbulence.
Laurie
Previously published as a StephenKing.com freebie and also included as a bonus on the audio version of Elevation.
4/5 - On its own, "Laurie" is a nice but unexceptional King short story. However, within You Like It Darker it serves a more complimentary purpose. This is largely due to noteworthy revisions from the original version which King published on his website back in May, 2018.
"Laurie" refers to the name of a dog in this story, a name selected "as if it came from a dream." This newly-added sentence is, of course, a reference to Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream. Laurie is also a name used in that story, further connecting the two. Other revisions include a sign reading WATCH FOR ALLIGATORS which is spray painted over to say ALIENS, a recurring menace in this collection. In the original story, it was spray painted to say DEMOCRATS.
"Rattlesnake Key" is a location reference in Laurie not in the original version, an obvious preamble to "Rattlesnakes," the Cujo-sequel included in this collection. The eerie alligator/crocodile imagery on the cover also seems to be inspired by this story.
With these added elements, Laurie serves as a world-building connection between the tales. Otherwise, it is merely a charming story of an older man whose health improves after he adopts a puppy. The horror twist isn't all that horrific and not all that twisty. Again, however, it sets the mood for what's to come.
Rattlesnakes
Previously unpublished! Noteworthy for being a sequel to Cujo.
100/5 - SCARY!!! King's recent thrillers and mysteries have been great, but he hasn't written much lately that I would consider scary. Rattlesnakes is classic, old-school horror that'll give you nightmares just like Pet Sematary, The Shining and, of course, Cujo.
The less you know the better, but I will say this Cujo follow-up works on every level. I'd go so far as to say it's brilliant. King masterfully places Vic Trenton, and all his psychological baggage, in a brand-new situation custom-made for supernatural monsters. Among the creepiest monsters in King's entire bibliography, I will add.
It is important to know that this novella does address major plot elements from Cujo and probably won't be nearly as good if you aren't familiar with the book. The movie isn't a great substitute because they made a significant change to the ending.
There are also numerous references to Duma Key, which I have not read yet. It didn't bother me not fully understanding these references. If you have read it, I'm sure you'll be in for an extra treat.
Overall: Rattlesnakes is f*cking incredible! Do not miss it!
The Dreamers
Previously unpublished.
5/5 - Once again, King contemplates the great beyond. Given how prophetic he can be, I do not like his vision of afterlife one bit! Super creepy. The story will remind readers of Revival, though I actually find The Dreamers more satisfying and more chilling. Something along these lines would've been a far superior ending to Revival.
The Answer Man
Previously unpublished.
4/5 - A character-driven, birth-to-death story with supernatural elements. Some slower moments, but overall excellent. For a while I worried it would sully the superb thematic connections all the previous stories shared. Not to worry, however. The ending is unexpectedly satisfying, and a clear enhancement to the overall completeness of You Like It Darker. Particularly with regard to King's literary (and likely personal) interest in the afterlife.
Fun bonus fact, as discussed in the afterward, King started this story in the 1970s. It was discarded for decades until recently, when his nephew suggested it was too good not to finish. Given the full life cycle of the plot, it's fascinating to imagine King finishing a story at age seventy-five that he started writing at age thirty. Often authorial context is meaningless, but this behind-the-scenes detail adds significant intrigue.
Overall...
I'm a total King fan, but I've also been critical of his recent efforts Sleeping Beauties and Fairy Tale. This collection, however, blew me away. Partly because each story is so good, but more broadly because of how superbly they spoke to each other. The subtle revisions to previously published fiction really showcase just how much thought went into this collection as a thematic vision, broken up in different parts. In a way, it's so cohesive it reads like a single novel. Anchored, perhaps, by the two standouts—Rattlesnakes and Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream—but every story, even the very short ones, present dark visions of a supernatural reality.
Required reading for King fans and even a great entry point for King virgins—just do yourself a favor and read Cujo first.
Two Talented Bastids
Previously unpublished!
5/5 - A compelling, poignant opener with memorably creepy moments. Can't say much without spoilers, but I can say the story returns to themes which have seemingly plagued King for some time. That is, the complexity of being a prodigy writer. What causes some artists to possess great talent while others, those who devote their lives to the same goal, never achieve the same success? I believe this has concerned him at least as far back as the invention of Richard Bachman, which King has said was created to see if he could do it again. Was Carrie a right-place-right-time situation, a fluke, or was it him? And if it was him, was he chosen? A pre-destined product of fate?
The issue of "Fate" shows up in this story, though King also provides another explanation for talent—a bizarre, creepy explanation. The characters include a son and his recently deceased famous father, an author of many bestsellers. It's hard not to compare these characters to real-life King and his writer sons Joe and Owen. At 77 years, it's clear death has been on King's mind a lot lately based on several of his recent books.
While I am terrified at the thought of a world without Stephen King, I am loving how impending death is informing his fiction. In many ways, this era is scarier than his killer clown and rabid dog era. It's more real. It's more personal. I love every word of this story! We're off to a great start.
The Fifth Step
Previously published in March, 2020, issue of Harper's Magazine.
4.99/5 - A marvelous example of pacing and sleight of hand. Reminds me of the best of Shirley Jackson. Almost perfect except there's a few lines of dialogue at the end which are perhaps too campy. Loads of fun though, and classic King that could easily have been written during his Nightmares & Dreamscapes years.
Willie the Weirdo
Previously published in the Spring 2022 issue of McSweeney's.
4.99/5 - Same energy as "The Fifth Step" though the world-building here is more complex and fascinating. The ending is perhaps too ambiguous, but I like its unsettling effect. And it made me go back through the earlier pages to find the appropriate clue. A great short story usually invites closer inspection. King offers some masterful dialogue of bickering between adolescent children. Overall, memorable, creepy, and excellent delivery.
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream
Previously unpublished!
100/5 - F*cking mesmerizing. One of King's best novels—it's about 200 pages—in recent years. "Belief is hard" he writes, and that's a good premise for the story because it tackles the difficulty of believing in the supernatural and difficulty in changing one's beliefs in light of new information.
Feels like allegorical commentary on the current state of mental health in America, but it's also a propulsive thriller that's as tense as The Outsider (and comparable in many ways) but even better because there's no bloat. Written in 68 micro chapters, with each scene moving the plot closer to impending doom, it's ideal for on-the-go reading. I found myself lustily devouring chapters at every spare moment. Worth the price of the book for this one alone. Don't miss it!!
Finn
Previously published, May 25th, 2022, as a one-off story exclusive to Scribd.
3/5 - King again showing interest in the horrors of being falsely accused. This story takes a surreal, and European, approach to the subject. The handful of pages turn easily and it's one to devour in a short twenty minutes or less. The ending goes for ambiguity which is appropriate for the tone, but will likely leave many readers unsatisfied. Possibly greater meaning is hidden in metaphor somewhere that's over my head. Anyway, it's fine. Off to the next!
On Slide Inn Road
Previously published in the Oct/Nov 2020 issue of Esquire Magazine.
3/5 - A slow-burn vignette (if that's even possible) concluding with a message that crazy old grandpas can be badasses. Otherwise, it's a standard car-trouble-turned-nightmare story. Characters aren't necessarily developed, but they do feel real. The context is never fleshed out, but the reader can fill in the fuzzy areas without much trouble. Not exceptional, but accomplishes a lot within a short space. Next!
Red Screen
Previously published, Sept. 2021, as a $5 limited edition eBook by Humble Bundle. Proceeds were donated to the ACLU.
4/5 - Original Review from 2021: A breezy, creepy story that requires no more than 15 minutes to read. Set in modern day, its themes explore how easily conspiracies can hatch and gnaw at the brain, while at the same time suggesting a possible reality of unknown horrors. We are in the Stephen King universe, after all. It is a "subtle" horror story, and subtleness is in fact King's major observation about modern day anxieties.
The unresolved conclusion leaves us pondering thanks to a set-up beautifully designed to create uncertainty and unease. Our logical brain knows there's nothing going on, and yet we can't help but wonder. Clues allow for the argument of both sides, making it an excellent short story for discussion.
4.5/5 - Second Reading Review: Still good. Better within the context of this story collection. It meshes particularly well with "Two Talented Bastids" and "Willie the Weirdo." Very short, though. Shorter than I remember. Was it edited down for this collection? I thought I remember more evidence in favor of the conspiracy. Love the concept of supernatural explanation for why our personalities change over time, which I glossed over before. Is becoming cranky really a natural process of aging, or can it be a case of being body snatched? Despite being a very short vignette, it crawls into the brain and lingers there.
The Turbulence Expert
Previously published in Flight or Fright (2018).
4/5 - A fun, high-concept Twilight Zone mind-boggler. The logic isn't clearly explained but if you companion it with other plots in the King Universe, like The Institute, you can just go with it. The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" still haunts the minds of airplane travelers, and that episode came out in 1963. King's story may not infect your mind quite as strongly, but there's a good chance you'll think of it the next time you experience turbulence.
Laurie
Previously published as a StephenKing.com freebie and also included as a bonus on the audio version of Elevation.
4/5 - On its own, "Laurie" is a nice but unexceptional King short story. However, within You Like It Darker it serves a more complimentary purpose. This is largely due to noteworthy revisions from the original version which King published on his website back in May, 2018.
"Laurie" refers to the name of a dog in this story, a name selected "as if it came from a dream." This newly-added sentence is, of course, a reference to Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream. Laurie is also a name used in that story, further connecting the two. Other revisions include a sign reading WATCH FOR ALLIGATORS which is spray painted over to say ALIENS, a recurring menace in this collection. In the original story, it was spray painted to say DEMOCRATS.
"Rattlesnake Key" is a location reference in Laurie not in the original version, an obvious preamble to "Rattlesnakes," the Cujo-sequel included in this collection. The eerie alligator/crocodile imagery on the cover also seems to be inspired by this story.
With these added elements, Laurie serves as a world-building connection between the tales. Otherwise, it is merely a charming story of an older man whose health improves after he adopts a puppy. The horror twist isn't all that horrific and not all that twisty. Again, however, it sets the mood for what's to come.
Rattlesnakes
Previously unpublished! Noteworthy for being a sequel to Cujo.
100/5 - SCARY!!! King's recent thrillers and mysteries have been great, but he hasn't written much lately that I would consider scary. Rattlesnakes is classic, old-school horror that'll give you nightmares just like Pet Sematary, The Shining and, of course, Cujo.
The less you know the better, but I will say this Cujo follow-up works on every level. I'd go so far as to say it's brilliant. King masterfully places Vic Trenton, and all his psychological baggage, in a brand-new situation custom-made for supernatural monsters. Among the creepiest monsters in King's entire bibliography, I will add.
It is important to know that this novella does address major plot elements from Cujo and probably won't be nearly as good if you aren't familiar with the book. The movie isn't a great substitute because they made a significant change to the ending.
There are also numerous references to Duma Key, which I have not read yet. It didn't bother me not fully understanding these references. If you have read it, I'm sure you'll be in for an extra treat.
Overall: Rattlesnakes is f*cking incredible! Do not miss it!
The Dreamers
Previously unpublished.
5/5 - Once again, King contemplates the great beyond. Given how prophetic he can be, I do not like his vision of afterlife one bit! Super creepy. The story will remind readers of Revival, though I actually find The Dreamers more satisfying and more chilling. Something along these lines would've been a far superior ending to Revival.
The Answer Man
Previously unpublished.
4/5 - A character-driven, birth-to-death story with supernatural elements. Some slower moments, but overall excellent. For a while I worried it would sully the superb thematic connections all the previous stories shared. Not to worry, however. The ending is unexpectedly satisfying, and a clear enhancement to the overall completeness of You Like It Darker. Particularly with regard to King's literary (and likely personal) interest in the afterlife.
Fun bonus fact, as discussed in the afterward, King started this story in the 1970s. It was discarded for decades until recently, when his nephew suggested it was too good not to finish. Given the full life cycle of the plot, it's fascinating to imagine King finishing a story at age seventy-five that he started writing at age thirty. Often authorial context is meaningless, but this behind-the-scenes detail adds significant intrigue.
Overall...
I'm a total King fan, but I've also been critical of his recent efforts Sleeping Beauties and Fairy Tale. This collection, however, blew me away. Partly because each story is so good, but more broadly because of how superbly they spoke to each other. The subtle revisions to previously published fiction really showcase just how much thought went into this collection as a thematic vision, broken up in different parts. In a way, it's so cohesive it reads like a single novel. Anchored, perhaps, by the two standouts—Rattlesnakes and Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream—but every story, even the very short ones, present dark visions of a supernatural reality.
Required reading for King fans and even a great entry point for King virgins—just do yourself a favor and read Cujo first.
June 6, 2024
"That's how it works for me sometimes - a story will arrive fully formed, just waiting for the right trigger to declare itself. It's a very cool thing."
It's no secret - I would read his shopping lists. I will read EVERY story Stephen King will bless us with. Because I know, when I grab one of his books, that it's going to be amazing and I'm going to love it.
In this one, King gives us 12 new stories. Two of these stories are longer - one will be from a character we haven't heard from in a very long time. Many others are medium length and only 1 or 2 are very short. But they all pack Stephen King's typical punch - a character you get to know, a scenario you could never imagine, and an outcome that makes you smile for its twist and ingenious route to it.
"But think of the adventure you had."
Spoil yourself with these 12 new stories, but don't get any spoilers. They are original stories and all just wonderful. And don't skip that author note at the end. I always love reading Stephen King just writing to us, the readers.
Soon, I will buy the audio too and listen to them again. They are THAT good!
It's no secret - I would read his shopping lists. I will read EVERY story Stephen King will bless us with. Because I know, when I grab one of his books, that it's going to be amazing and I'm going to love it.
In this one, King gives us 12 new stories. Two of these stories are longer - one will be from a character we haven't heard from in a very long time. Many others are medium length and only 1 or 2 are very short. But they all pack Stephen King's typical punch - a character you get to know, a scenario you could never imagine, and an outcome that makes you smile for its twist and ingenious route to it.
"But think of the adventure you had."
Spoil yourself with these 12 new stories, but don't get any spoilers. They are original stories and all just wonderful. And don't skip that author note at the end. I always love reading Stephen King just writing to us, the readers.
Soon, I will buy the audio too and listen to them again. They are THAT good!
May 22, 2024
I loved this book! Yes, it’s a bit slow in places, and some stories don’t shine as brightly as others, but overall, it’s a captivating read that keeps you hooked. My only gripe? I wished it was darker, but hey, I can still appreciate the thrills it delivered.
One highlight for me was the sequel to Cujo but my absolute favorite, though, was “Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream.” It had me glued to the pages.
So, thank you, Mr. King, for another sleepless night! You never fail to entertain, and I can't wait for more. If you're looking for a collection that offers a mix of chills and great storytelling, this one’s a solid choice.
One highlight for me was the sequel to Cujo but my absolute favorite, though, was “Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream.” It had me glued to the pages.
So, thank you, Mr. King, for another sleepless night! You never fail to entertain, and I can't wait for more. If you're looking for a collection that offers a mix of chills and great storytelling, this one’s a solid choice.
May 27, 2024
Two Talented Bastids - 4⭐
The Fifth Step - 3⭐
Willie the Weirdo - 4⭐
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream - 5⭐
Finn - 3.5⭐
On Slide In Road - 4.5⭐
Red Screen - 4⭐
The Turbulence Expert - 4⭐
Laurie - 3.5⭐
Rattlesnakes - 4.5⭐
The Dreamers - 5⭐
The Answer Man 4.5⭐
This was an excellent collection! Overall I am going to rate it five stars due to how much I enjoyed my favourites. The stories that I rated 3 stars were still enjoyable and they tended to be the shorter stories in the collection. My absolute favourite was Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, which at around 150 pages is the longest in this collection. I would have been happy to pay the price of this book just for that story alone! I think Constant Readers will really enjoy this collection, the best he has done in years!
I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration by Will Patton and Stephen King. For the story Laurie, I listened and read at the same time and noticed that a lot of the words and phrases were different in the narration to the book in print, some sentences were missed out, some different ones added in. It was quite frequent, on almost every page of the story. I only did that with the one story, so not sure if it is the same for the rest of the book.
The Fifth Step - 3⭐
Willie the Weirdo - 4⭐
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream - 5⭐
Finn - 3.5⭐
On Slide In Road - 4.5⭐
Red Screen - 4⭐
The Turbulence Expert - 4⭐
Laurie - 3.5⭐
Rattlesnakes - 4.5⭐
The Dreamers - 5⭐
The Answer Man 4.5⭐
This was an excellent collection! Overall I am going to rate it five stars due to how much I enjoyed my favourites. The stories that I rated 3 stars were still enjoyable and they tended to be the shorter stories in the collection. My absolute favourite was Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, which at around 150 pages is the longest in this collection. I would have been happy to pay the price of this book just for that story alone! I think Constant Readers will really enjoy this collection, the best he has done in years!
I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration by Will Patton and Stephen King. For the story Laurie, I listened and read at the same time and noticed that a lot of the words and phrases were different in the narration to the book in print, some sentences were missed out, some different ones added in. It was quite frequent, on almost every page of the story. I only did that with the one story, so not sure if it is the same for the rest of the book.
Read
May 29, 2024My story by story review and discussion with guest Jaime en Fuego: https://youtube.com/live/YpKpvjtEOyg
Probably my favorite short story collection from King since all the way back to Nightmares & Dreamscapes. So happy to see him get away from Holly and more crime/detective stories. This almost feels like a return to form.
Probably my favorite short story collection from King since all the way back to Nightmares & Dreamscapes. So happy to see him get away from Holly and more crime/detective stories. This almost feels like a return to form.
May 26, 2024
A decent collection of King’s short fiction. A few standouts (Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, The Dreamers, The Fifth Step, On Slide Inn Road), others not so much.
Two Talented Bastids- considering the title, I expected the first story in this collection to be much darker (or at least somewhat dark). Nope, no darkness here. What do have is a very interesting tale of a young man discovering his father’s long held secret. Thoughtful and intriguing, it will grip you and have you reading straight to the end. Unfortunately, it is dated with references to Trump and Covid, but that is expected with King’s unending obsession with both.
The Fifth Step - here we go! This one is short, quick, and dark! This’ll teach ya to talk to strangers.
Willie the Weirdo - all families have their secrets. Some are darker than others, this family’s is one of the darkest. This one’ll have you guessing where it’s leading as you learn more and more of the family dynamics.
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream- one of the best so far. Full of tension, mystery and dread. This one sucks you in from the beginning wondering where it’s going to lead and you know it’s going to take you someplace dark. A few Covid mentions throughout seem pointless except to feed King’s obsession. Overall it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Finn- a story of a kid with bad luck. Not really sure what the point of this one is but at least it’s short. One Covid reference for those keeping track. :)
On Slide Inn Road - a shortcut takes a dark turn for a family road trip.
Red Screen - a detective’s interview with a man who killed his wife ends up having dark consequences for his own marriage. One random Covid comment seemingly thrown into the story for no reason.
The Turbulence Expert - I’ll be checking out the middle seat off the starboard wing side of the plane next time I’m flying…
Laurie - a grieving man receives a dog and has a very dark encounter. Interesting short story but doesn’t really seem to have a point.
Rattlesnakes- the sequel to Cujo. Probably the reason so many were interested in this collection. It does have some truly creepy moments. However, the references to Cujo seem to be added after the fact as well as the various mentions of Covid. Neither were needed for the story. Honestly it would have been better without either.
The Dreamers - this seemed very reminiscent of those 80’s horror films starring Jeffrey Combs based on Lovecraft tales. Specifically, The Beyond. I wouldn’t doubt that this will soon be optioned for a movie, if not already.
The Answer Man - an interesting story. What if you could get answers to any question you asked. What would you ask and why? All in all a very melancholy ending to the collection.
Two Talented Bastids- considering the title, I expected the first story in this collection to be much darker (or at least somewhat dark). Nope, no darkness here. What do have is a very interesting tale of a young man discovering his father’s long held secret. Thoughtful and intriguing, it will grip you and have you reading straight to the end. Unfortunately, it is dated with references to Trump and Covid, but that is expected with King’s unending obsession with both.
The Fifth Step - here we go! This one is short, quick, and dark! This’ll teach ya to talk to strangers.
Willie the Weirdo - all families have their secrets. Some are darker than others, this family’s is one of the darkest. This one’ll have you guessing where it’s leading as you learn more and more of the family dynamics.
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream- one of the best so far. Full of tension, mystery and dread. This one sucks you in from the beginning wondering where it’s going to lead and you know it’s going to take you someplace dark. A few Covid mentions throughout seem pointless except to feed King’s obsession. Overall it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Finn- a story of a kid with bad luck. Not really sure what the point of this one is but at least it’s short. One Covid reference for those keeping track. :)
On Slide Inn Road - a shortcut takes a dark turn for a family road trip.
Red Screen - a detective’s interview with a man who killed his wife ends up having dark consequences for his own marriage. One random Covid comment seemingly thrown into the story for no reason.
The Turbulence Expert - I’ll be checking out the middle seat off the starboard wing side of the plane next time I’m flying…
Laurie - a grieving man receives a dog and has a very dark encounter. Interesting short story but doesn’t really seem to have a point.
Rattlesnakes- the sequel to Cujo. Probably the reason so many were interested in this collection. It does have some truly creepy moments. However, the references to Cujo seem to be added after the fact as well as the various mentions of Covid. Neither were needed for the story. Honestly it would have been better without either.
The Dreamers - this seemed very reminiscent of those 80’s horror films starring Jeffrey Combs based on Lovecraft tales. Specifically, The Beyond. I wouldn’t doubt that this will soon be optioned for a movie, if not already.
The Answer Man - an interesting story. What if you could get answers to any question you asked. What would you ask and why? All in all a very melancholy ending to the collection.
June 13, 2024
In this new collection of short stories called You Like it Darker by Stephen King, I found myself really enjoying the wide selection of thrills and chills.
I don’t think there’s a bad plot in the collection. Each one was entertaining, and I was engaged when I started the short story.
It’s got a bit of everything in the book from paranormal horror, cosmic horror to humanity being evil.
You Like it Darker also has some tales that weren’t dark at all, and they just made me feel good. I’m looking at you Laurie!
For me, some plots worked better than others but that’s due to my own sense of horror and what truly scares me. I think this collection will be subject to the reader’s taste and what horror resonates with them.
Case in point, I have paralyzing dreams, and they happen a few times a month. Yes, they f’ing suck and I’ve had them since I was a kid.
When I got to The Dreamers, it did a number on me!
I think the lowest grade that I gave was to Finn and Red Screen and both felt a bit unfinished to me. All other short stories ranged between 3 to 5 stars.
My favorites include:
Two Talented Bastids – 4 stars
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream – 5 stars
On Slide Inn Road – 4/4.5 stars
Rattlesnakes – 5 stars
The Dreamers – 5 stars
The Answer Man – 4/4.5 stars
I’m happy that King did this collection!
I’ve been wanting some tales like his older books and take a break from Holly Gibney.
Yes, I’m sure the Holly fans are booing at me and throwing popcorn, but I do have a limit on OCD and hypochondria with characters in a book. 👀 hahaha
But you know what? He still threw some of this in with our boy and I ended up loving it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Damn you King! 😂��
I don’t think there’s a bad plot in the collection. Each one was entertaining, and I was engaged when I started the short story.
It’s got a bit of everything in the book from paranormal horror, cosmic horror to humanity being evil.
You Like it Darker also has some tales that weren’t dark at all, and they just made me feel good. I’m looking at you Laurie!
For me, some plots worked better than others but that’s due to my own sense of horror and what truly scares me. I think this collection will be subject to the reader’s taste and what horror resonates with them.
Case in point, I have paralyzing dreams, and they happen a few times a month. Yes, they f’ing suck and I’ve had them since I was a kid.
When I got to The Dreamers, it did a number on me!
I think the lowest grade that I gave was to Finn and Red Screen and both felt a bit unfinished to me. All other short stories ranged between 3 to 5 stars.
My favorites include:
Two Talented Bastids – 4 stars
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream – 5 stars
On Slide Inn Road – 4/4.5 stars
Rattlesnakes – 5 stars
The Dreamers – 5 stars
The Answer Man – 4/4.5 stars
I’m happy that King did this collection!
I’ve been wanting some tales like his older books and take a break from Holly Gibney.
Yes, I’m sure the Holly fans are booing at me and throwing popcorn, but I do have a limit on OCD and hypochondria with characters in a book. 👀 hahaha
But you know what? He still threw some of this in with our boy and I ended up loving it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Damn you King! 😂��
June 7, 2024
4.5
This is a collection of 12 stories:
Two Talented Bastids 4 ⭐
No violins. Until there was a whole orchestra.
How did a couple of country men living their simple country lives become an overnight success.
The Fifth Step 5 ⭐
Never talk to strangers!
Willie The Weirdo 5 ⭐
A blood chilling story about a strange boy who loves to study dead birds and has collections of dead bugs.
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream 4 ⭐
No good deed goes unpunished.
Finn 4 ⭐
Is it a case of mistaken identity or something more sinister?
On Slide Inn Road 4 ⭐
A road trip gone wrong.
Red Screen 5 ⭐
The Exorcist or the Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
The Turbulence Expert 3 ⭐
Do not read this if you intend to travel by air!
Laurie 4 ⭐
Should he keep the puppy or not?
Rattlesnakes 5 ⭐
See us. Roll us. Dress us.
This one was creepy as hell!
The Dreamers 4 ⭐
Beware of dreams! They’re dangerous!
The Answer Man 5 ⭐
Tempus fugit
A melancholic story!
This is a collection of 12 stories:
Two Talented Bastids 4 ⭐
No violins. Until there was a whole orchestra.
How did a couple of country men living their simple country lives become an overnight success.
The Fifth Step 5 ⭐
Never talk to strangers!
Willie The Weirdo 5 ⭐
A blood chilling story about a strange boy who loves to study dead birds and has collections of dead bugs.
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream 4 ⭐
No good deed goes unpunished.
Finn 4 ⭐
Is it a case of mistaken identity or something more sinister?
On Slide Inn Road 4 ⭐
A road trip gone wrong.
Red Screen 5 ⭐
The Exorcist or the Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
The Turbulence Expert 3 ⭐
Do not read this if you intend to travel by air!
Laurie 4 ⭐
Should he keep the puppy or not?
Rattlesnakes 5 ⭐
See us. Roll us. Dress us.
This one was creepy as hell!
The Dreamers 4 ⭐
Beware of dreams! They’re dangerous!
The Answer Man 5 ⭐
Tempus fugit
A melancholic story!
May 30, 2024
I've been a Stephen King fan for a long, long time & although I haven't enjoyed much of his recent work I found You Like It Darker to be one of the best things he's written in years.
These twelve short stories (some of them are quite long!) open with the superb Two Talented Bastids, which is a wonderful mix of small town life & science fiction.
I won't go over each story here, as I'm sure my fellow readers will have already done this & far better than I could ever manage. All I will say is that there is one weak story in this collection, while the rest of them are nothing short of excellent. This really is old school writing from Stephen King, with excellent characterisation & tales that you can completely absorb yourself in. For me reading these King stories was an absolute joy....just like the old days!
These twelve short stories (some of them are quite long!) open with the superb Two Talented Bastids, which is a wonderful mix of small town life & science fiction.
I won't go over each story here, as I'm sure my fellow readers will have already done this & far better than I could ever manage. All I will say is that there is one weak story in this collection, while the rest of them are nothing short of excellent. This really is old school writing from Stephen King, with excellent characterisation & tales that you can completely absorb yourself in. For me reading these King stories was an absolute joy....just like the old days!
July 11, 2024
The more King the better, so I dived into his latest release, You Like It Darker! It delivers on its title....
This is a fantastic short story collection. Stephen King still has it, and he demonstrates that seemingly with ease. His skill at crafting character and tension is just wonderful, from terrifying people who could be real in Willie the Weirdo, to exploring the supernatural with Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, there is such an array of intriguing and engaging stories.
There was only one that did not click with me, whilst all the rest were so enjoyable in different ways.
Short story collections are perfect for dipping into when you have time, or when you want a little break from longer stories, and in You Like it Darker, King gives quality aplenty that you can dive into.
4.25/5 STARS
This is a fantastic short story collection. Stephen King still has it, and he demonstrates that seemingly with ease. His skill at crafting character and tension is just wonderful, from terrifying people who could be real in Willie the Weirdo, to exploring the supernatural with Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, there is such an array of intriguing and engaging stories.
There was only one that did not click with me, whilst all the rest were so enjoyable in different ways.
Short story collections are perfect for dipping into when you have time, or when you want a little break from longer stories, and in You Like it Darker, King gives quality aplenty that you can dive into.
4.25/5 STARS
Want to read
May 29, 2024This gets cool points simply for being a reference to that Leonard Cohen song.
June 23, 2024
I have found, as I get older, that what I found scary in my childhood is not what I find scary in my 50s. I realize that this is simply a part of maturity and aging. This is not to say that childhood fears ever go away. They simply change.
Stephen King’s latest book of short stories, “You Like It Darker”, illustrates this point wonderfully.
King’s early books of stories (“Night Shift”, “Skeleton Crew”, “Nightmares and Dreamscapes”) were exciting exercises in horror: things that lurk under beds, shapes in the shadows, haunted objects, creatures that have no right to exist in real life. Most of the stories were the literary equivalent of cinematic jump scares. It’s the cat leaping out of a closet. It’s the figure rising from behind the couch as the babysitter blithely watches TV. It’s the (insert here: rabid dog/possessed car/killer washing machine) that the hero must confront in the end.
And, as anybody who loves horror movies knows, jump scares are great. But they aren’t very fulfilling. They get the blood flowing, sure, but they don’t linger in the subconscious the way true horror does. True horror is often subtle. It’s often more nuanced. It sneaks up on you, like old age.
The stories in “You Like it Darker” are like that.
Take, for example, “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream”, the book’s longest (let’s be honest: this is definitely more of a novella than a short, but whatevs) and perhaps best story. In this story, Danny, an ordinary man, has an extraordinary psychic flash—-his first and only. He has a vision of a dead body and where it is buried. He decides to do the right thing and takes the info to the police. It turns out to be completely accurate. Unfortunately, the police now consider him the prime suspect. One of the detectives becomes obsessive in his quest to find evidence to convict Danny, beyond all reason. Now, Danny’s good samaritan deed is biting him in the ass as the psychotic detective slowly but surely destroys his life.
I’ll be honest: if I had read this story thirty years ago, I probably wouldn’t have liked it. There is nothing really supernatural or scary about the story, other than the psychic flash, and that happens in the very beginning. It’s basically a noir thriller about an innocent guy being pursued by a psycho, who happens to be a cop.
But I wasn’t really smart thirty years ago. Or, rather, my 20-something-year-old mind hadn’t fully developed. I was interested in self-gratification and the NOW. You don’t fully develop a sense of empathy and a worry for the future until you’re about my age. Hell, some people never develop it.
Danny’s story is terrifying—-moreso at age 50 than 20-something—-because it works on the adult fears of aging: what have I done with my life? What kind of legacy am I leaving my kids? How do I know that what I’m doing is the right thing? You know: stuff a 20-something-year-old doesn’t give two shits about.
And King tackles these themes in several stories throughout the collection.
Standouts:
“Laurie”: in which a widower who has given up on life finds hope in a new puppy.
“On Slide Inn Road”: in which a disastrous family road trip is saved by the quick thinking of the only member of the family that nobody would have ever expected to be heroic—-grandpa.
“Rattlesnakes”: a sequel to “Cujo”, in which the father who lost his son so many years ago to a rabid dog, is forced to deal with the ghosts of two other dead children who have latched on to his loneliness.
Don’t get me wrong: I loved the other stories in this collection, too. And King still does a great job with those jump scares. But it’s clear that King’s fears have turned away from the childish fears of youth to the more nuanced and dread-filled horrors of those of us who worry less and less about the minor scares in life and more about the kind of world we’re leaving for our children.
Stephen King’s latest book of short stories, “You Like It Darker”, illustrates this point wonderfully.
King’s early books of stories (“Night Shift”, “Skeleton Crew”, “Nightmares and Dreamscapes”) were exciting exercises in horror: things that lurk under beds, shapes in the shadows, haunted objects, creatures that have no right to exist in real life. Most of the stories were the literary equivalent of cinematic jump scares. It’s the cat leaping out of a closet. It’s the figure rising from behind the couch as the babysitter blithely watches TV. It’s the (insert here: rabid dog/possessed car/killer washing machine) that the hero must confront in the end.
And, as anybody who loves horror movies knows, jump scares are great. But they aren’t very fulfilling. They get the blood flowing, sure, but they don’t linger in the subconscious the way true horror does. True horror is often subtle. It’s often more nuanced. It sneaks up on you, like old age.
The stories in “You Like it Darker” are like that.
Take, for example, “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream”, the book’s longest (let’s be honest: this is definitely more of a novella than a short, but whatevs) and perhaps best story. In this story, Danny, an ordinary man, has an extraordinary psychic flash—-his first and only. He has a vision of a dead body and where it is buried. He decides to do the right thing and takes the info to the police. It turns out to be completely accurate. Unfortunately, the police now consider him the prime suspect. One of the detectives becomes obsessive in his quest to find evidence to convict Danny, beyond all reason. Now, Danny’s good samaritan deed is biting him in the ass as the psychotic detective slowly but surely destroys his life.
I’ll be honest: if I had read this story thirty years ago, I probably wouldn’t have liked it. There is nothing really supernatural or scary about the story, other than the psychic flash, and that happens in the very beginning. It’s basically a noir thriller about an innocent guy being pursued by a psycho, who happens to be a cop.
But I wasn’t really smart thirty years ago. Or, rather, my 20-something-year-old mind hadn’t fully developed. I was interested in self-gratification and the NOW. You don’t fully develop a sense of empathy and a worry for the future until you’re about my age. Hell, some people never develop it.
Danny’s story is terrifying—-moreso at age 50 than 20-something—-because it works on the adult fears of aging: what have I done with my life? What kind of legacy am I leaving my kids? How do I know that what I’m doing is the right thing? You know: stuff a 20-something-year-old doesn’t give two shits about.
And King tackles these themes in several stories throughout the collection.
Standouts:
“Laurie”: in which a widower who has given up on life finds hope in a new puppy.
“On Slide Inn Road”: in which a disastrous family road trip is saved by the quick thinking of the only member of the family that nobody would have ever expected to be heroic—-grandpa.
“Rattlesnakes”: a sequel to “Cujo”, in which the father who lost his son so many years ago to a rabid dog, is forced to deal with the ghosts of two other dead children who have latched on to his loneliness.
Don’t get me wrong: I loved the other stories in this collection, too. And King still does a great job with those jump scares. But it’s clear that King’s fears have turned away from the childish fears of youth to the more nuanced and dread-filled horrors of those of us who worry less and less about the minor scares in life and more about the kind of world we’re leaving for our children.
June 8, 2024
As is the case with most short story collections, this to me was a mixed bag, with mostly good to excellent stories.
Finn was by far the worst (luckily one of the shortest) and I didn't get the point of it at all.
Many of the stories, like Two Talented Bastids, The Turbulence Expert and The Answer Man, were "whimsical" rather than dark. Fine stories, but not dark. DARKER, Mr. King - please!
The best two in the collection are the longest. Rattlesnakes is out-and-out creepy, and very visual - I could see a TV/movie adaptation of it being made. Ostensibly a sequel to Cujo, it has very thin ties to that book and is strong on its own.
The masterpiece is Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream. A man trying to do a good deed is accused of rape and murder, and you wonder how - or if - he will get out of the bind he's in. The characters are sharply written and the suspense builds brilliantly to a tense finish. My favorite of the collection - also the longest, a novella at 152 pages. Again, I could see this becoming a movie, one that I would likely want to see.
As an SK fan, I would have liked a little more detail on the creation of the stories in the afterword...but maybe that's asking for too much? A mostly terrific collection.
Finn was by far the worst (luckily one of the shortest) and I didn't get the point of it at all.
Many of the stories, like Two Talented Bastids, The Turbulence Expert and The Answer Man, were "whimsical" rather than dark. Fine stories, but not dark. DARKER, Mr. King - please!
The best two in the collection are the longest. Rattlesnakes is out-and-out creepy, and very visual - I could see a TV/movie adaptation of it being made. Ostensibly a sequel to Cujo, it has very thin ties to that book and is strong on its own.
The masterpiece is Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream. A man trying to do a good deed is accused of rape and murder, and you wonder how - or if - he will get out of the bind he's in. The characters are sharply written and the suspense builds brilliantly to a tense finish. My favorite of the collection - also the longest, a novella at 152 pages. Again, I could see this becoming a movie, one that I would likely want to see.
As an SK fan, I would have liked a little more detail on the creation of the stories in the afterword...but maybe that's asking for too much? A mostly terrific collection.
June 7, 2024
Although the relish of sinking into a good old tome by King is undeniable, for me, there’s no doubt his short stories are his strong suit and every new short story collection by him makes my heart sing. So it was with You Like It Darker too – And yes! Yes, we do like it darker and find plenty of that darkness here.
That being said, nothing will ever scare me like King stories in my teenage years, not even King himself. That’s a fact I have to accept. I’m not the scared child anymore but still, some of these stories here were able to remind me of that past fear and came close to unsettling me in a way I forgot – especially the unexpected, potent chills in body snatch horror Willie the Weirdo, or The Dreamers which revolves around human experiments and of course Rattlesnakes (My god, how creepy was that?) were to die for! Rattlesnakes ties to a very old King story and you’ll be delighted to find the connection here!
But, if you prefer his slightly melancholy, slightly hopeful “feel-good” stories, you can still find your heart’s desire in stories like the nicely emotional Two Talented Bastids, The Answer Man or Laurie, the story of an old man and his dog. I’m very sure Laurie the dog is based on King’s real-life dog Molly, aka The Thing of Evil, lol.
There’s human depravity in The Fifth Step, On Slide In Road and especially Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, an almost novella reminiscent of The Outsider, which shows how some horrors are just hidden in the way people treat each other.
As you see, there’s something for everyone in this new King collection, and even though it will never be like reading King for the first time, he knows that we actually do like it darker and he delivers.
That being said, nothing will ever scare me like King stories in my teenage years, not even King himself. That’s a fact I have to accept. I’m not the scared child anymore but still, some of these stories here were able to remind me of that past fear and came close to unsettling me in a way I forgot – especially the unexpected, potent chills in body snatch horror Willie the Weirdo, or The Dreamers which revolves around human experiments and of course Rattlesnakes (My god, how creepy was that?) were to die for! Rattlesnakes ties to a very old King story and you’ll be delighted to find the connection here!
But, if you prefer his slightly melancholy, slightly hopeful “feel-good” stories, you can still find your heart’s desire in stories like the nicely emotional Two Talented Bastids, The Answer Man or Laurie, the story of an old man and his dog. I’m very sure Laurie the dog is based on King’s real-life dog Molly, aka The Thing of Evil, lol.
There’s human depravity in The Fifth Step, On Slide In Road and especially Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, an almost novella reminiscent of The Outsider, which shows how some horrors are just hidden in the way people treat each other.
As you see, there’s something for everyone in this new King collection, and even though it will never be like reading King for the first time, he knows that we actually do like it darker and he delivers.
June 13, 2024
“The world is full of rattlesnakes. Sometimes you step on them and they don’t bite. Sometimes you step over them, and they bite anyway.”
I can’t stress enough how much I adore Stephen King’s storytelling. The stories in this collection will make you want to settle into them at the end of each day. And I do mean "settle in" because many of the so-called “short” stories in this book actually could’ve been novellas. But that’s because King takes his time developing worlds that feel familiar and characters that feel real, be they the protagonist, the monster, or the one-scene side character.
Throughout my experience reading this book, the stories simultaneously felt like a warm sunset and an ominous storm on the horizon. Yes, these stories are dark as the title of the book suggests, but they also carry themes of grief, obsession, human relationships, unanswered questions, mystery, and grappling with the unknown.
In Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, a man whose nightmare featuring a murdered woman turns out to be a psychic premonition, one that gets him in a world of trouble. (I was over-the-moon thrilled to discover this story was set in my home state of Kansas!) The Fifth Step opens with a man approached by an addict who claims he must share a story with a stranger as part of an AA recovery assignment (loved this one)! Two Talented Bastids begs the question of whether talent is something humankind naturally possesses or if the lucky ones are simply chosen by a supernatural fate. In Red Screen, a conspiracy theory leaves the protagonist and the reader uneasy about what to believe (this one was a personal favorite of mine). And we even get a sequel to Cujo in the story Rattlesnakes!
Whether you end up loving every single story in this collection or simply find some of them to be lacking, what I know for certain is that there will be something in YOU LIKE IT DARKER that will stick with you and leave a lasting and haunting impression as King’s writing always does.
I can’t stress enough how much I adore Stephen King’s storytelling. The stories in this collection will make you want to settle into them at the end of each day. And I do mean "settle in" because many of the so-called “short” stories in this book actually could’ve been novellas. But that’s because King takes his time developing worlds that feel familiar and characters that feel real, be they the protagonist, the monster, or the one-scene side character.
Throughout my experience reading this book, the stories simultaneously felt like a warm sunset and an ominous storm on the horizon. Yes, these stories are dark as the title of the book suggests, but they also carry themes of grief, obsession, human relationships, unanswered questions, mystery, and grappling with the unknown.
In Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, a man whose nightmare featuring a murdered woman turns out to be a psychic premonition, one that gets him in a world of trouble. (I was over-the-moon thrilled to discover this story was set in my home state of Kansas!) The Fifth Step opens with a man approached by an addict who claims he must share a story with a stranger as part of an AA recovery assignment (loved this one)! Two Talented Bastids begs the question of whether talent is something humankind naturally possesses or if the lucky ones are simply chosen by a supernatural fate. In Red Screen, a conspiracy theory leaves the protagonist and the reader uneasy about what to believe (this one was a personal favorite of mine). And we even get a sequel to Cujo in the story Rattlesnakes!
Whether you end up loving every single story in this collection or simply find some of them to be lacking, what I know for certain is that there will be something in YOU LIKE IT DARKER that will stick with you and leave a lasting and haunting impression as King’s writing always does.
June 19, 2024
You Like It Darker - Stephen King BOOK REVIEW/Ranking
https://youtu.be/BocITRPo8q0
This is the best work King has published in some time!
You Like It Darker Story Ranking:
1. Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream - 5⭐️
2. The Fifth Step - 5⭐️
3. The Answer Man - 5⭐️
4. Rattlesnakes - 4.5 ⭐️
5. On Slide Inn Road - 4.5⭐️
6. Two Talented Bastids - 4.5
7. Dreams - 4.25⭐️
8. Red Screen - 4⭐️
9. Laurie - 3.5 ⭐️
10. Willie the Weirdo - 3.5⭐️
11. Finn - 3⭐️
12. The Turbulence Experiment - 3⭐️
https://youtu.be/BocITRPo8q0
This is the best work King has published in some time!
You Like It Darker Story Ranking:
1. Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream - 5⭐️
2. The Fifth Step - 5⭐️
3. The Answer Man - 5⭐️
4. Rattlesnakes - 4.5 ⭐️
5. On Slide Inn Road - 4.5⭐️
6. Two Talented Bastids - 4.5
7. Dreams - 4.25⭐️
8. Red Screen - 4⭐️
9. Laurie - 3.5 ⭐️
10. Willie the Weirdo - 3.5⭐️
11. Finn - 3⭐️
12. The Turbulence Experiment - 3⭐️
June 8, 2024
This collection proves that Stephen King can't really write short stories. The quality varies a lot, but the best ones have the length of short novellas.
Top 3: Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, and The Answer Man.
Top 3: Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, and The Answer Man.
July 8, 2024
**July 7, 2024** I mentioned in my original review below that I might come back with a more thorough review and this is my addition. I've seen some grumblings about how this collection isn't "dark" at all, leaving some readers disappointed. I went into it with an open mind.
The word dark is open to so many different interpretations and expectations. In my opinion, an author can fill a story full of gore, body horror, disgusting and disturbing images. Does that make it darker? Maybe. It depends on the reader. I believe what Stephen King intended to be "darker" here dwelled on the themes of the stories. Let's look at those themes: aging, death, disease, fear, loss, mourning the loss of a loved one, or worse yet - mourning the loss of a child. Yeah. Those themes are all quite dark to me. I think You Like it Darker was plenty dark when taken from that perspective.
My rating will remain 4 out of 5 stars. Most of the book hit just right for me. Now back to my original notes below ...
I love Stephen King's short story collections. I devour them. You Like it Darker, while not the absolute best collection of his short work, was right up there among the best.
I may come back to give a more thorough review in a couple of days. For now, I'll say that my favorite story of the bunch was "Rattlesnakes." My least favorite was "Finn."
I give the collection as a whole 4 stars. I highly recommend this book to any fan of Stephen King's short fiction. I feel that's where he's always done his best work.
The word dark is open to so many different interpretations and expectations. In my opinion, an author can fill a story full of gore, body horror, disgusting and disturbing images. Does that make it darker? Maybe. It depends on the reader. I believe what Stephen King intended to be "darker" here dwelled on the themes of the stories. Let's look at those themes: aging, death, disease, fear, loss, mourning the loss of a loved one, or worse yet - mourning the loss of a child. Yeah. Those themes are all quite dark to me. I think You Like it Darker was plenty dark when taken from that perspective.
My rating will remain 4 out of 5 stars. Most of the book hit just right for me. Now back to my original notes below ...
I love Stephen King's short story collections. I devour them. You Like it Darker, while not the absolute best collection of his short work, was right up there among the best.
I may come back to give a more thorough review in a couple of days. For now, I'll say that my favorite story of the bunch was "Rattlesnakes." My least favorite was "Finn."
I give the collection as a whole 4 stars. I highly recommend this book to any fan of Stephen King's short fiction. I feel that's where he's always done his best work.
June 16, 2024
I couldn't tell you exactly why I experienced the feeling of nostalgia while reading many of these stories. Nostalgia is typically about looking into the past, and only a couple of these stories did. One story specifically looks back, one story looks forward in a unique fashion, and then there is the ghosts and link to Cujo, some forty years gone by. So yeah in a way, nostalgia makes some amount of sense. But, I think the real answer lies simply in reading King again. It's his writing of course that does this, like coming home to a place we recognize, or have missed. Not every story in here is absolutely fantastic, but damn if most of them aren't pretty good. The diversity is what grabbed me the most. Ten pagers, twenty, a hundred and fifty. Such a good mix. I won't mention a particular favorite, but will say the longer ones captured me this time around. Maybe that's another form of nostalgia too. Just wanting a story to last a little longer.
July 9, 2024
It seems like I have been reading Stephen King non-stop, still, no regrets there. How is it that I never get tired of his characters and writing?
This collection is dark even though not as dark as some of his other works. Yes, I enjoyed all of them, especially the one featuring Danny and his dream which he ultimately does not regret dreaming despite being that close!
This collection is dark even though not as dark as some of his other works. Yes, I enjoyed all of them, especially the one featuring Danny and his dream which he ultimately does not regret dreaming despite being that close!
May 28, 2024
You Like It Darker—a much anticipated book for me.
King is my guy, just as he’s probably many of yours as well. He lit my love of reading on fire as a kid and it’s never left me. I love the man, and while some of his books are definitely better than others, almost all of his stuff is worth reading.
That said, his recent output has not been his greatest work. I enjoyed some of them well enough, like Fairy Tale and Billy Summers, but King’s kick on crime fiction has lasted far longer than I think many of us anticipated back when he wrote Mr. Mercedes. Which is fine of course, but I know that while King has always and will always write what he wants to write, I have missed that vintage King horror that he does so well. There were teases of it over the years, but I’d say we haven’t seen anything that really had that vibe for it since The Institute, which was a fun book but not one of his best IMO.
That all changes with the release of You Like It Darker. And while the book overall may not be as “dark” as the title would have you believe, this is a collection that feels very vintage King. His pacing is absolutely on point throughout the whole book, all of the stories are good, and a few of them are truly great. He kicks off in high gear with Two Talented Bastids—a story that is both touching, and a bit creepy, and is among my favorites in the collection. This is high gear the whole way through.
We do have some shorter stories that may not go as many places as the others, but he switches up the vibes through while remaining insanely readable, tense, and entertaining. My least favorites here are probably Finn, Turbulence Expert, and maybe Laurie (?), but I don’t dislike a single one of those. They are all worth your time, and they all have something to take from it; something worth discussing. Something to think about. Even On Slide Inn Road, a more surface level, fun, ass kickin’ story was a blast to read. There is simply nothing bad here—it’s all good.
My favorites are Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, Two Talented Bastids, The Answer Man, and…..the much anticipated sequel to Cujo, Rattlesnakes. And this story in particular packs some surprises. If you’re an avid King reader, you’ll find that this novella is not just a sequel to Cujo, but it takes place in, and ties into, the world of another of King’s novels—one that happens to be one of my all-time favorites. The King fan-boy in me was jumping up and down, clapping my hands, and yelling “Yay!”. I’m not going to spoil which book it is here, as that’s on you to find out on your own, but if you’re a longtime CR, no doubt you will appreciate it.
All in all, this feels like the Stephen King I fell in love with when I first discovered him. The stories are high quality, well written, and memorable. King has delivered a collection that is very much on the level of his best collections like Night Shift or Skeleton Crew—I know some King fans have given up on him in recent years, for whatever reason: too many crime novels, too much Holly, not enough horror, whatever the case may be. If you’re one of those people, this is the release that you may want to consider jumping back in with. This is King doing what he does best, and I loved it.
King is my guy, just as he’s probably many of yours as well. He lit my love of reading on fire as a kid and it’s never left me. I love the man, and while some of his books are definitely better than others, almost all of his stuff is worth reading.
That said, his recent output has not been his greatest work. I enjoyed some of them well enough, like Fairy Tale and Billy Summers, but King’s kick on crime fiction has lasted far longer than I think many of us anticipated back when he wrote Mr. Mercedes. Which is fine of course, but I know that while King has always and will always write what he wants to write, I have missed that vintage King horror that he does so well. There were teases of it over the years, but I’d say we haven’t seen anything that really had that vibe for it since The Institute, which was a fun book but not one of his best IMO.
That all changes with the release of You Like It Darker. And while the book overall may not be as “dark” as the title would have you believe, this is a collection that feels very vintage King. His pacing is absolutely on point throughout the whole book, all of the stories are good, and a few of them are truly great. He kicks off in high gear with Two Talented Bastids—a story that is both touching, and a bit creepy, and is among my favorites in the collection. This is high gear the whole way through.
We do have some shorter stories that may not go as many places as the others, but he switches up the vibes through while remaining insanely readable, tense, and entertaining. My least favorites here are probably Finn, Turbulence Expert, and maybe Laurie (?), but I don’t dislike a single one of those. They are all worth your time, and they all have something to take from it; something worth discussing. Something to think about. Even On Slide Inn Road, a more surface level, fun, ass kickin’ story was a blast to read. There is simply nothing bad here—it’s all good.
My favorites are Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, Two Talented Bastids, The Answer Man, and…..the much anticipated sequel to Cujo, Rattlesnakes. And this story in particular packs some surprises. If you’re an avid King reader, you’ll find that this novella is not just a sequel to Cujo, but it takes place in, and ties into, the world of another of King’s novels—one that happens to be one of my all-time favorites. The King fan-boy in me was jumping up and down, clapping my hands, and yelling “Yay!”. I’m not going to spoil which book it is here, as that’s on you to find out on your own, but if you’re a longtime CR, no doubt you will appreciate it.
All in all, this feels like the Stephen King I fell in love with when I first discovered him. The stories are high quality, well written, and memorable. King has delivered a collection that is very much on the level of his best collections like Night Shift or Skeleton Crew—I know some King fans have given up on him in recent years, for whatever reason: too many crime novels, too much Holly, not enough horror, whatever the case may be. If you’re one of those people, this is the release that you may want to consider jumping back in with. This is King doing what he does best, and I loved it.
May 28, 2024
Excellent collection of short stories. 12 in all. I’m not usually a short story person but these are pretty solid. This has everything… ghosts, aliens, and real life monsters both human and animal in nature. Supernatural or reality… horror comes in all different way. I also love the overall feeling of mortality. Check my tiktok for a ranking of all 12 stories.
June 4, 2024
Stephen King is an old guy now, in his late seventies. And this collection is an old man’s book of tales. It takes its time. It meanders. Many of the protagonist and some of the villains in these stories are also old men. He writes them well, and why not? They say, “write what you know.” Rate this collection 3.5 stars, rounded up on the strength of its two novellas.
Two Talented Bastids: ”The daydreams of men and women of a certain age are always sad, I think, because they run so counter to the plain vanilla futures we have to look forward to.” This is a long story, heavy on King’s Mainer characters and atmosphere. Two salt of the earth Maine guys, friends from the same nowhere hick town, in mid life suddenly blossom into outstanding, famous novelist and artist respectively. The novelist’s son explores the mystery of this coincidence after the death of his aged father, and makes a startling discovery. It doesn’t matter what it is though — it could have been anything. Because what the story is really about is aging, and dreams, and handling life’s disappointments.
3 ⭐️
The Fifth Step: This one sneaks up on you. It moves along like a human interest story, kinda slow, an AA member telling his story to a stranger to fulfill the fifth step of the program. Then out of nowhere, BAM! Chilling ending.
4 ⭐️
Willie the Weirdo: Details aside, this story about a kid whose dying grandfather lives with him is the same concept as a story King did all the way back in his 1980s collection, Skeleton Crew, (Gramma), but not as scary. Recycled. Inferior. Disappointing.
1 ⭐️
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream: This novella length story is the throbbing heart of this collection. It begins with a nightmare from which nice guy Danny Coughlin wakes screaming. That too vivid vision proceeds to turn his life into a bad dream. King takes his time building the tension as Coughlin is hounded for a murder he did not commit. Danny is a great, sympathetic character, the type of decent but flawed Everyman that King does so well, and the duo of the obsessed cop and his conflicted partner determined to nail him are developed in fascinating ways as well. King does his best work with novella length stories, and here he proves that once again.
4 1/2 ⭐️
Finn: A hard luck guy is mistakenly kidnapped by a mysterious nefarious operation that mistakes his identity. Finn’s situation devolves as he’s tortured for information he can’t know, and his captor seems to be going bonkers. The ending is interesting and redeemed an otherwise meh story a little bit.
3 ⭐️
On Slide Inn Road: As this story unfolded I was struck by how much like Flannery O’Conner’s A Good Man is Hard to Find it was. As I read on it became clear that this story was a homage, and King was putting his own, unique mark on it. Best of all, he acknowledged O’Conner at the end of the tale.
4 ⭐️
Red Screen: Cop interviews a wife killer who calmly claims his wife had been replaced with alien, and that he’s discovered this is happening to many. Short, predictable, but well done.
3 ⭐️
The Turbulence Expert: A frequent flyer with a unique job helping keep planes in the not so friendly skies.
3 ⭐️
Laurie: Old man and new pup — a grieving widower is given a pup to care for and keep him company, and dog and master share a grim adventure. King has a way with dog stories.
3 ⭐️
Rattlesnake: Another novella length story, this one the much anticipated sequel to Cujo. It starts out turtle slow, but builds into a darkly creepy haunting tale. Vic Trenton retreats to Florida to grieve the death of his wife, but meets a woman still mourning her long dead toddlers, and inherits her ghosts. One of the few stories here that lives up to the collection’s title.
4 ⭐️
The Dreamers: ”All I can say to you is beware of dreams. They’re dangerous. I found out.” In each of his collections that I’ve read, King has at least one Lovecraftian style story that hints at unspeakable horrors beyond our world and understanding. In this one, a young Vietnam vet, emotionally deadened by the war, takes a job with a self proclaimed gentleman scientist who is attempting to acquire evidence of what lies beyond the veil of sleep. This one is dark.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Answer Man: The story of a life, from young manhood until the end, with its ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies. The enigmatic, prophetic Answer Man adds color, but is really just a hook to hang one man’s lifetime on. Bittersweet, like most of our lives.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Two Talented Bastids: ”The daydreams of men and women of a certain age are always sad, I think, because they run so counter to the plain vanilla futures we have to look forward to.” This is a long story, heavy on King’s Mainer characters and atmosphere. Two salt of the earth Maine guys, friends from the same nowhere hick town, in mid life suddenly blossom into outstanding, famous novelist and artist respectively. The novelist’s son explores the mystery of this coincidence after the death of his aged father, and makes a startling discovery. It doesn’t matter what it is though — it could have been anything. Because what the story is really about is aging, and dreams, and handling life’s disappointments.
3 ⭐️
The Fifth Step: This one sneaks up on you. It moves along like a human interest story, kinda slow, an AA member telling his story to a stranger to fulfill the fifth step of the program. Then out of nowhere, BAM! Chilling ending.
4 ⭐️
Willie the Weirdo: Details aside, this story about a kid whose dying grandfather lives with him is the same concept as a story King did all the way back in his 1980s collection, Skeleton Crew, (Gramma), but not as scary. Recycled. Inferior. Disappointing.
1 ⭐️
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream: This novella length story is the throbbing heart of this collection. It begins with a nightmare from which nice guy Danny Coughlin wakes screaming. That too vivid vision proceeds to turn his life into a bad dream. King takes his time building the tension as Coughlin is hounded for a murder he did not commit. Danny is a great, sympathetic character, the type of decent but flawed Everyman that King does so well, and the duo of the obsessed cop and his conflicted partner determined to nail him are developed in fascinating ways as well. King does his best work with novella length stories, and here he proves that once again.
4 1/2 ⭐️
Finn: A hard luck guy is mistakenly kidnapped by a mysterious nefarious operation that mistakes his identity. Finn’s situation devolves as he’s tortured for information he can’t know, and his captor seems to be going bonkers. The ending is interesting and redeemed an otherwise meh story a little bit.
3 ⭐️
On Slide Inn Road: As this story unfolded I was struck by how much like Flannery O’Conner’s A Good Man is Hard to Find it was. As I read on it became clear that this story was a homage, and King was putting his own, unique mark on it. Best of all, he acknowledged O’Conner at the end of the tale.
4 ⭐️
Red Screen: Cop interviews a wife killer who calmly claims his wife had been replaced with alien, and that he’s discovered this is happening to many. Short, predictable, but well done.
3 ⭐️
The Turbulence Expert: A frequent flyer with a unique job helping keep planes in the not so friendly skies.
3 ⭐️
Laurie: Old man and new pup — a grieving widower is given a pup to care for and keep him company, and dog and master share a grim adventure. King has a way with dog stories.
3 ⭐️
Rattlesnake: Another novella length story, this one the much anticipated sequel to Cujo. It starts out turtle slow, but builds into a darkly creepy haunting tale. Vic Trenton retreats to Florida to grieve the death of his wife, but meets a woman still mourning her long dead toddlers, and inherits her ghosts. One of the few stories here that lives up to the collection’s title.
4 ⭐️
The Dreamers: ”All I can say to you is beware of dreams. They’re dangerous. I found out.” In each of his collections that I’ve read, King has at least one Lovecraftian style story that hints at unspeakable horrors beyond our world and understanding. In this one, a young Vietnam vet, emotionally deadened by the war, takes a job with a self proclaimed gentleman scientist who is attempting to acquire evidence of what lies beyond the veil of sleep. This one is dark.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Answer Man: The story of a life, from young manhood until the end, with its ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies. The enigmatic, prophetic Answer Man adds color, but is really just a hook to hang one man’s lifetime on. Bittersweet, like most of our lives.
3 1/2 ⭐️
June 12, 2024
I was so fired up to start this read! The table of contents revealed many new-to-me stories.
Just thumbing through I'm seized with a gasp, my thumbs are aghast at the tissue paper pages, fingers flurrying, attempting to flee the ribald insult! Feels like Scribner (Simon&Shuster) is now competing with Charmin, Scott, and Angel Soft 🧻!
{This is a total (but not totally unrelated) aside:
Have you noticed publishers are printing on flimsier, thinner, lower quality paper than in years past? (Flimsier, thinner, lower quality seems to be a 21st century trend across all markets from books to footwear to food and everything in between! If you have any type of "older" possessions that you are fond of, keep them, newer versions, even if available, will be 💩ier! ) Hold onto to your hardbacks constant reader! Conspicuously, most contemporary tomes are coming out in trade paperback only!}
Joining the ranks of individual story raters, here we go:
TWO TALENTED BASTIDS- 5 stars
King's newest anthology is off to a great start. I question whether or not this story may be somewhat biographical, just a theory.
THE FIFTH STEP - 4.5 stars
Before rising every morning remind yourself to enjoy the day because no good deed goes unpunished.
WILLIE THE WEIRDO - 4 stars
Sweetly creepy tale that could have forseeably gone in many different directions went in a direction that I never saw coming! Good stuff.
DANNY COUGHLIN'S BAD DREAM - 3 stars
Good enough story but really didn't appreciate the denominational vibe.
FINN - 2.5 stars
Ambrose Bierce? I think not.
ON SLIDE INN ROAD - 3 stars
Classic King "lite".
RED SCREEN - 4 stars
The alien dangers of screen time.
THE TURBULENCE EXPERT - 3 stars
LAURIE - 3.5
Warm and fuzzy King.
RATTLESNAKES - 4 stars
This story displays many aspects of Classic Stephen King that many of us know and love.
THE DREAMERS - 4 stars
Supernatural Weirdness a la King.
THE ANSWER MAN - 4.5 stars
An appropriate finale.
Each story really does deserve its own detailed review, I'm just not into writing epic length reviews (yet). Cody|Cody's Bookshelf does a wonderful mini-review for each story, you can read them here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
Hmmm, how to determine a final star rating for the book as a whole?
For an anthology I usually like to base my total rating on the property of Emergence: The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts = 4.5 stars
However, I just can't convince myself of the validity of that property in this case. A Simple Arithmetic Average (mean average) could work if all the stories were the same length (weight) = 3.75 but doesn't account for differing story lengths. (I'm not going through the tedium of a weighted average.) Median Average = 4.0 but is more appropriate to growth charts and not review ratings. Nor would Geometric Average or Harmonic Average apply here.
Mode (the most frequently occuring rating) = 4.0
For me, this book was not the writing of "Classic King" and I think, maybe, the reader has to be "of a certain age" in order to fully appreciate what is going on in this anthology. Check out Panda's sensitive and insightful review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Many Good Reads to You!
Just thumbing through I'm seized with a gasp, my thumbs are aghast at the tissue paper pages, fingers flurrying, attempting to flee the ribald insult! Feels like Scribner (Simon&Shuster) is now competing with Charmin, Scott, and Angel Soft 🧻!
{This is a total (but not totally unrelated) aside:
Have you noticed publishers are printing on flimsier, thinner, lower quality paper than in years past? (Flimsier, thinner, lower quality seems to be a 21st century trend across all markets from books to footwear to food and everything in between! If you have any type of "older" possessions that you are fond of, keep them, newer versions, even if available, will be 💩ier! ) Hold onto to your hardbacks constant reader! Conspicuously, most contemporary tomes are coming out in trade paperback only!}
Joining the ranks of individual story raters, here we go:
TWO TALENTED BASTIDS- 5 stars
King's newest anthology is off to a great start. I question whether or not this story may be somewhat biographical, just a theory.
THE FIFTH STEP - 4.5 stars
Before rising every morning remind yourself to enjoy the day because no good deed goes unpunished.
WILLIE THE WEIRDO - 4 stars
Sweetly creepy tale that could have forseeably gone in many different directions went in a direction that I never saw coming! Good stuff.
DANNY COUGHLIN'S BAD DREAM - 3 stars
Good enough story but really didn't appreciate the denominational vibe.
FINN - 2.5 stars
Ambrose Bierce? I think not.
ON SLIDE INN ROAD - 3 stars
Classic King "lite".
RED SCREEN - 4 stars
The alien dangers of screen time.
THE TURBULENCE EXPERT - 3 stars
LAURIE - 3.5
Warm and fuzzy King.
RATTLESNAKES - 4 stars
This story displays many aspects of Classic Stephen King that many of us know and love.
THE DREAMERS - 4 stars
Supernatural Weirdness a la King.
THE ANSWER MAN - 4.5 stars
An appropriate finale.
Each story really does deserve its own detailed review, I'm just not into writing epic length reviews (yet). Cody|Cody's Bookshelf does a wonderful mini-review for each story, you can read them here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
Hmmm, how to determine a final star rating for the book as a whole?
For an anthology I usually like to base my total rating on the property of Emergence: The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts = 4.5 stars
However, I just can't convince myself of the validity of that property in this case. A Simple Arithmetic Average (mean average) could work if all the stories were the same length (weight) = 3.75 but doesn't account for differing story lengths. (I'm not going through the tedium of a weighted average.) Median Average = 4.0 but is more appropriate to growth charts and not review ratings. Nor would Geometric Average or Harmonic Average apply here.
Mode (the most frequently occuring rating) = 4.0
For me, this book was not the writing of "Classic King" and I think, maybe, the reader has to be "of a certain age" in order to fully appreciate what is going on in this anthology. Check out Panda's sensitive and insightful review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Many Good Reads to You!
May 26, 2024
I have just finished You Like It Darker, a collection of short stories. Stephen King’s first since 2015. And here I am again. How has it been almost a decade? I’m still fully forming my thoughts about this book as a whole. I have decided to throw out some quick thoughts on and ratings of each story. I am avoiding spoilers, of course, as I know many are still reading this or haven’t started yet.
Two Talented Bastids 5 ⭐️- Vintage King in the best way. King revisits (rewrites?) one of his most infamously reviled novels, and … the results are nothing short of stunning. A gorgeous rumination on writing, talent, and luck. Lots and lots and lots of reference to King’s other works. Marvelous opener!
The Fifth Step - 5 ⭐️ A throwback to Night Shift. To say much of anything about this would give the game away, and I’d hate to do that. What an ending.
Willie the Weirdo - 5 ⭐️ Maybe my favorite in the collection? If not my favorite, it’s close. Say, top 3. Another throwback in tone and vibe to Night Shift. Feels like King is hinting at a lot here, leaving things unsaid. He doesn’t often muddy the waters in this way.
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream - 2 ⭐️ A snooze, I fear. Overly long and frustrating, it’s a chore. It’s not terrible—no story in this collection is terrible—but I found myself counting pages while reading.
Finn - 3 ⭐️ Suffers from a lot of the same issues as Danny Coughlin, but thankfully this one is much shorter—and weirder. 3 stars it is. Also, has King ever set a story in Ireland before?
On Slide Inn Road - 3 ⭐️ Maybe go read Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” instead. But for what this is, it ain’t half bad.
Red Screen - 5 ⭐️ The shortest in the collection, this feels like another throwback to—you guessed it!—Night Shift, with an undertone of distrust in modern technologies a’la Cell. I’m finding myself comparing each of these stories to previous King works, but that isn’t a bad thing. As a collection, You Like It Darker feels like it’s in conversation with many of the themes and ideas King has been exploring for the last several decades. It’s interesting to see where he’s at in the here and now.
The Turbulence Expert - 3 ⭐️ I’d read this one before, back in 2018 or 2019, but had forgotten almost everything about it. Not hard to see why. It’s a good idea that I would’ve liked to have seen expanded further, and I felt the ending we got was a little unnecessary. A good idea that makes for a flat (but enjoyable enough) story.
Laurie - 4 ⭐️ Florida!!! I told one of my best friends, a fellow Constant Reader, before this collection released that I wanted more Florida stories from King, and with Darker I got my wish. This is maybe the most Florida-centric King book since Just After Sunset. I have a deep love for the Gulf Coast, I am a southerner to my core, and I’m always on board when King explores that area of the country. This is a sweet, slice-of-life story. Until it isn’t. Alligators—that’s all I’ll say. Ugh!
Rattlesnakes - 5 ⭐️ More Florida!!! And my favorite story here. Coming in at a hundred pages or so, this is a perfectly paced, well-written treat. Maybe one of my favorite things King has published in the last few years? The sequel to Cujo was worth the wait and the hype and I truly didn’t think it would be as good as this. It hurt me, it scared me. I won’t say anything more for risk of spoilers.
The Dreamers - 4 ⭐️ I need a little more time with this one. Maybe I need to reread it. I know I’ll come to love it, and I love it now … but I need more time with it.
The Answer Man - 5 ⭐️ If “Rattlesnakes” weren’t in this collection, The Answer Man would be my favorite. I might have shed a tear or two. King’s great at doing that to me! Thank God he didn’t finish this in the ‘70s, no way could he have pulled off a story such as this, a tender and knowing one that required an older man’s hand.
—
Adding these ratings together and dividing by 12, that gives me a 4.08. So 4 stars for this collection it is. That feels fair. King has blessed us with yet another stunning collection, one that gives the reader lots to think about … and one with lots of Florida!!!
Two Talented Bastids 5 ⭐️- Vintage King in the best way. King revisits (rewrites?) one of his most infamously reviled novels, and … the results are nothing short of stunning. A gorgeous rumination on writing, talent, and luck. Lots and lots and lots of reference to King’s other works. Marvelous opener!
The Fifth Step - 5 ⭐️ A throwback to Night Shift. To say much of anything about this would give the game away, and I’d hate to do that. What an ending.
Willie the Weirdo - 5 ⭐️ Maybe my favorite in the collection? If not my favorite, it’s close. Say, top 3. Another throwback in tone and vibe to Night Shift. Feels like King is hinting at a lot here, leaving things unsaid. He doesn’t often muddy the waters in this way.
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream - 2 ⭐️ A snooze, I fear. Overly long and frustrating, it’s a chore. It’s not terrible—no story in this collection is terrible—but I found myself counting pages while reading.
Finn - 3 ⭐️ Suffers from a lot of the same issues as Danny Coughlin, but thankfully this one is much shorter—and weirder. 3 stars it is. Also, has King ever set a story in Ireland before?
On Slide Inn Road - 3 ⭐️ Maybe go read Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” instead. But for what this is, it ain’t half bad.
Red Screen - 5 ⭐️ The shortest in the collection, this feels like another throwback to—you guessed it!—Night Shift, with an undertone of distrust in modern technologies a’la Cell. I’m finding myself comparing each of these stories to previous King works, but that isn’t a bad thing. As a collection, You Like It Darker feels like it’s in conversation with many of the themes and ideas King has been exploring for the last several decades. It’s interesting to see where he’s at in the here and now.
The Turbulence Expert - 3 ⭐️ I’d read this one before, back in 2018 or 2019, but had forgotten almost everything about it. Not hard to see why. It’s a good idea that I would’ve liked to have seen expanded further, and I felt the ending we got was a little unnecessary. A good idea that makes for a flat (but enjoyable enough) story.
Laurie - 4 ⭐️ Florida!!! I told one of my best friends, a fellow Constant Reader, before this collection released that I wanted more Florida stories from King, and with Darker I got my wish. This is maybe the most Florida-centric King book since Just After Sunset. I have a deep love for the Gulf Coast, I am a southerner to my core, and I’m always on board when King explores that area of the country. This is a sweet, slice-of-life story. Until it isn’t. Alligators—that’s all I’ll say. Ugh!
Rattlesnakes - 5 ⭐️ More Florida!!! And my favorite story here. Coming in at a hundred pages or so, this is a perfectly paced, well-written treat. Maybe one of my favorite things King has published in the last few years? The sequel to Cujo was worth the wait and the hype and I truly didn’t think it would be as good as this. It hurt me, it scared me. I won’t say anything more for risk of spoilers.
The Dreamers - 4 ⭐️ I need a little more time with this one. Maybe I need to reread it. I know I’ll come to love it, and I love it now … but I need more time with it.
The Answer Man - 5 ⭐️ If “Rattlesnakes” weren’t in this collection, The Answer Man would be my favorite. I might have shed a tear or two. King’s great at doing that to me! Thank God he didn’t finish this in the ‘70s, no way could he have pulled off a story such as this, a tender and knowing one that required an older man’s hand.
—
Adding these ratings together and dividing by 12, that gives me a 4.08. So 4 stars for this collection it is. That feels fair. King has blessed us with yet another stunning collection, one that gives the reader lots to think about … and one with lots of Florida!!!
June 30, 2024
„Разбираш ли какво имам предвид, когато казвам, че е лесно да задаваш въпроси, които не помагат за разбирането? Те обезценяват целия процес на питането, нали? На задълбаването във въпросите.“
„Харесвате го по-мрачно“ е поредният превъзходен сборник на Стивън Кинг! Творбите в него са много силни и мрачни, атмосферата определено е тягостна, обаче същевременно са страшно увлекателно поднесени... Чичо Стиви отново и още по-убедително се е утвърдил като един от най-великите майстори на разказите и новелите, разказвайки ярки и запомнящи се кратки истории с умерени, но и незабравими свръхестествени елементи.
Абсолютен фаворит от новелите ми е великолепната „Кошмарът на Дани Кохлин“! Главният герой в нея има изключително странен сън, който го въвлича в страховити неприятности... „Две талантливи копелета“ и „Гърмящите змии“ също се оказаха отлично изградени и вълнуващи новели. В едната постепенно се разкрива мистерията как две обикновени момчета са се превърнали в доста успешни писател и художник, а пък в другата главният герой се премества да живее във Флорида, където го очаква напрегната свръхестествена загадка... Въпреки че се явява продължение на „Куджо“, „Гърмящите змии“ спокойно може да се прочете самостоятелно, а и ми се струва много по-добра от романа. Любимият ми разказ е „Човекът отговор“, в който умело са повдигнати много значими теми за размисъл, а пък „На Слайд Ин Роуд“ и „Сънуващите“ също силно ме впечатлиха!
„Той се разсмя, после погледна изненадано... сякаш не беше знаел, че може да се смее.
- Не може да ви бъде дадено нещо, което не съществува вътре във вас. Това е аксиома.“
„Разказва им всичко, но не може да предаде яснотата на съня, онова чувство за пълна реалност.“
„- Не криеш никакви пушки, нали, дядка? – пита Гейлън.
- Не, те са за момчета като вас...“
„Вярно беше. И с падането на нощта стената между истинските неща и цялата друга равнина на съществуване може да изчезне напълно.“
„Нещо се беше случило с мен. Бях станал любопитен. Това беше едновременно добре дошло и страховито. Беше чувство, а в моя свят чувствата не се срещаха в изобилие.“
„Духна вятър, увисналите краища на червения чадър заплющяха, а прошарената коса на Човека отговор се разроши. Той погледна пустия път с дълбока меланхолия.
- Есента се точи бавно за мен, а октомври е най-бавният месец от всички. Мисля, че през есента повече хора са в състояние сами да намират отговорите на въпросите си.“
„Харесвате го по-мрачно“ е поредният превъзходен сборник на Стивън Кинг! Творбите в него са много силни и мрачни, атмосферата определено е тягостна, обаче същевременно са страшно увлекателно поднесени... Чичо Стиви отново и още по-убедително се е утвърдил като един от най-великите майстори на разказите и новелите, разказвайки ярки и запомнящи се кратки истории с умерени, но и незабравими свръхестествени елементи.
Абсолютен фаворит от новелите ми е великолепната „Кошмарът на Дани Кохлин“! Главният герой в нея има изключително странен сън, който го въвлича в страховити неприятности... „Две талантливи копелета“ и „Гърмящите змии“ също се оказаха отлично изградени и вълнуващи новели. В едната постепенно се разкрива мистерията как две обикновени момчета са се превърнали в доста успешни писател и художник, а пък в другата главният герой се премества да живее във Флорида, където го очаква напрегната свръхестествена загадка... Въпреки че се явява продължение на „Куджо“, „Гърмящите змии“ спокойно може да се прочете самостоятелно, а и ми се струва много по-добра от романа. Любимият ми разказ е „Човекът отговор“, в който умело са повдигнати много значими теми за размисъл, а пък „На Слайд Ин Роуд“ и „Сънуващите“ също силно ме впечатлиха!
„Той се разсмя, после погледна изненадано... сякаш не беше знаел, че може да се смее.
- Не може да ви бъде дадено нещо, което не съществува вътре във вас. Това е аксиома.“
„Разказва им всичко, но не може да предаде яснотата на съня, онова чувство за пълна реалност.“
„- Не криеш никакви пушки, нали, дядка? – пита Гейлън.
- Не, те са за момчета като вас...“
„Вярно беше. И с падането на нощта стената между истинските неща и цялата друга равнина на съществуване може да изчезне напълно.“
„Нещо се беше случило с мен. Бях станал любопитен. Това беше едновременно добре дошло и страховито. Беше чувство, а в моя свят чувствата не се срещаха в изобилие.“
„Духна вятър, увисналите краища на червения чадър заплющяха, а прошарената коса на Човека отговор се разроши. Той погледна пустия път с дълбока меланхолия.
- Есента се точи бавно за мен, а октомври е най-бавният месец от всички. Мисля, че през есента повече хора са в състояние сами да намират отговорите на въпросите си.“
June 2, 2024
You Like It Darker [2024] By Stephen King
My Review 4.0 Stars
I was very pleased to acquire a copy of King’s newest short story collection he named “You Like It Darker” (and nothing could be truer). I started reading it before a single customer review had been posted. That is not anything I aspire to, but it has never happened to me before. The collection of stories contains a total of twelve in all, and not all of them are new, which is known. There are five included which have never been published if I recall correctly.
“Two Talented Bastids” was the first story in the book, and it has not been previously published. An intrepid female reporter attempts to solve the mystery of why two ordinary men, friends since childhood, and of modest means, would unremarkably reach middle age, and then like turning on a spigot, would each become rich and famous. One became a talented painter and the other a celebrated novelist. The son of the writer at least knew that “something” must have happened when the pair went on a planned hunting trip in the 30-Mile Wood. The author develops the story nicely, and it engaged my interest and kept me on the hook for the answer to the enigma until the last penny dropped. I was not surprised by the answer to the big question, but I also liked the spin the author put to the end of the story. It could not be considered dark or scary in my opinion, but it was a good and interesting tale of inexplicable rags-to-riches in mid-life for two lucky and nice fellows. Rated it 4 Stars.
“The Fifth Step” was second up to bat, and ostensibly an alcoholic in recovery was instructed by his sponsor to carry out The Fifth Step in the AA’s list of requirements. Just call me “Jack” approaches a total stranger reading the NYT on a bench in Central Park. The fellow’s name is Harold Davieson and he agrees to listen to the list of wrongdoings by (“Jack”). Harold was regretting his decision when the fellow started his list of bad behaviors going back to grade school. This one was right up by alley and scored a strike. 5 Stars.
“Willie The Weirdo” was another standout 5-Star Read. An average family with two kids (10-year-old Willie a poster child for a psychopath in training) were caring for the man’s elderly grandfather. Sharon and Richard did not care much for the old man, which is putting it rather mildly. The 12-year-old daughter Rosie did not care for “Gramps” either and talked to her mother about how her weird little brother Willie who was suggested to be a slow learner due to Remedial Schooling, spent all his time with “Gramps”. All of the clues were provided to the reader. I thought “huh” and did not pick them up. The author surprised me with this one, a satisfying and sinister twist. Loved it.
“Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” started out as intriguing and the narrative held my interest but began to wane toward the end. This was a rather long story in the book. Danny has a vivid dream of seeing a location and a dead body. It is his first psychic phenomena ever experienced. Danny is a sympathetic protagonist and tries to leave an anonymous tip for the police. It does not require a psychic to predict what happened next. The characters are well drawn, and the story is very well written. I liked it certainly, but I felt like it stalled and maybe was a little too long. This was one of the long stories unpublished prior to this new collection of short works. I allotted it 4 Stars.
“Finn” is number 5 and the first story that failed to resonate with me on any level. It was about a fellow who if he had no bad luck, he would have no luck at all. I rated it 2 Stars.
“On Slide Inn Road” started with Granpop’s dinosaur of a Buick creeping along the dirt road at twenty miles an hour. This is the story of a family driving together to take Gramps (Donald) to see his sister who is dying. There is Frank and his wife Corinne, and their two children 11-year-old Billy and 9-year-old Mary. Pops is 75 years old. It is a rather long trip and Grandpa has requested that his son drive his big Buick and also take a shortcut past the Inn. He is taking a large bag of mementos to his sister who was quite the softball player. King's sense of humor is present and accounted for (l chuckled under my breath a few times but LOL once). The characters are well drawn, and the story is perfectly plotted. It was a fantastic yarn which offered up an autopsy of the family dynamics before it was done. It was 5 Stars for me all day long on this one, and if you wanted to consider it dark you could look at it that way.
“Red Screen” is about a homicide detective who gets assigned a domestic murder case and the husband who brutally murdered his wife tells the cop it was justified and why that was the case. It would constitute a “spoiler” to reveal the murderer’s reasoning. This was a short story that relied upon a gimmick to communicate bad intentions, but it is a story I did not really understand. I rated it a generous 3 Stars only because I was not sure I comprehended the storyline.
“The Turbulence Expert” was number 8 and it was both fascinating and imaginative but also made a statement about the human spirit. That was my opinion anyway. I could write a lot more about the story, which strikes me as sci-fi. I liked it enough to award an easy 4 Stars.
“Laurie” at number 9 was touch and go until King delivered like the master storyteller he happens to be. It was about a grieving widower, a sister who strived to fix things, and a little mixed breed puppy. My emotions were taken on a rollercoaster ride, but I kept the eyes dry, but hastened to prepare a cover story for a leak if my partner glanced over. 5 Stars all day long.
“Rattlesnakes” at number 10 is the big kahuna that readers were waiting for with bated breath. It was the sequel to the much enjoyed “Cujo”. The grieving youngish father of the young son he lost in Cujo is now an elderly grieving man in his seventies. He has never gotten over the loss of his son from the events in Cujo. But now his grief is fresh again because he recently lost his wife and has no one. He opted to change location to Rattlesnake Key (Florida) because of Covid and his friend Greg had a vacant house on the lake. There are more details to the above, but I am trying to avoid spoilers especially pertinent to the novel Cujo. There is some mention of the doomed Duma Key. There is just so much heartache, loss, grief, and longing in this long story that it felt oppressive. He has a neighbor, an elderly woman who lost her twin boys decades ago to death from encountering a rattlesnake den. She has no family now, husband also gone. I will disclose that this is a ghost story, replete with revenants and manifestations. That said, the novella was not scary, but only sad from my perspective. Now I have read a few beautiful reviews of this novella online. I would predict that most King fans will love it. I just did not, and aside from the fact that sadness and grief seemed to be in every direction I looked, there was the cruel and inhumane rattlesnake round up which was mentioned frequently and described in detail (even the senseless murder of nonvenomous and harmless species that were encountered in the round up). This entry to the collection was certainly dark but did not resonate with me, and the community’s giddy murder of every snake on the island made me sick. This was well written with rich character development and provided an integrated somewhat complex plot. I rated it 2.5 Stars.
“The Dreamers” came in at number 11 and well, this was a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft if I ever read one. I did not care at all for the story but then truthfully, I have never understood the works of Lovecraft. I even mention it in my profile. But hey, most horror fans do like Lovecraft? It was scary and nauseating in equal measure, but barely interesting enough for 3 Stars.
“The Answer Man” rounds out the Master of Horror’s dozen dark tales. King’s masterful storytelling and talent for character development in short stories came through loud and clear. This was a slow burn, elating, heartbreaking, and poignant. I read the author’s notes and was enlightened that this story was a long time in the finishing. It was finished by an excellent storyteller and held my attention all the way. Would you want to know your future if you could only ask "The Answer Man"? I would rate it 4 Stars.
In all, I enjoyed this fine collection of short stories by the master. I might not be a “Constant Reader” but when I am reading, I am all in. Overall, an excellent read. The average rating was 3.875 which I am rounding up to 4 Stars.
ENJOYABLE COLLECTION OF SHORT WORKS BY THE MASTER OF HORROR
My Review 4.0 Stars
I was very pleased to acquire a copy of King’s newest short story collection he named “You Like It Darker” (and nothing could be truer). I started reading it before a single customer review had been posted. That is not anything I aspire to, but it has never happened to me before. The collection of stories contains a total of twelve in all, and not all of them are new, which is known. There are five included which have never been published if I recall correctly.
“Two Talented Bastids” was the first story in the book, and it has not been previously published. An intrepid female reporter attempts to solve the mystery of why two ordinary men, friends since childhood, and of modest means, would unremarkably reach middle age, and then like turning on a spigot, would each become rich and famous. One became a talented painter and the other a celebrated novelist. The son of the writer at least knew that “something” must have happened when the pair went on a planned hunting trip in the 30-Mile Wood. The author develops the story nicely, and it engaged my interest and kept me on the hook for the answer to the enigma until the last penny dropped. I was not surprised by the answer to the big question, but I also liked the spin the author put to the end of the story. It could not be considered dark or scary in my opinion, but it was a good and interesting tale of inexplicable rags-to-riches in mid-life for two lucky and nice fellows. Rated it 4 Stars.
“The Fifth Step” was second up to bat, and ostensibly an alcoholic in recovery was instructed by his sponsor to carry out The Fifth Step in the AA’s list of requirements. Just call me “Jack” approaches a total stranger reading the NYT on a bench in Central Park. The fellow’s name is Harold Davieson and he agrees to listen to the list of wrongdoings by (“Jack”). Harold was regretting his decision when the fellow started his list of bad behaviors going back to grade school. This one was right up by alley and scored a strike. 5 Stars.
“Willie The Weirdo” was another standout 5-Star Read. An average family with two kids (10-year-old Willie a poster child for a psychopath in training) were caring for the man’s elderly grandfather. Sharon and Richard did not care much for the old man, which is putting it rather mildly. The 12-year-old daughter Rosie did not care for “Gramps” either and talked to her mother about how her weird little brother Willie who was suggested to be a slow learner due to Remedial Schooling, spent all his time with “Gramps”. All of the clues were provided to the reader. I thought “huh” and did not pick them up. The author surprised me with this one, a satisfying and sinister twist. Loved it.
“Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” started out as intriguing and the narrative held my interest but began to wane toward the end. This was a rather long story in the book. Danny has a vivid dream of seeing a location and a dead body. It is his first psychic phenomena ever experienced. Danny is a sympathetic protagonist and tries to leave an anonymous tip for the police. It does not require a psychic to predict what happened next. The characters are well drawn, and the story is very well written. I liked it certainly, but I felt like it stalled and maybe was a little too long. This was one of the long stories unpublished prior to this new collection of short works. I allotted it 4 Stars.
“Finn” is number 5 and the first story that failed to resonate with me on any level. It was about a fellow who if he had no bad luck, he would have no luck at all. I rated it 2 Stars.
“On Slide Inn Road” started with Granpop’s dinosaur of a Buick creeping along the dirt road at twenty miles an hour. This is the story of a family driving together to take Gramps (Donald) to see his sister who is dying. There is Frank and his wife Corinne, and their two children 11-year-old Billy and 9-year-old Mary. Pops is 75 years old. It is a rather long trip and Grandpa has requested that his son drive his big Buick and also take a shortcut past the Inn. He is taking a large bag of mementos to his sister who was quite the softball player. King's sense of humor is present and accounted for (l chuckled under my breath a few times but LOL once). The characters are well drawn, and the story is perfectly plotted. It was a fantastic yarn which offered up an autopsy of the family dynamics before it was done. It was 5 Stars for me all day long on this one, and if you wanted to consider it dark you could look at it that way.
“Red Screen” is about a homicide detective who gets assigned a domestic murder case and the husband who brutally murdered his wife tells the cop it was justified and why that was the case. It would constitute a “spoiler” to reveal the murderer’s reasoning. This was a short story that relied upon a gimmick to communicate bad intentions, but it is a story I did not really understand. I rated it a generous 3 Stars only because I was not sure I comprehended the storyline.
“The Turbulence Expert” was number 8 and it was both fascinating and imaginative but also made a statement about the human spirit. That was my opinion anyway. I could write a lot more about the story, which strikes me as sci-fi. I liked it enough to award an easy 4 Stars.
“Laurie” at number 9 was touch and go until King delivered like the master storyteller he happens to be. It was about a grieving widower, a sister who strived to fix things, and a little mixed breed puppy. My emotions were taken on a rollercoaster ride, but I kept the eyes dry, but hastened to prepare a cover story for a leak if my partner glanced over. 5 Stars all day long.
“Rattlesnakes” at number 10 is the big kahuna that readers were waiting for with bated breath. It was the sequel to the much enjoyed “Cujo”. The grieving youngish father of the young son he lost in Cujo is now an elderly grieving man in his seventies. He has never gotten over the loss of his son from the events in Cujo. But now his grief is fresh again because he recently lost his wife and has no one. He opted to change location to Rattlesnake Key (Florida) because of Covid and his friend Greg had a vacant house on the lake. There are more details to the above, but I am trying to avoid spoilers especially pertinent to the novel Cujo. There is some mention of the doomed Duma Key. There is just so much heartache, loss, grief, and longing in this long story that it felt oppressive. He has a neighbor, an elderly woman who lost her twin boys decades ago to death from encountering a rattlesnake den. She has no family now, husband also gone. I will disclose that this is a ghost story, replete with revenants and manifestations. That said, the novella was not scary, but only sad from my perspective. Now I have read a few beautiful reviews of this novella online. I would predict that most King fans will love it. I just did not, and aside from the fact that sadness and grief seemed to be in every direction I looked, there was the cruel and inhumane rattlesnake round up which was mentioned frequently and described in detail (even the senseless murder of nonvenomous and harmless species that were encountered in the round up). This entry to the collection was certainly dark but did not resonate with me, and the community’s giddy murder of every snake on the island made me sick. This was well written with rich character development and provided an integrated somewhat complex plot. I rated it 2.5 Stars.
“The Dreamers” came in at number 11 and well, this was a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft if I ever read one. I did not care at all for the story but then truthfully, I have never understood the works of Lovecraft. I even mention it in my profile. But hey, most horror fans do like Lovecraft? It was scary and nauseating in equal measure, but barely interesting enough for 3 Stars.
“The Answer Man” rounds out the Master of Horror’s dozen dark tales. King’s masterful storytelling and talent for character development in short stories came through loud and clear. This was a slow burn, elating, heartbreaking, and poignant. I read the author’s notes and was enlightened that this story was a long time in the finishing. It was finished by an excellent storyteller and held my attention all the way. Would you want to know your future if you could only ask "The Answer Man"? I would rate it 4 Stars.
In all, I enjoyed this fine collection of short stories by the master. I might not be a “Constant Reader” but when I am reading, I am all in. Overall, an excellent read. The average rating was 3.875 which I am rounding up to 4 Stars.
ENJOYABLE COLLECTION OF SHORT WORKS BY THE MASTER OF HORROR
June 24, 2024
Overall, a great collection of SK stories. Not a single complaint.
Two Talented Bastids -- What I thought MIGHT be a nice tie-in to Tommyknockers actually turned out to be a rather wholesome, if eerie, tale. 5/5
The Fifth Step - 4/5
Willie the Weirdo - What a creepy damn kid. 4/5
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream - I loved every second of this. Poor Danny! This is King in top form. 5/5
Finn - I really felt sorry for this kid. Of course, the twist... 4/5
On Slide Inn Road - Old grandpa is a real hoot. Great language, ya old popcorn fart. :) 5/5
Red Screen - A nice twist on "picking". A bit of the normal and a good horrible wallop of the other. 4/5
The Turbulence Expert - 4/5
Laurie - Nothing like a little dog to lighten up your life. :) 5/5
Rattlesnakes - Wicked pram tale. Easily one of the best stories in this collection. I thought it was all kinds of cool that it carries Cujo on, so many years past that puppy's expiration date. More than anything else, though, this was one hell of a good ghost story. 5/5
The Dreamers - Oooohhh I love SK's cosmic horror stories. 5/5
The Answer Man - A good twist on a monkey paw story. And as always, the answer is in the proper question. :) 5/5
Two Talented Bastids -- What I thought MIGHT be a nice tie-in to Tommyknockers actually turned out to be a rather wholesome, if eerie, tale. 5/5
The Fifth Step - 4/5
Willie the Weirdo - What a creepy damn kid. 4/5
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream - I loved every second of this. Poor Danny! This is King in top form. 5/5
Finn - I really felt sorry for this kid. Of course, the twist... 4/5
On Slide Inn Road - Old grandpa is a real hoot. Great language, ya old popcorn fart. :) 5/5
Red Screen - A nice twist on "picking". A bit of the normal and a good horrible wallop of the other. 4/5
The Turbulence Expert - 4/5
Laurie - Nothing like a little dog to lighten up your life. :) 5/5
Rattlesnakes - Wicked pram tale. Easily one of the best stories in this collection. I thought it was all kinds of cool that it carries Cujo on, so many years past that puppy's expiration date. More than anything else, though, this was one hell of a good ghost story. 5/5
The Dreamers - Oooohhh I love SK's cosmic horror stories. 5/5
The Answer Man - A good twist on a monkey paw story. And as always, the answer is in the proper question. :) 5/5
May 28, 2024
Ready to start a book club and talk about all of King’s characters who possess ✨the s h i n e✨
my favorites from the collection in order as they appear in the book: Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, Laurie, The Answer Man.
my favorites from the collection in order as they appear in the book: Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, Laurie, The Answer Man.
May 23, 2024
Audiobook (20+ hours) narrated by Will Patton and the author, Stephen King
Will Patton knocks this one out of the park!
I wasn't expecting King to narrate more than the afterword. Just starting The Turbulence Expert and he narrates this one. Surprisingly there's a bit of a fuzzy type or grainy texture background noise. Not sure that explains it correctly, but it isn't as pin drop clear as Will's narrated stories.
King also narrates Laurie, although the audio for this narration is pin drop clear. Both stories that King narrates had been previously published and released on audio, narrated by King. I suspect that these narrations were dropped in, rather than re-recorded.
All other stories in this compilation are narrated by Will.
The narration is fantastic! I highly recommend going with the audiobook for this read or pick up both if you like to follow along in print.
Narration and audio are high quality, unless otherwise noted there are no distortions, erroneous noise or obvious edits.
A good listening speed seems to be between 1x and 2.25x speed.
Two Talented Bastids (2.5 hours) - 5 stars
It seems fitting that the opening story takes place in the state of Maine.
Will Patton, the narrator, may be from South Carolina, but he does a great job with the Maine accent. I'm from Boston and I believe him!
The Fifth Step (21 minutes) - 5 stars
Willie the Weirdo (26 minutes) - 5 stars
A story about a grandson and his grandpa
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream (6+ hours) - 5 stars
This story is stressful! At one point I was feeling deeply sad and anxious for Danny, at the verge of tears. Not finished with it yet. Fingers crossed. I mean it's King and all, but f...
Yeah, I cannot tell you all how this one turns out, but it's pretty great.
Finn (55 minutes) - 5 stars
King mentions three BBC shows in this one, including Doctor Who. 5 stars for that alone!
On Slide Inn Road (48 minutes) - 5 stars (I mean Yaz, so obv, right?)
The rules of king include, when there's an opportunity to mention baseball, ⚾ Yaz is never a bad option!
Red Screen (20 minutes) - 4 stars
This is a short but not sweet, creepy vibing story, so yeah it was the last one I read before bed!
The Turbulence Expert (30+ minutes) - 5 stars
Was shocked to hear King's voice narrating this one! I don't mind King as a narrator, however this one's background audio isn't pin drop clear like the others. Disappointed about that.
This one is an artfully descriptive flight from Boston to Sarasota. Probably don't read this one too close to any planned airline travel. It isn't pretty!
Laurie (50+ minutes) - 5 stars
This one is also a King narration, but is pin drop clear! I wonder if the previous story is an older recording that they decided to drop into the book rather than re-record it, since it had previously been seen in the anthology Flight or Fright.
This short story was actually seen before in Elevation. I thought it sounded familiar! I had previously stated "Elevation was just OK, but Laurie was such an awesome short story. I felt the story from the moment it started to it's end. It's worth the read just for the second story." To add a bit of context, the story starts off when Beth gives her older brother, Lloyd, a puppy. Lloyd names this puppy, Laurie.
Rattlesnakes (3 hours 47 minutes) - 10 out of 10!
As a sequel to Cujo, this story is awesome. If you haven't read Cujo there are spoilers, however it's possible to enjoy this story without having read it's prequel. It's also possible to know the spoilers and enjoy Cujo after the fact. The enjoyment in both stories are in the journey more so than the destination.
So.
Much.
Good.
The Dreamers (1 hour 24 minutes) - 5 stars
A young Vietnam vet takes a job as a stenographer, a skill he learned from his recently deceased sister.
Hold on! This one is a wild ride!
The Answer Man (2+ hours) - 5 stars
The last and final dark short story of King's new collection.
This was good.
Overall, this short story collection is, as advertised, darker.
The stories are ordered perfectly, with larger and shorter stories laced together, some a bit of scare, others creep, mysterious, or a combination of.
Some of the stories seemed that they had earned a pause before the next, for thoughts and reflections. Others demanded it, as the tales aftershocks or character shadows lurked and lingered until properly laid to rest with a few moments of contemplation, rumination, or perhaps a bit of celebration.
Six or seven of the shorter stories were previously published, two in novels and the others in magazine publications. Constant reader, Justin Tate, did a good job notating where each story was previously published in his review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(I don't know Justin, but felt it was proper to direct those interested to him, instead of copying his work and giving him credit. This way, perhaps you would be more likely to give him a like for the extra effort he made.)
Overall this is a great piece of work by King and will be added to my favorites list, as I intent to revisit it every so often. I especially look forward to planning a re-read of Cujo, followed by a re-read of Rattlesnakes.
Recommend, with a nod towards the audiobook, as stated about Will Patton didn't play around with this one. He came to win and it shows.
====
Addendum to my review (5/23/2024): After ruminating over this collection for several hours, there's a bit more that I want to say that I really wasn't sure how to make note of, without talking about one of the big fears of humanity that we, as a society, tend to not speak out loud as it pertains to those who we care about.
Stephen King, one of the few Americans born a King. A name that would later be spoken as his status as an author for his skills and talents. This man, who walks around New England, as a regular guy, donating time to local libraries and the wellness and gift of being able to read and reading to those who cannot yet, or cannot any longer; is in his seventy-sixth year of a human life.
One of the things that stood out in this collection, is a shifting focus towards older characters and end of life stories. It makes sense. As we age, if we remain open, we learn so much not just about the world but about ourselves, what makes us tick, perhaps why people do what they do. For those of us who 'people watch' as an interest in similarities and differences of how people act and react, trying to understand why some embrace the realness of our flawed selves that may include past mistakes which were, perhaps embarrassingly stupid, others pretend like that never happened. So much so that some people reject those who have done the same, perhaps punishing children or calling attention in big ways to those who would 'do such a thing.'
King has a gentleness of his approach to some of these 'oddities' and realities of real life, even as he lays them in front of us in a way that can grip us from within.
I theorize that while some of the things that have kept him awake for decades, like his known fear of flying, the new kid on the block is become darker and more pronounced as the shadow of death creeps nearer and nearer to his doorstep.
This is something that I did not want to think about. King has been on this earth, hell living in my little corner of the world, for the entirety of my existence.
The thing is that he is thinking about it.
He is writing about it.
In You Like It Darker, King doesn't shy away from contemplating about life itself. As you read through this collection of stories, you will read different ways that people physically and mentally struggle with the last laps. I was thinking about the darkness of his thoughts in his writing the entire time I was reading this. There's a lot of past themes that show up, some of them his personal fears raw with the lingering stench of reality, that can only come from those who understand it from the inside out, the outside in, red and sore from being tossed, turned and torn apart over and over again.
There's just so much in this book to peel back. A lifetime, literally.
While I think if I was a nicer, gentler individual, that last sentence would ideally be my last thought on the subject. I cannot stop myself from thinking:
As much as this man who has shaped parts of my world and my perception of it through reading his words. As much as I believe that people should be able to have time for themselves and not work until they have taken their last breath.
My greedy self isn't done with King. I do like it darker and I want more.
Side note, if Mr. King ever were to read my review (not that he would but you know in my imaginative mind), Thank you.
Will Patton knocks this one out of the park!
I wasn't expecting King to narrate more than the afterword. Just starting The Turbulence Expert and he narrates this one. Surprisingly there's a bit of a fuzzy type or grainy texture background noise. Not sure that explains it correctly, but it isn't as pin drop clear as Will's narrated stories.
King also narrates Laurie, although the audio for this narration is pin drop clear. Both stories that King narrates had been previously published and released on audio, narrated by King. I suspect that these narrations were dropped in, rather than re-recorded.
All other stories in this compilation are narrated by Will.
The narration is fantastic! I highly recommend going with the audiobook for this read or pick up both if you like to follow along in print.
Narration and audio are high quality, unless otherwise noted there are no distortions, erroneous noise or obvious edits.
A good listening speed seems to be between 1x and 2.25x speed.
Two Talented Bastids (2.5 hours) - 5 stars
It seems fitting that the opening story takes place in the state of Maine.
Will Patton, the narrator, may be from South Carolina, but he does a great job with the Maine accent. I'm from Boston and I believe him!
The Fifth Step (21 minutes) - 5 stars
Willie the Weirdo (26 minutes) - 5 stars
A story about a grandson and his grandpa
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream (6+ hours) - 5 stars
This story is stressful! At one point I was feeling deeply sad and anxious for Danny, at the verge of tears. Not finished with it yet. Fingers crossed. I mean it's King and all, but f...
Yeah, I cannot tell you all how this one turns out, but it's pretty great.
Finn (55 minutes) - 5 stars
King mentions three BBC shows in this one, including Doctor Who. 5 stars for that alone!
On Slide Inn Road (48 minutes) - 5 stars (I mean Yaz, so obv, right?)
The rules of king include, when there's an opportunity to mention baseball, ⚾ Yaz is never a bad option!
Red Screen (20 minutes) - 4 stars
This is a short but not sweet, creepy vibing story, so yeah it was the last one I read before bed!
The Turbulence Expert (30+ minutes) - 5 stars
Was shocked to hear King's voice narrating this one! I don't mind King as a narrator, however this one's background audio isn't pin drop clear like the others. Disappointed about that.
This one is an artfully descriptive flight from Boston to Sarasota. Probably don't read this one too close to any planned airline travel. It isn't pretty!
Laurie (50+ minutes) - 5 stars
This one is also a King narration, but is pin drop clear! I wonder if the previous story is an older recording that they decided to drop into the book rather than re-record it, since it had previously been seen in the anthology Flight or Fright.
This short story was actually seen before in Elevation. I thought it sounded familiar! I had previously stated "Elevation was just OK, but Laurie was such an awesome short story. I felt the story from the moment it started to it's end. It's worth the read just for the second story." To add a bit of context, the story starts off when Beth gives her older brother, Lloyd, a puppy. Lloyd names this puppy, Laurie.
Rattlesnakes (3 hours 47 minutes) - 10 out of 10!
As a sequel to Cujo, this story is awesome. If you haven't read Cujo there are spoilers, however it's possible to enjoy this story without having read it's prequel. It's also possible to know the spoilers and enjoy Cujo after the fact. The enjoyment in both stories are in the journey more so than the destination.
So.
Much.
Good.
The Dreamers (1 hour 24 minutes) - 5 stars
A young Vietnam vet takes a job as a stenographer, a skill he learned from his recently deceased sister.
Hold on! This one is a wild ride!
The Answer Man (2+ hours) - 5 stars
The last and final dark short story of King's new collection.
This was good.
Overall, this short story collection is, as advertised, darker.
The stories are ordered perfectly, with larger and shorter stories laced together, some a bit of scare, others creep, mysterious, or a combination of.
Some of the stories seemed that they had earned a pause before the next, for thoughts and reflections. Others demanded it, as the tales aftershocks or character shadows lurked and lingered until properly laid to rest with a few moments of contemplation, rumination, or perhaps a bit of celebration.
Six or seven of the shorter stories were previously published, two in novels and the others in magazine publications. Constant reader, Justin Tate, did a good job notating where each story was previously published in his review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(I don't know Justin, but felt it was proper to direct those interested to him, instead of copying his work and giving him credit. This way, perhaps you would be more likely to give him a like for the extra effort he made.)
Overall this is a great piece of work by King and will be added to my favorites list, as I intent to revisit it every so often. I especially look forward to planning a re-read of Cujo, followed by a re-read of Rattlesnakes.
Recommend, with a nod towards the audiobook, as stated about Will Patton didn't play around with this one. He came to win and it shows.
====
Addendum to my review (5/23/2024): After ruminating over this collection for several hours, there's a bit more that I want to say that I really wasn't sure how to make note of, without talking about one of the big fears of humanity that we, as a society, tend to not speak out loud as it pertains to those who we care about.
Stephen King, one of the few Americans born a King. A name that would later be spoken as his status as an author for his skills and talents. This man, who walks around New England, as a regular guy, donating time to local libraries and the wellness and gift of being able to read and reading to those who cannot yet, or cannot any longer; is in his seventy-sixth year of a human life.
One of the things that stood out in this collection, is a shifting focus towards older characters and end of life stories. It makes sense. As we age, if we remain open, we learn so much not just about the world but about ourselves, what makes us tick, perhaps why people do what they do. For those of us who 'people watch' as an interest in similarities and differences of how people act and react, trying to understand why some embrace the realness of our flawed selves that may include past mistakes which were, perhaps embarrassingly stupid, others pretend like that never happened. So much so that some people reject those who have done the same, perhaps punishing children or calling attention in big ways to those who would 'do such a thing.'
King has a gentleness of his approach to some of these 'oddities' and realities of real life, even as he lays them in front of us in a way that can grip us from within.
I theorize that while some of the things that have kept him awake for decades, like his known fear of flying, the new kid on the block is become darker and more pronounced as the shadow of death creeps nearer and nearer to his doorstep.
This is something that I did not want to think about. King has been on this earth, hell living in my little corner of the world, for the entirety of my existence.
The thing is that he is thinking about it.
He is writing about it.
In You Like It Darker, King doesn't shy away from contemplating about life itself. As you read through this collection of stories, you will read different ways that people physically and mentally struggle with the last laps. I was thinking about the darkness of his thoughts in his writing the entire time I was reading this. There's a lot of past themes that show up, some of them his personal fears raw with the lingering stench of reality, that can only come from those who understand it from the inside out, the outside in, red and sore from being tossed, turned and torn apart over and over again.
There's just so much in this book to peel back. A lifetime, literally.
While I think if I was a nicer, gentler individual, that last sentence would ideally be my last thought on the subject. I cannot stop myself from thinking:
As much as this man who has shaped parts of my world and my perception of it through reading his words. As much as I believe that people should be able to have time for themselves and not work until they have taken their last breath.
My greedy self isn't done with King. I do like it darker and I want more.
Side note, if Mr. King ever were to read my review (not that he would but you know in my imaginative mind), Thank you.
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