 2008-11-25 - Oh, no. Say it's not so.
What can I say? If you've read the book, then maybe you already know. I got up on the day of release excited b/c S.K.'s new short story book was out. I thought maybe it could be as good as Skeleton Crew or Nightmares in Dreamscapes, but after finishing it, I was sadly mistaken. Here's a quick rundown of the stories:
Willa--not really my cup of tea. We find out mid-story that they're ghosts. Ok--fine. But they don't really do anything. A bunch of them are waiting in an abandoned train station. 3 of 10.
The Gingerbread Girl--This was a MUCH better story than the first. Kind of long though. I think the first part could've been told through back story. The end wasn't surprising. I would've had another lunatic kill him, instead of the simple drowning. 7 of 10.
Harvey's Dream--I didn't see the point in this one. Harvey has a little premonition that one of his daughters is dead. Big whup. 1 of 10.
Rest Stop--Awesome story; horrible ending! It started out great, but what happened? Nothing, that's what! The main character bullies a guy at a rest stop, then drove away. WTF? We needed some revenge. If Steve had combined this story with the Gingerbread Girl ... then wow! But as it stands ... 5 of 10.
Stationary Bike--What the heck was that? I'll tell what it was. That was a couple thousand words of mindless rambling, which mae no sense whatsoever. I don't see how anyone could sit back and be proud of a story like that. This one definitely should have went to the slush pile! 0 of 10.
The Things They Left Behind-- Oh, my goodness gracious! What a waste! What the heck is going on with these horrible stories? This was SOMETHING about 9-11. I couldn't tell between all the rambling. Is this book almost done yet? Geesh! 2 of 10.
Graduation Afternoon--This has got to be one of the stupidest S.K. short stories I have ever read! Here's a challenge: I want you, Stephen King, to publish this very story under a different name. I guarantee it won't happen! Is it possible to give a negative here? 0 of 10.
N.--This one was a lot better. It hits on OCD. The first part was a bunch of rambling, which I didn't care for, but the second part is what made the story. When the DOCTOR started having the same symptoms. It reminded me a lot of the story, Survivor Type, when the main character is going bonkers. 6 of 10.
The Cat From Hell--seems like a title an adolescent would give his firty story. If you can remember the cat in Cat's Eye, then you can picture it running amok. The way it crawled down that dude's throat was pretty cool. Even for the story's stupidity I gave it a 6 of 10.
The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates-- what in the world? I was actually ENJOYING this story when it ends suddenly. This should've been a whole lot longer, which would've made it a whole lot better. There so many directions he could've taken this. But didn't. 5 of 10.
Mute--Not a bad case of storytelling. It's right down the middle of not bad but not very exciting either. 5 of 10.
Ayana--I didn't care for this one at all. It seemed to be nothing but a "filler" story to get the page count up. Although I can't imagine S.K. having trouble getting the page count up. I guess he could've made the previous story longer to make up for THIS mess. 3 of 10.
A Very Tight Place--This was easily the most digusting story. Being trapped in an overturned Port-A-Potty? Ew. It was a fun read--not scary in the least, but I don't think that's what the author had in mind. 6 of 10.
As for the book in its entirety? Not good. I would NOT read this again. a 49 out of 130? Not good. It may be time to hang it up, old friend.
 2008-11-25 - Stephen King delivers once again. . .
Just After Sunset hooked me right from the very first story and never let up on it's grip, even after I had finished the book. It was the first collection of short stories that I have read by King, so I cannot compare it to his other collections. But I can compare it to other short story collections, and Just After Sunset surpasses all of them. It would be hard if not impossible to find another author who can match the creativity of Stephen King. He really is a master at what he does, and this collection of short stories is more proof of his greatness. This is a must-have for any Stephen King fan or anyone who wants to get a book that is deserving of their hard earned money.
2008-11-25 - Still King
I'm a bit surprised - disappointed even - in the rather mediocre average review score for Stephen King's anthology, "Just After Sunset." While this collection of short stories is not steeped in the sensational terror and gore of King's earlier works (most of which I thought were terrific), "Sunset" reflects a more mature King - the master of words relying less on horror and more on the subtleties of ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I always found King a keen observer of culture and society - one of the best at capturing the most mundane details of ordinary life, and in King's case, weaving them into a dark fabric of fear that lures one from the familiarity of (a pet, a car, and friendly neighbor...) into unsettled and disturbing worlds, and epic battles of good vs. malevolence. All of which are reflected in this baker's dozen of darkness - twelve new and the "bonus" of "The Cat from Hell" - an early King tale that made it to the big screen in the 1990 movie "Tales from the Darkside". To the point, the contrast in style between the graphic and simple story lines of "Hell Cat", and the cleverly drawn irony of "Mute" could not be more pronounced. Both frightening, engaging, and entertaining reads, but where "Cat" is pretty much gothic horror, "Mute" is a cleverly drawn, sophisticated tale of suspense and murder that would fit well in a collection of Hitchcock.
I didn't find a bad story in the lot, but if I were to pick my favorites, in addition to the fiendish "Mute", I'd place the diabolically gross "A Very Tight Place" near the top of the list. Or the poignant "The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates" - an oft-told tale in many respects, but never replayed more beautifully than here. Another from that dimension into which we may pass after death is the opener, "Willa", a story that takes a few pages to get into, and may have you scratching your head at first. But when it delivers, it delivers a punch more sorrowful than it is terrifying. But perhaps the defining effort is "N.", a frightening drama that recalls earlier King themes, but twists them around into a gripping and thoughtful thriller bridging Stonehenge and crop circles with pastoral Maine landscapes.
Events like King's near-fatal accident in 1999 and 9/11 clearly had a huge impact on the author's life, and the imprint of these seminal events are very evident in these pages. If there is a common theme between these pages, it is individual reaction to unthinkable tragedy, tempered by King's own passage from near death. While King chose "horror" as his literary path to follow, I'm certain the strength of his prose would have placed him near the top of any genre. Not unlike Poe, King's "Cold damp winds, white skies and fleeing crows" evoke disturbing but familiar images - places we'd prefer not to be but revel in reading. So while this may not be "The Stand", it is not "Cell" either, but a collection of dark little gems that will again remind us how fortunate we are to have King, the rare author as talented as he is prolific.
 2008-11-24 - Worthwhile read.
If you're a fan of King's short stories, the this is a worthwhile read. It's been a while since his last story collection, so this is a good addition for the King fan. Some of the stories have been previously published in several magazines. This is a nice collection though. The stories vary in length, subject matter and genre. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, so I'll leave it at that. King also adds some notes in the end that explain where the stories come from. It's a nice addition to the book. All in all, I found it an entertaining read.
 2008-11-24 - 3 and Out
"3 and out" is a common expression used in football to signify a team possessing the football for 3 downs and then having to punt the ball to the other team. In this case, it refers to the number of stories I read in the new SK book before I gave up. The 3 stories I read were "Willa," "Harvey's Dream," and "Graduation Day." I found nothing special or particularly interesting about "Willa," especially the ending. "Harvey's Dream" was boring. However, the worst of the 3 was easily "Graduation Day." Girl dates guy, guy's mom dislikes girl, New York city gets nuked. Huh??? Whatever happened to the SK who put together awesome collections like Night Shift and Skeleton Crew? I understand styles change, but come on.
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