Stephen King, the top seller in the horror book Bazaar, remains an excellent writer in the technical sense. It’s his mundane imagination; a lot of his tales are simply boring; and corny sense of humor that might have you demanding a refund. Even the best short stories in this collection; Premium Harmony and The Little Green God Of Agony; are merely decent.
my rating : 2 of 5
2015
2018
stephenking.com
The most interesting character in this story, about a lung cancer patient who makes, as the phrase goes, a deal with The Devil, is also the most ridiculous. That character’s name is George Elvid and he’s a “pudgy” salesman who at least serves as a metaphor for the aforementioned entity.
He offers Dave Streeter, who’s been told he has a few months to live, an Extension in the form of a longer life in exchange for money and a redistribution of his (Streeter’s) bad luck or “negative weight”. It’s a silly premise with a mundane plot and odd references to real-life celebrity news bits.
my rating : 2 of 5
2010
This is a good story during its early stages as a married couple; Mary and Clark; drive down a back road in the “boonies” of Oregon. The two being lost, surrounded by wilderness, as the sun heads west conjure a genuine sense of suspense.
The road goes awry from there. Where they end up and what (who) they see when they get there is a major letdown in comparison to what came before. An engaging tale based in reality is spirited away to a silly dream-like fantasy world.
my rating : 2 of 5
1992
This story, about a woman experiencing déjà vu on a second honeymoon trip to Captiva Island, is one of Stephen King’s worst. It’s a lot of biographical rambling, mostly about the woman’s mundane marriage, without any narrative payoff.
my rating : 1 of 5
1998
Jack is John Hamilton; a real-life member of the infamous Dillinger Gang. This is Stephen King’s depiction of his final days told from the perspective of partner-in-crime Homer Van Meter.
It’s a narrative that reads like an old western à la Louis L’Amour. If it weren’t based on true events, The Death Of Jack Hamilton could’ve made for the start, or end, of an interesting series.
my rating : 4 of 5
2001
It’s not really about the car. It’s about Dolan himself; the “high-priced hoodlum” responsible for the death of a woman named Elizabeth. She was going to testify as an eyewitness against him in criminal court and probably have him sent to prison for a long time. This tale is told from the perspective of her widower husband Robinson.
What makes it work is that the goal; to avenge Elizabeth’s car bomb murder by killing Dolan in his Cadillac; is set from the beginning, resulting in a steady drive of anticipation as Robinson plans it out in meticulous detail. The story goes on a little too long at the end, but Dolan’s Cadillac stands as one of Stephen King’s best.
my rating : 4 of 5
1985
“If It Bleeds, it leads,” the old news trope goes, but what if it bores? That’s the problem with this book; a set of Stephen King novellas à la Full Dark No Stars, Four Past Midnight and Different Seasons. The worst is The Life Of Chuck; a fictional biography about a man I couldn’t care less about.
The best is Rat, which seems like it’s going to be a decent story; the headline here reads something like Novelist With Flu Stuck In Cabin During Killer Cyclone; until its ridiculous title character comes into play. It’s Stephen King’s preference for the strange and supernatural that ruins this one.
Mr Harrigan’s Phone, about a boy gifting a dying “luddite” with an iPhone, plods along drearily, though John Harrigan is probably the most interesting character If It Bleeds has to offer. The silly title bit, which stars Holly Gibney and follows The Outsider, is about a shapeshifting news reporter.
my rating : 2 of 5
2020
richardhdent :
Look forward to reading it!
This is a trilogy of Stephen King stories. The first, Quitters Inc, about a clinic that goes to extreme measures to get people to stop smoking, is a drag. The Ledge and General; General is the name of the Cat that strings these little movies together; are better.
my rating : 3 of 5
1985