THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS: STORIES by Stephen King

It's always an event when a new Stephen King short story collection is released. Much of his best material comes in the short form and he's proven time and again to be one of the best short story writers working these days. I adored his previous collection Just After Sunset, and I couldn't wait to jump into this one! I had read about a third of the stories when they were previously published, including the two novellas in the collection, the inventive and entertaining magic Kindle story UR, and the highly disappointing killer car story Mile 81, which is wrecked by it's atrocious ending.

Unfortunately my favorite stories in the book were ones I'd read before, which lessened my enjoyment a bit with the collection as a whole. It's by no means a bad collection, I just didn't have many amazing discoveries but enjoyed the re-reads. My favorites were the captivating "Morality," about a New York City couple who are approached with a tempting way to get themselves out of the economic slump, the beautiful and heartbreaking story of a highway accident, "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive," and the Raymond Carver-esque tale of a doomed marriage, "Premium Harmony", all of which I'd read before. There were a few new stories that I enjoyed and which read like classic King shorts: "The Dune" (which had a nifty ending), "Obits," and "Bad Little Kid," all of which would fit snugly right in the middle of his Skeleton Crew collection.

Some of the others were less enjoyable, with King's occasional tendency toward disappointing endings on display. He's famous for not outlining his stories and not knowing what will happen once he starts writing, which most of the time is not a problem. But in some of these stories, it's glaringly obvious and he doesn't bring it home very well. But as I mentioned, a collection of new King stories is always a big deal. And there's enough great stuff here to get excited about!

"Memory's job is not only to recall the past but to burnish it."

GRADE: B-

REVIVAL by Stephen King

GRADE: C

Although I've taken a little break from reading lots of Stephen King in order to focus on discovering other authors, he remains one of my very favorite writers. And when I read the synopsis for his latest novel Revival, I wanted to give it a shot. The book narrates the decades-long connection between Jamie Morton and Charlie Jacobs, which began when Jamie was a little boy and Charlie a young, popular Methodist reverend. 

As usual, King his talent for great writing here, especially in the sections showing Jamie coming of age in a small town. But ultimately the book was strangely unengaging, and it's hard to pin down why. But I think it might have something to do with it's time-jumping structure. With Jamie and Charlie reinventing themselves almost completely throughout the decades, it's hard to really connect with either of them. And the book feels like King had tons of ideas he wanted to get down on paper, but it never really amounts to something satisfying. In fact the climax feels like something out of a completely different novel from the first half. Sometimes, as in the disappointing ending of Needful Things, when King pulls out crazy supernatural stuff from way out of left field, it doesn't really fit and feels forced.  Part of me feels as if this should have been better as a tighter written novella or long short story.

I don't know, maybe my my expectations were high because it's King and the book has been promoted as having "the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written." No, not so much. That distinction still goes to Pet Sematary or his short story "The Jaunt."

THE GREEN MILE by Stephen King

GRADE: A+

Whenever I mention to people that Stephen King is one of my favorite authors and that they should read more of his work, sometimes I get that "look". So many times he's dismissed into the "genre ghetto" as a popular horror writer and not a gifted writer of "literary" fiction. It frustrates me, because many people have no idea how gifted of a writer he truly is and how versatile he is. Obviously these same people have never read his novellas in the collection Different Seasons, or The Dead Zone, or 11/22/63, or Hearts in Atlantis, or this book especially.

The story is set in the 1930's and follows Paul Edgecomb, the head warden on the death row ward of Cold Mountain Penitentiary, a man whose job is to try to make the prisoners' last days and trip to "Old Sparky" as peaceful and humane as possible. One day, a new inmate arrives, John Coffey, a gentle giant black man who is accused on raping and murdering two white young twin sisters. But John Coffey has a special gift. And soon, once Edgecomb and the other guards learn the truth about Coffey, they will soon have all of their beliefs challenged and learn the true meaning of sacrifice and redemption.

“Sometimes there is absolutely no difference at all between salvation and damnation.” 

I believe that The Green Mile is superb. It is solidly on my list of favorite books and it's quite possibly the best full-length novel Stephen King has written. Although at the moment my favorite King novel is The Stand, I believe that this one is better written. It's mood and tone is pitch perfect, with the air of a fable laced with magical realism. The story truly moved me. When I read it for the first time years ago, I finished with what might have been a couple tears in my eyes. And that's a big deal, given the fact that I'm such a hardened badass. Stephen King shows a real knack of being able to take what should be very a brutal, depressing subject like death row during the Depression and infuse it with beauty, emotion, and sentiment that never feels forced. This novel is sincerely special and has stuck with me forever. If you've never read Stephen King's work because you don't like horror stories, then read this and it will make you a fan. If you are already a King fan and haven't read this, then do yourself a favor at start this one immediately.

Favorite Novels by Stephen King

My Top 10 Favorite Novels by Stephen King

*excludes novellas, short stories, and collections*

1. The Stand

2. The Green Mile

3. The Long Walk

4. The Dead Zone

5. 11/22/63

6. Pet Sematary

7. Under The Dome

8. 'Salem's Lot

9. Misery

10. The Dark Tower Saga

PET SEMATARY by Stephen King

GRADE: A

"Sometimes, dead is better."

One night in 2010 I was visiting my then long-distance fiancé in Alexandria, VA and could not sleep due to serious allergies and jetlag. So, as to not disturb her with my constant sneezing, I spent most of the long late night out in her living room and reading Stephen King's Pet Sematary, in the light of one dim table lamp. After reading the chapter where Louis first ventures onto the Native American burial ground on an eerie moonlit night, I closed the book and realized that I could confidently say that this was the scariest novel I had ever read.

Although some of it might have been the fact that I was reading it in such a prime environment, that vividly written sequence is one of the only times I truly got chills when reading. 

Louis Creed has recently moved his family to a small town and everything seems to be great despite the fact that the local highway has so many instances of killing pets, there is an animal cemetery near their home for all the roadkill victims. It is rumored that deeper in the woods past the cemetery is an ancient burial ground that has more creepier purposes.

Aside from being well-plotted, creepy and evocative, the novel is scary because it taps into basic and primal fears that many families have. The novel is also melancholy and tragic. It goes to such depths of fear and sadness that King himself thinks it's his scariest novel and thought that he might have gone too far after writing it. And the final line of the novel (simple and inevitable but at the same time absolutely terrifying and depressing) sums up what makes this book so effective. It's a standout book out of many great ones from one of our best writers.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

GRADE: A

High school teacher Jake Epping is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. An old former night-school student is on his death-bed and confides in Jake that he has discovered in the pantry of his diner, a portal back in time to 1958. He then enlists Jake to travel back and prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Who could resist that?!

Stephen King takes an already familiar and popular science-fiction concept and turns it into one of his best novels, a wonderful story that transcends the genre. It's at the same time an irresistibly exciting time-travel adventure, a nostalgic look back at the Sixties, and a beautiful love story. When King is firing on all cylinders like this and hits the mark, he hits it hard, proving that he's among the very best. 

JUST AFTER SUNSET: Stories by Stephen King

GRADE: A-

I've heard so many people critique Stephen King by saying that his books are always long and he needs editing. That boggles my brain, because to me he seems to be one of the only mainstream authors that consistently releases great short stories, short novels, and novellas. And this book once again proves that he's one of the top dogs of the short fiction format.

This might actually be one of my favorite Stephen King short story collections (and yes I've pretty much read all of them)! This is his collection with the strongest, most cohesive themes connecting each story. Many of the stories have to do with accepting and overcoming death and loss. There's also a definite influence by 9/11 events in many of the stories. There's a lot less pure horror in here than many expect from King.

But that's not to say that King has lost his touch for the macabre. "The Cat from Hell" reads like something that would have been right at home in his first collection, Night Shift, and the most popular work from the collection: the fabulous novella "N.", is a creepy tale of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder told in the intriguing epistolary format that ultimately takes a Lovecraftian turn. But there are also some very quiet, tender, and beautifully written pieces here, like the first story "Willa".

I liked almost all the stories in this collection. The only one that I was not all that keen on is another popular one from the set, "Stationary Bike". It just didn't grab me. 

My favorites here include: the beautiful "The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates", the brilliantly suspenseful "A Very Tight Place", "Willa", "N.", "Harvey's Dream", and "The Things They Left Behind".

FULL DARK, NO STARS: STORIES by Stephen King

GRADE: B+

A solid collection of four novellas by Stephen King!

The novella 1922 makes this collection worth reading. Not only is it my favorite story in the collection, I think that the other stories pale in comparison. 

Big Driver was disappointing, while both Fair Extension and A Good Marriage were fairly good. But 1922 is a very well-written descent into madness. I couldn't help but keep reading as the main character and his son disintegrate after committing a terrible crime. It's a very dark story and might not be some readers' cup of tea, but I loved it. A true homage to the likes of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Now, it's one of my favorite novellas by King, and one of his best works!

THE STAND by Stephen King

GRADE: A

One of my favorite novels, this book truly earns the overused label of EPIC. The premise, in which a deadly superflu wipes out more than 90% of the world's population, and the survivors fighting a battle between good and evil for the remaining civilization, is enough to warrant a reading.

The novel has the most well-drawn ensemble of characters in any novel I've read, great prose, and more memorable scenes than you can count. It has a great mix of action, drama, romance, science fiction, and fantasy. At first, I held off on reading this because of the hefty page-count (over 1100 pages), but after I picked it up, I flew through it, and it never felt like a page was wasted.

Like many others, I was a little disappointed in the climax, even though I understood the meaning and reasoning behind it. But there are so many other awesome things about this book and it still continues to be one of my favorites! You know you've got a great book that will stand the test of time when you can still name most of the characters by first and last names years after reading it.