Stephen King -- who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one New York Times bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies -- delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first since Everything's Eventual six years ago. As guest editor of the bestselling Best American Short Stories 2007, King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His renewed passion for the form is evident on every page of Just After Sunset. The stories in this collection have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Esquire, and other publications.
Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying -- journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable -- and resourceful -- as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark. In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.," which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.
Just After Sunset -- call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.
You wont be dissapointed though it's not up to the same snuff as some of his previous Short story compliations. Still. Worth the price. N the story and N the DvD were an interesting combo. Well put together.
writes,
Stephen King's latest short story collection, Just After Sunset, is a case of hit and miss, with a little something for everyone. In his introduction to Constant Reader, King talks about his editing the Best American Short Stories collection for 2007 and how he rediscovered his love for writing short stories, learning and educating himself in reading the many short stories for the collection. Featuring less stories than his usual collections, Just After Sunset features some of King's best short stories he's ever written, as well as a blend of action-packed, artistic, and outright disturbing stories in the classic, morbid King style.
Just After Sunset begins with the best of the collection, "Willa," an unusual tale about a group of people at a train station. David has found that his wife to be, Willa, has left the station and gone into town. He must bring her back before the train arrives. He finds her at a bar where there is music, drinking and merriment. And it is here he discovers a realization that changes the very world around him.
In "The Gingerbread Girl," Emily Owensby has had enough of her life and runs away to her father's vacation house in the Florida Keys. It is here that she must find out what she wants to do with her life, but as she pays a visit to a neighbor, she finds herself thrown into a situation that threatens her very life.
"Mute" is a story about an acquaintance between a supposed deaf-mute person and Monette and what happens when he reveals his true feelings. "N." is the dark tale about a man's destroyed psyche as he supposedly fights to maintain the fabric of reality and prevent the monsters on the other side from breaking through. In the final story, "A Very Tight Place," King explores the idea of what would happen if one were in a Port-A-Potty that got tipped over on the door side, trapping the person within.
Just After Sunset is not one of Stephen King's best short story collections, for some of the stories just try to hard, or aren't that good, and yet there are some, like "Willa," "N.," and "Mute," that fire the imagination and leave the reader wanting more.
Find more reviews, as well as a selection of my writing, and a link to the book review podcast BookBanter at www.alexctelander.com.
writes,
Bought this book as a Christmas gift for my wife. She is a Stephen King fan and collects all his books.
