Four Past Midnight

From Publishers Weekly

Jet passengers are stuck in a time-slip, a psychopath accuses a writer of plagiarism, a man with an overdue book encounters a demonic librarian and a boy's camera snaps photos of a huge and nasty dog in these four horror novellas. According to PW , "None is wildly scary, and only "The Library Policeman" offers King's typical, colloquial, hard-driving conversational style with its compulsive readability."

Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Like some denizen of the dark, King weaves a spell evoking terror and shivers as he takes readers on a nightmarish journey in this quartet of novellas. In "Longoliers" a group of airline passengers awake to an empty plane, and an empty world. They have become stuck in time, out of sync with the present at 20,000 feet. "Secret Window, Secret Garden" finds novelist Mort Rainey confronted by an eerie character who accuses him of plagiarism, and has come to settle up. In "Sun Dog," Kevin Delevan gets exactly what he wanted for his 15th birthday, a Polaroid "Sun 660" camera, but every picture he takes shows a salivating "hell hound" getting closer and closer. In "Library Policeman," the best of the four, Sam Peebles borrows two books from the library late one night, and the librarian warns him not to be late returning them. What Sam doesn't know is that she was a child murderer who committed suicide in 1960, and when he loses the books, her library policeman pays him a visit. Four Past Midnight is one of King's best recent works. It is hard to put down, truly chilling, and sure to be enjoyed by YA horror aficionados everywhere.

John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

He never seems to use up the magic...these four novellas demonstrate the qualities that have made King by far the world’s most popular author. (Chicago Tribune)

King is a master storyteller, and you will never forget these stories. (Seattle Times)

Four times fear equals total terror…Stephen King’s best…You can’t do better. (Chicago Tribune)

Four King jolts in the night….indisputable mastery. (Washington Times)

A 4-course feast of chilling horror. (Milwaukee Journal)

King is above all a master storyteller and these stories grab and will not let go…they have their share of suspense, violence,monsters, and eye-popping special effects. But what makes them special…is the believable, often moving ways his characters react when confronted with the unknown. (Washington Post)

Good news. The King is back, horror fans! (Orlando Sentinel)

Four spellbinding tales of horror and evil-anyone of which would be sufficient annual output for an ordinary writer. More than just good yarns, these are can’t-tear-your-eyes-away stories that burn in your imagination. (Playboy)

A double-double whopper hot from the grill of‘America’s literary boogeyman,’ as he puts it in his introduction: four sizzling horror novellas…there’s grand entertainment value here. (Kirkus)

The four novellas find horror in a transcontinental night flight, a camera, a small-town library, and a quiet Maine summer town…King is, above all, a master story teller, and these stories grab hold and will not let go. (Seattle Times)

Intriguing…horrifying…pure King. (Richmond Times Dispatch)

Vintage King…creepy and mysterious, leading the reader into strange places where horror lurks, childhood fears are aroused, and death and madness are waiting to pounce…grabs the reader by the scruff of the neck until the end. (The Columbia State)

A collection of novellas bringing us supernatural excitement…plenty of scarifying King-style fun. (Newark Star-Ledger)

King writes great horror because King is great writer. Four Past Midnight will have you occupied- but then, time flies when you’re having fun. (San Diego Tribune)

Wonderfully scary…King is unpretentious fun….promises a chillingly good time. (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

Stephen King – ya gotta love him. (Booklist)

Consistently inventive….under King’s deft hand time is made to bend and warp, to twist itself inside out with the easy fluidity of a Dali pocket watch. King can snap time open, unleashing horrors upon his hapless characters, or roll it back like a dark tide to reveal secrets hidden at the low ebb mark…The juxtaposition of bizarre events against ordinary settings creates a strong sense of the immediacy…heightening the already well-established tension. (Bangor Daily News)

Deft, subtly skillful….exceptionally well-crafted tales…the sure hand of a master…with a relentless grip on readers. (Tampa Tribune Times)

King’s best work…his novella collection has all the right stuff. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The four chilling tales are rich…each of them with an intensity that never loosens its hold on the darker corners of our minds. (Chicago Tribune)

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.