Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
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Four Past Midnight

by

Stephen King

(Author)

4.5

-

2,727 ratings


Includes the story “The Sun Dog”—set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine

The Bram Stoker Prize-winner for Best Fiction Collection—four chilling novellas from Stephen King that will “grab you and not let go” (The Washington Post).

With the success of the Hulu series 11/22/63 starring James Franco and the highly anticipated The Dark Tower movie release, Stephen King's brand is stronger than ever. This collection, nominated for a Locus Award, is guaranteed to keep readers awake long after bedtime, and features an introduction and prefatory notes to each novella by the author. “Stephen King is a master storyteller, and you will never forget these stories,” raves the Seattle Times about Four Past Midnight.

One Past Midnight: “The Langoliers” takes a red-eye flight from LA to Boston into a most unfriendly sky. Only eleven passengers survive, but landing in an eerily empty world makes them wish they hadn’t. Something’s waiting for them, you see.

Two Past Midnight: “Secret Window, Secret Garden” enters the suddenly strange life of writer Mort Rainey, recently divorced, depressed, and alone on the shore of Tashmore Lake. Alone, that is, until a figure named John Shooter arrives, pointing an accusing finger.

Three Past Midnight: “The Library Policeman” is set in Junction City, Iowa, an unlikely place for evil to be hiding. But for small businessman Sam Peebles, who thinks he may be losing his mind, another enemy is hiding there as well—the truth. If he can find it in time, he might stand a chance.

Four Past Midnight: “The Sun Dog,” a menacing black dog, appears in every Polaroid picture that fifteen-year-old Kevin Delevan takes with his new camera, beckoning him to the supernatural. Old Pop Merrill, Castle Rock’s sharpest trader, aims to exploit The Sun Dog for profit, but this creature that shouldn’t exist at all, is a very dangerous investment.

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ISBN-10

1501143492

ISBN-13

978-1501143496

Print length

960 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Scribner

Publication date

August 01, 2016

Dimensions

5.5 x 2 x 8.38 inches

Item weight

1.88 pounds


Product details

ASIN :

B018ER7KLM

File size :

3426 KB

Text-to-speech :

Enabled

Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

Not Enabled

Word wise :

Enabled

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Editorial reviews

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.

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About the authors

Stephen King

Stephen King

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, MR MERCEDES, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both MR MERCEDES and END OF WATCH received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.

King co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game and It.

King was the recipient of America's prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine.

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Reviews

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

2,727 global ratings

Capybara12

Capybara12

5

Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2023

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Great short stories.

Hud

Hud

5

Good Story

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023

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Added to my interesting storie collection.

T.H.

T.H.

5

One story

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2023

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Loved " The Secret Window"

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