Full Dark, No Stars

The stories Stephen King tells cause us to look deep within ourselves and possibly confront the darkness of our own sinful hearts. They cause us to ask and answer what would we do in a certain situation. The stories in this collection are very "in-your-face" Old Testament style stories. King holds nothing back. You will feel revulsion, anger, sadness, and probably many other emotions as you read.

Full Dark, No Stars is the newest collection of short stories put out by Stephen King. What we get is four stories which look at what normal, ordinary people would possibly do in extraordinary situations.

In the first story, "1922", the main character, Wilfred Leland James, is sitting in a hotel room writing out his confession of killing his wife in 1922. Wilfred could be considered the "anti-Job" since Job was righteous and went through hell because of a bet between the Devil and God. Wilfred's resulting situation is a consequence of murdering his wife with the help of his son, Henry. You walk through the year 1922 and the following years with "Wilf" as he travels down the road to the point he is compelled to write this confession. His regret for bringing his son into it is greater than the crime itself. As some reviewers have said, it is very Poe-esque.

The second story, "Big Driver", is about the rape of Tess and the fragmentation of her mind because of it. Tess is an author who is a last minute replacement for a Books & Brown Baggers, a noon lecture series with different authors at Chicopee Public Library. The head librarian Ramona Norville afterwards suggests a shortcut home, a more scenic route. That is where the story really begins. As Tess' car gets a flat in the middle of nowhere - this blue truck pulls up and offers to help her and at the end she has to face the stranger within.

In the third story, "Fair Extension", we meet Dave Streeter, a 50-year-old man who is dying of cancer, who, on a whim, stops on the side of an airport extension road and meets a salesman named George Elivd, who specializes in all types of extensions - from life extensions to loan extensions (which Dave knows all about being a loan officer at a bank) to almost anything else. The cost? Not his soul, for as Mr. Elivd says, souls "have become poor and transparent things" but only 15% of his yearly income. All he has to do is name who he hates the most and he will have 15, even possibly 20 to 25 years of life extension given to him. But there is a cost, to the person he hates.

The last story, "A Good Marriage," looks at Bob and Darcy's great 27 year marriage, which is not as it seems. Bob is a coin collector and a partner in his CPA firm. He has left for a few days to close a deal and look at some new coins. While she is at home the remote stops working so she goes out to look for batteries. And she stumbles upon a secret that will change everything. The question is, can she forgive and forget and move on and save the marriage? Or is it all shot to hell?

This book is not for the faint of heart but I still highly recommend it. For it causes each of us to ask the questions that, at least most of the time, we try very hard not to...

From Third Option Men

I loved these stories. They were as close to perfection as you can get. I think this type of collection- four stories that aren't too long nor too short-are where Stephen King really shines. Similar collections include Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight, both of which were great.

I think the reason why this is so is because Stephen King's greatest literary strength is his ability to think up compelling story ideas. And stories of this length offer the perfect opportunity to explore these ideas sufficiently, without taking too many detours and going off on too many tangents.

That's not to say that there's anything wrong with a really long novel, at least if it's done right. When it's done right, a long novel becomes a very rich experience- something you remember with fondness, maybe even amazement, for the rest of your life. But, when it's done wrong, a long novel becomes a chore. It becomes more of an academic exercise than an enjoyable experience. Many of Stephen King's long novels, in my opinion, are just okay- they fall somewhere in that frustrating gray area between academic exercise and enjoyable experience.

But not so with these stories. I was enraptured and intrigued all the way through these babies. It was just so much fun!

I would say the most meaningful one is definitely the story about the dying guy who makes a deal with the devil, to not just save his life, but to improve it greatly. I've often thought myself that this sort of thing actually exists in real life. This often seems to me to be the more palatable explanation than just explaining everything away through the advent of good or bad luck.

The most violent story in this collection is definitely the first one. And as I was reading it I thought that it might actually be too much, that the horrible violence was so graphic and disturbing that it was going to ruin the story completely. Fortunately, however, the violence was relatively brief, and the suspense, education and intrigue that followed made up for it.

I was also very pleased to discover that there was what was essentially a mystery story in this package. It was a mystery story and a thriller all rolled into one! Talk about striking it lucky! I'm an ardent fan of such stories- both real and fiction. It was essentially this plot-style that led me to the horror genre in the first place. Horror stories, as a general rule, for all their violence, offer the best mysteries. I can't miss an episode of 48 Hours Mysteries, and I couldn't put this story down!

Although all these stories were creepy, the only one that I would definitely call horror would be the last one. Don't be fooled by the title! On television, the show The Good Wife is not about the adventures, trials and tribulations of a shy reclusive housewife. It is actually a story about life in a successful law firm, which is essentially run by tough, smart hard-working women. Similarly, this story, Good Marriage, is not about the adventures and misadventures of a happy housewife.

Instead, it is a very intrigueing character study of a serial killer! I've always been fascinated by such stories, not because I enjoy hearing or reading about the activities of these degenerates, but because I've always been intrigued by the vastness and complexity of the human mind. The field of Abnormal Psychology is one of the most fascinating fields in science, in my opinion. When you study it you learn all about the things that can go wrong with the mind of an intelligent being. And because, in general, life is hard, and always has been, for many of us, you end up learning alot about yourself and your ancestors. You learn about how to deal better with all the trials and tribulations that life throws your way.

Am I saying that a hard life creates criminals? No, I'm not saying that, at least for most of us, and for most of the time. In fact, only a very small percentage of the population could be considered to be deviant enough to be considered psychotic. However, I do think every one of us has a dark side. And I think one of the main goals of this life is to learn how to control this dark side, to learn how to be a good person even in the face of adversity.

And so, I think, when you study the lives of those among us who, unfortunately, were not successful in this battle, it offers insight into how you can further improve your own personality and behavior. Stephen King does an excellent job, in this story, of thoroughly exploring the mind of one such particularly-disturbing case. But not only that, he also explores how the behavior of this disturbed mind affects others around him, especially those who, surprisingly, have come to love him.

I have heard about similar stories- the picture I saw of Gacy hugging his sister while he was in jail, where both of them had big smiles planted on their faces, will haunt me forever- but I was really intrigued with Stephen King's particular take on this subject. As I have been before. This is not the first time he explores this. You could actually make a believable argument that this is what he writes about the most, though probably not with as much realism as he does in this story. Needless to say, this was my favorite story of the bunch. And if you only read one story in this book, I would recommend this one.

This was definitely a fascinating and compelling collection. It is definitely a memorable experience, and a must-read!

Stephen King excels in the short form (short stories or short novels known as novellas). I think it is because the length really helps keep Stephen King in check. Sometimes, Stephen King's novels seem to meander. His talent can keep the story interesting even if the end result feels wekakened by the over-length. Short stories and novellas force King to focus, which makes the end result more compelling and with stronger themes. It is no surprise that some of his best works are shot like Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption, The Body, Everything's Eventual, and Riding the Bullet.

You can add Full Dark, No Stars, which contains 4 novellas. The novellas have very similar tones, story elements and styles--murder, secrets, family, desperation. The stories are very dark (no pun intended) and a few of them are exceptional. "1922" is a period piece about a father, mother and son and an inheritance (prime farm land) that threatens to break the family part. What follows is a compelling tale about the steep price that comes with committing a crime. The story is incredibly compelling and constantly surprises. It carefully balances the line between real and supernatural.

"Big Driver" is a kind of standard revenge story, but it has a few good moments. "Fair Extension" (the shortest of the bunch) is really a short story, but it is a very well written one that takes the standard selling-your-soul-to-the-devil story and turns into something unique, surprisingly and darkly comic. The dialogue between the main character and the devil among us is so strong and so well written; it is easy to visualize the scene, which is one of the reasons why Stephen King works are translated to the movie screen or TV. "A Good Marriage" is about how we do not really know everything about the people we are close to. A woman discovers a horrible secret about her husband and then desperately tries to find a way out of the situation.

All of the novellas build an impending doom that makes each of the stories extremely compelling. King's visual descriptions of some of the horrific events are truly horrifying (images that are not so easy to shake). The language here seems more mature too--some of King's best writing to date. There is a little bit too much usage of common sayings like "it takes two to tango" that make the writing seems cheaper than it is (and in the case of "1922", the phrases feel out of place and unrealistic).

This selection on Amazon is an audiobook and Craig Wasson does an exceptional job with "1922" and "Fair Extension". He does a great job with male voices and creates distinct characters that makes for a much easier listening experience. Jessica Hecht does a serviceable job with "Big Driver" and "A Good Marriage". Some of her narration though makes the female characters feel weaker than they actually are (her voices for the main characters comes off a little too soft and too girlish".

Overall, this is a great book and a great audiobook. It is an easy read or listen, but the stories, characters, events, and images are likely to stay with you longer than a lof Stephen King's works.

I usually put in my reviews some explanation for why I selected a book. I think/hope it helps folks who are reading the review know if I'm coming from the same place they are -- if I have the same hopes or expectations. There are times when it feels ridiculous to give that explanation. I selected this book because it's written by Stephen King, and while I haven't loved every word and some books have gone unfinished, he's still a darned good bet, isn't he? I think few people don't have some pivotal and lasting memories of either his books or movies made from his books, and my memories span my childhood into middle age, and involve people who are now gone. I also love both short stories and novellas and when I look back at my favorite Stephen King stories, these are well-represented. So, I bought the book and it freaked me out.

The afterword begins: The stories in this book are harsh. You may have found them hard to read in places. If so, be assured that I found them equally hard to write in places.

I thought, thank God. I did find these stories to be hard to read, intense, uncomfortable, heebie-jeebie creating. I was a little concerned that like my newly discovered acid reflux when in the presence of spicy food, my disinterest in roller coasters, and my increased habit of watching scary movies through my fingers, that this was just another sign of getting older. Good to know this stuff was really as intense as I thought.

1922: A man kills his wife over land and that's just the beginning and a fraction of the horrors in this tale. It reminded me a little of

" Hold up wait a minute King of fiction releases novellas stop all reading! Bump up to the front of youre to-read list! Essential reading right now!I love the cover! Beauty of Kindle is that i could start reading instantly on release date.

King sum ...more Hold up wait a minute King of fiction releases novellas stop all reading! Bump up to the front of youre to-read list! Essential reading right now!I love the cover! Beauty of Kindle is that i could start reading instantly on release date.

King sums up what he is writing about in his afterward he says " I have tried my best in Full Dark, No Stars to record what people might do, and how they might behave, under certain dire circumstances. The people in these stories are not without hope, but they acknowledge that even our fondest hopes (and our fondest wishes for our fellowmen and the society in which we live) may sometimes be vain. Often, even. But I think they also say that nobility most fully resides not in success but in trying to do the right thing . . "

1922 Kings first novella is a treat of a story, of a family who live on a farm with the fate of theirs in Kings hand to twist. The story is really good story about the darkness of the soul and evil of what we do and the consequences of our actions. To what extent would you go to preserve the way things exist instead of moving to the big city? The novella start with this statment. "My name is Wilfred Leland James, and this is my confession. In June of 1922 I murdered my wife, Arlette Christina Winters James, and hid her body by tupping it down an old well." also some more good excerpts,

"Here is something I learned in 1922: there are always worse things waiting. You think you have seen the most terrible thing, the one that coalesces all your nightmares into a freakish horror that actually exists, and the only consolation is that there can be nothing worse. Even if there is, your mind will snap at the sight of it, and you will know no more. But there is worse, your mind does not snap, and somehow you carry on. You might understand that all the joy has gone... "

" The Conniving Man outconnived: how do you like that? "

Big Driver This story has themes of redemption and atonement. A mystery writer finds herself caught up in her own real life investigation. This story touches you with warmth and compassion for victims of rape and how hard it is for victim to report the crime, the idea of people finding out you have been raped is frightening as the crime. It makes you think about taking the wrong turn being in wrong place at the wrong time.

" The National Crime Victimization Survey says, because I googled it. Sixty percent of rapes go unreported, according to them. Three in every five. I think that might be low, but who can say for sure?" " . . . what she says once in every book: murderers always overlook the obvious."

Fair Extension this is the shorter of the four stories its about twist of fates fortunate become unfortunate and vice versa. " I was thinking about the Goodhughs. I've never known a family to have such a run of bad luck. Bad luck?' She laughed. Black luck is more like it.' " " Life is fair. We all get the same nine-month shake in the box, and then the dice roll. Some people get a run of sevens. Some people, unfortunately, get snake-eyes. It's just how the world is.' " A Good Marriage This was good story gripping it makes you hink do you really know what youre partners up to? If you found out how would you deal with it? The kids, the press,lives could be destroyed. " He loved nothing, least of all her. Every kindness, caress, boyish grin, and thoughtful gesture - all were nothing but camouflage. He was a shell. There was nothing inside but howling emptiness. " Imagine this about the victims strangers! what would you do about it then? " She dreamed of going into the dining room and finding a woman bound with chains to the long Ethan Allen table there. The woman was naked except for a black leather hood that covered the top half of her face. I don't know that woman, that woman is a stranger to me, she thought in her dream, and then from beneath the hood Petra said: Mama, is that you?' " " It's a mistake, it has to be, we've been married over half our lives, I'd know, I would know. Opening the box. Thinking, Does anybody really know " " A marriage was like a house under constant construction, each year seeing the completion of new rooms. A first-year marriage was a cottage; one that had gone on for twenty-seven years was a huge and rambling mansion. There were bound to be crannies and storage spaces, most of them dusty and abandoned, some containing a few unpleasant relics you would just as soon you hadn't found. But that was no biggie. You either threw those relics out or took them to Goodwill. " " It's what drug addicts say. `I'll never take any of that stuff again. I've quit before and this time I'll quit for good. I mean it.' But they don't mean it, even when they think they do they don't, and neither does he. " " The refrigerator whirred, the water dripped in the sink, and the raw seconds passed. This was the Darker Life, where every truth was written backward. "

"Full Dark, No Stars" is King's latest long story/novella compilation that easily rivals or outdoes "Different Seasons" and "Four Past Midnight", both similar compilations that have produced feature length movies for at least five of the eight stories. Predictably, all four of the efforts in "Full Dark, No Stars" may conceivably end up as movies before all is said and done--they are that good and that transferable to the big screen. Having read all of King's pubished books, I am persuaded that the novella form is perfect for him. He does not get overly wordy or distracted as he sometimes does in his 600 to 700 page novels but his insightful characterizations, tight plotting, psychological manifestations, and thought provoking actions and choices by his characters are chillingly and accurately portrayed to satisfy even the pickiest reader.

At varying times, this book is dark and gloomy, thoughtful, not for the squeamish, and deeply moving. Other reviewers are right when they compare these stories to earlier King efforts both in quality and in context. A theme of the book is that there is a hidden persona (monster?) in each of us that ultimately confronts us in times of great stress or during times when a massively ethical or moral decision challenges us. How we handle this challenge to our very identities, our very souls, is what ultimately defines our humanity and is, in fact, laid bare in each of the four stories in "Full Dark, No Stars". Each story presents a moral dilemma requiring a conscious choice on the part of the protagonist--a choice that may have severely grave consequences. But the unspoken question in each story is how would we, the reader, react in the same set of circumstances? What would we choose to do differently and why? These stories are guaranteed to be thought provoking and, at times, intensely introspective for the reader.

In "1922", a tale with echoes of Poe's Tell-Tale Heart, a father makes a choice that ultimately effects not only his future but that of at least a half dozen others in his life including, most notably, his 14 year-old son. The guilt, the conscious choices made, and the accelerating suspense make this novella hard to put down.

The "Big Driver" presents a chilling tale of betrayal, assault, rape and attempted murder that results in a moral choice for the terrorized victim--revenge (and to what extent) or reporting it to the authorities and getting on with life. Of course, revenge as an option always carries with it the law of unintended consequences that seldom allows the imagined revenge and the actual revenge to merge as one and the same.

"Fair Extension" is the shortest and, at times, most darkly humorous of the four stories. As in all tales where humans bargain with the devil, a man's desire to live is granted but only at the expense of his selection of someone else who must suffer his pain amd indignity. Who will he choose? Who would you, the reader choose? This is a quick tale of choices made, lives lived, envy and retribution.

In "A Good Marriage", a devoted wife makes an accidental discovery that turns her life upside down and challenges the very notion of who the man is she has been living with all these years. What happens when a loving wife learns her boy scout leader-type husband is a murderer--maybe a mass murderer? What choices does she make? What if he knows she knows? Again, what choices would the reader make in her place and at what point?

All four of these stories are well constructed with believable characters. King does a lot in a few pages to attune the reader to the thoughts and feelings of his characters that ultimately allow us to cringe or cheer at their choices in "Full Dark, No Stars". The horror and suspense of these stories are much less based on the supernatural or walking dead monsters than by everyman or everywoman making choices with monstrous ramifications. This is definitely a highly recommended read.

Stephen King is known for two things primarily, at least in my opinion--his amazing narrative prose, and his originality in spinning dark, fantastical, unique yarns like no other story. Well, the latter trait is lacking in this collection of four novellas (plus a fifth super-short story), but this is excusable for this long-time King fan because his writing is in top form in each of the stories, making each one harder than the last one to put down.

All of the stories focus on the dark sides people try to hide from others--sometimes successfully, sometimes not. To a lesser extent, the four main stories all examine the theme of revenge as well. The problem is that each of the four stories have been done to death by other authors and mediums, and I kept waiting for the classic King original twist that made the story unique. For the most part, there were none, but because of the excellent writing the stories are very enjoyable. Thus, the lack of originality is not a big problem. Also, King's trademark dark humor is prevalent in each of the stories, which in and of itself makes these stories unique even if they may sound like stories you've heard before.

Each story could essentially be described as "King's take on ______":

'1922': King's take on Edgar Allen Poe, and my personal favorite of the collection. Written as a confession letter by the protagonist, the letter/story describes a violent crime committed by a farmer in the midwest immediately prior to the Great Depression, and the effects of the resulting guilt of that crime on the writer and his accomplice. The less you know, the better. A brief epilogue at the end of the tale sheds new,horrifying light on the events described by the narrator, and completely changes the reader's perspective of how the story's events unfolded. It is this twist that makes 1922, for me, not only the best story in this volume, but also the most original.

'Big Driver": King's take on the revenge thriller. A female authoris the victim of a brutally vicious crime on her way home from a speaking engagement, and embarks on a mission for revenge afterwards. The description of the crime itself is deeply disturbing and hard to read about, but there is an element of dark humor to the revenge portion afterwards. Longest story in the collection, and seemed overly long towards the end, but I had to keep reading just to see how far the protagonist would take her desire for revenge. The few "twists" that are there seemed pretty obvious, to me, but that doesn't take a lot away from the overall quality of the story. Is now a Lifetime Channel movie--can't really see that working.

"Fair Extension": King's take on the classic "deal with the devil" story. Easily the funniest (albeit darkly funny) of the collection--a dying man makes a deal with you-know-who to extend his life, at the expense of the happiness of someone close to him. King's depiction of the devil is fantastic, and it would not be surprising if this would be how the devil operates in these modern times, if he were real and actually made these sorts of deals. After the devil is out of the picture, the story seemed to drag on just a tad, to the extent of elicitng an "okay, okay, we get it" reaction from me.

"A Good Marriage": King's take on the "spouse with a secret" story. The wife in an over 25-year-old marriage thinks she's happily married to her accountant husband, until she discovers a terrible secret of his in the garage. Like with Big Driver, the story is not terribly original and a lot of the developments are obviously forecasted, but I kept reading to find out what the protagonist would do. Also like with Big Driver, at one point it seems as if the story is over, but King needlessly drags the story on for a rather unnecessary conclusion.

"Under the Weather": a very short story at the end of the collection. Any synopsis would ruin it. Short but funny--and kind of gross.

Overall, despite the sensation I have heard these stories before, I had never heard KING tell these stories before. And with his unique, funny, sentimental writing style, King elevates each story to become dark examinations of the depravity men and women are capable of. Not his best, but great stuff all the same.

Atrocious cover aside (even if I'm dumb and missing something greatly significant about a minimalistic cover with a woman making the figure nine on it, it's still terrible, the title of Stephen King's latest book is perfect. Full Dark, No Stars, ladies and gentleman, is one bleak book. And though King is no stranger to grim subject matter, when it comes to his novella collections, I think this is the darkest one yet. There are no stars. There's little hope either. Some, but not much. One might almost expect to see Richard Bachman credited here such is the impenetrable darkness on display.

Those looking to King's latest hoping for the supernatural will come away disappointed. Even though there are instances in which rotting corpses shamble through the night and ghosts whisper from old wells, all of the horror in Full Dark, No Stars, is of the human variety, the supernatural relegated to mere projections from decaying minds. Ambivalent hauntings are, when the source is considered, not that ambivalent at all. And because all the terrible things are authored by human hands, this quartet of nightmares is all that much scarier.

Inspired by Wisconsin Death Trip by Michael Lesy, the collection's opener "1922' matches Lesy's book in its bleak, wintry tone. After murdering his troublesome wife in order to keep her from selling his farm to the greedy Farrington Company, Wilfred James soon realizes, as the repercussions of his crime slowly radiate outward, infecting everyone and everything it touches, that no bad deed goes unpunished. In the author's engaging style, we're caught right along in the current as events quickly spiral out of control. There are some particularly well-crafted scenes here, not the least of which is the murder itself, but some creepy moments later in the game are very much reminiscent of King circa Pet Semetery. Mostly, however, "1922' reads like an homage to Poe's "The Black Cat".

King takes tackles revenge fantasy with "Big Driver", the story of modestly successful crime writer Tess, who accepts a speaking engagement at an out-of-the-way library and takes a shortcut into a nightmare. Raped and left for dead, Tess escapes but, rather than going to the police (an idea quickly rejected when she considers the media attention it will draw down upon her), she decides to seek vengeance herself.

This is one of the better stories in the book, even if it's well-worn ground King's dealing with. If you've seen the movies The Brave One (referenced in "Big Driver" more than once), Extremities, or any of the Dirty Harry or Death Wish movies, then you know what to expect, albeit with more attention to the emotional current that thrums through the protagonist than is usually afforded the unfortunate characters in this subgenre. King is clearly aware that he's mining well-worn territory here too, but he does it with his usual style, keeping you rooting for Tess all the way.

Similarly, there is nothing staggeringly new about the concept behind "Fair Extension", but as always, there is something new in the way King tells it.

David Streeter has aggressive cancer. He doesn't have long to live. So when he finds himself offered a 15-year extension by a roadside trader named Mr. Elvid (groan), he enthusiastically accepts, convinced, as anyone would be, that it's all a joke. This is a King story, so of course it's anything but a joke, nor is the other side of the bargain, which means that, in order for Dave to enjoy a cancer-free 15 year extension, he must pass his misfortune along to someone of his choosing. Although this setup reminded me of Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button" (filmed recently-and not particularly well-as The Box), King, to his credit, elevates this tale above standard fare by resisting the urge to follow the usual direction of such "deal with the devil" stories. Like "Big Driver", the author is well-aware that this kind of thing has been done before (Elvid even references "The Devil and Daniel Webster"), but nobody does it quite like King. I found myself particularly impressed with this one, though ultimately (as can really be stated about the book as a whole), "Fair Extension" is a grim and depressing piece of work.

The closing novella "A Good Marriage" is my favorite entry in the book. After reading the synopsis, I assumed I knew where King would take this tale of happily married housewife Darcy Anderson, who one night accidentally discovers something hidden in the garage that throws everything she knows about her beloved husband into question, and I was glad to be proved wrong. Riveting and heartbreaking, "A Good Marriage" poses the question, however deeply you wish to consider it: Do we ever really know each other?

A similar question sums up Full Dark, No Stars, and that is: Do we ever really know ourselves? Unlike King's previous collections, there is a very strong unifying theme at play here, and that is a study of how people react when pushed, or how we handle the ugly choices we're given. In all of these stories, people find themselves forced to face sides of themselves they might never have known existed if not for the intervention of exterior forces. In "1922' Wilfred James finds himself driven to murder by the threat of losing the only thing he truly knows. In "Big Driver" a rapist awakens the primal vengeance of an otherwise mild-mannered writer. In "Fair Extension" a man is asked to condemn another for the chance at a new life. And in "A Good Marriage" an ordinarily housewife is forced to make the ultimate choice when she finds out her loving husband is not what he has pretended to be. Take away the safety and security, the gravity we take for granted and you truly see what we are behind the mask. Good people, King says, may only be good as long as they're allowed to be. There is always a high and a low road, the good and the bad. But when the line of demarcation is not clear, when the gray area is a blur, and when we stand to benefit more from taking the path that will ultimately bring horror to others but an element of peace to ourselves, what do we do?

In Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King offers four unflinchingly brutal scenarios in response to that question. It is a grim and often ugly journey of discovery, but as always when it comes to King, one worth taking, if only to see what we look like when the masks come off.

Before I begin this review, I have to say one thing: King is back! Yes, I have been somewhat disillusioned with his offerings over the last few years, but this collection restored my faith in the master's skill.

1922: 4 3/4 Stars

This story, while still very good, was almost my least favorite. It started out well, drawing me in with the usual King suspenseful scenes and awesome character building. Heck, even the middle was terrific. Although I should have expected it from this author, I was still disappointed with the ending. It was as if he didn't know how to make the story play out and connect the dots, so he just carelessly tossed in ghost. Sure, there were hints near the beginning, but they could easily have been attributed to his guilt, rather than an actual entity.

Anyway, it was still a great story with terrific characters. Only King could make me root for a guy planning to murder his wife.

Big Driver: 5 Stars

This was my favorite of all of the stories. I'm not sure how he does it, but King managed to truly delve into the heart and mind of a woman who has been raped and left for dead in a culvert. There was nothing supernatural about this tale. It was a simple story of evil and how one woman faces it and overcomes, albeit in a rather gruesome way.

At one point in the story, I actually caught myself saying aloud things like, "Kill him" and "Oh, no." This story contained not one twist, but two, both of which were stunningly crafted into the story and completely believable.

A Good Marriage: 5 Stars

This story was a good, 0ld-fashioned tale of a woman caught between a rock and hard place, if you will excuse the cliche. Once again, King managed to put the reader in the mind of a woman facing pure evil, this time in the form of her own husband. I can't speak too much of this one as it would give a major spoiler. Suffice it to say, this was my second favorite of the four.

Fair Extension: 3 Stars

Although I loved the plot for this one, it was lacking in storyline. I never thought I would say this about King, but this tale was filled with a whole lot of telling and not enough showing. The narrative was flat and uninteresting. The characters were one-dimensional, not at all like this author.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

What can I really say here? Stephen King could publish his grocery list and make it sound at least a little interesting. <grin>