Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King - Review

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King Genres: Horror, Suspense, Thriller

     Some readers may not like books that are "just" a collection of short stories. While King is never a "light" read, his short stories are the closest he gets to it as one story can be read within a couple of hours, unlike some of his thicker tomes. I can't ever read one of his books without marveling at his mind, a true genius at what he does.

1922

     A father bonds with his son when they arrange the death of their wife/mother together. The guilt of what they have done ends up coming between them. Very reminiscent of Poe's The Telltale Heart only instead of a heart beating under the floor there are his dead wife's unearthly minions that follow him everywhere and drive the man insane. Fans may recognize the setting, as it takes place in Hemingford Home, Nebraska.

Big Driver

     Author, Tess, takes a short cut home from a speaking engagement. While out in the middle of nowhere she gets a flat tire. She thinks a good Samaritan is going to help, only to find things are not as they seem. After being raped, and left for dead, she goes a little crazy, and then gets a bit of revenge.

Fair Extension

     Well read Stephen King fans will recognize the setting as it takes place in Derry, Maine. I was surprised that there was no reference to Pennywise the clown, as there often is, even if a character is just passing through Derry. A dying man makes a deal to extend his life and exact revenge from his enemy.

A Good Marriage

     They had one of those good marriages. One of those rare marriages, that lasted more than 25 years and they still loved each other. What would you do in such a marriage if you literally stumbled onto information that your spouse was not who you thought they were?

     King gives us a rare view in the afterword and shares how he came upon the ideas for these particular stories. It must be amazing to be able to take such normal everyday occurrences and create such strange situations. A gift, but probably a curse too if you think about it too hard. It was best expressed in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when Ron says to Hermione, "You're a little scary sometimes, you know that? Brilliant... but scary."

I give it 4 stars!