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Four Past Midnight

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 47,988 ratings · 542 reviews

Featuring The Langoliers, Secret Window, The Library Policeman and The Sun Dog. The survivors of a plane crash awake in a nightmare, a writer finds himself at the end of an accusing finger, a businessman struggles to uncover the evil driving him mad, and a ravenous dog inhabits a camera, in a horror quartet.

Paperback, 930 pages

Published 1991 by New English Library (first published 1990)

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Jul 28, 2012 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, horror-fiction

The Langoliers: Twilight Zone type scenario, only more horrific. Not for those with a fear of flying, or you don't have aerophobia, you may well develop it after reading this. That,and a perfectly logical fear of toothy existence-devouring beasties!

Secret Window, Secret Garden: Having already seen and enjoyed the film adaptation, I wasn't sure what to expect from the original novel. I found the story to be more intense and claustrophobic, one of those rare tales that stays with you and gets unde...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Kit★ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, keep-forever, short-stories-and-or-novellas

This is yet another re-read for me, and oh, I'd say it's been at least 8 or 9 years since I've read it, but I remember liking it a lot back then, my friend had a copy and I didn't, I had dark thoughts of booknapping and possible ransom. Happily, I have my own copy nowadays to read whenever I please. I don't know why it's taken me so long to re-read this book, but I'm glad it's been patiently waiting for me.
So far:
"The Langoliers" was excellent. SK does the "small-group of survivors coping with a...more This is yet another re-read for me, and oh, I'd say it's been at least 8 or 9 years since I've read it, but I remember liking it a lot back then, my friend had a copy and I didn't, I had dark thoughts of booknapping and possible ransom. Happily, I have my own copy nowadays to read whenever I please. I don't know why it's taken me so long to re-read this book, but I'm glad it's been patiently waiting for me.
So far:
"The Langoliers" was excellent. SK does the "small-group of survivors coping with and end-of-the-world sort of scenario" so well, they are among my favorite of stories. This group was great, I immediately fell for Nick, the tough British agent with the take-charge manner and good looks. I also really liked Albert "Ace" Kaussner, he was funny and yet I had the sense that he was stronger than he seemed. Even Mr. Toomy, the insights into his background were fascinating, seeing into why he is the way he is. And of course, Dinah, her ability to see so well into her surroundings and insights into people, all while being blind, she was a great character. I always like reading about deserted locations, world without people, and when they got to the Bangor Airport, at first, I was like, all right, no one's around, but you got this big whole place to take over, you're safe. But, of course nobody's safe, that'd be silly! As they tried to figure out what was going on, the fact that the world they had entered was "expired" and dead, useless, like a husk, I have to say that I do not like that theory about time-travel, lol, it's always been a dream to travel back in time and experience the people and places and things of the past, I would be sorely disappointed to go back to that! Then add in the craziness of the langoliers and Toomy doing his thing, my heart was pumping, I couldn't put the book down. Then, they get away, but will they be ok? The ending was actually rather happy though, and I liked it. I sort of want to see the movie now, but I know it definitely won't live up to my imagination.
"Secret Window, Secret Garden" I'm saving this one for last, because I'm going to read along to the audio I found at the library booksale: Secret Window, Secret Garden: Two Past Midnight, and partially because I love the movie and have watched it many times. Now if only I could find a cassette player!
"The Library Policeman" was the one that stuck out in my mind from my past reading the most, most likely due to what happened to Sam as a child. But I didn't remember the details of the story, and the details are what makes the story. As the story opens, Sam is just an average small-town guy, insurance salesman/realtor, friendly with most people in town, but with no real deep connections. However, as the strange things start to add up, and uncomfortable memories try to surface, Sam grows stronger. I liked the atmosphere as he walked into the library the first time, I could picture the gloomy, old-fashioned place, the spookiness of being alone in the stacks. Ardelia Lortz was an excellent baddy, like the wolf wearing the sweet looking grandma as a disguise, I was creeped out by her before even knowing what she was. When Sam lost his books, and was rushing trying to find them, and trying to find out about Ardelia, I was rushing right along with him, knowing something bad was going to happen if he didn't find those books. Once Sam told the truth to Naomi and Dave, and they joined in as bigger parts in the story, it really got rolling. I enjoyed Dave's backstory about Ardelia, it gave him much more depth, and I liked finally hearing about what it was that Ardelia had done, because I had been just as baffled as Sam when he tried asking what the deal was with everyone freaking out when they heard her name. The last quarter of the story flew by, and when Sam finally unlocked the memory from his childhood that had been buried for so long, I felt relief, like now he could go on and do battle. What happened to him was terrible, and I was so glad he could defeat his demon and emerge stronger and better for it. This story was more than just another spook tale, it was about the things people keep locked away in their memories, and the power those memories can hold.
"The Sun Dog" I vaguely remember used to be my favorite in the collection, and I still think it's a great, entertaining story. It was cool going back to Castle Rock, and Pop Merill was a great character, lol, full of character. I could picture his junk shop perfectly. I was intrigued by the idea of the camera, what world was it taking pictures of, and why? And what exactly was the dog? I wanted to know more. Then, there was a part, where Kevin was dreaming, he dreamt that (view spoiler) I had to smile. Even if it meant nothing really in the big scheme of things in the DT universe, it still brought me joy seeing that little part. The end was a bit rushed I thought, but it did serve to make me rush a little, blood pressure was up and I was reading faster than normal, like I had to hurry b/c something bad was going to happen. The dog will be back though, and the epilogue of the story sort of reminded me of the ending of a scary movie with 6 sequels, but it was alright. There was some hinting of more things to come in Castle Rock, which I'm guessing is detailed Needful Things: The Last Castle Rock Story if I remember correctly. That's another one that's on the 'need to re-read b/c it's been a few years' list.
All in all, another great collection by my favorite author. I liked the introductions to each story, I always like it when "Uncle Stevie" writes his extras, it's like getting to know the stories and the author better, and ya gotta like the conversational tone of those writings, forewords, afterwords, intros, what have you.(less)

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Apr 14, 2012 Seak (Bryce L.) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

This is a novel containing for completely different stories. Only Stephen King can have a collection of stories that average 200 pages a piece. Am I right?

I'm taking my time with it, so I'll be reviewing one at a time for an unspecified amount of time.

The Langoliers Years ago, I was flipping channels and saw a part of this movie. It happened to be the one part where they were explaining what was happening, but I'm proud to report that it did nothing to diminish the suspense of this story. At t...more

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May 08, 2012 Gosia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-and-horror

Wyobraźcie sobie świat, w którym nie ma prądu, nie działają radia, telefony ani latarki na baterie. Świat, w którym wszystkie napoje gazowane są zwietrzałe, jedzenie nie ma smaku, powietrze jest bez zapachu, a chmury tkwią nieruchomo na niebie. Nie słychać echa czy stukotu szpilek na betonie. Mało tego, skrzypce nie wydają pełnego dźwięku, zapałka nie chce się zapalić, nawet broń porządnie nie wypali. A przede wszystkim nie ma w tym świecie 'żywej duszy', nieżywej zresztą też. Wyobrażacie sobie?...more Wyobraźcie sobie świat, w którym nie ma prądu, nie działają radia, telefony ani latarki na baterie. Świat, w którym wszystkie napoje gazowane są zwietrzałe, jedzenie nie ma smaku, powietrze jest bez zapachu, a chmury tkwią nieruchomo na niebie. Nie słychać echa czy stukotu szpilek na betonie. Mało tego, skrzypce nie wydają pełnego dźwięku, zapałka nie chce się zapalić, nawet broń porządnie nie wypali. A przede wszystkim nie ma w tym świecie 'żywej duszy', nieżywej zresztą też. Wyobrażacie sobie?

Podczas zwykłego lotu z Los Angeles do Bostonu z pokładu samolotu znika cała załoga i większość pasażerów. Pozostają po nich jedynie nie dopite drinki, biżuteria, okulary, portfele, wieczne pióra, torebki, a nawet plomby dentystyczne, gwoździe chirurgiczne i rozruszniki serca. Dwunastka ocalałych ląduje awaryjnie i trafia do świata, gdzie rządzi pustka, bezruch i prawie absolutna cisza. Dlaczego ocaleli? Czy są przedmiotem eksperymentu? A może przenieśli się w czasie? I co kryje się za jedynym dźwiękiem istniejącym w tym świecie, dźwiękiem przerażającym i wciąż narastającym?

Taki świat pojawia się w opowiadaniu "Langoliery", jedynym naprawdę dobrym, w zbiorze "4 po północy". Co ciekawe, każda z czterech opowieści oraz cała książka poprzedzona jest krótkim odautorskim komentarzem, gdzie King uchyla rąbka tajemnicy co do źródła swoich inspiracji i tajników warsztatu pisarskiego. Te komentarze czyta się niekiedy lepiej niż same opowiadania.

Bo doprawdy trudno wybaczyć autorowi, że całkiem fajny skądinąd motyw Policjanta Bibliotecznego, ścigającego tych co zalegają ze zwrotem książek, połączył z postacią jakiegoś owadziego demona wykorzystującego małe dzieci. Przez to cała historia robi się groteskowa, niesmaczna i odpychająca. A już szczytem wszystkiego jest opowieść pt. "Polaroidowy pies". Pewien nastolatek dostaje na urodziny upragniony aparat, który nie dość, że robi wciąż jedno i to samo zdjęcie złowrogiego zwierzęcia, to jeszcze sam w sobie stanowi śmiertelne zagrożenie dla fotografa... Kuriozum wprost żenujące.

Zagorzali fani Kinga będą może zachwyceni, ale ja do takowych się nie zaliczam i lektura tych opowiadań (poza jednym) niespecjalnie mnie porwała, a miejscami wręcz męczyła. Jeśli ktoś chce tę książkę czytać, proszę bardzo, ale na własną odpowiedzialność.(less)

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Aug 13, 2010 stevie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. four past midnight is a book of four short stories (approx. 200 pages each). i will write a little about each story (except 'secret window, secret garden' which i didn't read this time around - i have only recently seen the film adaptation and would rather wait until the plot is going to be a surprise...)

the langoliers - i first saw the tv adaptation of this when i was a kid, and only recently found out it's based on a short story by stephen king. it was fantastic. incredible. the film is tedio...more four past midnight is a book of four short stories (approx. 200 pages each). i will write a little about each story (except 'secret window, secret garden' which i didn't read this time around - i have only recently seen the film adaptation and would rather wait until the plot is going to be a surprise...)

the langoliers - i first saw the tv adaptation of this when i was a kid, and only recently found out it's based on a short story by stephen king. it was fantastic. incredible. the film is tedious and, as with most things, when shown the 'monster' it all becomes much less scary. the story is fantastic at building up, preying on common phobias (e.g. of flying, of the unknown), at using all of the characters to their full advantage. i was also pleasantly surprised by the story taking an approach i'd deem closer to science fiction than horror. one of my favourite short stories of all time and, on it's own, 5*.

secret window, secret garden - see above.

the library policeman - i wasn't too keen on this story. a lot of the relationships felt a little forced. granted the 'returning to something that isn't there' part was slightly disconcerting, but i felt like it was all something i'd read/ seen before. entertaining, but...unoriginal? or maybe i'm just reading it too late.

the sun dog - yes. this story scared me so much i stopped halfway through for weeks before i plucked up the courage to go back to it. the structure is brilliant, the characters are believable, although not always likeable, the tension build and builds and builds and builds and the even the final action (which i don't usually follow very well!) was described vividly and with appropriate pace.

overall, i've really enjoyed four past midnight. i've always felt a little dislike stephen king for being a popular writer at the expense of his writing sometimes, but this book shows he deserves all the praise he gets. not only are his stories accessible and entertaining, but carefully crafted. a final note: he is the king of tension. lord. unintentional pun.(less)

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Feb 21, 2009 Nath rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2009-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The langoliers, the first story of the four short novella's of which this book exists, is the best one. I enjoyed reading it and tried ofcourse to see some of the TV-show Lost in it. I could also easily put myself in the place of Brian Engle, the pilot. The way he first doesn's believe what's happening and when everything becomes more clearer his ability to do believe what in this case a 8-year old girl is telling. I could summarize this story in a few sentences. It's about a journey to the end...more The langoliers, the first story of the four short novella's of which this book exists, is the best one. I enjoyed reading it and tried ofcourse to see some of the TV-show Lost in it. I could also easily put myself in the place of Brian Engle, the pilot. The way he first doesn's believe what's happening and when everything becomes more clearer his ability to do believe what in this case a 8-year old girl is telling. I could summarize this story in a few sentences. It's about a journey to the end of time and back, sort of speak, with ofcourse Stephen King's wild imagination joining them.

Secret window, secret garden is the second and most known for it's film adaptation with Johnny Depp. I didn't like it that much. I thought the tension build up was too long with a too short climax. When it really began to become interesting, it was over. Feels like a date that lasted all day and at the end when things could get really interesting, you just get a goodnight kiss and a pat on the back.
To summarize: It's about the journey to the end of a man's imagination and finding there nothing but his own craziness.

The third, Library Policeman, I liked the least. It could be because I've never heard the story in my childhood. At home we were stimulated to read and I think with that kind of story you would become afraid of going to the library, which was still the place to go to get books when I was in school.
It's about a man who is forced to relive a childhood trauma, in order to repelt an enemy larger than his imagination. This is ofcourse with help of some friends.

The last story, the Sun Dog, is about a place many of Stephen King lovers know and love. Castle Rock. I've read Needful Things before this story and the only thing it does is that it explains what happened to Pop Merrill. I've read the introduction of Stephen King and he calls it one of the 3 stories that put Castle Rock behind him. I thought it wasn't all that terrific. It was a good read, but not the same as his other Castle Rock books.
Summary: Clear and simple: Be careful what you wish for and you can't always get what you want. (less)

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Jul 10, 2007 Sadegh Davoudi rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is consisted of 4 short stories (app. 200 pages each) and as all of King's works, the super-natural has a very important role in them.
1) The first one is called "The Langoliers" and is about a group of people who wake up in an deserted plane. Your in an unknown world where you don't know the rules. Fascinating. (I give it 4/5)
2) The second one is called "Secret Window, Secret Garden". I found this story somehow boring. It's about a writer which someone accuses him of stealing his stor...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four Past Midnight consists of 4 novellas(isn't it funny how one determines, no this is really too long for a short story, but too short to be considered a novel)and like any collection, there are some hits and misses. Overall, Stephen King continues to be fantastic, both in scare factor and depth.

"The Langoliers" would be my favorite of this collection, a bizarre airplane occurrence that deals with the capricity of time and children's fantasies. Also,can anyone say thinny?

"The Library Policema...more

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Jan 02, 2009 I.haveanidea rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

The Langoliers: One of my favourite novellas ever, the one just kept me reading and I couldn't put down. Every aspect such as the blind girl, the crazy man, the "coincidence" of the pilot being there, and in fact the entire concept up to the end (which is rare for King stories). And of course the langoliers themselves. Loved this one. 5/5

Secret Window, Secret Garden: Great concept/idea, love the entire plot, but in this case I think the movie might have exceeded the novella, but I'm sure if it w...more

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May 10, 2013 John Orman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This huge book includes four stories (actually novella-sized tales) of varying entertainment value to me. Each one has a couple of pages of interesting introductory notes on how King came up the gist of the plots.

The Langoliers: An interesting concept of airline travelers disappearing, with the remaining few trying to figure out what happened. An average tale, with a pretty good TV-movie adaptation.

Secret Window, Secret Garden: A writer (what else?) seeks quiet and isolation at a remote lake, th...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Mars rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-not-reviewed

This is a collection of four stories, which I'll review separately since they don't have much to do with each other.

The Langoliers:
This story has an astoundingly fantastic beginning! It's perfectly written, gripping, and fun. A guaranteed 5.
And then, after everyone wakes up and discovers their situation and all that, weird sh*t starts happening. It's still mostly good, but if all the supernatural-communication-and-seeing-the-future bits were cut out, it would have been considerably better. Still...more

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May 22, 2012 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Four Past Midnight collects 4 older King Novellas; as such we're treated to a relatively early career King, so expect a more 'in your face', graphic and visceral ride, less subtle than some later works (especially Secret Window, Secret Garden which I initially liked but got put off by the ending) but still fun.

I read The Langoliers some time last year, enjoying King in his high concept mode, but then put the book aside and forgot about the rest until last week. It's fun with a great cast and som...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Donovan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller, horror

This is a book of 4 short stories. I found these to be fresh and an interesting read - especially The Langoliers which is one of my fav's. Although a bit dated in the writing style they will keep you entertained and as they are short, you'll find you will finish them quickly. As with good Stephen King, they do leave you thinking about how you would react in a similar situation and reflecting on how you know people in real life that are similar to the characters (they are just so well written). I...more

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Jul 25, 2009 Robin Branson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I borrowed this indiscriminately from a friend in anticipation of a long Greyhound bus ride (uncannily similar behavior to that of John Shooter, a character in the second novella of four within this volume). Seeing the name on the cover, I knew it would at least hold my interest, if not contain some real storytelling gold. I was mostly correct. The novellas in "Four Past Midnight" certainly keep the reader going and, with varying levels of depth, one finds that they remember these stories after...more I borrowed this indiscriminately from a friend in anticipation of a long Greyhound bus ride (uncannily similar behavior to that of John Shooter, a character in the second novella of four within this volume). Seeing the name on the cover, I knew it would at least hold my interest, if not contain some real storytelling gold. I was mostly correct. The novellas in "Four Past Midnight" certainly keep the reader going and, with varying levels of depth, one finds that they remember these stories after reading them, for one reason (they are often frieghtening) or the other (they're simply well- written and, in the case of one, quite three-dimensional and relatable).

Whoever chose the order in which these stories would be presented chose correctly; "The Langoliers" is the best of the four novellas, and it's pasted right on the front to start things off with a compelling bang. I find it at best bothersome and at worst troubling that King's work is always lumped in as "horror"- certainly SOME of it is horror, but not "The Langoliers", I'd argue. There's a very erratic, very insane character whose inner monologue often dominates the story. There's a little blind girl with extrasensory perception. And there are monsters, sort of, at the very end. However, I'd classify this story much more readily as adventure or suspense, or fantasy- more of these elements are present. A dozen or so passengers of a plane awaken to discover everyone else on the flight has disappeared; this is just the beginning, and as the layers of the normal world are slowly peeled away, the complexity and depth of the plot and characters saunters on in a well-paced manner. I find myself in awe of King's character development here. He manages to introduce healthy, comfortable dimensions for almost the entire dozen passengers, and does so with ease. The story's tension almost seems to build on its own. However exciting, though, the elements present here, I'll repeat, are much more like suspense and fantasy than horror. This is excusable for two reasons: marketing required the lumping in order to sell all four stories together, and it's good anyways so nobody cares.

The second tale, "Secret Window, Secret Garden", was clearly the weakest of the four, which is what makes it most surprising that this was the one that was chosen to be adapted to screen first. It was packaged, processed, rewritten entirely, chewed up and spit out by hollywood with a snappy trailer, some eerie music, and Johhny Depp with a sexy haircut. This made it successful; however, it didn't add anything to the intrigue of the film or it's source material. The story, while admittedly expertly crafted, comes across as rather slow and boring. It's pretty short too, which may add to the feeling upon finishing it of "what even HAPPENED in that story?" The answer seems to be, not much. I was less annoyed by the ending (which many readers and viewers of the film found to be a cop-out) than I was of the dull content, however well-paced it was. Stephen King could make a story about paint drying satisfactorily compelling. To adapt an old Shakespearean standby, Not all novels are Stephen King, but not all Stephen King is "The Drawing of the Three" (that book, to be fair, is MY favorite, not necessarily his widely considered best).

Ahh, the Library Policeman! As the horror stuff of this book goes, this one hits the nail on the head; if "The Langoliers" is the best of the book, this one is a close second. Tension, imagery, character, even a bit of romance- all the correct ingredients are there, and King knows how to stir the pot just right. His "twists" aren't the kind that make you gasp- they're the kind that make you, at first, go "really?", and then later, go "wow." He takes settings, characters, plots in directions you never would've expected them to go. Here's a fun game- read twenty pages of a King story, and try to guess which character'll be most developed by the end. It's impossible; he almost always "pulls a fast one", as if he decided halfway through that this or that character seemed more interesting then the one he'd had lined up to star the show. He's always right, and consequently, these "sneaky" main characters are often the best ones.

In the case of "The Library Policeman", the sneaky character is Dirty Dave. In "The Sun Dog", the final story, Pop Merill is such a character, and he delivers delightfully as a wonderful love-to-hate kind of character. The Sun Dog, while somewhat less effective than its predecessor, has its roots deep in the horror genre (think "Cujo" plus that "Goosebumps" book with the evil camera). Clearly, for the spooky stuff, you wanna flip to the later half of the book. However, no story will REALLY disappoint, I can guarantee.

Despite how they sound, it's always a pleasure reading King. However, it's not a surprise it took him a few years to get major publication. Imagine having to pitch some of these stories: about an evil librarian (a SERIOUS story, mind you!) or an Evil camera that...takes pictures of a dog. Nonetheless, bravo. Worth checking out, long bus ride or no.(less)

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Aug 10, 2011 Bobby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Langoliers

I had seen the movie before reading it but the story was a lot better, although both manage to be boring and drag on during some parts. Good to read while flying.

Secret Window, Secret Garden

I had also seen this movie before reading the story. I liked the ending of the movie way more, I found myself disappointed with the book ending. Still worth reading.

The Library Policeman

An interesting story. During the middle it veered off in a direction I was not expecting. Sam and Namoi's rela...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthologies

This is a great book. Each story in here is suspenseful, sometimes shocking and peopled with characters that are at least interesting enough that you want to find out what happens to them. I am not a Stephen King devotee, he is usually hit or miss with me. A long time ago I stopped reading his work altogether. I am now taking my time to read some of the books I find interesting but passed up because I developed a bad attitude toward Stephen King's work. Four Past Midnight is definitely worth the...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Arun Divakar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Many a time after reading Stephen King and closing the book I would wonder what just happened. This did not occur with every one of his works but I recollect this especially with tales he spun on larger canvases. There are four tales in this book and being one of his earlier works, they (most of them) stand out as really well crafted.

1.The Langoliers : It's one of the now-classic scenarios of a small group of survivors who fight tooth and nail to survive. The characterization is brilliant and K...more Many a time after reading Stephen King and closing the book I would wonder what just happened. This did not occur with every one of his works but I recollect this especially with tales he spun on larger canvases. There are four tales in this book and being one of his earlier works, they (most of them) stand out as really well crafted.

1.The Langoliers : It's one of the now-classic scenarios of a small group of survivors who fight tooth and nail to survive. The characterization is brilliant and King goes in directly for the action by setting the tone. This is quite expected, for after all its a short story.

2. Secret Window, Secret Garden : My personal favorite from the collection. King was at one of his finest here is what I felt all through the scope of the tale. The slow onset of insanity and how guilt can sometimes push people over the edge is captured well through the story of Mort.

3. The Library Policeman : Not exactly one story I liked but it sure does have its moments.

4. The Sun Dog : What stands out best here is the characterization. Pop Merrill is a fine study of character and the emporium galorium is deftly captured through King's words. It's good old King territory where after a lot of detail and sub plots it all comes down to good v/s evil in the end.

An author writes : Tara & Greg were lost in the kiss and to them all that existed was the other's breath & presence . You visualize a couple lip locked in a moment of passion & that is perhaps all that you see. Stephen King is one of those authors who will tell u what Tara & Greg did today from the moment they woke up, what kind of thoughts inhabited their mind today, why are they wearing the clothes that they are wearing and the act of the kiss will come probably 15 pages down the line.

Considering the fact that my degree of rejoicing in reading largely depends on my mood, this sometimes deters and other times fuels my imagination. This however was one that I loved and I have come to realize that when it comes to SK, I love his short stories more than most of his novels. (less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Tom Nittoli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Langoliers - A really fun read with lots of imagination, imploring many subjects on famous science fiction matters like time rips, different dimension and so on. It reads like a Twilight Zone script complete with chapter cliff hangers where the commercial break would fit nicely. I've always enjoyed this story and found upon revisiting it so many years later it was equal parts rewarding and entertaining.

Secret Window, Secret Garden - A tale that works almost like an alternate version of The...more The Langoliers - A really fun read with lots of imagination, imploring many subjects on famous science fiction matters like time rips, different dimension and so on. It reads like a Twilight Zone script complete with chapter cliff hangers where the commercial break would fit nicely. I've always enjoyed this story and found upon revisiting it so many years later it was equal parts rewarding and entertaining.

Secret Window, Secret Garden - A tale that works almost like an alternate version of The Dark Half. Similar in concept, but the approach is unique. Although, I enjoyed this story more than The Dark Half, that is however, more a comment on my disapproval of the latter rather than praise for the former. The story does run into some tough horror cliches and most of the book has our main character scrambling about his house in fits of rage and chaos trying to prove his correctness. More time spent with the supporting characters might've aided in creating some deeper levels and much needed variation. Possibly even a different narrative altogether with the same plot line or following it from the wife and her second husband's perspective would manifest a more engaging and horrifying story.

The Library Policeman - Every collection needs a black sheep, and Four Past Midnight has the Magnum Opus of them all. The Library Policeman works in a very similar manner that "The Breathing Method" the winter tale from Different Seasons did. It's horrific, grotesque, and leaves the reader searching for a better explanation of, why? Why bother creating this story at all. I found the more vulgar parts (I'll spare the details for those who haven't read it) unnecessary and almost embarrassing, almost like King wouldn't to explore this subject regardless of how it came out or if it didn't serve a greater purpose. There's moments of great imagery in here, and I always enjoy allusions to a character's psyche versus the paranormal, but exactly how afraid can one be about the consequences in unreturned books is a question probably better left unanswered.

The Sun Dog - For awhile Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist) had a great interest in turning this novella into a feature length film. I couldn't remember the story from my first read back in High School. I did recall enjoying it, but with no details to support that notion. In no time at all I understand the acclaimed director's interest. Part mystery, part Cujo, part science fiction, this story has a lot to offer. It's fun, lively, succinct, and offers an acceptable and rewarding ending.

(less)

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Aug 06, 2011 M rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

King crafts four unique tales in this anthology collection, offering snippets of the horros than race through his brain. He opens with the well-known Langoliers, as a group of airline passengers find themselves in an empty world. Realizing they have ended up in the past, the group must catch up with the present before being devoured. The Secret Window, Secret Garden places novelist Mort Rainey in a predicament. A man named named Jim Shooter claims that Rainey stole his ideas, and wants recompens...more

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May 08, 2013 Matt Allen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads

First off, I wish more authors did this. Collecting short stories or novellas. I love the format.

Four Past Midnight is a long read, but fun and flavorful. I did find it a bit of a mixed bag though.

The Langoliers is a wonder of a trip into another dimension with a movie-type stock cast but a great plot with a great payoff. Probably my favorite of the bunch.

I enjoyed Secret Window, Secret Garden less because I thought it telegraphed where it was headed far too much so that when it was over, I felt...more

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May 05, 2012 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a volume of four different stories. I just finished up with The Langoliers and loved it. It was a suspenseful take on time travel with King's frightening signature. Secret Window, Secret Garden was the second story in this collection. I would have enjoyed it much more had I not already seen Secret Window, which is the movie based on that story. I may have figured out what was going on if I had not watched the movie, but at least it would have been more suspenseful and challenging. It was...more

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May 18, 2013 Lu Morales rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me four months to read it. I spent about two in the first one, two in the second one and only about a week or so in the last two stories, because I decided I couldn't be so lazy lately, I have a freaking gold to achieve this year. I have hangovers when it comes to books (don't laugh), I can't just pass from one to another in the same day—in the same week, I'll admit that. So four of them together in a big book made me take lots of pauses in between and, even though I enjoy King's books a...more It took me four months to read it. I spent about two in the first one, two in the second one and only about a week or so in the last two stories, because I decided I couldn't be so lazy lately, I have a freaking gold to achieve this year. I have hangovers when it comes to books (don't laugh), I can't just pass from one to another in the same day—in the same week, I'll admit that. So four of them together in a big book made me take lots of pauses in between and, even though I enjoy King's books a hell of a lot, it is also for me hard to read, I take too long in each page and sometimes I don't quite understand everything I read, like I can't concentrate or something, so I have to read again the specific part. Don't know why though.

Let's fly the unfriendly skies.
The Langoliers: The main idea is very interesting. I have never read or saw anything like it, which isn't surprising, Stephen King has got me used to originality. So it was a fresh thing to me, something unthinkable. There are lots of good quotes all over it. I personally fell in love with Nick Hopwell. (view spoiler) I didn't connect with the concept at first, must admit. Maybe—and most likely—it was something inside myself going on at the beggining of the year, but I wasn't very motivated while reading. Not all of the characters are interesting or new, but good enough to make it a nice story. Specially Nick. Yes, Nick's my man. I disliked the blind girl, she annoyed me, but if you're into the "hero characters", I can make a remark over her bravery. I read some reviews (not from goodreads, though) saying that it was unrealistic in the "technical" matters, about the plane and the escaping way. (view spoiler) I can't tell for sure because I don't really know much about planes, maybe if you read it, you'll find it unrealistic too. But I do, anyhow, recommend it. Just don't watch the movie. It SUCKS.

What happens to the wide-eyed observer when the window between reality and unreality breaks and the glass begins to fly?
Secret Window, Secret Garden: My mind exploded. It has good rythm. You'll probably start putting the pieces of the puzzle together while you find yourself enabled to hold yourself from keeping the pages turning. I did figure out the big turn-out long before it happened, but it doesn't mean it isn't surprising. It's macabre in every single way! It also has a movie. Johnny Depp's performance was amazing, as expected, but I thought it was slow and boring to watch. I wouldn't not recommend it, just letting you know that it bored me and I skipped lots of parts because of it. The ending (the movie's ending, I mean) is good though, but the book's ending is better for my taste. It is more realistic, more elaborated, more shocking. There are details in this story that will keep you distracted from the truth, from what's truly going on. Mostly because what the story is supposed to be about is Mort proving Shooter that he did not steal his story. Well, guess what, that's the only main distraction! You just keep unconsciously wishing for Mort to give the magazine to John Shooter, but then again, that is what distracts you, because at least at the beggining of it, you have no idea what the story is really about. At first, I just kept thinking, "why doesn't this bastard see as a possible thing that Shooter stole from him and not the other way around, ignore him and if he keeps bugging call police?" But it is much more deep than that, and he later obviously did see that that was it was all about. I thought that John Shooter copied Mort's story through the "secret window", I don't know why, but somehow I kept thinking everything had to do with this goddamn window, but it doesn't at all. This story is about stealing, alright, but not in the way you think.

Come with me, son... I'm a poleethman.
The Library Policeman: This story is exquisite. It came to a point where I simply couldn't stop reading. I think this one really deserved more pages, more narrations about Ardelia Lortz' past. Stephen King should've written a spin-off, and I keep thinking about an alternative ending I want to write myself. Let's see, I began reading this one with a bad predisposition. I was like, "oh, come on! '...The library looked like and oversized crypt. He didn't like it; it made him uneasy; he didn't know why...' my ass, this is both typical and pathetic. I. Don't. Like. It." But when you actually figure everthing out... It's both shocking and marvelous. It is has a supernatural creature, no spoiler alert needed, I think that you'll find out quite soon when you start reading. It just begins way too normal for being a King's story. It is gloomy, in some way. It makes you questions; "what if my childhood was fucked up like that and I can't remember it straightly?" It's a fast story. Descriptive but not excesively descriptive. A well carried story. And in this one, I had no clue what was going on until Dirty Dave answered everthing for me. (view spoiler) And if your wondering, I am sorry if I'm killing in one way or another the suspense, but I don't consider it a spoiler; it actually has a happy ending, but in my mind it doesn't. (view spoiler) So in general, my one and only critique would be, under my point of view, that this plot was underused. By the way, Dave Duncan is an amazing character. (view spoiler)

The Sun Dog: Unlike the last one, this story started with strenght and I was fully interested, curious about this Polaroid Sun 600 Camera. I, once again, loved the idea of it. I like the relationship Kevin develops with his father, I was hoping this typical man that refuses to believe in supernatural stuff, he is very present throughout the story, which pleased me, because it made it more realistic, being Kevin only fifteen years old. But this story was, under my opinion, bad narrated. Pop's point of view was the principal one, and it bored me. Way too descriptive. Innecesarily. (view spoiler) It was easy for me to ramble, to lose the thread or directly get bored while reading. A short story shouldn't lose the rythm too much. It was slow, so you begin to lose interest and keep wanting to skip to the end and finish the book. The ending was very obvious, we all knew what would happen, Kevin always knew and said it. But I loved the epilogue, leaving an open ending. On the other hand, this story disturbed me like a horror movie would. I kept thinking about the dog and how creepy this whole thing was. It felt real even when I knew it wasn't. Even if it was the heaviest one to read (which is funny, because is the one I took less time on), scared me the most, (well, I think the two first stories aren't made to fret anyway). I hope you get that sensation too if you decide to read it, or if you read it, I hope you did, because you enjoy it more. (view spoiler) Please don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad story, but the subject made me impacient and the way of narrating didn't help to make that curiosity grow, is what I mean to say. Just that. Oh, and a little detail; Kevin's mother was first called Mary and then Kate.

Four out of five stars, just because of the "The Sun Dog"'s issue I explained. It's hard to chose, but my favorite one from "Four Past Midnight" is "The Library Policeman". I highly recommend it.(less)

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Mar 10, 2012 tiddle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephen King is good in building up suspense. That's the main reason I find Langoliers, the first among the four short stories in this book, the most fun to read. But as the other stories progress, the scary plots get more graphic, and that's when I like King's books least.

It's not unlike the state of movies these days, with the advance in CGI, movies would come out with all sorts of scary, graphic monsters, ghosts, and violence, thinking that's what audience wants. But they're quite wrong. CGI...more

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Jul 14, 2010 Red rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 10-books, horror, fantasy, fiction

I read this book looking ahead at Needful Things, a King novel I've not read since high school or early college. So, 10 years or so. The last story in Four Past Midnight is "The Sun Dog," set in the same town as Needful Things and setting the stage for the novel as well.

Overall, I can only say, "Meh." "The Langoliers" was good, but too long. "The Library Policeman": the same thing. The stories feel bloated and overloaded, and I wish I knew what could have come out, but I'm not that good an edit...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned, worst-books-ever

I feel like I can only review the first two novellas because those were the only decent in the set of four. "The Langoliers" was a fantastic, frightening, edge of your seat, 'Twilight Zone' type story. The characters were perfect and the pace of the story was fast enough to keep my attention but slow enough to build anticipation. If that was a novel alone, I'd give it 5 stars.
"Secret Window, Secret Garden" was also a great story. I love the movie and the dialogue in the book was word for word in...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Fridal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book Review Frida Leon #13

The Lagoliers
By Stephen King

This is a story of horror and suspense where passengers of fly 29 were levied to another dimension where everything seemed the same but was dead and the objective was to return safe to their time.

All the characters helped each other but as product of the fear one of them turned help into betrayal.

The main characters in the story are the langoliers; wich are little hairy fast creatures.
Their purpose was to trap the persons that were lazy and...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Kat rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: stephen-king

I'm a great Stephen King fan but I felt as though the first two stories in this collection, The Langoliers and Secret Window, Secret Garden were a bit lacklustre. I liked The Library Policeman and I especially liked The Sun Dog. I think my enjoyment of Secret Window, Secret Garden was a bit spoilt by the fact that a few years ago I saw the naff film version with Johnny Depp, obviously long before I read the story itself. I though The Sun Dog was great. I found it really tense in parts and that's...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Fairul Asannan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a collection of 4 short stories, with ~~Horror (capital H),~~ King-style supernatural presented in all of them. I will try to give my dumbass lulz review for each, and then a dumber conclusion for the whole.

THE LANGOLIERS
Ooooo.. ooooh.. *orgasm*.. i think many people would know this story. It went into the idiot box many years ago, when i was a kid. And it got me scared shitless, i even drew those dumb space/time-eating-meatballs on my exercise book! In classes! Lulz! Like A DAMN HYPNOTIZED-...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Tim Giauque rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm finished! What did I learn from these four not-quite-short-stories-but-not-substantial-enough-to-be-turned-into-novels?

First up is "The Langoliers." I was sort of aware of the premise of this one beforehand - people fall asleep aboard an airplane and wake up some time later to find that everyone who wasn't asleep is now missing. I had it in my head that this is one of SK's most well-known novellas, so I was surprised to find that I didn't like it a whole lot. It follows the same arc as the m...more I'm finished! What did I learn from these four not-quite-short-stories-but-not-substantial-enough-to-be-turned-into-novels?

First up is "The Langoliers." I was sort of aware of the premise of this one beforehand - people fall asleep aboard an airplane and wake up some time later to find that everyone who wasn't asleep is now missing. I had it in my head that this is one of SK's most well-known novellas, so I was surprised to find that I didn't like it a whole lot. It follows the same arc as the much better "The Mist": we have a band of survivors thrown together in a nightmare situation; one survivor goes nuts and becomes the immediate threat; said nutjob gets gruesomely offed by the supernatural danger. The nightmare situation here was weird and I thought it made it difficult to relate to any of the survivors. I liked the description of the langoliers and their world, but overall this story was pretty meh. 3 stars.

Second is "Secret Window, Secret Garden." This one had a movie made from it, which I haven't seen, but, again, I was pretty well aware of the plot before I started reading it. The big "secret" twist at the end is pretty obvious, but I liked that SK seemed to know it. He throws all these clues in along the way and you can tell he doesn't really expect to fool too many readers with the shocking reveal. His attitude seemed to be, "eh, yeah, it's cliche, but that's how the story goes, folks; don't blame me." This, of course, is consistent with his larger worldview as explored in the Dark Tower books (namely, that a good storyteller doesn't "invent" stories out of whole cloth. He knows that stories are all real in their own realm, and a good storyteller knows how to listen to the voices on the wind that convey these stories to those who are able to hear.).

At any rate, I enjoyed this one a bit more. King spends a lot of time here just following Mort, the main character, around as he more or less goes about his routine. Doesn't sound like riveting stuff, I know, but I like the little mental asides and internal monologues that King loves to detail. If you're not going to be terribly original, at least do trite well. 3.5 stars.

I finished part three, "The Library Policeman," last night. This is more like it! What begins as a creepy episode like something out of the twilighty show about that zone turns into a story about a horrible squishy monster that eats people's fears. Actually, it turns into a story of people whose lives were ruined thirty years ago getting back together to stop the monster once and for all. So, basically, "It." Hmm, I'm noticing a pattern here. 4 stars anyway.

Part four is "The Sun Dog," about a boy whose new Polaroid camera spits out the same picture of a dog in front of a fence every time a picture is taken, regardless of what the photographer was aiming for. This one is the shortest of the four, and it's the only one where King doesn't try to explain the supernatural horrible thing at its center. Usually that's better, anyway. Again, I like reading the back stories of King's characters here; in this one we get a story of how the boy's father got involved with a loan shark when he was a newlywed. Otherwise, it's a fairly standard story that doesn't overstay its welcome. 3 or 3.5 stars.

So that's the real problem with this book. At no point did it feel like King was really stretching himself on any of these stories. Three of the four are retreads of other King stories, plotwise, and even the big mean horrible dog of the fourth is not that far removed from "Cujo." While fun, the stories are insubstantial and ultimately only average. King surely knew this, which is why none of these guys got taken further into full-fledged novel status.

However, hey, so what. It's no classic, but I enjoyed the book well enough.(less)

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Mar 01, 2009 Ryan Mishap rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: when-i-was-a-lad

I devoured Koontz and King back in middle school and part of high school. In retrospect, I could have spent my time on better books, but these chillers were an escape from things I didn't want to think about, especially at night when I couldn't sleep and my mind twisted my perceptions nauseatingly.
I'm not saying you should bother reading these, especially now that Koontz is openly being Christian and Stephen King thinks he is a writer, but I have a fondness for some of these books. If you are...more

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Stephen King Fans: The Library Policeman (four past midnight)	12	123	Sep 19, 2012 09:30pm
Stephen King Fans: The Langoliers (FourPastMidnight)	40	144	Nov 10, 2011 11:35pm
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Stephen King Fans: Secret Window, Secret Garden(FourPastMidnight)	9	47	Sep 07, 2010 10:56am

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About Stephen King

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono, where they both worked as students. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.(less)

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“I still believe in the resilience of the human heart and the essential validity of love;I still believe that connections between people can be made and that the spirits which inhabit us sometimes touch. I still believe that the cost of these connections is horribly, outrageously high... and I still believe that the value received far outweighs the price which must be paid. (From introductory notes.)” — 32 people liked it

“A woman who would steal your love when your love was really all you had to give was not much of a woman.” — 15 people liked it

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