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Just After Sunset

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 19,752 ratings · 1,399 reviews

Stephen King -- who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one "New York Times" bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies -- delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first since "Everything's Eventual" six years ago. As guest editor of the bestselling "Best American Short Stories 2007," King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His r...more Stephen King -- who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one "New York Times" bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies -- delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first since "Everything's Eventual" six years ago. As guest editor of the bestselling "Best American Short Stories 2007," King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His renewed passion for the form is evident on every page of "Just After Sunset." The stories in this collection have appeared in "The New Yorker," "Playboy," "McSweeney's," "The Paris Review," "Esquire," and other publications. Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying -- journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable -- and resourceful -- as Audrey Hepburn's character in "Wait Until Dark." In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.," which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.

"Just After Sunset" -- call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.(less)

Hardcover, 367 pages

Published November 11th 2008 by Scribner (first published January 1st 2008)

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Jan 03, 2013 Victor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, 2013-read, short-stories, stephen-king-read

Willa-2 stars-Not very interesting
The Gingerbread Girl-5 stars-Amazing! Really suspenseful and lots of fun to read
Harvey's Dream-1 star-Total waste of time IMO
Rest Stop-1 star-Another story that wasn't worth the time. It wasn't even interesting
Stationary Bike-5 stars-Really good and scary.
The Things They Left Behind-4 stars-had some unanswered questions and was a little slow paced, but overall a good story
Graduation Afternoon-3 stars-Interesting even though it was pointless and dull
N.-4 stars-Re...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Arun Divakar rated it 3 of 5 stars

A significant portion of my 'free' time outside the book is on the internet. Needless to say, Facebook is the main culprit there. The best part of Facebook to me has always been the outstanding quotes & images shared by my friends. Why this diversion here in this review you might wonder ! Here is why :

A good life must be like a good short story. A solid beginning, interesting characters, strong setup, suspenseful episodes, pleasant twists, fulfilling resolution and the end shouldn't really...more

11 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2008 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008

I love Stephen King stories. There are lots of authors I read, but few that I am as eager to consume as any new work by King (Elizabeth George is a close second). Any new offering by King is a cause for celebration for me.

"Just After Sunset" is King's latest collection of short stories, written over a period of about two years. Thematically, several of the stories look at what happens to us in the moments and years after we shuffle off this mortal coil and several of them are heavily impacted by...more I love Stephen King stories. There are lots of authors I read, but few that I am as eager to consume as any new work by King (Elizabeth George is a close second). Any new offering by King is a cause for celebration for me.

"Just After Sunset" is King's latest collection of short stories, written over a period of about two years. Thematically, several of the stories look at what happens to us in the moments and years after we shuffle off this mortal coil and several of them are heavily impacted by the real-life horrors of 9/11. No, King doesn't take advantage or exploit the day for commercial gain. Instead, he examines the implications on those left behind in the wake of the tragedy. One haunting story finds a man who was running late the morning of 9/11 and who worked in the Twin Towers, finding objects from his lost office and co-workers turning up in is apartment. He tries to get rid of them, but they keep returning to him. He then decides he has to bring them to the families to offer those families a bit of closure--even if it's from something as out there as a novelty ice cube or a whoopie cushion.

Another story finds a widow being able to connect with her husband who dies in a plane crash. The husband was calling on his cell phone as the plane went down and now finds himself in a limbo, waiting area. His phone is slowly dying and he laments he didn't take the time to charge it the night before in order to be able to talk longer before he passes onward. The story doesn't say or really imply that it's related to any of the crashes of 9/11, but it's hard not to read that into any story about a plane crash after that fateful day.

As always, the strength of King's stories is their grounding in reality with strong characters reacting in authentic ways to bizarre and supernatural circumstances. King has, in my mind, long since moved out of the realm of a simple horror novelist and inhabits a place as simply a great storyteller. Yes, he can and does tap into some of the more twisted and bizarre visions or our time, but he always does so in such a way as to make the stories work and feel real, even when the supernatural element is turned up to the n-th degree. These stories are about death--as is a lot of King's work--and how we react to it.

Will we be like "The Gingerbread Girl" who flees from life in the wake of the death of her child? She literally begins running away from the problem before come face to face with an even greater evil and horror that snaps her back into survival mode and where she finds the will to live. Or will we be like those who ghosts who have died, inhabiting a strange camp and dance hall, going through the same motions over and over again, denying that we've left this mortal coil and refusing to embrace or accept what can or does come next?

It's not to say that every story in this collection is perfect. Some work better than others and there are one or two stories that just didn't connect with me and enthrall me as much as I'd hoped. But in a collection of short stories, odds are that is going to happen. But when King is on in this collection, his stories are as compelling and engrossing as any author out there today.
(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Stefan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I did enjoy this collection overall and it does contain a couple of gems (N,The Things They Left Behind, The Gingerbread Girl) this wasn't King's strongest collection of tales. The one thing that it does have going for it over some of his better collections is that there weren't any that I would consider stinkers. For the most part, the stories contained here were all average to above-average short stories but nothing that REALLY wowed me. It's definitely a worthwhile read though and as I...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 30, 2008 Bryce Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

More of a 3.5 a lot of the stories are kind of standard, but the ones that connect really knock it out of the park and even the more average have at least a few memorable moments. Still even in an average collection like this, so few authors write short story collections (that sell anyway) that I can’t help but be grateful that King keeps doing them.

+’s

-The Gingerbread Girl a taught thiller.

-The Thing’s They Left Behind, a surprisingly sensitive well done look at 9/11 and it’s accompanying angs...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2008 Jamie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Just After Sunset is Stephen King's latest collection of short stories, containing a hodge podge of different tales that with one exception had been previously published in various magazines or anthologies. I've liked Stephen King's similar works in the past, despite the fact that some of his so-called short stories have clocked in at novella or even full novel length. This collection, however, contains relatively short works that can all be easily read in one sitting. Unfortunately I didn't car...more

10 likes · like · see review

Nov 15, 2008 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-books

This scrumptious lil' candy box of nasty short story surprises is vintage King, each darkly delicious tale accompanied by a ghost ("Willa"), serial killer ("The Gingerbread Girl") or demonic being ("The Cat from Hell"), and all with a chewy moral center. Almost all of these 13 tales have been previously published, but my favorite might be the only one original to the collection, "N.", a story of a psychiatrist who comes to believe that his obsessive compulsive patient really IS the guardian of t...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Damali rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, shorts

Overall 3.5 stars

1. Willa, 3 stars
2. The Gingerbread Girl, 4 stars
3. Harvey's Dream, 4 stars
4. Rest Stop, 4 stars
5. Stationary Bike, 3 stars
6. The Things They Left Behind, 3 stars
7. Graduation Afternoon, 4 stars
8. N., 3 stars
9. The Cat From Hell, 4 stars. Too funny! I hate cats!
10. The NY Times at Special Bargain Rates, 3 stars
11. Mute, 4 stars
12. Ayana, 3 stars
13. A Very Tight Place, 4 stars

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 19, 2008 R. marked it as to-read

Shelves: unfinishedreads, 2008

"Cat from Hell" - Our Mutual Uncle in Vault of Horror mode.
"N." - An incredibly effective Lovecraft pastiche. Had me enthralled.*
"A Very Tight Place" - A delightfully gross revenge fantasy.

-----

* http://www.simonsays.com/specials/ste...

Original impression:

Not a very promising title. Isn't it always darkest Just Before Dawn ?

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2008 Anderse rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people w. a high Stephen King threshold

One story in so far and while it is a good short story as I expected it would be, his overuse of favorite phrases grates on my nerves.
"It's not the heat, it's the humidity" appears in probably at least 3 other SK stories/novels. Pretty sure it's in The Mist and I *know* it's in Rainy Season - so I rounded up to a probable 3. Stephen King math is fun!
At least he's not using expletives as shock words so far.

FINAL REVIEW:
More repeated phrases throughout that are noticeable to me because I've read...more

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Oct 04, 2009 Vera Hannaford rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I have read many Stephen King novels, it's the short stories that I enjoy the most. At first read, the tales in Just After Sunset aren't all the frightening, but they have a Night Gallery/Twilight Zonesque way of creeping into one's psyche.

I ended up liking all of the stories, but the one's that really made me think were "The Things They Left Behind", "N", and "Graduation Afternoon."

I found "A Very Tight Place" and "The Cat from Hell." delightfully gross, but the story that will stay wi...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 03, 2009 Sequoia rated it 4 of 5 stars

A great collection of short stories. Some I loved, some I didn't care too much for, but all of them kept my attention. Either I had to find out what happened next or the writing was just amazing.

My favorite stories were: Harvey's Dream, Stationary Bike and N. It's also cool that Mr. King did notes at the end (with a warning not to peek at them until you're done reading the stories). From past experiences, I tried not to read this at night. I did pretty good at not getting scared until I finishe...more

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Nov 21, 2008 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of short stories

though i've read everything stephen king has ever written, i don't typically review his books. why? mainly because every reviewer in the world has something to say, and king is such a mainstream author that he's widely read without the benefit of my recommendation. either you're a fan of stephen king or you think he's overrated.

i am thrilled king has stepped back in to short stories. as an art form, short stories are dying... i work in a bookstore, and it is tough to get customers to buy short...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hardback

"Willa" -- I wasn't really expecting such a sweet ghost story from King... 11/3/2010

"The Gingerbread Girl" -- Can't catch me. Good for her. 11/18/2010

"Harvey's Dream" -- almost every SF/F/H author I've ever read has had SOME variation on this -- and this may be the second from King. He did an excellent job of having it be from the POV of the wife as told to her by her husband. 2/20/11

"Rest Stop" -- kinda makes you wonder what you'd do in the same situation. Most people would not have gotten invo...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2013 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm reading this collection in bite-sized pieces, between novels every now and then. I'll review each story as I read them.

Since I need to rate this to have it saved, I'm setting the bar at 3 stars for now.

Willa: This was okay, there wasn't much of a storyline, but King creates an eerie sense of place with this one. 3 stars.

The Gingerbread Girl: A fairly longer short story, but it sure doesn't feel that way. King ratches the suspense meter up to full with this one. 4 stars

Harvey's Dream: Read th...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 05, 2009 JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to JG (The Introverted Reader) by: Donna S

Shelves: fiction, read_in_2008, anthology, reviewed, 4_stars, author_american, setting_us

Warning! This review will be incredibly long because I find it impossible to review a collection of short stories without reviewing each story. Feel free to move along.

Overall, this was not a typical Stephen King short story collection. His short stories generally give me nightmares. There were a few horror stories in here, but really he was exploring the post-9/11 world, grief, loss, and the afterlife. Some of his efforts were more successful than others, but the ones that worked really worked...more

6 likes · like · see review

Nov 27, 2008 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, creepy-spooky-scary, four-star-fiction, all-fiction

I'm giving this book four stars with one exclusion, to be discussed later in the review. Overall, a great, versatile collection. Over the years King has moved away from monsters and vampires and gore and moved into the realm of psychological boogie men and supernatural possibilities. Some of these stories don't have anything otherworldly in them at all. Just regular old human beings are scary enough!!

I really liked:

1)Mute: Real life "horror" with nothing supernatural, and very believable. Outsta...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 08, 2009 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

So far, of the first five stories I have read I disliked 2 of them. I didn't like the 10 page story about the dream Harvey had...I kept waiting to find out his wife was really a ghost or something but it was just stupid. I also thought "Stationary Bike" was alittle boring. It got okay toward the last 10 pages of it, but honestly, I just didn't like it. "Willa" I enjoyed a lot. "The Gingerbread Girl" was very good and suspenseful. I also liked "Rest Stop" and I could see King being John Dykstra a...more So far, of the first five stories I have read I disliked 2 of them. I didn't like the 10 page story about the dream Harvey had...I kept waiting to find out his wife was really a ghost or something but it was just stupid. I also thought "Stationary Bike" was alittle boring. It got okay toward the last 10 pages of it, but honestly, I just didn't like it. "Willa" I enjoyed a lot. "The Gingerbread Girl" was very good and suspenseful. I also liked "Rest Stop" and I could see King being John Dykstra and Richard Bachman being Rick Hardin. I also have been reading his notes after reading each story. I love that he added those, I always wonder what makes a writter chose his story lines. "The Things They Left Behind" is next for me but "Stationary Bike" has irritaited me and I just don't know what I will do if this story bores me like that one did.
So far, I would give 3 stars I guess, one for each story I did like so far :). Maybe I will add a star when I finish it up...hopefully I won't take away any. Who am I kidding, I love Stephen King....just in loyality I probably won't take a star away.

1/12/09 Okay, I liked "The Things They Left Behind" and "Graduation". I don't know how I would have felt about The Things They Left Behind in 2001-2002...I thought the story was a good one...but back then it may have been too soon to make reference to such a real and tragic day in a fictional story. Or at least it would have been harder to read without crying. "Graduation" was strange.

9/5/09 N. was creepy. Definately entertaining...but creepy. OCD is not fun at all....but would be absolutly terrifying with Stephen King's little twist to it....yiks.

09/08/09 I had time at the gym this morning to fit in another story. I know a story is good when occasionally throughout the day my thoughts go back to the story, almost as if it were a memory of events I experienced myself. I am referring to "Cat From Hell." What I would like to know, is how I ended up with the cat from that story in my house? Sure...she hasn't killed anyone...yet..
The last two stories has convienced me to up my stars from 3 to 4. Thanks Stephen King for creeping me out first thing this morning.(less)

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May 26, 2009 Henrik rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those enjoying Stephen King; those enjoying a thrilling short story collection

Shelves: horror, short-stories-by-author, long-term-reading

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Although I had my mind set on waiting to begin reading this book till I was finished reading some of the others I am currently reading, my curiosity got the better of me:-P

But, as always with short story collections, it may take some time before I am done reading it--since I tend to read each story with weeks, even months, apart.

OCTOBER 31, 2008:

"Graduation Afternoon":

I read this one first because it was the shortest one, and hence could easily fit in right before going to sleep (I was very tire...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 24, 2008 Cassie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Stephen King fans, horror lovers

This is a great short story collection -- subtle and thought-provoking and sometimes, of course, downright horrifying. King explores issues of death and the afterlife in quite a few stories and, as is pretty typical of his works, reveals the horror in the mundane. The best story in the collection by far is "N.," never before published, which tells of a world beyond our own and its keepers -- and their slow descents into madness.

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Mar 27, 2009 Naida rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read this book in under 12 hours. I Love Stephen King short stories and this one does not disappoint. The Stationary Bike was my favorite in this collection and it is pure King - Great imagery & dialogue and an idea that could have only come from his head.

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Dec 12, 2012 Ginger Weasley rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

although i am a huge stephen king fan and a really fast reader when it comes to his works, it took me like 6 months to finish this one.

i didn't like a single story from this collection - maybe except for 'the cat from hell'.
but all the other stories are just missing something. it's not the typical stephen-king-thrill that keeps you reading for hours.
and i've already read some of his other short stories that had this kind of mesmerising effect but unfortunately not one of these.

i wouldn't really...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 29, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-version

Since I bashed King for his stupid and gratuitous Kindle-only UR, it's only fair to give the devil himself his due for this collection of short stories. Of course, anyone who reads short story collections already knows the selections are uneven -- and pretty much dependent on what kind of story any given reader likes. That's pretty much true in King's Just After Sunset as well. First, although my personally favorite King stories are those that rely on psychological horror (think Misery) as oppos...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a new collection of Stephen King stories, in which he show us all how it’s done. Sorry, Joe Hill, but as good as your stories were, your dad is still the master of the creepy short story. Which is not to say these are all perfect, but unlike his recent novels (which often creep to the bloated), these are lean, mean tales that get you in and out and get it done. I just enjoyed the heck out of this book.

And, at least one of them has hit me so hard that I still can’t think about it sometim...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephen has been on my shitlist recently. Finally though, a book of short stories, exactly what I was craving from him. Luckily, this didn't disappoint.

King has a distinct knack for short stories, drawing you in and scaring the bejeebus out of you that he just didn't do in his later novels. In short stories, you have such a limited space to tell your story so you have to be a bit more adept with words. My favorite stories are the ones that plop you right in the middle of a situation and then pul...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Deirdre rated it 3 of 5 stars

An uneven collection of short stories that left me pleased and a little confused. There are several class A tales in the book like "A Very Tight Space," "N," "The Things They Left Behind" and "Rest Stop."

Part of what was so fascinating about the book is the introduction and end notes by King. It seems that Mr. King found himself craving the old groove he used to have when he was banging out short stories for men's magazines. It seems he edited a book The Best American Short Stories of 2007 and...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-king

I can't see me ever giving a book by The Master *less* than at least four stars -- but this was still an exceptional read. The slightly lower score is simply because of my personal preference for novels over short stories collections; I read primarily for Character, but it's a difficult thing to fall in love with a character in a short story simply because you don't get to spend that much time with them. My prejudice aside, however, this was a marvelous collection, with stories ranging from horr...more

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Dec 10, 2008 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Stephen King is back once again with a collection of short stories. Most are hit or miss here. I have read the many reviews and it seems to consist mostly of either fans who glorify the author they worship and what they read or fans that just abhor the new tales of Mr. King. Of course there is one that brings back something that Mr. King said about the Army and Iraq. I have always enjoyed reading Mr. King's novels and short stories, and even though I am in the military, I will continue to read h...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: stuff-by-the-king

I wouldn't call this one of King's best short story collections, although some of the stories in it are well worth picking up the book. Particularly good ones include:
"The Gingerbread Girl" - reeling from the sudden death of her infant daughter, Emily takes up running. Her obsessive need to run ultimately drives a wedge between her and her husband, and she leaves him and moves to a remote part of Florida. Her will to survive is put to the ultimate test when she stumbles upon a serial killer.
"T...more

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May 27, 2013 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, fantasy, horror

Of all of King's story collections, this is my least favorite, enough so that I never bothered actually buying a copy. However, I got it from the library and reread it, and it's not as weak as I recalled it being.

I think the biggest problem with this book is that it starts with one of the weakest stories, "Willa", which King says got him writing short stories after a long hiatus. All well and good, but it's still a pretty boring story. I also don't care for "Ayana", which has a somewhat confusin...more

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willa	2	13	Jun 04, 2013 05:10am
Stephen King Fans: The Gingerbread Girl-JAS	31	215	Feb 20, 2013 01:56pm
Stephen King Fans: Rest Stop-JAS	13	154	Feb 15, 2013 08:57am
Stephen King Fans: Just After Sunset	16	79	Nov 02, 2011 05:05pm
Stephen King Fans: N -JAS	39	182	Apr 08, 2011 10:53am
Stephen King Fans: The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates-JAS	13	162	Apr 08, 2011 10:07am

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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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Quotes from Just After Sunset

“The medical definition of miracle is misdiagnosis.” — 43 people liked it

“As infants, our first victory comes in grasping some bit of the world, usually our mother's fingers. Later we discover that the world, and the things of the world, are grasping us, and have been all along.” — 33 people liked it

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