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Jan 24, 2012

Lou rated it:

Best of 2010
Hold up wait a minute King of fiction releases novellas, stop all reading! Bump up to the front of your to-read list! Essential reading right now! Beauty of Kindle is that i could start reading instantly on release date.
King sums these stories 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 acknowled

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14 comments like (31 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2011

brian rated it:

there are times when it seems that stephen king has haruki murakami syndrome; that is: you know this guy has an incredible imagination, but chunks of his prose make it so you can't entirely rule out the idea that he might also be a bit retarded. and, yeah, there are other problems with this collection: king feels the need to end each story on the perfect note, which ain't really the best tack as concerns creepy-as-shit stories: all this horror/existenzy/mystery stuff begs to leave a little for u More...

15 comments like (40 people liked it)

Jun 05, 2011

Kathy rated it:

Ok, I am going to review each story, as well, individually as they deserver.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

1. 1922 - This story is actually a confession of a man who has just murdered his wife. He has even dragged his innocent 14 year old son into this as well, which is very heartbreaking. I feel this story makes you realize that our actions have consequences that we will somehow at some point feel. Is it karma? What goes around, comes around? Ghosts? Insanity? This man, af More...

24 comments like (21 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2011

Kemper rated it:

There’s a fair amount of criticism out there about Stephen King. A lot of it is valid, but there are certain times that he’s the perfect author to be reading. Like last night when a winter storm blew through. Freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and high winds made it look like an Artic wasteland outside. As I lay reading under my warm blankets, I paused for a moment and listened to the wind making the house creak and the sleet hitting the windows, and thought, “This is just about the perfect More...

2 comments like (26 people liked it)

Oct 25, 2011

Jeanette rated it:

3 1/2 stars, about which, more later.

Steve King has abandoned the supernatural in favor of something even creepier: REALITY. Do you really know what evil lurks inside that person curled up next to you in bed? Or that gray-haired, seemingly benign librarian? Or the guy who's been your best buddy since childhood? Or YOU, for that matter?
King takes on these questions here in three novellas and one short-ish story.

In Big Driver, Tess is the author of the cozy and bla More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 13, 2011

Maciek rated it:

After the doorstopper that was Under The Dome Stephen King came with this volume of four tales, all much more restrained in scope and quieter in terms of narrative than the story of Chester Mill. This does not mean that they lack emotion, intensity and darkness; oh no, the title is very apt. These four tales are some of King's darkest work to date.

King one of the few contemporary and succesful practicioners in the vastly ignored field of the short story, but he's probably the sole wr More...

18 comments like (7 people liked it)

Aug 30, 2011

R.G. rated it:

Welcome back, Stephen King. Reading some of your later novels--Duma Key, Cell, Under the Dome--I couldn't help but think of Henry James's description of his contemporaries' novels as "loose, baggy monsters." Not that your novels of late have been populated by such monsters (which might have improved them considerably), but rather that they rambled endlessly with less than compelling plots and characters. The four long stories that comprise Full Dark, No Stars, on the other hand, mar More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2011

Rusty rated it:

I just finished 1922 (the first of the four novellas). I liked this one a lot. Wilf James is at odds with the wife, and the simplest solution is to kill her. Things kind of go down hill from there. One of the things that impressed me about this story is the fact that it didn't sound at all like King's "voice". I wouldn't have thought he could surprise me after all this time.

The story is very compelling and you're drawn in from the start. And there's a good message t More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 22, 2011

Myvampfiction rated it:

review by Megsly

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

First off, I'm an avid reader of all things Stephen King. I love him. I worship his words and fall in love with his imagery. The man can command language in such a way that a 20 page short story sucks me in, drags me away from real life, and leaves me so satisfied that I crave a cigarette to bring me down from my high. So, let's just say that when my dad handed me King's newest book-a collection of short stories-called Fu More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 18, 2011

Monica rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 17, 2011

Dustin Crazy little brown owl rated it:

Part of the title says "No Stars" but damn it, I'm giving Full Dark, No Stars - 5 stars! This book was amazing - every story and the afterword as well, is 5 star quality. This is without a doubt, my favorite book I've read by Stephen King (not that I've read all that many) but still it's quite an impressive collection. I absolutely loved this volume and highly recommend it. Would you make the same decision as the main character in each story? Read & ask yourself :-)

From the o More...

6 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 04, 2010

Michael rated it:

In the afterward of "Full Dark, No Stars," Stephen King says that the four stories collected here go into some dark corners. And he's not kidding. Easily one of his darkest collections ever, the stories are all still vintage King, looking at ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. There are no happy endings here, but instead some fascinating, page-turning stories that will linger with you long after you're done reading. (I know I'm sure still haunted by aspects o More...

0 comments like (15 people liked it)

May 11, 2011

Diane rated it:

It has been many many years since I've read or listened to a Stephen King book, but recently I felt the need to read outside of my comfort zone, so I decided to try King once again. I am so happy that I did. None of the stories were really gory, and I only felt the tiniest bit squeamish was with the first story, 1922, as there were some scenes with rats. Other than that, I think this book was a pleasantly toned down Stephen King.

The audiobook is on (12) cds, and the two readers, Craig More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 25, 2011

Morgan rated it:

Let me preface by saying that my kooky grandmother, bless her soul, got me started on Stephen King in my early high school years. I have easily read all of his books with the exception of 2 or 3, and at one time had the sagging bookcase to prove it (aren't Kindles a God-send?).

I began Full Dark, No Stars with a sinking feeling in my stomach, as the first story was awfully reminiscent of Delores Claiborne.

"Oh, SK, I really do love you, but at times your formulas can g More...

9 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 02, 2011

Barbara rated it:

I finally stole some time over the past two days to finish reading the last three stories. I must admit I missed Uncle Stevie as the last book I read of his was Cell a few years back. I’m a fan of both his novels and short stories/novellas, so I dived in hoping to be fully swept away into a twisted world.

That said, I liked Full Dark, but didn’t love it. I don’t feel like this is a book of his that I’ll be drawn to reread. For me, the theme tying the stories together is one of rev More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2011

Kate rated it:

12/31/10 Review of "1922":
I don't think I've read anything by Stephen King that really qualifies as historical fiction, so this was pretty different (I know The Green Mile and some others take place mostly in the past, but usually as a long flashback from contemporary times). "1922" is one man's confession about killing his wife and how it destroys his life... at first you think it's all psychological consequences, then the supernatural stuff starts up.

The More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 23, 2011

Marissa rated it:

Full Dark, No Stars is made up of four novella length stories. Each story deals with the dark side of real life - murder, rape, cancer, and discovering the people you are closest to are not always who they seem.

There is no light at the end of the tunnel in these stories and one of them is nothing short of depressing. However, I really enjoyed the other three - especially the one entitled, 'Big Driver' about the woman who is raped and left for dead. I found the emotional trauma she went More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 13, 2011

Davide rated it:

Sono sempre scettico di fronte a libri composti da più storie, i cosiddetti "brevi racconti" che, soprattutto quando appartengono al genere horror, faticano a creare l'atmosfera adeguata.
Tutto ciò non accade in Notte Buia, Niente Stelle, una vera e propria prova di bravura per il re dell'horror.
Si tratta di 4 racconti che hanno come minimo comun denominatore la violenza e le donne. Tra questi, ne ho trovati particolarmente agghiaccianti due. Il primo "1922", parla More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Ryan added it

Knowing my enthusiasm for Stephen King’s short story collections (Different Seasons, Half Past Midnight, etc.) my cousin gave me Full Dark, No Stars as a Christmas gift. I read this as I was reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace to give myself a break every 300 or so pages of Russian prose. In a sinister sort of way, the four tales of the depths of human malice were a pleasurable departure from the love triangles and philosophical ruminations on the war of 1812.

Full Dark, No Stars is a collection of More...

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Feb 13, 2012

Melissa rated it:

Fan-freakin'-tastic! My favorites were "1922", "Good Marriage" and "Fair Extension". "Fair Extension" might take the cake because, like my favorite SK novel, "IT", the story was set in Derry, Maine. He threw in so many allusions, like the Barrens, the "big flood" in the late 80's, a neighbor named Mrs. Denborough, and this story was complete with a big bad by the name of George Elvid...hmm? Not half as scary as Pennywise, but those More...

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Jan 24, 2012

Jenny rated it:

This is what kicked off my New Year's resolution to read one non school-related book per month. I read an excerpt of "Big Driver" in Entertainment Weekly, and was super excited to get this book and find out what happened. Out of all the stories, I liked Big Driver the best, and that was not my favorite Stephen King tale. I think this is just related to my distaste for horror, not a reflection on his writing at all. I love his book On Writing and all those stories like The Green Mil More...

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Jan 19, 2012

Josh rated it:

Full Dark, No Stars is a short story or novella collection from the master of modern horror Stephen King. King attempts to "get nasty" in these stories, something he's been noticeably shying away from in his more mainstream books, with some exceptions (Cell), since his tragic accident in 1999.

1922- Told from the point of view of a farmer who kills his wife to save his land, then proceeds to watch his life around him deteriorate. He sees his his neighbors desert him, his son a More...

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Jan 14, 2012

Feroz rated it:

If I had to pick 2 strengths of Stephen King when it comes to Story writing, those will be Character development and Plot build-up. Rewarding endings and twist-a-turn plots are not exactly his forte. Character development and story build-up really add life to a big novel and that's the reason I have rarely struggled to finish even a 1000 page book of King. But whenever I read a short story by King (and I haven't read many so it may be a skewed sample), I come disappointed because what he is good More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 11, 2012

Heather rated it:

In typical Stephen King fashion, he reaches into the hearts of his readers and illuminates our greatest fears with these chilling tales. The characters range from a housewife whose husband murders her to settle a dispute over a piece of land to a man driven to an act of desperation by a lifetime of jealously over his best friend's good fortune. Another turns the tables on her kidnapper who brutalizes her and leaves her for dead; a wife who learns a dark secret about her husband is faced w More...

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Jan 08, 2012

Alytha rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 07, 2012

Alexandra rated it:

My first Stephen King. The stories are well developed and not predictable -- I often wondered what could possibly happen with 60 pages left! There's certainly an angle of sexual perversion in all the stories that I didn't quite get as to why this angle enhanced the story except by making them more disturbing. I think the first story, "1922" has the most depth and realism of character development as a father pulls his son into a horrid act and then has to bear the responsibility of r More...

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Jan 02, 2012

Jairo rated it:

Jairo Alvear
1201
English
12/25/11

Full Dark, No Light
Stephen King

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King, is a series of short stories in which different characters in each story must face a different side of themselves, that they find within because of the obstacles they face.With this, Stephen King develops the characters More...

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Jan 01, 2012

Anthony rated it:

I am not the first to say, nor will I be the last, that Stephen King is an interesting guy. As a writer with a clear eye for good and evil, he captures the depravity of the human condition remarkably well. He writes in the afterward, “If you’re going into a very dark place…you should take a bright light, and shine it on everything... Bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do.” If there were ever a question about whether or not w More...

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Dec 26, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

While there are other Stephen King collections that I like much more than this one, I still liked it, and I was really glad to have it on the plane with me. "1922" just FLEW by, I pretty much devoured that one without coming up for air. You'd think after upteen gazillion times I'd have gotten tired of Stephen King's "I'm going to tell you exactly what's going to happen before the end of the story" trick, but it gets me every time. You know exactly who's not going to make it t More...

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Nov 14, 2011

Lindsay rated it:

This is a book composed of four short novellas, all of which are excellent. As is implied by the title, all four novellas are incredibly dark and scary, but very entertaining.
"1922": this is one of those confession-style stories that you get a lot from Edgar Allen Poe, the type written by someone who has done something horrible before their death. The narrator is a farmer whose wife inherits some land. She wants to sell it and move to the big city, he doesn't; he manipulates their More...

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