Tracey's review
Skeleton Crew
by Stephen King
Perhaps I just have a butterfly mind, but I really enjoy short stories more than the doorstopper novels of today. Have you noticed how hefty the last two Ken Follet novels are? Mega bestsellers both -- so what do I know.
I always prize reviews of collections that point out favorites. This gives me the opening to a mental dialogue with the reviewer, which adds to my reading pleasure. I will look foreward to more of your comments.
I think short stories are a great way to find out whether I like an author or not, without the investment of time that a novel requires.
And I know the "butterfly mind" feeling...
"[He] had a memory that he himself had once compared to the Queen Alexandra Birdwing Butterfly, in that it was colorful, flitted about prettily hither & thither, and was now, alas, almost completely extinct." (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - [Douglas Adams
Tracey's review
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
Tracey's review
rating:
recommended for: fans of the short story, whether you're new to Stephen King's works or not
"A short story is a different thing all together - a short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger." -- from the Introduction to Skeleton Crew
It had been a while since I revisited King's short story collections, and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed.
"The Mist" is more a novella than a short story, at about 125 pages. Since I grew up living at a cottage on Lake Michigan in the summers, I could relate to the small-town feel and the blind fury of the storm. Some people think this story goes on a little too long, but for me, it's one of King's more memorable short fiction works. I also really like "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" and "Word Processor of the Gods" - the former being a story told after the fact by a questionable narrator, and the latter, a bit dated, but with perhaps unexpected heart.
IMHO, "The Raft" is the best-written story of the collection - you *know* what it's like to be out on that raft, chill...more
It had been a while since I revisited King's short story collections, and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed.
"The Mist" is more a novella than a short story, at about 125 pages. Since I grew up living at a cottage on Lake Michigan in the summers, I could relate to the small-town feel and the blind fury of the storm. Some people think this story goes on a little too long, but for me, it's one of King's more memorable short fiction works. I also really like "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" and "Word Processor of the Gods" - the former being a story told after the fact by a questionable narrator, and the latter, a bit dated, but with perhaps unexpected heart.
IMHO, "The Raft" is the best-written story of the collection - you *know* what it's like to be out on that raft, chill...more
Perhaps I just have a butterfly mind, but I really enjoy short stories more than the doorstopper novels of today. Have you noticed how hefty the last two Ken Follet novels are? Mega bestsellers both -- so what do I know. I always prize reviews of collections that point out favorites. This gives me the opening to a mental dialogue with the reviewer, which adds to my reading pleasure. I will look foreward to more of your comments.
I think short stories are a great way to find out whether I like an author or not, without the investment of time that a novel requires.
And I know the "butterfly mind" feeling...
"[He] had a memory that he himself had once compared to the Queen Alexandra Birdwing Butterfly, in that it was colorful, flitted about prettily hither & thither, and was now, alas, almost completely extinct." (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - [Douglas Adams