Audible Book Review of Stephen King’s “You Like It Darker” — Derek Barton – 2024
You Like It Darkerby Stephen King — a short story anthologyReleased on May 21, 2024512 pagesSynopsis:
From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
The Review:
Stephen King has given us a long list of intriguing, unique, and breath-taking short stories like in Skeleton Crew (The Mist), Different Seasons (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption), Everything’s Eventual (1408), and, of course, Night Shift (Children of the Corn, Trucks).
In this collection, he showcases several amazing character profile stories like Two Talented Bastids, Laurie, and The Turbulence Expert. These stories revolve around dynamic characters – King gives you small glimpses into their lives and leaves you wanting more!
The three stories that make the collection truly shine are: Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, Rattlesnakes, and The Answer Man.
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream will surely be made into another movie — it’s that good! So, I won’t give you too much on this one. Let’s just say, what would happen if you were gifted one psychic vision one night… You see a possible murder. How do you get anyone to believe you?
Rattlesnakes may not be a movie, but it gives you some closure. Ever wonder what happened to the surviving parents from Cujo? This details the remainder of their lives along the way giving a gripping ghost story!
The Answer Man is a fun read! Truly entertaining with a fantastic mystery hook. If you were to meet The Answer Man, what would be your “free” questions for him? Be very careful of the words you choose and be sure you truly want to know the answers!
The Narration:
Will Patton has been chosen again to work his magic and narrate the majority of the stories. He is a successful actor in movies like Armageddon, The Postman and The Punisher as well as recurring roles in the television series, Falling Skies and 24. His versatility and talent comes to life in his narration, bringing these stories to a whole new level. Stephen King does a good job himself, narrating two of the stories himself, Laurie and The Turbulence Expert.
The Rating:
I originally was disappointed with the first three stories of this collection to be honest. I began to doubt the book was going to win me over. The first three stories were… interesting. Good, but as I pointed out, some of them were character showcases.
When you get a title like You Like It Darker, you have some high horror expectations. That being the case, only Rattlesnakes got under my skin. The stalking Twins and the creep factor brought to the story worked for me. I am a sucker for ghost stories as it is, so Rattlesnakes was my favorite in terms of scare factor. The Dreamers and “the floating, black tendrils” was second for making my skin crawl.
Hands down my favorite was Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream. It places you in the heart of a mystery at the same time drawing you into an “injustice against an innocent man” scenario. The Inspector Franklin Jalbert character is an expose on obsessive men who can go blind to truth and logic. Men who bend the truth or fix evidence as they feel the ends justify the means. Deplorable character but fascinating at the same time!
Overall, I did like this collection. It has a misleading title, but the true gems in the material make it possible to forgive.
RECOMMENDED READING! For rating purposes, I score this 4 of 5.
By DEREK BARTON — Author of the ELUDE series (Parts I, II & III — a Horror/crime thriller), EVADE Series (Parts I, II & III) & IN FOUR DAYS: a Horror-Suspense Novella. Also co-author of the Hidden & The Hidden Within… All books available on amazon, kindle & Audible.com!). Share this:
