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Six Stories
A signed numbered limited edition. Contents: "Lunch at the Gotham Cafe", "L. T.'s Theory of Pets", "Luckey Quarter", "Autopsy Room Four", "Blind Willie", and "The Man in the Black Suit".
197 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
11 people are currently reading
979 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,401 books889k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, 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 them. 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 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 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 met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. 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 were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English 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.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and 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 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 met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. 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 were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 12, 2021
A tiny read for a King, filled with 6 short stories. All darkly entertaining in their individual ways.
My two favourites being Autopsy Room 4 (4*) and The Man In The Black Suit (5*) My least favourite, Blind Willie... Which in my edition was left blank. Haha what a joker...
Glad I didnt have to pay for that one!
For abit of reading fun the collection was worth the time given, just to get to read the two I 5*'ed ones :)
My two favourites being Autopsy Room 4 (4*) and The Man In The Black Suit (5*) My least favourite, Blind Willie... Which in my edition was left blank. Haha what a joker...
Glad I didnt have to pay for that one!
For abit of reading fun the collection was worth the time given, just to get to read the two I 5*'ed ones :)
February 24, 2021
Pretty good.
The best story was "Autopsy Room" where
The next story is supposed to be "Blind Willie" but it is left blank. This is why I had to pay big bucks for the unedited version in Anataus as it was only released in that magazine in 1994.
Number three is called "Lt's Theory of Pets" which was just ok. It is about a man whose wife leaves him partly due to her dislike of his cat and his dislike of her dog. Meh.
The fourth is "Lunch at the Gotham Café." A little better and has violence and gore. Again, a man's wife leaves him and they meet at a NYC restaurant to discuss her grievances with her therapist as a mediator. All goes haywire when a looney Maitre'D goes psycho with a butcher knife. Was this planned by his soon to be ex?
Next we have "Lucky Quarter." A Nevada hotel maid is tipped a lousy quarter and decides to ditch it on her way out in a slot machine hitting the jackpot. Or did she?
Last and probably the second best after "Autopsy Room" is "The Man in the Black Suit." An 80 year old man in a nursing home decides to write in his diary about what happened to him on a particular day in 1914. It was an extraordinarily bizarre day of his youth. His older brother had died a year ago (1913) from a bee sting (this is relevant). As this 80 year old man (now a boy) goes out fishing this day in 1914, he encounters a bee and a man in a black suit. The man is no man at all but the devil. But was it all a dream?
Overall 3.5 stars rounding up.
Content concerns:
The best story was "Autopsy Room" where
The next story is supposed to be "Blind Willie" but it is left blank. This is why I had to pay big bucks for the unedited version in Anataus as it was only released in that magazine in 1994.
Number three is called "Lt's Theory of Pets" which was just ok. It is about a man whose wife leaves him partly due to her dislike of his cat and his dislike of her dog. Meh.
The fourth is "Lunch at the Gotham Café." A little better and has violence and gore. Again, a man's wife leaves him and they meet at a NYC restaurant to discuss her grievances with her therapist as a mediator. All goes haywire when a looney Maitre'D goes psycho with a butcher knife. Was this planned by his soon to be ex?
Next we have "Lucky Quarter." A Nevada hotel maid is tipped a lousy quarter and decides to ditch it on her way out in a slot machine hitting the jackpot. Or did she?
Last and probably the second best after "Autopsy Room" is "The Man in the Black Suit." An 80 year old man in a nursing home decides to write in his diary about what happened to him on a particular day in 1914. It was an extraordinarily bizarre day of his youth. His older brother had died a year ago (1913) from a bee sting (this is relevant). As this 80 year old man (now a boy) goes out fishing this day in 1914, he encounters a bee and a man in a black suit. The man is no man at all but the devil. But was it all a dream?
Overall 3.5 stars rounding up.
Content concerns:
July 13, 2018
good collection for in between...
January 15, 2018
The Man in The Black Suit creeped me out the most, especially when you realize just how much of role luck played in it.
November 16, 2021
A truly, truly terrible collection of mediocre and bewildering short stories. Bewildering in that anyone would print them. The least awful was the first story, regarding the autopsy. One of the stories was missing. But the worst, the absolue worst, was 'L. T.'s Theory of Pets'. It just went on, and on, and on. Pointlessly and so very irritatingly. Pointlessly, in that there was nothing of any merit in either the beginning, middle or end.
I normally enjoy short stories but, yeah, these were a load of old codswallop.
I normally enjoy short stories but, yeah, these were a load of old codswallop.
November 20, 2019
Some of the stories didn't make sense to me...I felt a little lost. But my favourite stories were Autopsy Room Four and Lucky Quarter.
April 1, 2025
Found a bootleg copy but it turns out that I've already read all the stories as they are also collected in the succeeding volumes Hearts In Atlantis and Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales.
August 18, 2015
Mini Review
The standout tale in this little known King collection is Autopsy Room Four where a comatose patient realizes he is about to be autopsied but is helpless to prove to the doctors he is alive. There are no absolute stinkers but neither does any other story make a lasting impression. The lack of forced supernatural elements and the dark humor especially add to the book. However like most of his other works in the medium (short stories) the overall quality is a bit inconsistent to suggest it to anyone but the King fan. Rating - 3/5
The standout tale in this little known King collection is Autopsy Room Four where a comatose patient realizes he is about to be autopsied but is helpless to prove to the doctors he is alive. There are no absolute stinkers but neither does any other story make a lasting impression. The lack of forced supernatural elements and the dark humor especially add to the book. However like most of his other works in the medium (short stories) the overall quality is a bit inconsistent to suggest it to anyone but the King fan. Rating - 3/5
October 24, 2015
Real rating: 5/10
You are reading this collection solely for Autopsy Room 4 and you can find that tale in another collection. Which leaves the reader with several tales of mediocrity though the style has hints of Gerald`s Game through out though ultimately the plot and pacing fall down without any payoff.
You are reading this collection solely for Autopsy Room 4 and you can find that tale in another collection. Which leaves the reader with several tales of mediocrity though the style has hints of Gerald`s Game through out though ultimately the plot and pacing fall down without any payoff.
May 6, 2019
None of these were particularly good, cohesive, or original, but it was interesting enough to get me a few hours through my day-long bus ride, so that's all I can really ask. The autopsy one made me feel physically sick while reading, so points for that. Surgery while awake and paralyzed is a massively awful fear, so well done to King for capitalizing on it, and for keeping the tension up on even though the conclusion was expected. The other stories were really just loose nonsense ideas that I feel belong more in a creative writing class or somewhere free online, to be further developed and then published later, but ah well. King's typical gender dynamics and crusty men are well on display in these ones.
July 12, 2021
Read the ebook, I don't have the limited edition actual copy.
A couple of these stories were pretty creepy and good, and a couple of them were just kind of musings of a middle-to-late aged man. I give it a clear 'meh' except the man in the black suit. That had an old timey feel with some real menace that I quite liked.
A couple of these stories were pretty creepy and good, and a couple of them were just kind of musings of a middle-to-late aged man. I give it a clear 'meh' except the man in the black suit. That had an old timey feel with some real menace that I quite liked.
November 1, 2020
I love Stephen King and the early books really show how his writing has developed over time. These six short stories were all unsettling in different ways, with my favourite being the first.
A short but sweet review as I'm on the tablet and can't type properly on this thing!!!
A short but sweet review as I'm on the tablet and can't type properly on this thing!!!
October 7, 2018
All good late night stories. Autopsy Room Four was my favorite.
July 22, 2019
Autopsy Room Four was my favorite of the six.
May 14, 2020
Den första och sista historien var bäst, lätt 5/5. Övriga drog ner betyget
February 15, 2021
Stephen King seldom disappoints.
July 9, 2022
Six great stories. Loved all six.
November 28, 2022
Good selection of 6 short stories some better than others my favourite has to be the gambling story
November 9, 2023
I expected some excitement from the Master!
April 17, 2024
All the six stories were entertaining. Some were better than the others but all were enjoyable.
February 11, 2025
Some of the stories are long and not up to the mark
August 27, 2016
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
Reader, the book of which this review is intended for is “Autopsy Room Four” by Stephen King. The book this is under reads ‘Six Stories” by Stephen King. Of this, I am well aware. However, since it appears goodreads does not have a separate page for “Autopsy Room Four” I have decided to post it here. I cannot stress enough that this review is soley for “Autopsy Room Four”. So, if you are looking for a review on one of the works included in these six, please refrain from reading any further.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen King is an accomplished author with a great many pieces in various genres. However, known as he is, King is most commonly affiliated with horror stories. “Autopsy Room Four” is no exception as this short story is based on fear, more specifically; the fear of being buried alive.
Now, I’m aware that this can seem a bit cliché... A person being buried alive is not something new, some think it is overplayed and out of date—I am one of those people, at least I was. The difference between all of the other stories about being buried alive and this one is, well to put it simply, humor. Dark humor, but humor none the less.
The story opens with a man named Howard awakening to unfamiliar surroundings. To him, the world is dark, he has no vision and no control over his motions but he can feel, hear and smell the things around him. Using his senses, he comes to the realization that he is on a gurney and something unfortunate must have happened to him but all he can recall is being at the golf course.
What happens next is somewhat disturbing to me. I’d like to think that when I die people will let me rest in peace. Unfortunately for the protagonist, a few of the doctors in charge of performing his autopsy aren’t so respectful to the dead. One doctor in particular, Rusty, who thinks Howard has an uncanny resemblance to Michael Bolton, finds it amusing to move Howards mouth in sync with his singing. Thankfully, Dr. Arlen doesn’t find this display very amusing and removes Rusty from the room.
It seems as if Howard has found a savior in Dr. Arlen until she begins to prepare the materials needed to perform the autopsy. She’s only doing her job, but the reader can’t help but feel frustrated with her. Especially, when Howard begins to gain some control and produces a small hum in the hopes that someone will hear it, only to find that Dr. Arlen has turned on some music and drowns out any noises coming from Howard.
Howard tries to communicate with the doctors multiple times but to no avail. Every time it seems that Howard has a chance, it’s ripped away. It’s a rollercoaster of a story, but not in a scary sense, it’s more frustrating than anything. The way King chose to end the story is so original, it was never expected. I thoroughly enjoyed this short, dark tale about “Howard the Conqueror”.
Instead of writing a piece so intense you need to stop reading and turn the lights on, King writes in a way that allows the reader to just sit back, relax, and have a good read with a surprisingly humorous ending. King took this unnerving idea, this fear, and made it not so intimidating. Personally, I feel that “Autopsy Room Four” is underrated. So, do us both a favor and give it a chance.
Reader, the book of which this review is intended for is “Autopsy Room Four” by Stephen King. The book this is under reads ‘Six Stories” by Stephen King. Of this, I am well aware. However, since it appears goodreads does not have a separate page for “Autopsy Room Four” I have decided to post it here. I cannot stress enough that this review is soley for “Autopsy Room Four”. So, if you are looking for a review on one of the works included in these six, please refrain from reading any further.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen King is an accomplished author with a great many pieces in various genres. However, known as he is, King is most commonly affiliated with horror stories. “Autopsy Room Four” is no exception as this short story is based on fear, more specifically; the fear of being buried alive.
Now, I’m aware that this can seem a bit cliché... A person being buried alive is not something new, some think it is overplayed and out of date—I am one of those people, at least I was. The difference between all of the other stories about being buried alive and this one is, well to put it simply, humor. Dark humor, but humor none the less.
The story opens with a man named Howard awakening to unfamiliar surroundings. To him, the world is dark, he has no vision and no control over his motions but he can feel, hear and smell the things around him. Using his senses, he comes to the realization that he is on a gurney and something unfortunate must have happened to him but all he can recall is being at the golf course.
What happens next is somewhat disturbing to me. I’d like to think that when I die people will let me rest in peace. Unfortunately for the protagonist, a few of the doctors in charge of performing his autopsy aren’t so respectful to the dead. One doctor in particular, Rusty, who thinks Howard has an uncanny resemblance to Michael Bolton, finds it amusing to move Howards mouth in sync with his singing. Thankfully, Dr. Arlen doesn’t find this display very amusing and removes Rusty from the room.
It seems as if Howard has found a savior in Dr. Arlen until she begins to prepare the materials needed to perform the autopsy. She’s only doing her job, but the reader can’t help but feel frustrated with her. Especially, when Howard begins to gain some control and produces a small hum in the hopes that someone will hear it, only to find that Dr. Arlen has turned on some music and drowns out any noises coming from Howard.
Howard tries to communicate with the doctors multiple times but to no avail. Every time it seems that Howard has a chance, it’s ripped away. It’s a rollercoaster of a story, but not in a scary sense, it’s more frustrating than anything. The way King chose to end the story is so original, it was never expected. I thoroughly enjoyed this short, dark tale about “Howard the Conqueror”.
Instead of writing a piece so intense you need to stop reading and turn the lights on, King writes in a way that allows the reader to just sit back, relax, and have a good read with a surprisingly humorous ending. King took this unnerving idea, this fear, and made it not so intimidating. Personally, I feel that “Autopsy Room Four” is underrated. So, do us both a favor and give it a chance.
September 6, 2014
De las 6 historias, solo recomendaría 2, una de ellas es cuando un niño inocente se topa con el mismísimo señor de las mentiras y lo que sucede de este encuentro. La otra historia es sobre el que pasaría si ganara mucho dinero y lo pudiera lograr con esta moneda de la suerte que acabo de encontrar circunstancialmente...
Ambas historias denotan la capacidad de la mente de sobreponerse ante situaciones totalmente inesperadas.
Ambas historias denotan la capacidad de la mente de sobreponerse ante situaciones totalmente inesperadas.
March 8, 2018
I got this book as a Christmas gift for advertising on Mr King's radio station back in 1997. I finally read it, and the stories are good, I really enjoyed Autopsy Room Four and The Man in the Black Suit. This is a locally printed limited edition, the stories within have been printed in Everything's Eventual (2002). Check it out.
December 14, 2014
"Autopsy Room Four", "The Man in the Black Suit" and "Lunch at the Gotham Cafe" are real good stories that any King fan will appreciate.
I didn't care much for "L. T.'s Theory of Pets" and "Luckey Quarter".
I don't know why "Blind Willie" wasn't in the eBook ...
I didn't care much for "L. T.'s Theory of Pets" and "Luckey Quarter".
I don't know why "Blind Willie" wasn't in the eBook ...
February 24, 2015
A quick read, the author's line of thought is interesting. As I read each story I keep thinking something is going to happen, it does, but not what I expected, though not super exciting, it is different.
April 10, 2012
5 out of 6 stories didn't make any sense at all. The only one that did work for me was "The Man in the Black Suit" and that isn't what i would call a story.
September 7, 2012
A brilliant collection of short stories which fit together very well and perfectly display Stephen Kings range and ability for crafting macabre stories.
April 2, 2013
Meh. When I'm as successful as he is, I'll toss together some short stories too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews