One more for the collection, 02 Jan 2009
Like another reviewer I may be slightly biased when it comes to the literary fiction af Stephen King/ Richard Bachman (R.I.P), I have been a fan since my teens and almost religiously buy each new compilation or novel as it is released.

Just After Sunset has already become one of my favourite SK compilations, for a number of reasons.

The stories themselves are as always very well written, but what makes them really special is that they are all rooted in events we can all relate to.

whether its our irrational fears,our collective fears (i.e. nuclear war) or even things you never would have thought of as scary (like your fluffy li'l cat), they are all in Just After Sunset in one form or another and as only stephen King seems to be able to do, they are all brought to the front of your mind from the dark recesses where they normally nibble at your subconscious.

Although there are also a few stories that are rooted in recent events like 9/11 and these are spellbinding as they add a different perspective to the aftermath, I must add though that the subject matter is heart wrenching but always respectfully treated.

("The new york times at bargain prices" is one of those short stories that everyone must read.)

One aspect I enjoy about this collection is that it is gathered from different periods in SK's literary career everything from his days writing short stories for popular mens magazines to his later short stories written for collections (and as he admits for himself).

I honestly dont think there are any stories in this book you will not enjoy,and each one is as well written and as gripping as a full novel by king, none of them stand out as weaker than the others (although king himself thinks in retrospect that "Willa" is the weakest story but ...I dont think you avid reader will be of the same opinion) and they will all stay with you long after you have finished reading.


Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review I may be a bit biased when it comes to literature by SK, but if you have never read anything by him this would be a great place to start, an for those fans who have read him for years you will love it aswell.

one last little thing.........dont forget to check and lock your windows, and doors before you retire tonight, (DONT FORGET THE CATFLAP!), because you never know who or what might be out there.

King at his best..., 01 Jan 2009
I'm a life-long King fan, but have been a little let down by some books in recent years - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for one example - but I couldn't put this book down and made short work of reading it.

The stories vary in length, some are much longer than others, but there is something for everyone as each tale is quite different in style and content, but they keep you gripped whatever the story. Some of the tales have great twists in them, some are just straight forward stories, though I'm not sure that they could all be categorised as 'horror', which actually makes the book more interesting for me.

I would recommend this book most strongly, whether you're a Stephen King fan or not.

A writer of substance, 28 Dec 2008
I have to confess that to a certain extent I miss the old days when Stephen King had a simple aim when writing. Scare the reader as much as you can. This has all changed and although he retains the ability he seems more interested in structure & character development. Rather than outright scares the short stories here are either fairly straightforward thrillers or slightly weird. Beneath them all is a strong sense of melancholy & what might have been.
The beauty here is a variety of styles, from a strong sense of Ray Bradbury 'other worldliness' to the best murder thriller writers. King has a superb ability to describe settings and characters emotions in a detail that draws the reader in & makes a connection between you and those being described.
The plots here vary wildly & some are just a brief look at a moment in the lives of others, such as the writer who must decide whether to intervene in a domestic incident or the middle aged couple whose lives have hit a rut but who are about to be torn about by the husbands dream. The decision to finish this particular story just at the point it is about to hit it's stride is both frustrating & inspired. It's just one idea out of many that are original & keep this collection lively.
They don't all work but thats not because there are dull stories in here but rather just such a wide spectrum it would be odd if they all appealed to everybody. So it makes sense that there is likely to be something in here you will enjoy.
In truth King writes best when slowly unfolding his ideas across a full novel. Although a more than capable short story writer it's not his best medium. That said for my money this is a really enjoyable collection that keeps you hooked for 'just one more tale' & continues to entertain. I would say it was also a book you could happily return to & read again.
To compare Kings latest releases with what's gone before is an impossible task that bears little fruit but this is a worthy addition to his, (vast), resume & leaves him comfortably positioned as one of the finest writers on every years best-sellers list.

A mixed bag but overall good Stephen King, 05 Dec 2008
Stephen King's output has been a little patchy for the past few years. This has meant that whenever a new book of his comes out my first thoughts are 'is this going to be good Stephen King, okay Stephen King or just plain poor Stephen King?'

With Just after Sunset the answer to that question would be that it is all three - good, okay & poor.

Just after Sunset is a collection of 13 (a very bad number, according to a character in one of the tales) short stories. A few are not very good. I didn't like Harveys Dream, Graduation Afternoon or Willa. The latter is the weakest of the lot and as it is the first story it doesn't get the book off to a very promising start. A few are not bad. Not great, but okay. The Cat from Hell, Ayana and Stationary Bike come into this category. The majority though, are excellent, almost on a par with anything Stephen King as written previously. Gingerbread Girl, N, Rest Stop, Mute and A Very Tight Place are all excellent little stories. Most of these could have been puffed out and made into book sized novels but their sheer brevity makes them both punchy and powerful.

In the introduction, Stephen King tells us that writing short stories was an ability that at one time he had lost. Stephen Kings constant readers should be as pleased as I am that he has regained this ability.



Just read the whole book in 24 hours - excellent, 16 Nov 2008
I might be biased as I am a Stephen King fanatic but these are his best short stories yet. If you enjoy his work you will love these. If you are new to Stephen King and not sure if you will like his stuff then I would recommend this set of short stories as an introduction. As King is getting older (he turned 60 this year) these stories have a running theme throughout of mortality and what kind of afterlife there could possibly be (In stories such as Willa, The New York Times at Special Bargain rates). He also has an uplifting story about September 11th - someone who survived who was meant to be in the twin towers and how he comes to terms with this. The Gingerbread Girl I think is the best story in the book - I couldn't put it down until I'd finished - a woman who has lost a child starts running and just runs away from all her problems only to find a bigger problem where her running comes in handy.
I don't want to give too much away but other themes are mid-life crisis (Stationary Bike), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (N), a cat from hell (!) nuclear bombs, and a story involving a porta - loo.

If you are a SK fan you probably already bought this, if not buy it if you like short stories, buy it if you like weird and wacky and stories, uplifting stories and stories that cause you to question the world.

I got this book yesterday and just finished it as I couldn't put it down

There was a time when admirers of Stephen King would seek out every scrap from the Master's work bench, and it was a cause for celebration when it was discovered that the writer Richard Bachman was, in fact, a pseudonym for King. There were more King novels available than we had all thought! And it was even more an occasion for celebration when it was discovered just how good these Bachman books were.

With Blaze (issued here with a new foreword by Stephen King), we have one of the most adroit entries in the series. King had written the book in 1973 and it had subsequently vanished from his personal radar as he busied himself writing Carrie and Salem's Lot, two of the books that were to both make his fortune and establish him as the greatest modern master of horror fiction. When Blaze turned up among his papers in the library of the University of Maine, he looked at it again, and (fortunately for King aficionados) sanctioned its publication.

Clay Blaisdell is a hulking 6' 7'' petty criminal who encounters another lowlife with large ambitions: George Rackley has a fund of criminal schemes, but his Big Idea is to kidnap the children of rich parents and hold them to ransom. What ensues is shot through with the masterly orchestration of tension that is Stephen King's métier. If there are some undigested influences here (the two protagonists -- one massive and powerful, the other the brains of the duo -- owe more than a little to George and Lenny in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men), the personality that comes through (leaving aside the Richard Bachman nom-de-plume) is Stephen King, and followers of his work will need no persuasion to pick up this one. --Barry Forshaw

One more for the collection, 02 Jan 2009
Like another reviewer I may be slightly biased when it comes to the literary fiction af Stephen King/ Richard Bachman (R.I.P), I have been a fan since my teens and almost religiously buy each new compilation or novel as it is released.

Just After Sunset has already become one of my favourite SK compilations, for a number of reasons.

The stories themselves are as always very well written, but what makes them really special is that they are all rooted in events we can all relate to.

whether its our irrational fears,our collective fears (i.e. nuclear war) or even things you never would have thought of as scary (like your fluffy li'l cat), they are all in Just After Sunset in one form or another and as only stephen King seems to be able to do, they are all brought to the front of your mind from the dark recesses where they normally nibble at your subconscious.

Although there are also a few stories that are rooted in recent events like 9/11 and these are spellbinding as they add a different perspective to the aftermath, I must add though that the subject matter is heart wrenching but always respectfully treated.

("The new york times at bargain prices" is one of those short stories that everyone must read.)

One aspect I enjoy about this collection is that it is gathered from different periods in SK's literary career everything from his days writing short stories for popular mens magazines to his later short stories written for collections (and as he admits for himself).

I honestly dont think there are any stories in this book you will not enjoy,and each one is as well written and as gripping as a full novel by king, none of them stand out as weaker than the others (although king himself thinks in retrospect that "Willa" is the weakest story but ...I dont think you avid reader will be of the same opinion) and they will all stay with you long after you have finished reading.


Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review I may be a bit biased when it comes to literature by SK, but if you have never read anything by him this would be a great place to start, an for those fans who have read him for years you will love it aswell.

one last little thing.........dont forget to check and lock your windows, and doors before you retire tonight, (DONT FORGET THE CATFLAP!), because you never know who or what might be out there.

King at his best..., 01 Jan 2009
I'm a life-long King fan, but have been a little let down by some books in recent years - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for one example - but I couldn't put this book down and made short work of reading it.

The stories vary in length, some are much longer than others, but there is something for everyone as each tale is quite different in style and content, but they keep you gripped whatever the story. Some of the tales have great twists in them, some are just straight forward stories, though I'm not sure that they could all be categorised as 'horror', which actually makes the book more interesting for me.

I would recommend this book most strongly, whether you're a Stephen King fan or not.

A writer of substance, 28 Dec 2008
I have to confess that to a certain extent I miss the old days when Stephen King had a simple aim when writing. Scare the reader as much as you can. This has all changed and although he retains the ability he seems more interested in structure & character development. Rather than outright scares the short stories here are either fairly straightforward thrillers or slightly weird. Beneath them all is a strong sense of melancholy & what might have been.
The beauty here is a variety of styles, from a strong sense of Ray Bradbury 'other worldliness' to the best murder thriller writers. King has a superb ability to describe settings and characters emotions in a detail that draws the reader in & makes a connection between you and those being described.
The plots here vary wildly & some are just a brief look at a moment in the lives of others, such as the writer who must decide whether to intervene in a domestic incident or the middle aged couple whose lives have hit a rut but who are about to be torn about by the husbands dream. The decision to finish this particular story just at the point it is about to hit it's stride is both frustrating & inspired. It's just one idea out of many that are original & keep this collection lively.
They don't all work but thats not because there are dull stories in here but rather just such a wide spectrum it would be odd if they all appealed to everybody. So it makes sense that there is likely to be something in here you will enjoy.
In truth King writes best when slowly unfolding his ideas across a full novel. Although a more than capable short story writer it's not his best medium. That said for my money this is a really enjoyable collection that keeps you hooked for 'just one more tale' & continues to entertain. I would say it was also a book you could happily return to & read again.
To compare Kings latest releases with what's gone before is an impossible task that bears little fruit but this is a worthy addition to his, (vast), resume & leaves him comfortably positioned as one of the finest writers on every years best-sellers list.

A mixed bag but overall good Stephen King, 05 Dec 2008
Stephen King's output has been a little patchy for the past few years. This has meant that whenever a new book of his comes out my first thoughts are 'is this going to be good Stephen King, okay Stephen King or just plain poor Stephen King?'

With Just after Sunset the answer to that question would be that it is all three - good, okay & poor.

Just after Sunset is a collection of 13 (a very bad number, according to a character in one of the tales) short stories. A few are not very good. I didn't like Harveys Dream, Graduation Afternoon or Willa. The latter is the weakest of the lot and as it is the first story it doesn't get the book off to a very promising start. A few are not bad. Not great, but okay. The Cat from Hell, Ayana and Stationary Bike come into this category. The majority though, are excellent, almost on a par with anything Stephen King as written previously. Gingerbread Girl, N, Rest Stop, Mute and A Very Tight Place are all excellent little stories. Most of these could have been puffed out and made into book sized novels but their sheer brevity makes them both punchy and powerful.

In the introduction, Stephen King tells us that writing short stories was an ability that at one time he had lost. Stephen Kings constant readers should be as pleased as I am that he has regained this ability.



Just read the whole book in 24 hours - excellent, 16 Nov 2008
I might be biased as I am a Stephen King fanatic but these are his best short stories yet. If you enjoy his work you will love these. If you are new to Stephen King and not sure if you will like his stuff then I would recommend this set of short stories as an introduction. As King is getting older (he turned 60 this year) these stories have a running theme throughout of mortality and what kind of afterlife there could possibly be (In stories such as Willa, The New York Times at Special Bargain rates). He also has an uplifting story about September 11th - someone who survived who was meant to be in the twin towers and how he comes to terms with this. The Gingerbread Girl I think is the best story in the book - I couldn't put it down until I'd finished - a woman who has lost a child starts running and just runs away from all her problems only to find a bigger problem where her running comes in handy.
I don't want to give too much away but other themes are mid-life crisis (Stationary Bike), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (N), a cat from hell (!) nuclear bombs, and a story involving a porta - loo.

If you are a SK fan you probably already bought this, if not buy it if you like short stories, buy it if you like weird and wacky and stories, uplifting stories and stories that cause you to question the world.

I got this book yesterday and just finished it as I couldn't put it down

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

taut, short thriller, 15 Aug 2008
Dear Constant Reader,

I hope you don't mind, but it's hard enough cranking out one multi-million selling novel every year, let alone two, so in the certain knowledge that my name on the cover will sell millions of copies, here's one I wrote in 1973. I found it under the bed. It's a bit moth-eaten but I've blown the dust off and I reckon no-one will mind- especially if I give them a lovely personal introduction explaining why I think it's well worth a read.

No, not really. Actually, this release of a novel King wrote under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, but was never published, is a pretty taut thriller, carefully ratcheting up the suspense as the novel progresses. For fans of King's recent work, the writing may seem compact, even sparse, serving only to drive the simple plot. Blaze, a dim-witted criminal, struggles to keep his latest plan together, the one big score to help him escape his life of crime. In between, we learn about Blaze's life and how he has been brought to this point. The alternate chapters detailing Blaze's backstory work well even if this is a very old trick (but then, it's a very old book).

Short by King's standards, the novel provides a straightforward suspense story. I thought carefully about the star rating; compared to vintage King, it might not manage three stars- but compared to other novels in the genre, surely it should be worth more. It may not provide the full satisfaction of some of his work, but it is thoroughly recommended as a useful appetizer before the next new book comes along.


Good book!, 22 Jul 2008
This was an interesting book that spiralled from a friendly giant who was abused as a child.

Lots of good twists, I'd recommend it to anyone!

I'm not sure what to think about this book, 20 Jul 2008
I really don't know what to make of this book, which is about a slightly mentally retarded guy (called Blaze) who has been working "short cons" for years with a friend called George.

After his friend dies, Blaze decides to continue with the "one big plan" that George had been planning before his death. To motivate himself in this endeavour, he talks to himself as George would. This self-motivation starts off as a sort of security blanket at first, but turns into something more sinister as the poop hits the fan, further into the book.

Reading about a dumb guy as he get his head round something serious might get a little boring after a while, so King cuts between the present day of the book (the early 80s) and Blaze's unpleasant childhood. The back story we get about Blaze acts as a sort of explanation of Blaze's actions, and tells us of the underlying futility of much of Blaze's life to that point. This back story has been done better in other books, but it works well within the confines of the story as a whole, I think.

As I said earlier, I couldn't get into this book. I know we're supposed to like Blaze (and I liked him a lot more than George), but I still didn't like him all that much. He's a naive, silly guy who is easily led into doing things he knows are wrong. This might sound harsh, but I couldn't bring myself to root for him because of the state of mind that he has.

One more for the collection, 02 Jan 2009
Like another reviewer I may be slightly biased when it comes to the literary fiction af Stephen King/ Richard Bachman (R.I.P), I have been a fan since my teens and almost religiously buy each new compilation or novel as it is released.

Just After Sunset has already become one of my favourite SK compilations, for a number of reasons.

The stories themselves are as always very well written, but what makes them really special is that they are all rooted in events we can all relate to.

whether its our irrational fears,our collective fears (i.e. nuclear war) or even things you never would have thought of as scary (like your fluffy li'l cat), they are all in Just After Sunset in one form or another and as only stephen King seems to be able to do, they are all brought to the front of your mind from the dark recesses where they normally nibble at your subconscious.

Although there are also a few stories that are rooted in recent events like 9/11 and these are spellbinding as they add a different perspective to the aftermath, I must add though that the subject matter is heart wrenching but always respectfully treated.

("The new york times at bargain prices" is one of those short stories that everyone must read.)

One aspect I enjoy about this collection is that it is gathered from different periods in SK's literary career everything from his days writing short stories for popular mens magazines to his later short stories written for collections (and as he admits for himself).

I honestly dont think there are any stories in this book you will not enjoy,and each one is as well written and as gripping as a full novel by king, none of them stand out as weaker than the others (although king himself thinks in retrospect that "Willa" is the weakest story but ...I dont think you avid reader will be of the same opinion) and they will all stay with you long after you have finished reading.


Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review I may be a bit biased when it comes to literature by SK, but if you have never read anything by him this would be a great place to start, an for those fans who have read him for years you will love it aswell.

one last little thing.........dont forget to check and lock your windows, and doors before you retire tonight, (DONT FORGET THE CATFLAP!), because you never know who or what might be out there.

King at his best..., 01 Jan 2009
I'm a life-long King fan, but have been a little let down by some books in recent years - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for one example - but I couldn't put this book down and made short work of reading it.

The stories vary in length, some are much longer than others, but there is something for everyone as each tale is quite different in style and content, but they keep you gripped whatever the story. Some of the tales have great twists in them, some are just straight forward stories, though I'm not sure that they could all be categorised as 'horror', which actually makes the book more interesting for me.

I would recommend this book most strongly, whether you're a Stephen King fan or not.

A writer of substance, 28 Dec 2008
I have to confess that to a certain extent I miss the old days when Stephen King had a simple aim when writing. Scare the reader as much as you can. This has all changed and although he retains the ability he seems more interested in structure & character development. Rather than outright scares the short stories here are either fairly straightforward thrillers or slightly weird. Beneath them all is a strong sense of melancholy & what might have been.
The beauty here is a variety of styles, from a strong sense of Ray Bradbury 'other worldliness' to the best murder thriller writers. King has a superb ability to describe settings and characters emotions in a detail that draws the reader in & makes a connection between you and those being described.
The plots here vary wildly & some are just a brief look at a moment in the lives of others, such as the writer who must decide whether to intervene in a domestic incident or the middle aged couple whose lives have hit a rut but who are about to be torn about by the husbands dream. The decision to finish this particular story just at the point it is about to hit it's stride is both frustrating & inspired. It's just one idea out of many that are original & keep this collection lively.
They don't all work but thats not because there are dull stories in here but rather just such a wide spectrum it would be odd if they all appealed to everybody. So it makes sense that there is likely to be something in here you will enjoy.
In truth King writes best when slowly unfolding his ideas across a full novel. Although a more than capable short story writer it's not his best medium. That said for my money this is a really enjoyable collection that keeps you hooked for 'just one more tale' & continues to entertain. I would say it was also a book you could happily return to & read again.
To compare Kings latest releases with what's gone before is an impossible task that bears little fruit but this is a worthy addition to his, (vast), resume & leaves him comfortably positioned as one of the finest writers on every years best-sellers list.

A mixed bag but overall good Stephen King, 05 Dec 2008
Stephen King's output has been a little patchy for the past few years. This has meant that whenever a new book of his comes out my first thoughts are 'is this going to be good Stephen King, okay Stephen King or just plain poor Stephen King?'

With Just after Sunset the answer to that question would be that it is all three - good, okay & poor.

Just after Sunset is a collection of 13 (a very bad number, according to a character in one of the tales) short stories. A few are not very good. I didn't like Harveys Dream, Graduation Afternoon or Willa. The latter is the weakest of the lot and as it is the first story it doesn't get the book off to a very promising start. A few are not bad. Not great, but okay. The Cat from Hell, Ayana and Stationary Bike come into this category. The majority though, are excellent, almost on a par with anything Stephen King as written previously. Gingerbread Girl, N, Rest Stop, Mute and A Very Tight Place are all excellent little stories. Most of these could have been puffed out and made into book sized novels but their sheer brevity makes them both punchy and powerful.

In the introduction, Stephen King tells us that writing short stories was an ability that at one time he had lost. Stephen Kings constant readers should be as pleased as I am that he has regained this ability.



Just read the whole book in 24 hours - excellent, 16 Nov 2008
I might be biased as I am a Stephen King fanatic but these are his best short stories yet. If you enjoy his work you will love these. If you are new to Stephen King and not sure if you will like his stuff then I would recommend this set of short stories as an introduction. As King is getting older (he turned 60 this year) these stories have a running theme throughout of mortality and what kind of afterlife there could possibly be (In stories such as Willa, The New York Times at Special Bargain rates). He also has an uplifting story about September 11th - someone who survived who was meant to be in the twin towers and how he comes to terms with this. The Gingerbread Girl I think is the best story in the book - I couldn't put it down until I'd finished - a woman who has lost a child starts running and just runs away from all her problems only to find a bigger problem where her running comes in handy.
I don't want to give too much away but other themes are mid-life crisis (Stationary Bike), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (N), a cat from hell (!) nuclear bombs, and a story involving a porta - loo.

If you are a SK fan you probably already bought this, if not buy it if you like short stories, buy it if you like weird and wacky and stories, uplifting stories and stories that cause you to question the world.

I got this book yesterday and just finished it as I couldn't put it down

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

taut, short thriller, 15 Aug 2008
Dear Constant Reader,

I hope you don't mind, but it's hard enough cranking out one multi-million selling novel every year, let alone two, so in the certain knowledge that my name on the cover will sell millions of copies, here's one I wrote in 1973. I found it under the bed. It's a bit moth-eaten but I've blown the dust off and I reckon no-one will mind- especially if I give them a lovely personal introduction explaining why I think it's well worth a read.

No, not really. Actually, this release of a novel King wrote under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, but was never published, is a pretty taut thriller, carefully ratcheting up the suspense as the novel progresses. For fans of King's recent work, the writing may seem compact, even sparse, serving only to drive the simple plot. Blaze, a dim-witted criminal, struggles to keep his latest plan together, the one big score to help him escape his life of crime. In between, we learn about Blaze's life and how he has been brought to this point. The alternate chapters detailing Blaze's backstory work well even if this is a very old trick (but then, it's a very old book).

Short by King's standards, the novel provides a straightforward suspense story. I thought carefully about the star rating; compared to vintage King, it might not manage three stars- but compared to other novels in the genre, surely it should be worth more. It may not provide the full satisfaction of some of his work, but it is thoroughly recommended as a useful appetizer before the next new book comes along.


Good book!, 22 Jul 2008
This was an interesting book that spiralled from a friendly giant who was abused as a child.

Lots of good twists, I'd recommend it to anyone!

I'm not sure what to think about this book, 20 Jul 2008
I really don't know what to make of this book, which is about a slightly mentally retarded guy (called Blaze) who has been working "short cons" for years with a friend called George.

After his friend dies, Blaze decides to continue with the "one big plan" that George had been planning before his death. To motivate himself in this endeavour, he talks to himself as George would. This self-motivation starts off as a sort of security blanket at first, but turns into something more sinister as the poop hits the fan, further into the book.

Reading about a dumb guy as he get his head round something serious might get a little boring after a while, so King cuts between the present day of the book (the early 80s) and Blaze's unpleasant childhood. The back story we get about Blaze acts as a sort of explanation of Blaze's actions, and tells us of the underlying futility of much of Blaze's life to that point. This back story has been done better in other books, but it works well within the confines of the story as a whole, I think.

As I said earlier, I couldn't get into this book. I know we're supposed to like Blaze (and I liked him a lot more than George), but I still didn't like him all that much. He's a naive, silly guy who is easily led into doing things he knows are wrong. This might sound harsh, but I couldn't bring myself to root for him because of the state of mind that he has.

The Mist in "great Stephen King movie" shock!, 07 Oct 2008
Firstly, shop around and get the "Skeleton Crew" anthology instead, where you'll get several other King short stories as well as this novella - much better value, so a star off for that.
Great King story, classic set-up and scares, and some nice observations about the siege mentality of humankind. Possibly even a link to the "Dark Tower" series - has the Arrowhead Project ripped a hole between dimensions and created a "thinny"?
A second star off for the ending, which just tails off into nothing. Be warned if you plan on watching the movie version (which is fantastic - it's by Frank Darabont, so of course it is!): the ending is radically different and far superior. In fact, it is stunning in its audacity. Kudos to Darabont for refusing studio pressure to change it, and to King for agreeing to the change to his story. Be warned - it is bleak.

Very Readable Horror-Now a Movie., 05 Sep 2008
I read this on a long train ride and it certainly helped to pass the time. People under pressure in a base under seige is always a good bet for an absorbing drama. This 'novella' also shows how people react; bringing out the best and worst in them. Mrs Carmody is a particularly monstrous creation, rivalling anything outside the supermarket. Not sure about the ending though, but you will have to read this to make your own mind up. There is a motion picture of this book now, which I am looking forward to seeing (apparently with a different ending.) A recommended read.

The Mist, 27 Jun 2008
I really enjoyed the book with the people being traped in the Supermarket. I am going to order the movie at Christmas time. It's a bit like the movie Terror in the Mall only instead of water trapping them it is the Mist. The old woman in the book seemed crazy going on about death and saying it's death out there. If the book was excellent I can't wait to see the film when I get it.

I give this book 5 stars!

Good story - Buy Skeleton Crew., 08 Jun 2008
Just a short note to say this story is available in the book 'Skeleton Crew', which is much better value for money. Stephen King is a master of the horror novel, but a lot of his short story collections are highly underrated.

brilliant, 24 Apr 2008
one of my favourite books ever. dead short, but brilliant. if you can get it cheap, it's well worth a read... 5 stars

One more for the collection, 02 Jan 2009
Like another reviewer I may be slightly biased when it comes to the literary fiction af Stephen King/ Richard Bachman (R.I.P), I have been a fan since my teens and almost religiously buy each new compilation or novel as it is released.

Just After Sunset has already become one of my favourite SK compilations, for a number of reasons.

The stories themselves are as always very well written, but what makes them really special is that they are all rooted in events we can all relate to.

whether its our irrational fears,our collective fears (i.e. nuclear war) or even things you never would have thought of as scary (like your fluffy li'l cat), they are all in Just After Sunset in one form or another and as only stephen King seems to be able to do, they are all brought to the front of your mind from the dark recesses where they normally nibble at your subconscious.

Although there are also a few stories that are rooted in recent events like 9/11 and these are spellbinding as they add a different perspective to the aftermath, I must add though that the subject matter is heart wrenching but always respectfully treated.

("The new york times at bargain prices" is one of those short stories that everyone must read.)

One aspect I enjoy about this collection is that it is gathered from different periods in SK's literary career everything from his days writing short stories for popular mens magazines to his later short stories written for collections (and as he admits for himself).

I honestly dont think there are any stories in this book you will not enjoy,and each one is as well written and as gripping as a full novel by king, none of them stand out as weaker than the others (although king himself thinks in retrospect that "Willa" is the weakest story but ...I dont think you avid reader will be of the same opinion) and they will all stay with you long after you have finished reading.


Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review I may be a bit biased when it comes to literature by SK, but if you have never read anything by him this would be a great place to start, an for those fans who have read him for years you will love it aswell.

one last little thing.........dont forget to check and lock your windows, and doors before you retire tonight, (DONT FORGET THE CATFLAP!), because you never know who or what might be out there.

King at his best..., 01 Jan 2009
I'm a life-long King fan, but have been a little let down by some books in recent years - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for one example - but I couldn't put this book down and made short work of reading it.

The stories vary in length, some are much longer than others, but there is something for everyone as each tale is quite different in style and content, but they keep you gripped whatever the story. Some of the tales have great twists in them, some are just straight forward stories, though I'm not sure that they could all be categorised as 'horror', which actually makes the book more interesting for me.

I would recommend this book most strongly, whether you're a Stephen King fan or not.

A writer of substance, 28 Dec 2008
I have to confess that to a certain extent I miss the old days when Stephen King had a simple aim when writing. Scare the reader as much as you can. This has all changed and although he retains the ability he seems more interested in structure & character development. Rather than outright scares the short stories here are either fairly straightforward thrillers or slightly weird. Beneath them all is a strong sense of melancholy & what might have been.
The beauty here is a variety of styles, from a strong sense of Ray Bradbury 'other worldliness' to the best murder thriller writers. King has a superb ability to describe settings and characters emotions in a detail that draws the reader in & makes a connection between you and those being described.
The plots here vary wildly & some are just a brief look at a moment in the lives of others, such as the writer who must decide whether to intervene in a domestic incident or the middle aged couple whose lives have hit a rut but who are about to be torn about by the husbands dream. The decision to finish this particular story just at the point it is about to hit it's stride is both frustrating & inspired. It's just one idea out of many that are original & keep this collection lively.
They don't all work but thats not because there are dull stories in here but rather just such a wide spectrum it would be odd if they all appealed to everybody. So it makes sense that there is likely to be something in here you will enjoy.
In truth King writes best when slowly unfolding his ideas across a full novel. Although a more than capable short story writer it's not his best medium. That said for my money this is a really enjoyable collection that keeps you hooked for 'just one more tale' & continues to entertain. I would say it was also a book you could happily return to & read again.
To compare Kings latest releases with what's gone before is an impossible task that bears little fruit but this is a worthy addition to his, (vast), resume & leaves him comfortably positioned as one of the finest writers on every years best-sellers list.

A mixed bag but overall good Stephen King, 05 Dec 2008
Stephen King's output has been a little patchy for the past few years. This has meant that whenever a new book of his comes out my first thoughts are 'is this going to be good Stephen King, okay Stephen King or just plain poor Stephen King?'

With Just after Sunset the answer to that question would be that it is all three - good, okay & poor.

Just after Sunset is a collection of 13 (a very bad number, according to a character in one of the tales) short stories. A few are not very good. I didn't like Harveys Dream, Graduation Afternoon or Willa. The latter is the weakest of the lot and as it is the first story it doesn't get the book off to a very promising start. A few are not bad. Not great, but okay. The Cat from Hell, Ayana and Stationary Bike come into this category. The majority though, are excellent, almost on a par with anything Stephen King as written previously. Gingerbread Girl, N, Rest Stop, Mute and A Very Tight Place are all excellent little stories. Most of these could have been puffed out and made into book sized novels but their sheer brevity makes them both punchy and powerful.

In the introduction, Stephen King tells us that writing short stories was an ability that at one time he had lost. Stephen Kings constant readers should be as pleased as I am that he has regained this ability.



Just read the whole book in 24 hours - excellent, 16 Nov 2008
I might be biased as I am a Stephen King fanatic but these are his best short stories yet. If you enjoy his work you will love these. If you are new to Stephen King and not sure if you will like his stuff then I would recommend this set of short stories as an introduction. As King is getting older (he turned 60 this year) these stories have a running theme throughout of mortality and what kind of afterlife there could possibly be (In stories such as Willa, The New York Times at Special Bargain rates). He also has an uplifting story about September 11th - someone who survived who was meant to be in the twin towers and how he comes to terms with this. The Gingerbread Girl I think is the best story in the book - I couldn't put it down until I'd finished - a woman who has lost a child starts running and just runs away from all her problems only to find a bigger problem where her running comes in handy.
I don't want to give too much away but other themes are mid-life crisis (Stationary Bike), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (N), a cat from hell (!) nuclear bombs, and a story involving a porta - loo.

If you are a SK fan you probably already bought this, if not buy it if you like short stories, buy it if you like weird and wacky and stories, uplifting stories and stories that cause you to question the world.

I got this book yesterday and just finished it as I couldn't put it down

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

taut, short thriller, 15 Aug 2008
Dear Constant Reader,

I hope you don't mind, but it's hard enough cranking out one multi-million selling novel every year, let alone two, so in the certain knowledge that my name on the cover will sell millions of copies, here's one I wrote in 1973. I found it under the bed. It's a bit moth-eaten but I've blown the dust off and I reckon no-one will mind- especially if I give them a lovely personal introduction explaining why I think it's well worth a read.

No, not really. Actually, this release of a novel King wrote under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, but was never published, is a pretty taut thriller, carefully ratcheting up the suspense as the novel progresses. For fans of King's recent work, the writing may seem compact, even sparse, serving only to drive the simple plot. Blaze, a dim-witted criminal, struggles to keep his latest plan together, the one big score to help him escape his life of crime. In between, we learn about Blaze's life and how he has been brought to this point. The alternate chapters detailing Blaze's backstory work well even if this is a very old trick (but then, it's a very old book).

Short by King's standards, the novel provides a straightforward suspense story. I thought carefully about the star rating; compared to vintage King, it might not manage three stars- but compared to other novels in the genre, surely it should be worth more. It may not provide the full satisfaction of some of his work, but it is thoroughly recommended as a useful appetizer before the next new book comes along.


Good book!, 22 Jul 2008
This was an interesting book that spiralled from a friendly giant who was abused as a child.

Lots of good twists, I'd recommend it to anyone!

I'm not sure what to think about this book, 20 Jul 2008
I really don't know what to make of this book, which is about a slightly mentally retarded guy (called Blaze) who has been working "short cons" for years with a friend called George.

After his friend dies, Blaze decides to continue with the "one big plan" that George had been planning before his death. To motivate himself in this endeavour, he talks to himself as George would. This self-motivation starts off as a sort of security blanket at first, but turns into something more sinister as the poop hits the fan, further into the book.

Reading about a dumb guy as he get his head round something serious might get a little boring after a while, so King cuts between the present day of the book (the early 80s) and Blaze's unpleasant childhood. The back story we get about Blaze acts as a sort of explanation of Blaze's actions, and tells us of the underlying futility of much of Blaze's life to that point. This back story has been done better in other books, but it works well within the confines of the story as a whole, I think.

As I said earlier, I couldn't get into this book. I know we're supposed to like Blaze (and I liked him a lot more than George), but I still didn't like him all that much. He's a naive, silly guy who is easily led into doing things he knows are wrong. This might sound harsh, but I couldn't bring myself to root for him because of the state of mind that he has.

The Mist in "great Stephen King movie" shock!, 07 Oct 2008
Firstly, shop around and get the "Skeleton Crew" anthology instead, where you'll get several other King short stories as well as this novella - much better value, so a star off for that.
Great King story, classic set-up and scares, and some nice observations about the siege mentality of humankind. Possibly even a link to the "Dark Tower" series - has the Arrowhead Project ripped a hole between dimensions and created a "thinny"?
A second star off for the ending, which just tails off into nothing. Be warned if you plan on watching the movie version (which is fantastic - it's by Frank Darabont, so of course it is!): the ending is radically different and far superior. In fact, it is stunning in its audacity. Kudos to Darabont for refusing studio pressure to change it, and to King for agreeing to the change to his story. Be warned - it is bleak.

Very Readable Horror-Now a Movie., 05 Sep 2008
I read this on a long train ride and it certainly helped to pass the time. People under pressure in a base under seige is always a good bet for an absorbing drama. This 'novella' also shows how people react; bringing out the best and worst in them. Mrs Carmody is a particularly monstrous creation, rivalling anything outside the supermarket. Not sure about the ending though, but you will have to read this to make your own mind up. There is a motion picture of this book now, which I am looking forward to seeing (apparently with a different ending.) A recommended read.

The Mist, 27 Jun 2008
I really enjoyed the book with the people being traped in the Supermarket. I am going to order the movie at Christmas time. It's a bit like the movie Terror in the Mall only instead of water trapping them it is the Mist. The old woman in the book seemed crazy going on about death and saying it's death out there. If the book was excellent I can't wait to see the film when I get it.

I give this book 5 stars!

Good story - Buy Skeleton Crew., 08 Jun 2008
Just a short note to say this story is available in the book 'Skeleton Crew', which is much better value for money. Stephen King is a master of the horror novel, but a lot of his short story collections are highly underrated.

brilliant, 24 Apr 2008
one of my favourite books ever. dead short, but brilliant. if you can get it cheap, it's well worth a read... 5 stars

Outstanding, 11 Nov 2008
I read this at 14 and was my first ever stephen king book, i loved it. the powerful and vivid way it has been wrote just enticed me to read more and more. I feel this is the best one in the series and one of kings best pieces of fiction. the gunslingers struggles and choices throughtout the book make you hate him but also feel for him. this is a must buy for king fans

Utter Disappointment, 03 Nov 2008
I was convinced this series would be a joy to read, something original and sinister, the celebrated masterpiece saga of one of the masters of horror and fantasy.
I gave it a try... and tried very hard to finish it. I could not bring myself to enjoy neither the story nor the style. Still, I decided to read the second book as well, convinced that there was something I had yet to discover, this certain something that seems to make so many readers enraptured with the Dark Tower books...
Well, I haven't been able to discover it! Many have loved this book and undoubtedly many more will, but personally I find it incoherent,dragging and overtly blunt - a bluntness which feels unsupported and pointless, nothing to resemble what I have come to expect from King.
I prefer to leave the Dark Tower saga here and move on to other stories.

One of my favourites, this series gets under your skin, 23 Apr 2008
This is my favourite series of books and Gunslinger is probably one of the books I re-read most. "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed"....great opening! This book is a bit weird and different to the others in the series, but it still works well.

We get a great introduction to the enigmatic Gunslinger, Roland Deschain and his quest to catch the man in black and to find the Dark Tower. His world is a strange echo of ours, but it has 'moved on.' A strange mix of the old Wild West and a post apocalyptic future, where paper is rare and machinery is ancient, with its original purpose forgotten. Roland meets a boy called Jake, who appears to have died in our reality and somehow crossed over to this other world. They form a fragile partnership as they pursue the man in black...but things seem pretty doomed from the start.

There are many questions raised in this book, and you have to read the rest of the series to find the answers. You enter the story in the middle of it really, and there is a lot of hopping around the timeline to explain things. Roland is a tough character to love, but you get there in the end! That is his appeal, his harshness and his fervent determination to get to the Tower, no matter the cost.

Try this if you want a change! It's not like anything I have read, but it goes without saying, it's a must for King fans and people who like a good, epic fantasy. Thankee sai! Long days pleasant nights! If you read the set you may find you end up talking oddly, it has that effect! READ
Try the graphic novel too, based on the Wizard and Glass book. Great representation of young Roland.

The Gunslinger, 01 Apr 2008
The first instalment of Stephen King's fantasy series is unashamedly inspired by that other fantastic series, "The Lord of the Rings". King made no attempt to hide this and refers to it in each of his surprisingly-interesting forwards, but the thought of reading something so obviously "inspired" put me off. It was only after the release of the final book in the series I was persuaded to pick up "Gunslinger", and was appalled at how brilliant it was.

It's easy for people to say King's off his game, but he wasn't then and he isn't now - the final book, released only recently, is testament to this. "Gunslinger" is arguably everything that Stephen King isn't: beautiful, poetic, and not really horror. Technically it's fantasy, post-apocalyptic fantasy, and on top of that it's a Western of sorts. It's a glaring divergence from King's usual style, but what appalled me was that it was good. Very, very good, and despite the assumption that King's unfamiliarity with the genre would prove to be the novel's downfall, it is also full of everything that King is wonderful at: suspense, mystery, and very real characters.

A review column isn't the place for a synopsis, so I'll keep it brief. This book has one real character and that's the mysterious hero, the eponymous gunslinger who is a throwback from a bygone age that existed before the world "moved on". The brevity of the novel lends itself to this kind of storytelling, in which we follow a single character in a series of events, a tale told in a surreal, rippling narrative that is like looking through water at an alternate world. The other novels don't keep up this dreamlike form of storytelling, which makes "Gunslinger" all the more precious.

If you like King, you'll love this, regardless of the change in genre. If you pick this up and hate it, you'll still come away with a fresh idea on what novels are all about, reminded why people write. Simple story. Complex characters. You don't have to read the others if you don't like it, but if you want a fresh piece of fiction from an established super-writer, then for God's sake try "Gunslinger"!


A good 'part one' book., 02 Feb 2008
If you're thinking of getting this book I can't list a reason you shouldn't except that this really isn't a stand alone novel, rather it's an introduction to a world and a character to be taken up by the many later instalments of the series. Yes, it has it's own plot, but really it's just there to get us started on the journey. Thus, don't read this unless you're prepared to be hooked and end up forking out for all the others.
Having said that, it's hardly a major flaw and the book really is very enjoyable and extremely intriuging. King creates a world which is brutal, surreally dream-like and a million miles from anything else in fantasy, horror or any other genre. His protagonist is tragically human, his antagonist eerily sinister and beautifully cruel, and everyone who gets caught between them is made hugely sympathetic by their status as just that - something that gets caught in the way.
King's experience as a horror writer really comes across here, making this a fantasy world born of and premeated by the horror genre. The setting is a vast and desolate wasteland to which none of it's inhabitants really belong, lending the whole thing an eeriness that keeps the reader on edge throughout and adds a certain grotesque quality to much of what happens.
If you're a fan of King, a fan of horror, a fan of fantasy, or just a fan of really great storytelling then you should definitely check this out. But prepare to be hooked.

One more for the collection, 02 Jan 2009
Like another reviewer I may be slightly biased when it comes to the literary fiction af Stephen King/ Richard Bachman (R.I.P), I have been a fan since my teens and almost religiously buy each new compilation or novel as it is released.

Just After Sunset has already become one of my favourite SK compilations, for a number of reasons.

The stories themselves are as always very well written, but what makes them really special is that they are all rooted in events we can all relate to.

whether its our irrational fears,our collective fears (i.e. nuclear war) or even things you never would have thought of as scary (like your fluffy li'l cat), they are all in Just After Sunset in one form or another and as only stephen King seems to be able to do, they are all brought to the front of your mind from the dark recesses where they normally nibble at your subconscious.

Although there are also a few stories that are rooted in recent events like 9/11 and these are spellbinding as they add a different perspective to the aftermath, I must add though that the subject matter is heart wrenching but always respectfully treated.

("The new york times at bargain prices" is one of those short stories that everyone must read.)

One aspect I enjoy about this collection is that it is gathered from different periods in SK's literary career everything from his days writing short stories for popular mens magazines to his later short stories written for collections (and as he admits for himself).

I honestly dont think there are any stories in this book you will not enjoy,and each one is as well written and as gripping as a full novel by king, none of them stand out as weaker than the others (although king himself thinks in retrospect that "Willa" is the weakest story but ...I dont think you avid reader will be of the same opinion) and they will all stay with you long after you have finished reading.


Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review I may be a bit biased when it comes to literature by SK, but if you have never read anything by him this would be a great place to start, an for those fans who have read him for years you will love it aswell.

one last little thing.........dont forget to check and lock your windows, and doors before you retire tonight, (DONT FORGET THE CATFLAP!), because you never know who or what might be out there.

King at his best..., 01 Jan 2009
I'm a life-long King fan, but have been a little let down by some books in recent years - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for one example - but I couldn't put this book down and made short work of reading it.

The stories vary in length, some are much longer than others, but there is something for everyone as each tale is quite different in style and content, but they keep you gripped whatever the story. Some of the tales have great twists in them, some are just straight forward stories, though I'm not sure that they could all be categorised as 'horror', which actually makes the book more interesting for me.

I would recommend this book most strongly, whether you're a Stephen King fan or not.

A writer of substance, 28 Dec 2008
I have to confess that to a certain extent I miss the old days when Stephen King had a simple aim when writing. Scare the reader as much as you can. This has all changed and although he retains the ability he seems more interested in structure & character development. Rather than outright scares the short stories here are either fairly straightforward thrillers or slightly weird. Beneath them all is a strong sense of melancholy & what might have been.
The beauty here is a variety of styles, from a strong sense of Ray Bradbury 'other worldliness' to the best murder thriller writers. King has a superb ability to describe settings and characters emotions in a detail that draws the reader in & makes a connection between you and those being described.
The plots here vary wildly & some are just a brief look at a moment in the lives of others, such as the writer who must decide whether to intervene in a domestic incident or the middle aged couple whose lives have hit a rut but who are about to be torn about by the husbands dream. The decision to finish this particular story just at the point it is about to hit it's stride is both frustrating & inspired. It's just one idea out of many that are original & keep this collection lively.
They don't all work but thats not because there are dull stories in here but rather just such a wide spectrum it would be odd if they all appealed to everybody. So it makes sense that there is likely to be something in here you will enjoy.
In truth King writes best when slowly unfolding his ideas across a full novel. Although a more than capable short story writer it's not his best medium. That said for my money this is a really enjoyable collection that keeps you hooked for 'just one more tale' & continues to entertain. I would say it was also a book you could happily return to & read again.
To compare Kings latest releases with what's gone before is an impossible task that bears little fruit but this is a worthy addition to his, (vast), resume & leaves him comfortably positioned as one of the finest writers on every years best-sellers list.

A mixed bag but overall good Stephen King, 05 Dec 2008
Stephen King's output has been a little patchy for the past few years. This has meant that whenever a new book of his comes out my first thoughts are 'is this going to be good Stephen King, okay Stephen King or just plain poor Stephen King?'

With Just after Sunset the answer to that question would be that it is all three - good, okay & poor.

Just after Sunset is a collection of 13 (a very bad number, according to a character in one of the tales) short stories. A few are not very good. I didn't like Harveys Dream, Graduation Afternoon or Willa. The latter is the weakest of the lot and as it is the first story it doesn't get the book off to a very promising start. A few are not bad. Not great, but okay. The Cat from Hell, Ayana and Stationary Bike come into this category. The majority though, are excellent, almost on a par with anything Stephen King as written previously. Gingerbread Girl, N, Rest Stop, Mute and A Very Tight Place are all excellent little stories. Most of these could have been puffed out and made into book sized novels but their sheer brevity makes them both punchy and powerful.

In the introduction, Stephen King tells us that writing short stories was an ability that at one time he had lost. Stephen Kings constant readers should be as pleased as I am that he has regained this ability.



Just read the whole book in 24 hours - excellent, 16 Nov 2008
I might be biased as I am a Stephen King fanatic but these are his best short stories yet. If you enjoy his work you will love these. If you are new to Stephen King and not sure if you will like his stuff then I would recommend this set of short stories as an introduction. As King is getting older (he turned 60 this year) these stories have a running theme throughout of mortality and what kind of afterlife there could possibly be (In stories such as Willa, The New York Times at Special Bargain rates). He also has an uplifting story about September 11th - someone who survived who was meant to be in the twin towers and how he comes to terms with this. The Gingerbread Girl I think is the best story in the book - I couldn't put it down until I'd finished - a woman who has lost a child starts running and just runs away from all her problems only to find a bigger problem where her running comes in handy.
I don't want to give too much away but other themes are mid-life crisis (Stationary Bike), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (N), a cat from hell (!) nuclear bombs, and a story involving a porta - loo.

If you are a SK fan you probably already bought this, if not buy it if you like short stories, buy it if you like weird and wacky and stories, uplifting stories and stories that cause you to question the world.

I got this book yesterday and just finished it as I couldn't put it down

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

taut, short thriller, 15 Aug 2008
Dear Constant Reader,

I hope you don't mind, but it's hard enough cranking out one multi-million selling novel every year, let alone two, so in the certain knowledge that my name on the cover will sell millions of copies, here's one I wrote in 1973. I found it under the bed. It's a bit moth-eaten but I've blown the dust off and I reckon no-one will mind- especially if I give them a lovely personal introduction explaining why I think it's well worth a read.

No, not really. Actually, this release of a novel King wrote under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, but was never published, is a pretty taut thriller, carefully ratcheting up the suspense as the novel progresses. For fans of King's recent work, the writing may seem compact, even sparse, serving only to drive the simple plot. Blaze, a dim-witted criminal, struggles to keep his latest plan together, the one big score to help him escape his life of crime. In between, we learn about Blaze's life and how he has been brought to this point. The alternate chapters detailing Blaze's backstory work well even if this is a very old trick (but then, it's a very old book).

Short by King's standards, the novel provides a straightforward suspense story. I thought carefully about the star rating; compared to vintage King, it might not manage three stars- but compared to other novels in the genre, surely it should be worth more. It may not provide the full satisfaction of some of his work, but it is thoroughly recommended as a useful appetizer before the next new book comes along.


Good book!, 22 Jul 2008
This was an interesting book that spiralled from a friendly giant who was abused as a child.

Lots of good twists, I'd recommend it to anyone!

I'm not sure what to think about this book, 20 Jul 2008
I really don't know what to make of this book, which is about a slightly mentally retarded guy (called Blaze) who has been working "short cons" for years with a friend called George.

After his friend dies, Blaze decides to continue with the "one big plan" that George had been planning before his death. To motivate himself in this endeavour, he talks to himself as George would. This self-motivation starts off as a sort of security blanket at first, but turns into something more sinister as the poop hits the fan, further into the book.

Reading about a dumb guy as he get his head round something serious might get a little boring after a while, so King cuts between the present day of the book (the early 80s) and Blaze's unpleasant childhood. The back story we get about Blaze acts as a sort of explanation of Blaze's actions, and tells us of the underlying futility of much of Blaze's life to that point. This back story has been done better in other books, but it works well within the confines of the story as a whole, I think.

As I said earlier, I couldn't get into this book. I know we're supposed to like Blaze (and I liked him a lot more than George), but I still didn't like him all that much. He's a naive, silly guy who is easily led into doing things he knows are wrong. This might sound harsh, but I couldn't bring myself to root for him because of the state of mind that he has.

The Mist in "great Stephen King movie" shock!, 07 Oct 2008
Firstly, shop around and get the "Skeleton Crew" anthology instead, where you'll get several other King short stories as well as this novella - much better value, so a star off for that.
Great King story, classic set-up and scares, and some nice observations about the siege mentality of humankind. Possibly even a link to the "Dark Tower" series - has the Arrowhead Project ripped a hole between dimensions and created a "thinny"?
A second star off for the ending, which just tails off into nothing. Be warned if you plan on watching the movie version (which is fantastic - it's by Frank Darabont, so of course it is!): the ending is radically different and far superior. In fact, it is stunning in its audacity. Kudos to Darabont for refusing studio pressure to change it, and to King for agreeing to the change to his story. Be warned - it is bleak.

Very Readable Horror-Now a Movie., 05 Sep 2008
I read this on a long train ride and it certainly helped to pass the time. People under pressure in a base under seige is always a good bet for an absorbing drama. This 'novella' also shows how people react; bringing out the best and worst in them. Mrs Carmody is a particularly monstrous creation, rivalling anything outside the supermarket. Not sure about the ending though, but you will have to read this to make your own mind up. There is a motion picture of this book now, which I am looking forward to seeing (apparently with a different ending.) A recommended read.

The Mist, 27 Jun 2008
I really enjoyed the book with the people being traped in the Supermarket. I am going to order the movie at Christmas time. It's a bit like the movie Terror in the Mall only instead of water trapping them it is the Mist. The old woman in the book seemed crazy going on about death and saying it's death out there. If the book was excellent I can't wait to see the film when I get it.

I give this book 5 stars!

Good story - Buy Skeleton Crew., 08 Jun 2008
Just a short note to say this story is available in the book 'Skeleton Crew', which is much better value for money. Stephen King is a master of the horror novel, but a lot of his short story collections are highly underrated.

brilliant, 24 Apr 2008
one of my favourite books ever. dead short, but brilliant. if you can get it cheap, it's well worth a read... 5 stars

Outstanding, 11 Nov 2008
I read this at 14 and was my first ever stephen king book, i loved it. the powerful and vivid way it has been wrote just enticed me to read more and more. I feel this is the best one in the series and one of kings best pieces of fiction. the gunslingers struggles and choices throughtout the book make you hate him but also feel for him. this is a must buy for king fans

Utter Disappointment, 03 Nov 2008
I was convinced this series would be a joy to read, something original and sinister, the celebrated masterpiece saga of one of the masters of horror and fantasy.
I gave it a try... and tried very hard to finish it. I could not bring myself to enjoy neither the story nor the style. Still, I decided to read the second book as well, convinced that there was something I had yet to discover, this certain something that seems to make so many readers enraptured with the Dark Tower books...
Well, I haven't been able to discover it! Many have loved this book and undoubtedly many more will, but personally I find it incoherent,dragging and overtly blunt - a bluntness which feels unsupported and pointless, nothing to resemble what I have come to expect from King.
I prefer to leave the Dark Tower saga here and move on to other stories.

One of my favourites, this series gets under your skin, 23 Apr 2008
This is my favourite series of books and Gunslinger is probably one of the books I re-read most. "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed"....great opening! This book is a bit weird and different to the others in the series, but it still works well.

We get a great introduction to the enigmatic Gunslinger, Roland Deschain and his quest to catch the man in black and to find the Dark Tower. His world is a strange echo of ours, but it has 'moved on.' A strange mix of the old Wild West and a post apocalyptic future, where paper is rare and machinery is ancient, with its original purpose forgotten. Roland meets a boy called Jake, who appears to have died in our reality and somehow crossed over to this other world. They form a fragile partnership as they pursue the man in black...but things seem pretty doomed from the start.

There are many questions raised in this book, and you have to read the rest of the series to find the answers. You enter the story in the middle of it really, and there is a lot of hopping around the timeline to explain things. Roland is a tough character to love, but you get there in the end! That is his appeal, his harshness and his fervent determination to get to the Tower, no matter the cost.

Try this if you want a change! It's not like anything I have read, but it goes without saying, it's a must for King fans and people who like a good, epic fantasy. Thankee sai! Long days pleasant nights! If you read the set you may find you end up talking oddly, it has that effect! READ
Try the graphic novel too, based on the Wizard and Glass book. Great representation of young Roland.

The Gunslinger, 01 Apr 2008
The first instalment of Stephen King's fantasy series is unashamedly inspired by that other fantastic series, "The Lord of the Rings". King made no attempt to hide this and refers to it in each of his surprisingly-interesting forwards, but the thought of reading something so obviously "inspired" put me off. It was only after the release of the final book in the series I was persuaded to pick up "Gunslinger", and was appalled at how brilliant it was.

It's easy for people to say King's off his game, but he wasn't then and he isn't now - the final book, released only recently, is testament to this. "Gunslinger" is arguably everything that Stephen King isn't: beautiful, poetic, and not really horror. Technically it's fantasy, post-apocalyptic fantasy, and on top of that it's a Western of sorts. It's a glaring divergence from King's usual style, but what appalled me was that it was good. Very, very good, and despite the assumption that King's unfamiliarity with the genre would prove to be the novel's downfall, it is also full of everything that King is wonderful at: suspense, mystery, and very real characters.

A review column isn't the place for a synopsis, so I'll keep it brief. This book has one real character and that's the mysterious hero, the eponymous gunslinger who is a throwback from a bygone age that existed before the world "moved on". The brevity of the novel lends itself to this kind of storytelling, in which we follow a single character in a series of events, a tale told in a surreal, rippling narrative that is like looking through water at an alternate world. The other novels don't keep up this dreamlike form of storytelling, which makes "Gunslinger" all the more precious.

If you like King, you'll love this, regardless of the change in genre. If you pick this up and hate it, you'll still come away with a fresh idea on what novels are all about, reminded why people write. Simple story. Complex characters. You don't have to read the others if you don't like it, but if you want a fresh piece of fiction from an established super-writer, then for God's sake try "Gunslinger"!


A good 'part one' book., 02 Feb 2008
If you're thinking of getting this book I can't list a reason you shouldn't except that this really isn't a stand alone novel, rather it's an introduction to a world and a character to be taken up by the many later instalments of the series. Yes, it has it's own plot, but really it's just there to get us started on the journey. Thus, don't read this unless you're prepared to be hooked and end up forking out for all the others.
Having said that, it's hardly a major flaw and the book really is very enjoyable and extremely intriuging. King creates a world which is brutal, surreally dream-like and a million miles from anything else in fantasy, horror or any other genre. His protagonist is tragically human, his antagonist eerily sinister and beautifully cruel, and everyone who gets caught between them is made hugely sympathetic by their status as just that - something that gets caught in the way.
King's experience as a horror writer really comes across here, making this a fantasy world born of and premeated by the horror genre. The setting is a vast and desolate wasteland to which none of it's inhabitants really belong, lending the whole thing an eeriness that keeps the reader on edge throughout and adds a certain grotesque quality to much of what happens.
If you're a fan of King, a fan of horror, a fan of fantasy, or just a fan of really great storytelling then you should definitely check this out. But prepare to be hooked.

strange, wonderful and intriguing, 21 Oct 2008
This is the first Stephen King novel I have read, at first I found it difficult to get into and then got drawn in the strange dark story. Not only that Stephen King includes himself in there as if he really has been there. By the last three quarters of the book I could not put it down and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Dark Tower 6 - Song of Susannah, 12 Jun 2008

King's sixth book in the "Dark Tower" series picks up immediately where "Wolves of the Calla" left off, reinserting the reader into the world of the gunslinger and his travelling companions. They resume their quest for the Dark Tower with a great opening scene, and soon cutting to the absconded Susannah and her new passenger ...

Things progress smoothly and very competently in this penultimate volume, a shorter story than many of its predeccessors and more focused for it. The writing is condensed but not neglectful of the characters or the scenarios, and has all the fluidity and poetry of the previous volumes, although sadly not to the extent of the wonderful "The Gunslinger".

The novel benefits from the sense of movement and progress, that was sadly lacking in the last two novels, "Wizard and Glass" which was almost entirely flashback, and "Wolves of the Calla" which took place entirely in one town. Now things are rolling and the excitement and urgency return to the story.

I'm not a fan of the metafictional aspects of the series, which begun in earnest last novel with the mention of "Stephen King, the authord from Maine", a plotline which is expounded upon and reaches a kind of conclusion here as well. Mixing real-life with fiction is often a bad idea, and although Stephen King appears here as a character, the novel itself doesn't appear to suffer greatly despite the cringing feeling you might get at the hubris of the author.

Still, there are some truly heart-stopping moments, such as the escalation of Susannah's troubles in the final chapter, and the moment of Jake and Pere Callahan's emergence into the New York of 1999. Despite another cliff-hanger ending, which generally drive me nuts with anger and disappointment, it's still a strong book and worthy of the collection. If you felt a little deflated after books four and five, you'll be happy to see a return to form with book six.

the best novel to date, 03 Sep 2007
my favorite novel of the whole collection. one of the main attributes was the introduction of a new character; mia. while the other five books although good found the characters becoming a bit stale. mia threw my emotions in termoil from hatred to sorrow, from cruelty to love.

one of the highlights of this novel was the introduction of 'stephen king' into his own novel!this other character turned the book (more) surreal than ever - yet strangely this made the novel as beleivable as non - fiction.

finally, throughout the collection there has been a lot of information. some which is hard to get your head round. this book puts everything into perspective, any confusion beforehand will be answered.

My overall rating: the best piece of fiction i've read. This book is unique and is a breath of fresh air from the multitude of fiction being written.


Hmmm....calm before the storm !, 25 Jul 2007
Having just finished the series, I can sum this book up by saying, for me, it is the least memorable. Every other book has a definite purpose, be it the bringing together of the main characters, Rolands history, the finale etc, but this seems to go nowhere.
Jumping from book 5 to 7 IMHO, would not cause any major disruption to the flow of this otherwise excellent series.

24, 14 Jun 2007
a good book, not great though. it takes place within 24 hours and focuses heavily on susannah and her pregnancy.

plenty of details brought to the fore about the nature of the enemies that the ka-tet faces.

a nice 9/11 reference also sliped in there.

all in all a good bridge between wolves of the calla and the dark tower

One more for the collection, 02 Jan 2009
Like another reviewer I may be slightly biased when it comes to the literary fiction af Stephen King/ Richard Bachman (R.I.P), I have been a fan since my teens and almost religiously buy each new compilation or novel as it is released.

Just After Sunset has already become one of my favourite SK compilations, for a number of reasons.

The stories themselves are as always very well written, but what makes them really special is that they are all rooted in events we can all relate to.

whether its our irrational fears,our collective fears (i.e. nuclear war) or even things you never would have thought of as scary (like your fluffy li'l cat), they are all in Just After Sunset in one form or another and as only stephen King seems to be able to do, they are all brought to the front of your mind from the dark recesses where they normally nibble at your subconscious.

Although there are also a few stories that are rooted in recent events like 9/11 and these are spellbinding as they add a different perspective to the aftermath, I must add though that the subject matter is heart wrenching but always respectfully treated.

("The new york times at bargain prices" is one of those short stories that everyone must read.)

One aspect I enjoy about this collection is that it is gathered from different periods in SK's literary career everything from his days writing short stories for popular mens magazines to his later short stories written for collections (and as he admits for himself).

I honestly dont think there are any stories in this book you will not enjoy,and each one is as well written and as gripping as a full novel by king, none of them stand out as weaker than the others (although king himself thinks in retrospect that "Willa" is the weakest story but ...I dont think you avid reader will be of the same opinion) and they will all stay with you long after you have finished reading.


Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review I may be a bit biased when it comes to literature by SK, but if you have never read anything by him this would be a great place to start, an for those fans who have read him for years you will love it aswell.

one last little thing.........dont forget to check and lock your windows, and doors before you retire tonight, (DONT FORGET THE CATFLAP!), because you never know who or what might be out there.

King at his best..., 01 Jan 2009
I'm a life-long King fan, but have been a little let down by some books in recent years - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for one example - but I couldn't put this book down and made short work of reading it.

The stories vary in length, some are much longer than others, but there is something for everyone as each tale is quite different in style and content, but they keep you gripped whatever the story. Some of the tales have great twists in them, some are just straight forward stories, though I'm not sure that they could all be categorised as 'horror', which actually makes the book more interesting for me.

I would recommend this book most strongly, whether you're a Stephen King fan or not.

A writer of substance, 28 Dec 2008
I have to confess that to a certain extent I miss the old days when Stephen King had a simple aim when writing. Scare the reader as much as you can. This has all changed and although he retains the ability he seems more interested in structure & character development. Rather than outright scares the short stories here are either fairly straightforward thrillers or slightly weird. Beneath them all is a strong sense of melancholy & what might have been.
The beauty here is a variety of styles, from a strong sense of Ray Bradbury 'other worldliness' to the best murder thriller writers. King has a superb ability to describe settings and characters emotions in a detail that draws the reader in & makes a connection between you and those being described.
The plots here vary wildly & some are just a brief look at a moment in the lives of others, such as the writer who must decide whether to intervene in a domestic incident or the middle aged couple whose lives have hit a rut but who are about to be torn about by the husbands dream. The decision to finish this particular story just at the point it is about to hit it's stride is both frustrating & inspired. It's just one idea out of many that are original & keep this collection lively.
They don't all work but thats not because there are dull stories in here but rather just such a wide spectrum it would be odd if they all appealed to everybody. So it makes sense that there is likely to be something in here you will enjoy.
In truth King writes best when slowly unfolding his ideas across a full novel. Although a more than capable short story writer it's not his best medium. That said for my money this is a really enjoyable collection that keeps you hooked for 'just one more tale' & continues to entertain. I would say it was also a book you could happily return to & read again.
To compare Kings latest releases with what's gone before is an impossible task that bears little fruit but this is a worthy addition to his, (vast), resume & leaves him comfortably positioned as one of the finest writers on every years best-sellers list.

A mixed bag but overall good Stephen King, 05 Dec 2008
Stephen King's output has been a little patchy for the past few years. This has meant that whenever a new book of his comes out my first thoughts are 'is this going to be good Stephen King, okay Stephen King or just plain poor Stephen King?'

With Just after Sunset the answer to that question would be that it is all three - good, okay & poor.

Just after Sunset is a collection of 13 (a very bad number, according to a character in one of the tales) short stories. A few are not very good. I didn't like Harveys Dream, Graduation Afternoon or Willa. The latter is the weakest of the lot and as it is the first story it doesn't get the book off to a very promising start. A few are not bad. Not great, but okay. The Cat from Hell, Ayana and Stationary Bike come into this category. The majority though, are excellent, almost on a par with anything Stephen King as written previously. Gingerbread Girl, N, Rest Stop, Mute and A Very Tight Place are all excellent little stories. Most of these could have been puffed out and made into book sized novels but their sheer brevity makes them both punchy and powerful.

In the introduction, Stephen King tells us that writing short stories was an ability that at one time he had lost. Stephen Kings constant readers should be as pleased as I am that he has regained this ability.



Just read the whole book in 24 hours - excellent, 16 Nov 2008
I might be biased as I am a Stephen King fanatic but these are his best short stories yet. If you enjoy his work you will love these. If you are new to Stephen King and not sure if you will like his stuff then I would recommend this set of short stories as an introduction. As King is getting older (he turned 60 this year) these stories have a running theme throughout of mortality and what kind of afterlife there could possibly be (In stories such as Willa, The New York Times at Special Bargain rates). He also has an uplifting story about September 11th - someone who survived who was meant to be in the twin towers and how he comes to terms with this. The Gingerbread Girl I think is the best story in the book - I couldn't put it down until I'd finished - a woman who has lost a child starts running and just runs away from all her problems only to find a bigger problem where her running comes in handy.
I don't want to give too much away but other themes are mid-life crisis (Stationary Bike), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (N), a cat from hell (!) nuclear bombs, and a story involving a porta - loo.

If you are a SK fan you probably already bought this, if not buy it if you like short stories, buy it if you like weird and wacky and stories, uplifting stories and stories that cause you to question the world.

I got this book yesterday and just finished it as I couldn't put it down

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

Trunk Novel!, 27 Aug 2008
This is Stephen King at his best. I can't believe it was one of his trunk novels. I'm so please he re-worked it and had it published. The character of Blaze is so well written that although he is a `baddie' I felt myself truly caring for him. There have been comments about the similarities between him and the character of Lenny in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and I have to say I agree with them. Both are hulking great men with gentle characteristics, who are led astray by friends and situations out of their control. When Blaze end up alone with the baby, but starts to `see' his dead friend everywhere, things get really interesting. The whole story is very touching and the final pages are breathtaking.

taut, short thriller, 15 Aug 2008
Dear Constant Reader,

I hope you don't mind, but it's hard enough cranking out one multi-million selling novel every year, let alone two, so in the certain knowledge that my name on the cover will sell millions of copies, here's one I wrote in 1973. I found it under the bed. It's a bit moth-eaten but I've blown the dust off and I reckon no-one will mind- especially if I give them a lovely personal introduction explaining why I think it's well worth a read.

No, not really. Actually, this release of