Before reading: I know almost nothing about Night Shift. I know my sister has a copy that I'm going to try to steal so that I don't have to buy it, myself. I also know (think) that it is short stories. Unlike The Bachman Books where those are short stories that were published separately and then put together in a book later, these are a collection of short stories that make up one book. I'm not sure if there are any more well-known stories that are in this collection but I'm going to find out!
*Because there are multiple stories in this collection, I am going to do mini reviews for each on this page. Feel free to read all of them or to look for certain ones that intrigue you. King has multiple short story collections (including a new one that came out recently) so I will do this with all of his collections. I will review the stories as I go and then do my "after reading" when I've finished it in it's entirety. When it is completely finished is when it will be published. Some stories you might recognize are Jerusalem's Lot (a prequel to Salem's Lot) and Children of the Corn!*
After reading: So this was my first time reading a book of short stories. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world but I didn't hate it. I think I definitely enjoy a novel or novella more than a book of short stories. Overall, I enjoyed them. I liked being able to read Children of the Corn, finally. There were several really great stories in here and a few not so great. I would also like to point out that out of all of the stories only one was told from a woman's perspective. Overall I did enjoy it and I'm happy to have read it. I don't think I'll be racing to read it again. I would recommend reading it, however. It was still a great piece of work. Next up to read is The Stand!
Jerusalem's Lot: Jerusalem's Lot is, of course, the prequel to Salem's Lot. It was not what I expected at all. I only recently learned this even existed because I saw that there is a television show being created from this story. Because it is a short story, I'm sure that show will have a lot of creative freedom because there isn't too much to work with. The story is shown by a series of letters written by the main character, Charles. It starts off a little boring but, overall, is a nice little story. It doesn't seem to have a direct connection to the story of Salem's Lot except for the fact that it is the same town and there is something evil afoot. I almost wish there was another story that connects the two. I did notice that this is now the second story to refer to some sort of evil being as "it." Overall, it was a fun little story that I wish had more to it.
Graveyard Shift: Well, don't read this one if you don't like rats. This was another fun story. It definitely hooks you in right from the beginning and does a great job of making you want to keep reading to figure out what's going on. I've noticed rats popping up again and again in some of King's work such as Salem's Lot and The Shining, and they come at you full force in this one. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Night Surf: Well. Considering this one is about a flu-like virus from Asia that wipes out most of the human race, I wasn't currently that into it. Besides it being too on the nose, it was also very very short. The only reason I wish it was longer (I'm okay not even knowing the details of how the sickness came to be) is because it lacks the character building that I love from King. The main character in this story, Bernie, seems like a big ol' jerk. I feel like he'd be more likable if there was more depth to him but he's just an unlikeable character in a short story that hit too close to home. If it were longer, if Bernie were more likable, or if it wasn't 2020...I probably would've enjoyed this one more.
I am the Doorway: This one was interesting! I was not expecting the story to be about what it was. It was nothing like anything else I've ever read or any story I've ever heard. It was unique and I felt like it was a good topic for a short story. Because the character didn't have much information, it didn't seem like anything was missing from the story, itself. It also seemed that it had enough action and a good conclusion all within just a few short pages. It wasn't my favorite story ever but it was a lot of fun and an interesting read.
The Mangler: This one felt like a gritty detective film for some reason. I enjoyed that aspect of it, a lot. It had a different feel than the other stories did, narratively. The writing was great and the story was fun. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the possessed objects trope. I just don't find an object, like a piece of ironing machinery, to be scary. It just isn't my thing, but I enjoyed the story and was glad that it was short and didn't have to read about an ironing machine walking around and killing people.
The Boogeyman: This was probably my favorite one so far. It was your typical boogeyman horror story but it didn't seem like something you've already heard a million times. It also had a slightly corny but fun little twist ending. Short, sweet, creepy...a good horror short story.
Gray Matter: This one was really short and there isn't too too much to say about it. It was entertaining, kind of silly, and still had a creepy vibe to it. I enjoyed reading it.
Battleground: This one was silly. It reminded me of a bad Black Mirror episode. I didn't hate it by any means but it wasn't something I necessarily enjoyed reading.
Trucks: I'll be honest, I didn't really want to read this one based on the title. Also, like I mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of possessed objects. Trucks taking over the world isn't exactly my forte. However, the action and characters managed to save this story. It was a good read, and I appreciated that it was in short story form and not a novel. It did make me a little wary about having to read Christine...
Sometimes they Come Back: I enjoyed this one. It was a bit longer so the story was more fleshed out, however, some parts did seem a little rushed. It was a little basic in theme but still had a new story to tell. I enjoyed it and, so far, I think it has been my favorite story in the book.
Strawberry Spring: This was a good one! I really liked the title, strangely enough. The story was interesting and smart. I wish it had a more put-together ending but that's how short stories tend to be. It seemed to be written a little differently than most of King's other stories but I really enjoyed it, nonetheless. May be my new favorite story of the bunch.
The Ledge: The writing in this one was amazing. I literally felt nauseous while I read it. Definitely a fun and scary-in-a-non-traditional-way story. However, I kind of wish the whole story was the character out on the ledge and not everything that happened afterwards but perhaps I'm a bit more cynical than Mr. King.
The Lawnmower Man: Um. This was a weird one. This was the first genuinely weird story I've read from King. I know I shouldn't do this, but I can usually tell if I'm not going to like something based on the title. "The Lawnmower Man" didn't necessarily seem like something I was going to enjoy right off the bat. It was.....different? I'll give it that.
Quitters, Inc.: I enjoyed this one. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read but it wasn't too bad, either. It was an enjoyable story. I think the length was perfect for storytelling and it had a great pace and tone. Again, this one wasn't very PC in today's standards but that is what it is. I enjoyed this one!
I Know What you Need: Believe it or not, this was the first story in this entire book to be from a female perspective. Just thought I'd point that out. Another interesting thing I noticed was that there was a reference to Bluebeard's wife and the only reason I understood the reference was because it was told in detail in The Shining and I had read that before reading this. All that aside, this was one of my favorite stories in the book. It had a bit too much of a happy ending for me, I like for horror stories to either not end well or to have some sort of cliffhanger and this one was wrapped up with a nice little bow. Besides that, it was a fun and enjoyable story. It was different and also had some great characters. I liked it a lot.
Children of the Corn: This is arguably the most famous out of all of these stories. I had seen the movie a long time ago and couldn't remember much except for the character, Malachi. Malachi did not have that big of a role in the story. The story, itself, was great. It was a really good story and I can see why they created a movie based on it because it definitely leaves you wanting more.
The Last Rung on the Ladder: This was a nice story. It was the perfect length, had a great tone and pace, and was enjoyable to read. It was a sad story and not a horror story. Obviously, I prefer them to be more in the horror realm but I did really like this story. (Yes I know SK doesn't only write horror stories but the majority of these short stories have been in that category)
The Man Who Loved Flowers: This story was short and sweet. It had a fun foreshadowing moment and a great overall tone. I found it a little bit corny but that's alright. It wasn't anything too special but it wasn't anything bad, either. I really liked the title of this one, strangely enough.
One for the Road: Turns out this was another 'Salem's Lot story. I was not expecting that at all. It was nice to see it from a perspective that is after the original book. It was also fun to see how surrounding towns think about what happened. Overall, though, it was kind of lackluster. I wish it had been a better story but it was fun nonetheless.
The Woman in the Room: Again, this one was mostly sad. It was a little bit boring and predictable but overall an alright story. The dialogue grammar and page breaks were deliberately weird and I couldn't quite figure out why, if someone has the answer then please enlighten me.
Comments
Post a Comment