Book review: Skeleton Crew, by Stephen King

Skeleton Crew is one of the many collections of Stephen King's short stories that have been compiled over the years.  Some of the stories in the book are better than others. Some are scary, some are freaky, some are light, and some are so twisted that you'll have no idea what the heck they are about.

"The Mist" is the best story of the book. It's also the longest.  I read it many years ago, long before the movie was released, and it's one of the few King stories that have been done justice on the big screen.  Since the movie came out, "The Mist" was re-released as a standalone book.

"Here There Be Tygers" is a funny little tale that will make anyone who ever had a grade-school teacher that they hated smile wistfully. "The Raft" is another good story, well-narrated and quite strange.

One of the stories especially, but others to lesser degrees, makes you wonder just what goes on inside Stephen King's head. "Milkman #2" is the weirdest story I've ever read, and I think it will hold that title for quite a while.

Not all of the tales are great. "The Reach," "The Reaper's Image," and "Nona" were stories that I didn't particularly enjoy; other readers will probably find stories in this collection that they don't like. However, overall the book is a good read, and it gives the reader a slight insight into how King's mind works. The end of the book includes a section that tells a little bit about the history behind some of the stories, written by the author himself. And the book also has a good introduction, which King fans will like.

Skeleton Crew is available for purchase online from the typical booksellers, including Amazon.  Several editions have been released.  It can probably be found in most major brick-and-mortar bookstores as well, under Horror or Thriller.

If you like Skeleton Crew, some of King's other short story collections include Night Shift, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, and Everything's Eventual.

(Originally published on Helium.com, 2009)

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