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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Book review: The Tommyknockers, by Stephen King

If you've read Stephen King before, you know how detailed he gets with his characters and his stories. The Tommyknockers is no exception. The book is around 750 pages long. One of the things that sets King apart from a great many other writers is that he will develop ALL his characters, not just the main two or three or four. He'll describe the kind of childhood one guy had, then kill him off two pages later. It makes for better reading, and it lets you (as the reader) know more about what's going on, who's who, and why some characters are the way they are.

It also makes the book longer. A lot longer. Some people may see this as a bad thing. I like it. As a kid I used to read voraciously, and whenever I found a good book, I would always dread coming to the end. It was like waking up from a particularly pleasant dream. You feel like there was more of the world that the author created left to explore, and you didn't get the chance to discover it. But with King's books, he delves into every corner, shines light down every hole, and leaves no stone unturned, so you don't feel like you missed anything.

The Tommyknockers is about a small Maine town (surprise!). A woman who lives on the outskirts of the town finds something metal buried in her backyard. She attempts to dig it up, and suddenly everyone in town starts acting just a little weird.

The woman keeps digging, enlisting her best friend to help her, and as she uncovers more of the strange object, the town becomes crazier and crazier... and deadlier and deadlier, especially to outsiders.

Fans of Stephen King will enjoy The Tommyknockers, and if you jump at sudden noises, it will probably keep you up at night. It's not a book you can read in a short time, but it isn't so detail-intensive that you will have a hard time remembering what happened the last time you sat down to read a chapter.

The Tommyknockers was the second King novel I ever read. I've read about 10 or 15 more since, but this one still ranks up there as one of the best.

The Tommyknockers is available from most major online booksellers including Barnes & Noble and Amazon, or you could probably find a cheap copy at your favorite used book store. It's a good book, one you can read again in a few years and still enjoy.

(Originally posted on Helium.com, Apr 2009)

(Disclaimer: I earn a commission on Amazon sales made from links in this post.)

Stuff to read

The new issue of Alternative Coordinates is online now. It includes a story by Star Trek novel author Christopher L. Bennett and a free poem by Kristine Ong Muslim.

The featured contributor over at DailyHaiku this week is Deborah P. Kolodji -- check every day for a new one.

For some good haibun, give Artichoke Season a try. It's Susan Antolin's blog, and it's filled with some good poems.

Amazon has a few cool items for a Stephen King fan's graduation, Mother's or Father's Day, or birthday coming up. There's the Stephen King DVD Collector Set, which includes Misery, The Dark Half, Needful Things, and Carrie, all for just $29.98 (free shipping). They also have The Tommyknockers on DVD, which I haven't seen yet but looks pretty cool. It's $9.98, but you should order it soon because that one can take up to 2 weeks to ship.