[1XV]⇒ [PDF] Just After Sunset Stories Stephen King 9781416584087 Books

Just After Sunset Stories Stephen King 9781416584087 Books

Download As PDF : Just After Sunset Stories Stephen King 9781416584087 Books

Just After Sunset Stories Stephen King 9781416584087 Books

Just After Sunset was Stephen King's fourth short story collection (not counting his two novella collections that preceded this work), and I would say that this ranks as one of the better ones. While the stories aren't all winners, King covers a lot of different sorts storytelling themes, showing his amazing knack for getting reactions that range from terror, disgust, laughter and--most impressively--an unsettling sense that his tales could really happen. Compared to his earlier works, these stories have an impressive maturity that make them well worth taking in. In my case, I listened to the audio version, which includes all 13 stories across 13 CDs.

Here's the breakdown:

Disc 1: "Introduction" read by Stephen King -- King has an amazing ability to talk to his audience and it's never more evident than in his introductions. Here, he explains what prompted the collection and why the short story is important. Despite his almost nasally voice, King is a good reader of his own work and has a unique folksy way about him.

Disc 1: "Willa" read by Holter Graham -- Stephen King's story of the afterlife and the anxiety of what lies beyond our comprehension. Many of these stories deal with the unknown; unfortunately, "Willa" is one of the weakest stories in the collection. Holter's reading pretty good, though he seems hamstrung with the myriad of voices that are needed. Still, he acquits himself well enough in story that isn't very interesting. 2 stars

Disc 2 & 3: "The Gingerbread Girl" read by Mare Winningham -- here's a great example of two things King does well: building suspense and drawing wonderfully deep and detailed characters. This suspense yarn is bolstered by a great psychological profile of the main character and King's flourishes that lend everything an extra pop. Mare does very well with the story, even modifying her voice to show injury to the main character that impedes her speech. The only drawback is her attempt at vocalizing the killer, which comes off a little histrionic. 4 stars!

Disc 4: "Harvey's Dream" read by Stephen King -- another story that is strong on characterization, yet this brief tale doesn't have much else going for it. It's a fine listen, with King's vocals relaying the same matter-of-fact bristles of late life unhappiness and tragedy. Worth a listen. 3 stars

Disc 4: "Rest Stop" read by Denis O'Hare -- the story, about a writer that relies on his alter ego in a tight spot, is entertaining; however, I don't think it would come off nearly as well without the delivery of O'Hare. A tough, no-nonsense reading helps boost this story from forgettable to solid. 3 stars

Disc 5 & 6: "Stationary Bike" read by Ron McLarty -- Ron's voice took me a while to get used to (he sounds like he's had a lot of radio training and uses flair that remind me of Casey Kasem), but his take on the story of an artist haunted by his creation and addiction smoothed out over time. Another excellent character helps the plot to down easier, even with a some what disappointing ending. 4 stars!

Disc 6: "Graduation Night" read by Jill Eikenberry -- Very brief story about a girl that witnesses a calamity. The story isn't much, though King continues his rash of superlative character building. But the character has nothing to do, so this one is forgettable. The reading is serviceable, yet fails to mesh voice with character. 2 stars

Disc 7: "The Things They Left Behind" read by Ben Shenkman -- perfectly read by Shenkman, this is a great story that, unfortunately, seems to resolve too simply and then drags towards the end. There's a lot of haunting ideas and the main character has some of the most captivating asides. (There's one anecdotal story here that was perfect; King knows how to make us uncomfortable in the most delicious ways!) this is a great listen when you're in the mood to run the gambit of emotions. 4 stars!

Disc 8 & 9: "N." Read by Holter Graham, Denis O'Hare, Ben Shenkman & Karen Ziemba -- whoa, a full blown cast for this story?! What gives? This story, published for the first time in this collection, is another King tip of the hat to Weird fiction and it stands with the best of the lot. King May have been thinking Machen here, but Lovecraft fans will find a lot of tropes perfected by the master himself. The story concerns a man seeking help for OCD and explaining the fantastic reason while he's suddenly developed the condition. The build up of the story, which features the titular character describing his life an experiences is an extraordinarily insightful break down of OCD, only with a supernatural twist. This one is so good, it almost makes you mad that King can still wield the pen with this much precision, insight and creativity. The reading is quite good as well, though I felt it could've been done sufficiently with one less person... Maybe even two less. Still, if one story deserves this grand treatment, "N." Is it! 5 stars!

Disc 10: "The New York Times at Bargain Prices" read by Jill Eikenberry -- much like "Harvey's Dream", this sounds like the piece of a good story that isn't big enough to satisfy. A phone call from beyond effects a recent widow in this one but there's not enough to it. Jill reads the story well, but when the characters spend the entire story sitting to the side, never being proactive, it's hard to get invested. 2 stars

Disc 10: "Mute" read by Skip Sudduh -- another story that seems like a barrel scraper at first, and then turns out to be very good by the end. A strong character buoys a story of betrayal, anger and confusion that takes a bit more toned down view of organized religion than King is known for. Not a scary story, just one that has a strong emotional pull. 4 stars!

Disc 11: "The Cat from Hell" read by Holter Graham -- one of King's gross out stories that really works because it sly combines absurdism and explicit, visceral gore in such a way that you have to take it seriously until the trigger has been pulled and you realize the joke's on you. Doesn't really fit with the rest of the story, but it's nice to see this classic makes its way into an official collection. Holter's reading is solid. 3 stars

Disc 11: "Ayana" read by George Guidall -- a story about miracles... Both the good and the bad sides to them. Good story that is helped immensely by King's ability to craft nearly poetic passages in a narrative. Well read, if not spectacularly emotive. 4 stars!

Disc 12 & 13: "A Very Tight Space" read by Ron McLarty -- another gross out story... But this one's a knock out! The set up had already made me uncomfortable with one character spouting hate speech, but once the story fully unfolds, it becomes a suspenseful story that is well crafted underneath all the nasty stuff. Another story that is superbly read. 4 stars!

King also includes end notes, which I'm sure all his readers appreciate, and and few words from King about writing. I love these inclusions when read by King. This is a collection for those that love King's immaculate ability to build up believable, captivating characters.


Tags : Just After Sunset: Stories [Stephen King] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A collection of short works is comprised of pieces that previously appeared in such publications as <IT>The New Yorker,Stephen King,Just After Sunset: Stories,Scribner,1416584080,Short stories.,American Novel And Short Story,Fiction,Fiction - Horror,Fiction General,Fiction Horror,Fiction Literary,Fiction Short Stories (single author),Horror,Horror - General,King, Stephen - Prose & Criticism,Short Stories (single author)

Just After Sunset Stories Stephen King 9781416584087 Books Reviews

I somehow missed this collection while waiting for Under the Dome, and I'm so glad I found it just before the release of Mr. Mercedes.

What a romp! Since Mr. King has provided us with a helpful tidbit of information on how each of the stories in this collection came about, I don't need to review each one. What would be the sense? Suffice it to say that all of these stories is a perfect example of his incredible talent.

While he doesn't go quite to the level of horror, he does manage in every one to chill the bones, warm the heart and sometimes scare the bejesus out of the reader.

In his notes, he states that Willa is the weakest, but he nevertheless liked it enough to include it. I disagree. I really enjoyed it as I did all of these. Perhaps, Stationary Bike was my favorite, but they're all great.

And now, comes Mr. Mercedes. And, by the way, I think Lisey's Story is his best novel.
It goes without saying, though I'm going to say it because it's so obvious from all my King reviews, that I am definitely a fanboy of Mr. King. With the internet and the chance to post reviews ad nauseum, a lot of reviewers rip apart books and even write paragraph after paragraph, ruining the story and the plots. I think a lot of these people fancy themselves "authors" and feel the need to prove it by writing short stories about someone else's work.
My review of this book like all my reviews of Mr. King's books is short and sweet. "Just After Sunset" is a collection of short stories and they all kept me interested from start to finish. I have never read anything from Mr. King that he didn't capture my attention and keep me coming back for more. He's done it from the time I was a teenager and he continues to do it now that I'm 60. I couldn't imagine growing up without being frightened and entertained by The Master.
Just After Sunset was Stephen King's fourth short story collection (not counting his two novella collections that preceded this work), and I would say that this ranks as one of the better ones. While the stories aren't all winners, King covers a lot of different sorts storytelling themes, showing his amazing knack for getting reactions that range from terror, disgust, laughter and--most impressively--an unsettling sense that his tales could really happen. Compared to his earlier works, these stories have an impressive maturity that make them well worth taking in. In my case, I listened to the audio version, which includes all 13 stories across 13 CDs.

Here's the breakdown

Disc 1 "Introduction" read by Stephen King -- King has an amazing ability to talk to his audience and it's never more evident than in his introductions. Here, he explains what prompted the collection and why the short story is important. Despite his almost nasally voice, King is a good reader of his own work and has a unique folksy way about him.

Disc 1 "Willa" read by Holter Graham -- Stephen King's story of the afterlife and the anxiety of what lies beyond our comprehension. Many of these stories deal with the unknown; unfortunately, "Willa" is one of the weakest stories in the collection. Holter's reading pretty good, though he seems hamstrung with the myriad of voices that are needed. Still, he acquits himself well enough in story that isn't very interesting. 2 stars

Disc 2 & 3 "The Gingerbread Girl" read by Mare Winningham -- here's a great example of two things King does well building suspense and drawing wonderfully deep and detailed characters. This suspense yarn is bolstered by a great psychological profile of the main character and King's flourishes that lend everything an extra pop. Mare does very well with the story, even modifying her voice to show injury to the main character that impedes her speech. The only drawback is her attempt at vocalizing the killer, which comes off a little histrionic. 4 stars!

Disc 4 "Harvey's Dream" read by Stephen King -- another story that is strong on characterization, yet this brief tale doesn't have much else going for it. It's a fine listen, with King's vocals relaying the same matter-of-fact bristles of late life unhappiness and tragedy. Worth a listen. 3 stars

Disc 4 "Rest Stop" read by Denis O'Hare -- the story, about a writer that relies on his alter ego in a tight spot, is entertaining; however, I don't think it would come off nearly as well without the delivery of O'Hare. A tough, no-nonsense reading helps boost this story from forgettable to solid. 3 stars

Disc 5 & 6 "Stationary Bike" read by Ron McLarty -- Ron's voice took me a while to get used to (he sounds like he's had a lot of radio training and uses flair that remind me of Casey Kasem), but his take on the story of an artist haunted by his creation and addiction smoothed out over time. Another excellent character helps the plot to down easier, even with a some what disappointing ending. 4 stars!

Disc 6 "Graduation Night" read by Jill Eikenberry -- Very brief story about a girl that witnesses a calamity. The story isn't much, though King continues his rash of superlative character building. But the character has nothing to do, so this one is forgettable. The reading is serviceable, yet fails to mesh voice with character. 2 stars

Disc 7 "The Things They Left Behind" read by Ben Shenkman -- perfectly read by Shenkman, this is a great story that, unfortunately, seems to resolve too simply and then drags towards the end. There's a lot of haunting ideas and the main character has some of the most captivating asides. (There's one anecdotal story here that was perfect; King knows how to make us uncomfortable in the most delicious ways!) this is a great listen when you're in the mood to run the gambit of emotions. 4 stars!

Disc 8 & 9 "N." Read by Holter Graham, Denis O'Hare, Ben Shenkman & Karen Ziemba -- whoa, a full blown cast for this story?! What gives? This story, published for the first time in this collection, is another King tip of the hat to Weird fiction and it stands with the best of the lot. King May have been thinking Machen here, but Lovecraft fans will find a lot of tropes perfected by the master himself. The story concerns a man seeking help for OCD and explaining the fantastic reason while he's suddenly developed the condition. The build up of the story, which features the titular character describing his life an experiences is an extraordinarily insightful break down of OCD, only with a supernatural twist. This one is so good, it almost makes you mad that King can still wield the pen with this much precision, insight and creativity. The reading is quite good as well, though I felt it could've been done sufficiently with one less person... Maybe even two less. Still, if one story deserves this grand treatment, "N." Is it! 5 stars!

Disc 10 "The New York Times at Bargain Prices" read by Jill Eikenberry -- much like "Harvey's Dream", this sounds like the piece of a good story that isn't big enough to satisfy. A phone call from beyond effects a recent widow in this one but there's not enough to it. Jill reads the story well, but when the characters spend the entire story sitting to the side, never being proactive, it's hard to get invested. 2 stars

Disc 10 "Mute" read by Skip Sudduh -- another story that seems like a barrel scraper at first, and then turns out to be very good by the end. A strong character buoys a story of betrayal, anger and confusion that takes a bit more toned down view of organized religion than King is known for. Not a scary story, just one that has a strong emotional pull. 4 stars!

Disc 11 "The Cat from Hell" read by Holter Graham -- one of King's gross out stories that really works because it sly combines absurdism and explicit, visceral gore in such a way that you have to take it seriously until the trigger has been pulled and you realize the joke's on you. Doesn't really fit with the rest of the story, but it's nice to see this classic makes its way into an official collection. Holter's reading is solid. 3 stars

Disc 11 "Ayana" read by George Guidall -- a story about miracles... Both the good and the bad sides to them. Good story that is helped immensely by King's ability to craft nearly poetic passages in a narrative. Well read, if not spectacularly emotive. 4 stars!

Disc 12 & 13 "A Very Tight Space" read by Ron McLarty -- another gross out story... But this one's a knock out! The set up had already made me uncomfortable with one character spouting hate speech, but once the story fully unfolds, it becomes a suspenseful story that is well crafted underneath all the nasty stuff. Another story that is superbly read. 4 stars!

King also includes end notes, which I'm sure all his readers appreciate, and and few words from King about writing. I love these inclusions when read by King. This is a collection for those that love King's immaculate ability to build up believable, captivating characters.