Just After Sunset: Stories

Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying -- journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable -- and resourceful -- as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark. In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.," which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.

Just After Sunset -- call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.
 

Customer Reviews:

A So-So Collection

I'm a fan of Stephen King's work, and I'm particularly pleased that he is so devoted to the short story form. Some of his anthologies -- NIGHT SHIFT, SKELETON CREW, and EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL -- are really first rate, some of the best speculative short stories you will ever read.

JUST AFTER SUNSET is a collection of his more modern work, and if you're not a big fan of King's novels of the past decade, you probably won't be a fan of this anthology either. A number of the stories in this book are pretty much an exercise in style with very little plot or payoff. The best example of this would be "Graduation Afternoon," a pointless effort with a silly tacked-on ending.

I liked about half of the stories in JUST AFTER SUNSET (especially "Mute," "Willa," "The Gingerbread Girl" and "The Cat from Hell"). The other half I found quite tedious. But in the end, none of the stories really knocked my socks off, which is what you always hope for when you read a work by an author of such incredible talent. I was also disappointed in how slim this volume was, compared to King's prior anthologies.

If you're new to Stephen King, my advice is to skip this particular title. Instead, try one of King's earlier collections, or go straight to of his classic novels like THE SHINING, PET SEMATARY, THE DEAD ZONE, THE GREEN MILE, or THE STAND.

2008-12-04

Read these Three Stories

You have to know what you are getting... a short story. If you are familiar with the format, you know there's not much room for story development. Too many turns, and you feel like you went through a fast food drive through. On the other end of the scale, too much character development and you feel like you never left the garage.

I think casual Stephen King fans are not as familiar with his short stories and expected the master to work his long form magic on a short form canvas. So disregard the extreme reviews on both edges of the scale.

With that said, I have to say, I was still a tad disappointed.

The range of story telling is wide. Some stories are done well, and others seem like filler. If you are going to pick up the book I would recommend reading these stories first: N., A Very Tight Place, and Stationary Bike.

If you want to get pulled into a good story and then get slammed on your head with a puff ending, read - Gingerbread Girl, Rest Stop, and The NY Times at Special Prices.

If you want to laugh at something that couldn't have been published by any other author, read - Willa, Graduation Afternoon, and Things Left Behind.

I'm not a King basher. I think he is one of the most talented writers of our generation and has done much to bring writing back to the masses when television could have easily squashed the pleasure. This however, is a collection of broad range. I would rate the stories from a 0 to 9. I was expecting 8 to 10.

2008-12-03

Not worth the money!

I've read King through the years.. But this book was very disappointing. A little too far fetched for me. I wouldn't recommend this book.

2008-12-03

A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME

YOU FANS WILL NOT LIKE THIS, BUT I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE A TOTAL
WASTE OF MY TIME. THANK GOODNESS I DID NOT PAY RETAIL, BUT PURCHASED
IT PRE-PUBLICATION. USUALLY I EXCHANGE MY BOOKS WITH A FRIEND IN ANOTHER
STATE BUT THIS ONE IS GOING TO BOOKMAN'S WHERE I CAN "RESELL" IT. I TRIED NOT TO GIVE IT ANY STARS BUT THAT WAS NOT ACCEPTED.

2008-12-02

It's ok....

I guess it is hard to be king and write short stories after you have written stories like the sun dog, the woman in the room, jerusalem's lot, and even the recently classic 1408. I have to say I was disappointed about how many stories in this book are written from a female storyteller pov. This last story I did finish was simply called N. If you enjoyed this story as much as I did, I highly recommend picking up some of hp lovecraft's work as Steve does a better job of writing the lovecraft influenced short story than anyone else there is. you know paul mccartney still writes songs, and while his new stuff isn't revolver, and steve's stuff isn't night shift.....it still gives you a glimpse into someone who has touched your life with their art which keeps you coming back for more.

2008-12-01