An english instructor named Wesley Smith gets himself a kindle e-reader after an upsetting break up with his girlfriend, and commits the ultimate sin An english instructor named Wesley Smith gets himself a kindle e-reader after an upsetting break up with his girlfriend, and commits the ultimate sin of reading books off the computer instead of the old fashioned way. Once overcoming his own literary snobbery, Wesley begins to see just how cool e-readers can actually be however, but he also experiences the existential terror of just how limitless they are, their convenience and ease of use opening up infinite gateways to an infinite number of stories that no human being could ever hope to consume in a single lifetime. And that’s not all, this mysterious pink kindle in particular seems to offer glimpses into alternate realities with books and futures that do not exist in his own world...
Not among King’s absolute finest work, but it turned out to be a lot cooler than I expected. It has a lot of existential dread that makes the narrative surprisingly chilling at times, and it also has some interesting connections to The Dark Tower and Hearts in Atlantis which I really enjoyed.
Kindles and e-readers are kinda spooky now that I think about it. The infinite opportunities and gateways into other worlds they open up can consume your own life if you’re not careful....more
There is no heaven or hell, only a purgatory where you must be reborn to live the same life over and over again with the knowledge that you won’t be aThere is no heaven or hell, only a purgatory where you must be reborn to live the same life over and over again with the knowledge that you won’t be able to change anything, no matter how many times you relive the same events.
This is literally the ‘would you punch a little kid in the face for a million dollars?’ meme turned into a Stephen King story. Or maybe it was the othThis is literally the ‘would you punch a little kid in the face for a million dollars?’ meme turned into a Stephen King story. Or maybe it was the other way around? Either way, it’s pretty good.
Chad is a teacher struggling to get a contract for an upcoming book. His wife Nora is a home nurse. Both are struggling to make ends meet. Nora gets approached by her employer who claims he wants to know what it’s like to commit a horrible sin before he dies because he’s spent his whole life as a virtuous man. He’s willing to give Nora a huge sum of money if she does something horrible on his behalf.
This almost feels like the diet version of Apt Pupil. Someone getting pushed into a life of cruelty and immoral acts by a strange old man. This isn’t nearly as gruesome or extreme as Apt Pupil and the ending kinda fizzles out before reaching its full potential, but it’s still pretty interesting overall. One of the better stories in Bizarre of Bad Dreams....more
A bar patron describes a terrifying expedition into the jungle of an unnamed land to an unknown audience, a large party went in and very few came out.A bar patron describes a terrifying expedition into the jungle of an unnamed land to an unknown audience, a large party went in and very few came out.
Stephen King's attempt at a narrative poem that channels Robert Browning (and maybe a little bit of Robert E. Howard) and does a decent, but not so great job of it. It's definitely the weakest part of Bazaar of Bad Dreams. King even admits himself that he doesn't consider himself a poet. He's written hundreds of them and only felt 2 or 3 of them were somewhat worth publishing.
Jim Trusdale is a slow-witted man sentenced to death for a crime he may or may not have committed. He’s believed to be hiding a silver dollar from theJim Trusdale is a slow-witted man sentenced to death for a crime he may or may not have committed. He’s believed to be hiding a silver dollar from the ten year old girl he supposedly murdered. It doesn’t matter either way, he’s deemed guilty before his trial even begins.
A straightforward whodunnit story with an unexpectedly ambiguous ending. Jim Trusdale’s intelligence, maliciousness and motive are all up in the air. It’s hard to say if he’s guilty or framed, cunningly wicked or depressingly unaware. No matter the answer, the dreary and foreboding outcome and atmosphere of the tale are solid. ...more
An evil ginger kid with a propeller hat devotes his demonic existence to relentlessly bullying an innocent man named George Hallas until the boy causeAn evil ginger kid with a propeller hat devotes his demonic existence to relentlessly bullying an innocent man named George Hallas until the boy causes a string of supernatural disasters that haunt George until his breaking point. The only way to put an end to the bad little kid’s reign of terror is with a deadly weapon, and even that might not be enough.
A predictable but fun short story that has a nice flow to it. George narrates the story in past tense from a prison cell and it plays out exactly how you probably think it will go, but it’s got a classic urban legend vibe to it which makes it feel like an eerie campfire story. ...more
The Kingdom of Delain is finally free from the oppressive threat of Niner the Dragon, but a new beast haunts the halls of the royal castle now, and heThe Kingdom of Delain is finally free from the oppressive threat of Niner the Dragon, but a new beast haunts the halls of the royal castle now, and he wears the face of a man. The dark sorcerer Randall Flagg poses as the right hand of King Roland the Good, but he has many sinister tricks up his sleeve to turn the royal family against each other and burn the whole kingdom to the ground from the inside out. It’s up to the young princes Peter and Thomas, King Roland’s sons, to get to the bottom of Randall’s treacherous plans before it’s too late.
Stephen King’s spin on classic epic fantasy tropes. It takes elements from Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Shannara, Belgariad, Riftwar and a whole bunch of others with King’s usual spin of creepy shenanigans and morbid humor sprinkled on top. It’s a familiar story with a unique authoritative voice.
Famous recurring villain Randall Flagg (he pops up in The Stand, The Dark Tower and a few others) is up to his old tricks again, sneaking around shadowy halls, whispering sweet nothings into the ears of kings and sewing an epidemic of death and chaos wherever he goes. He’s up against some sly rascals this time around though, so he’s got his twisted work cut out for him. The story has a satisfying build up with sympathetic heroes and a climactic finale.
It’s always fun seeing King outside of his usual brand of whacky horror stories. I think he does fantasy, slice of life and literary fiction especially well....more
Hilarious, bizarre, disgusting, adorable and slightly horrifying all at the same time. A romance story unlike any other.
Ethan is in love with the weirHilarious, bizarre, disgusting, adorable and slightly horrifying all at the same time. A romance story unlike any other.
Ethan is in love with the weirdest girl in school. They call her Spiderweb because her best friends are spiders and her face is covered in weblike stitch patterns from retroactively exploding upon contact with someone she loves. Ethan finally works up the nerve to ask her out, but there’s just one problem. Her head explodes into an eruption of gore every time they get close or try to kiss each other. The more Ethan learns about her unusual condition, the more secrets he unlocks about her past, the ancient lineage of her family, and the fate that awaits them both if they are to continue their romantic relationship.
This book really takes the whole ‘love conquers all’ thing to the extreme. Ethan goes to lengths most mortal men would never even dare to try and make the love of his life happy and valued. Morbid, funny and grossly charming....more
An apocalyptic farewell letter written in reverse. The celebration of the normal but wonderful life of a man named Chuck. The only problem is that theAn apocalyptic farewell letter written in reverse. The celebration of the normal but wonderful life of a man named Chuck. The only problem is that the world around Chuck exists inside of him, so when he dies, the whole world will die with him.
A unique Stephen King story that takes a little effort to put the pieces together. It’s told in a strange dreamlike structure with trippy multiverse shenanigans trapped inside what is a fairly tame and down to earth slice of life story.
I feel like this story is easier to appreciate if you’ve read some of King’s trippier novels beforehand like Dark Tower and Insomnia. The whole metaphysical mumbo jumbo of entire universes existing inside every blade of grass and how all life in those universes suddenly ceases to exist the second they are cut down. Life of Chuck feels like a callback to those kinds of stories.
A good slice of life tale told backwards with just a touch of trippy existential weirdness....more
Didn’t enjoy this one that much honestly. It has the same general premise as Christine, but without the heart, soul, emotion or great character develoDidn’t enjoy this one that much honestly. It has the same general premise as Christine, but without the heart, soul, emotion or great character development. Just a haunted monster car that goes around eating anyone that comes near it. The car itself also isn't as interesting as the car in Christine either. That one actually had some chilling lore and backstory behind it.
It did give me a couple of good laughs though. It’s a very silly story that has some really wild and strange imagery. Some of the minor characters were decent too, they just didn’t stick around long....more
A solid coming of age tale about a young wannabe journalist named Craig who befriends a rich old businessman named Mr. Harrigan. With his dad’s approvA solid coming of age tale about a young wannabe journalist named Craig who befriends a rich old businessman named Mr. Harrigan. With his dad’s approval, Mr. Harrigan hires young Craig to do chores around his massive mansion for payment. Craig and Harrigan develop an unexpected friendship and slowly begin to genuinely enjoy each others company. Craig gifts Harrigan with an iphone one day so they can keep in touch over long distances. Craig begins to grow up and Harrigan gets lost in the world of new age technology. Both leave the old world they thought they knew behind and are drawn into a web of tragic events, all while being spiritually connected to each other through the phone.
Sentimental and slightly twisted at the same time. It’s all about a bitter old man trying to come to terms with the world changing to the point he doesn’t recognize it anymore, and a boy growing up too fast, also slowly losing his grasp on reality as the world changes drastically around him. The bond between the two is well done and feels like a classic intergenerational friendship/coming of age tale with a few of King’s signature dark supernatural twists.
Really enjoyed it, but honestly wish it was at least a hundred pages longer. I would’ve really liked to see more interactions between Craig and Harrigan because they were so good and felt like classic Stephen King....more
A cool mix of fantasy, sci-fi and horror from Clark Ashton Smith, written in a lucid nightmarish style that feels like a clash of H.P. Lovecraft and RA cool mix of fantasy, sci-fi and horror from Clark Ashton Smith, written in a lucid nightmarish style that feels like a clash of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard with a few touches of Poe.
The imagery and prose are striking, but the stories themselves aren't that interesting nor are there any noteworthy or memorable characters to care about. Great for those who love vivid and imaginative landscapes and strange alien worlds to explore in rich detail.
I overall enjoy Robert E. Howard's Hyperborean stories better as they're more gritty and character driven....more
Probably the most emotional story in King’s Night Shift collection.
Larry has discovered that his beloved sister Kitty has passed away under very upsetProbably the most emotional story in King’s Night Shift collection.
Larry has discovered that his beloved sister Kitty has passed away under very upsetting circumstances. He recalls a game they used to play as children where they would climb to the top of a tall ladder in a barn and jump down into a pile of hay. He remembers how brave, lovely and trusting she was, and wonders how such a girl could have grown up to meet such a tragic demise.
Most of the stories in Night Shift are on the gimmicky punchline kind of short horror with a fun twist here and there. This one is just a solid slice of life story that can hit close to home for anyone that’s ever had someone they loved drift apart due to the unstoppable progression of time and distance only to one day realize that they’re now gone forever. It makes you wonder how things end up the way they do and what you could’ve done differently to try and support the people you’ve lost. It makes you wonder if there was anything you could’ve done to keep them around a little longer....more
Kim White is a cheerleader that has everything a 16-year-old high school sweetheart could ever want. She’s beautiful, she’s popular, she’s healthy andKim White is a cheerleader that has everything a 16-year-old high school sweetheart could ever want. She’s beautiful, she’s popular, she’s healthy and she comes from a well-off family. Her life is perfect and she absolutely hates everything about it. Mentally poisoned by true crime, sadistic mean girl tendencies, violent fetish porn and a psychopathic indifference to all the people around her, Kim decides to add some much needed spice to her life by dabbling in the arts of blackmail, extreme harassment, bloodshed and all manners of physical, emotional and psychological torture on anyone she can seduce into her web of chaotic evil. How far does she have to go until she finally feels satisfied with her life?
Full Brutal is exactly what it sounds like. It’s pure, unfiltered brutality and evil for the sheer hell of it. It’s like if American Psycho was written from the perspective of a typical high school mean girl that loves spreading senseless dehumanizing drama, damning other people to miserable lives and sabotaging her ‘enemies’ for no damn good reason. It just keeps escalating and escalating until it becomes a horrific typhoon of sickeningly cruel evil.
Kim White isn’t a sympathetic or lovable character at all. She embodies the absolute malice of classic horror villains. She does what she does simply because she can. Her unpredictable selfish desire to desecrate innocence in every way possible just to get a good laugh makes her a truly cold and terrifying villain. I would easily put her up there with villains like Patrick Bateman and Art the Clown from Terrifier.
Definitely not for the faint of heart. There’s no redeemable factors here, just senseless terrifying horror. It’s like watching a car crash in motion....more
A group of travelers find themselves stranded at a lonesome station, waiting for a train that never seems to comeThis is great Twilight Zone material.
A group of travelers find themselves stranded at a lonesome station, waiting for a train that never seems to come. David Sanderson begins to grow worried after his fiance Willa wanders into town without telling anyone beforehand. He finds her at a local honkey-tonk, but no one there seems to take any notice of them. Are they being ignored as unwelcome outsiders stranded in the middle of nowhere, or is there something stranger at work?
Trippy and surreal. In spite of the weird dream-like haunting stuff going on, it's actually kind of wholesome and sweet....more
Midnight Meat Train is a gruesome but awesome short story about a man named Leon Kaufman stumbling upon the savage artistry of an evil butcher known fMidnight Meat Train is a gruesome but awesome short story about a man named Leon Kaufman stumbling upon the savage artistry of an evil butcher known for committing a series of murderous atrocities on underground subways in New York City. The reasoning behind the killer preying on victims deep underground on high speed trains where they can’t escape and no one can see what happens to them are even more sinister than they seem.
Clive Barker is one of those authors that can turn the most explicit and nasty horror subjects into pure art and poetry. He also taps into primal cosmic horror that feels like some twisted religious nightmare of lovecraftian proportions.
It’s a part of the Books of Blood anthology series which is perfect for fans of the gruesomely weird and macabre. The less you know about this one going in the better....more
I’ve heard many people saying recently that this is the most disturbing thing Stephen King has ever written, so naturally I had to read it ASAP.
Todd BI’ve heard many people saying recently that this is the most disturbing thing Stephen King has ever written, so naturally I had to read it ASAP.
Todd Bowden is an apt pupil. He’s a good kid that has a healthy bond with his parents. He’s top of his class, good with girls and destined for success. His only shortcoming is that he harbors a deadly curiosity for morbid things, things that can bring out the inner darkness from within him.
Todd finds a new kind of teacher in the elderly Mr. Dussander. He’s a friendly old neighbor that never attracts any suspicion or negative attention in his community. But Todd knows the old man is harboring a dark secret of his own. He’s a Nazi war criminal that’s been on the run from authorities for decades. Todd doesn’t want to turn him in, however. He wants to learn about all the evil twisted things the Nazis really did behind the scenes, and he wants to get it straight from the official source.
This is a really twisted story revolving around two really messed up individuals. A manipulative teenage smartass that doesn’t follow the old adage of ‘curiosity killed the cat,’ and a seemingly innocent old man who committed horrific atrocities during World War II and still harbors a bit of sadistic bloodlust within him. When you put these two sickos in a room together, they bring out the absolute worst in each other.
Not only is there a lot of disturbing tension between them, but it’s interesting how they seem to corrupt each other and awaken each other’s buried demons. They have a sort of spiritual tug of war game going on where one brings the evil out of the other, only for the other to return the favor in a constant back-and-forth. There’s a lot of sickening and upsetting stuff in here, but it’s very well written. I wouldn’t say it disturbed me quite as much as Gerald’s Game did, however. There’s a few scenes in that one that almost no other book has ever hit me where it hurts on that level.
A gritty psychological thriller that draws upon the horrors of history to conjure up nightmares in the present....more
Most who enter Shawshank Prison never come out. The few that do are often so broken and lost that they practically beg to be locked back up because thMost who enter Shawshank Prison never come out. The few that do are often so broken and lost that they practically beg to be locked back up because the outside world doesn’t feel welcoming to them anymore. The only thing these imprisoned men have to hold onto is the fragile threads of hope and determination that just might eventually give meaning to their unimaginable suffering.
Red is a smuggler who knows how to get any materials and items he can inside of Shawshank by making deals with convicts and conspiring with corrupt prison guards.
Andy Dufresne is a banker convicted of killing his wife and her lover (allegedly) and he doesn’t plan on letting his decades-long sentence behind bars dissuade him from losing hope of one day feeling the sun on his face again. In a very odd turn of events, Dufresne’s optimism towards seeing the outside world again seems to reside in a pin-up poster of legendary sex icon: Rita Hayworth.
Shawshank Redemption is a simple but uplifting story about second chances, triumphing over adversity and never letting the miserable present destroy your ability to look forward to a potentially brighter future. It’s told through the powerful friendship between two flawed but sympathetic men: Red and Dufresne. They whittle away despair one chip at a time and endure absolute hell, clinging to what little love for the outside world they still have buried within them to get them through the pain.
Shawshank doesn’t shy away from the cruel, grim, abusive and dehumanizing reality that many men endure in prison, but it is not a miserable or depressing story. No matter how bleak or hopeless things seem now, there’s always potential for them to get better.
Once you hit rock bottom the only way is up, in other words. That old saying fits the theme and tone of Shawshank Redemption perfectly. There’s even a surprisingly funny and charming twist at a certain point in the story regarding the Rita Hayworth pin-up poster that helped deliver the positive vibes in an otherwise dark story....more
Existential musings of universal proportions. Eerie abstract landscapes populated with forbidden ruins, haunting architecture and monstrous abominatioExistential musings of universal proportions. Eerie abstract landscapes populated with forbidden ruins, haunting architecture and monstrous abominations as beautiful as they are menacing. Infinite dimensions and nightmarish dream worlds containing innumerable cosmic secrets parallel to our own. Indescribable horrors the human imagination can’t even fathom without being driven mad. The existence of entities so powerful and intelligent that they make our lives seem incredibly infinitesimal and devoid of significant meaning in comparison. This is what Lovecraft is all about.
Though his tales defy the conventional narrative structures and rules of traditional literature in general, the abstract archaic language and rambling purple prose give his stories an oddly authentic feel that most other works of horror cannot replicate. They make you feel as if you have stumbled upon the paranoid scribblings of an insane man haphazardly jotting notes down in a slimy, decaying journal. They make you feel as if you’ve stumbled upon the private inner thoughts of someone who has seen things that no man was ever meant to bear witness to.
The descriptions within these stories can make your imagination run wild, inspiring writers, readers and artists of all breeds to let their creativity flow in ways they didn’t know were possible. Lovecraft’s work is an acquired taste and his tales can be very tiring and off-putting to read for people not used to this type of unconventional storytelling, but these tales can also be captivating and morbidly influential when you read them with an open mind.
It’s hard to imagine where the modern horror scene would be if not for Lovecraft’s influence. Whether you love him or hate him, there’s no denying the impact he’s had on storytelling over the decades. Not only has he influenced just about every modern master of horror there is in one way or another, but he’s also had a staggering impact on fantasy, science fiction, video games, movies, comic books, art, music and more.
This collection offers all of Lovecraft’s novels, novellas and short stories all in one grimy little eldritch package. Unfortunately, it’s missing a few stories he ghost wrote for other authors such as The Curse of Yig, The Diary of Alonzo Typer, The Horror in the Museum, Medusa’s Coil and a few others.
This collection includes:
The Beast in the Cave The Alchemist The Tomb Dagon A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson Polaris Beyond the Wall of Sleep Memory Old Bugs The Transition of Juan Romero The White Ship The Street The Doom That Came to Sarnath The Statement of Randolph Carter The Terrible Old Man The Tree The Cats of Ulthar The Temple Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family Celephaïs From Beyond Nyarlathotep The Picture in the House Ex Oblivione Sweet Ermengarde The Nameless City The Quest of Iranon The Moon-Bog The Outsider The Other Gods The Music of Erich Zann Herbert West—Reanimator Hypnos What the Moon Brings Azathoth The Hound The Lurking Fear The Rats in the Walls The Unnamable The Festival Under the Pyramids The Shunned House The Horror at Red Hook He In the Vault Cool Air The Call of Cthulhu Pickman’s Model The Silver Key The Strange High House in the Mist The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath The Case of Charles Dexter Ward The Colour out of Space The Descendant History of the Necronomicon The Very Old Folk Ibid The Dunwich Horror The Whisperer in Darkness At the Mountains of Madness The Shadow over Innsmouth The Dreams in the Witch House Through the Gates of the Silver Key The Thing on the Doorstep The Evil Clergyman The Book The Shadow out of Time The Haunter of the Dark The Little Glass Bottle The Secret Cave The Mystery of the Grave-yard The Mysterious Ship [short version] The Mysterious Ship [long version] Discarded draft of “The Shadow over Innsmouth Supernatural Horror in Literature
This anthology brings together some classic cosmic horror tales set within the Cthulhu Mythos universe written by a host of Lovecraft’s personal frienThis anthology brings together some classic cosmic horror tales set within the Cthulhu Mythos universe written by a host of Lovecraft’s personal friends, adversaries, disciples and descendants, including a few tales from the man himself.
There’s poetic dark fantasy musings by Clark Ashton Smith. There’s lovecraftian voyages across grim landscapes by Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber and Karl Edward Wagner. There’s trippy delusions of ancient creatures by the likes of August Derleth, Robert Bloch, and Frank Belknap Long. There’s even a few additions by modern masters of the craft such as Stephen King and Brian Lumley.
A good collection of cosmic horror tales ranging from the 1920’s - 1970’s.
The complete list of stories within this anthology are:
- The Call of Cthulhu (1928) by H.P. Lovecraft - The Return of the Sorcerer (1931) by Clark Ashton Smith - Ubbo-Sathla (1933) by Clark Ashton Smith - The Black Stone (1931) by Robert E. Howard - The Hounds of Tindalos (1929) by Frank Belknap Long - The Space-Eaters (1928) by Frank Belknap Long - The Dweller in Darkness (1944) by August Derleth - Beyond the Threshold (1941) by August Derleth - The Shambler from the Stars (1935) by Robert Bloch - The Haunter of the Dark (1936) by H.P. Lovecraft - The Shadow from the Steeple (1950) by Robert Bloch - Notebook Found in a Deserted House (1951) by Robert Bloch - The Salem Horror (1937) by Henry Kuttner - The Terror from the Depths (1976) by Fritz Leiber - Rising with Surtsey (1971) by Brian Lumley - Cold Print (1969) by Ramsey Campbell - The Return of the Lloigor (1969) by Colin Wilson - My Boat (1976) by Joanna Russ - Sticks (1974) by Karl Edward Wagner - The Freshman (1979) by Philip José Farmer - Jerusalem's Lot (1978) by Stephen King - Discovery of the Ghooric Zone (1977) by Richard A. Lupoff
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