Customer Reviews

Everything's Eventual

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are buying this book for the movie tie-in to 1408, you might be disappointed because the trailer for the movie and the plot of the short story really don't seem to mirror each other, so I have a feeling the two don't resemble each other down to the smallest detail. Word is that King gave approval to the movie version, so perhaps it maintains the emotional resonance of the short story which is, by the way, as spooky and eerie as you'd expect, so much so that it is easy to forget how well King writes.


In addition to the stories, one of my favorite parts of this book was the preface and author's notes on the stories, by King. Budding writers in this genre of horror or psychological suspense/horror should focus carefully on his writing advice. He doesn't give it lightly and he also doesn't mince words. You may primarily buy this book for the great and riveting tales within, but you may also find yourself equally fascinated by what King writes about...ssbout HOW to write and his own perspective on his craft. He confesses that he has been surprised that some stories which he considered less than stellar have won awards, showing that he is still capable of being surprised by his readers and reviewers. I expect that is part of the thrill of what he does, discovering what touches readers and what does not.

In the preface, for example, he brings up an important subject, the evolution of the short story and its possible demise. He writes so deftly about such a serious subject! I happen to be equally concerned, coming from a time when short stories filled so many magazines I read, from Atlantic to Redbook to Saturday Evening Post. I grew up reading them in magazines my parents had around the house. Try to find a typical, mass market magazine that contains short stories anymore, especially by writers whose words will become classic. Pretty hard, isn't it? Sad - at least to me and, based on what he wrote, to King as well.

He also touches on an E-book he wrote and his concern about how well it did. He was both fascinated and...yes, horrified. You'll have to read this book to find out why.

Anyway, this book is well worth reading, perfect for those who only have limited time and who find the idea of an entire book on one subject too daunting. I have a feeling you'll read this one straight through, even if you THINK you're going to only dip into one or two of the short stories. You'll be hooked and enthralled before you know it.

Some of the stories pay homage to other writers and if you are queasy when it comes to reading graphic details, consider yourself forewarned. I found the first story "Autopsy Room Four" to be particularly hard going but stuck it out - and I'm glad I did. Its genesis was an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, something I'd never have known if King hadn't pointed it out. Once he did, I actually remembered the particular episode with Joseph Cotten and- like King - agree that it was one of the spookiest Hitchcock episodes out there.

When hearing about the new movie, I had to pick up the book and was privelaged to take a gander and all the short stories. Here are the short reviews on each:

Autopsy room 4 - a tense, and engaging story of a man who is confined to the prison of his body. He thinks he is still alive even though his is in an autopsy room. Sometimes funny in its approach to the subject. Reminds me of Hitchcock. (5 stars.)

All that you love will be carried away - Depressing but interesting journey of a man's last thoughts that involve bathroom quotations.
(4 stars)

The man in the black suit - Intensly creepy and memorable. The description alone of the man makes for an uneasy feeling. It got under my skin, alright. (5 stars)

Death of jack hamiliton - while running away from the cops, one of the dillinger gang boys gets shot and this is his tale of passing on. Curiously interesting. (4 stars)

1408 - A psychological approach of a hanuted room. Way different than the movie. Movie added a lot more content. In my opinion, movie was better than the actual original short. (3 stars.)

That feeling, you can only say in french - Deja vu overload. It turns your mind around a bit. Don't really know where it goes. (2 stars)

Riding the bullet - Sooner or later, we all have to go. But which will go first, the mother or the son. In this dark tale, a driver leaves the descision up to the son. (5 stars)

This book is a collection of 14 shorts stories by Stephen King. The longest story is a prequel to the Dark Tower series and will doubtless be of interest to fans of that series. In recent months, a number of people have likely bought this collection to read "1408" so they can see the story that the movie was based on. I confess that this was my motivation and it's certainly worth reading. Because it is a true short story, it doesn't involve nearly as many twists and turns as the movie, and ends more cleanly.

The title of this collection comes from what may well be the finest story of the lot. It's a quirky tale of a young man with the ability to affect other people using symbols and writing. He narrates the story himself, sounds like the village idiot, and has just about the strangest job imaginable.

L.T.'s Theory of Pets is a second standout. It's a story of marital difficulties, pet incompatibility, and the art of storytelling. It's quite good and much better than any description of the plot could ever do justice to. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll enjoy it.

Autopsy in Room 4 may be the most suspenseful story. It features a paralyzed man on an autopsy table and you don't have to be the most imaginative person in the world to see how frightening that prospect would be.

Reviewing a collection of short stories can be tricky because there are so many stories in the book and each one is its own experience. Three or four are truly outstanding, and most of the rest are still quite good and well worth reading. There were two or three that didn't grab me but the beauty of a short story is that you don't invest that much time so the weaker stories don't take much out of your enjoyment of the book. I'd recommend thins book to all fans of King or the short story format.

I enjoyed this book. There are a number of great stories in this collection. His writing style is always intense and he strikes the right tone in each of the stories. If you like Stephen King, this is a must read. I recommend this to anyone looking for some entertaining short stories.

I read this book last year, after watching the movie 1408. My friend commented that the story was in Everything's Eventual by Stephen King. I was shocked. I used to own this book but had never gotten around to reading it. In fact, I had sold the book in a garage sale the summer before, and, although I once devoured all things Stephen King as soon as they were published, I have slowed down on reading in the last 10 years. Well, now I had to have that book! I ordered the book from Amazon the very next day, and read it from cover to cover. Why did I wait so long?

Like other reviewers, I really enjoyed his introductory chapter to writing, very insightful of the author, and the ever changing business of story telling (such as old time radio), book selling and e-book reading (love my Kindle).

These stories are what I love about Stephen King's writing, no one can match him in the "good scary story" department.

One story I really enjoyed was The Death of Jack Hamilton. I think about that story now when I see the trailer to Johhny Depp's new movie, Dillinger. I wonder if the account will be in the movie? One of the Dillinger Gang, Jack Hamilton, is shot while running away from the cops. Told by a member of Dillinger's gang, the story recounts Jack's last days, from the detailed account of his shooting through the next few days of the gang on the run, hiding out with friends, and Dillinger's attempts to keep Jack alive and entertain him through it all, as well. (Especially Dillinger's talent with flies!)

Strange, I thought, to include the prequel to the Dark Tower series. This is more of a Desparation or a Richard Bachman-type story, which I don't enjoy as much. Strangely interesting, the story did not inspire me to commit myself to the full series of books, but, at least now I know what the story is about.

My favorite Stephen King novels? It and Carrie.

Stephen King: Three Complete Novels: Carrie; Salems Lot; The Shining

The introductory essay on short story-writing is worth the price of this collection alone; fans of King's "On Writing" book will want to pick this up for that reason. General fiction fans may find the O. Henry-winning story "The Man in the Black Suit" to their tastes, while more diehard fans will delight over the "Dark Tower" novella included. Add to that the short story "1408" (the basis for the John Cusack movie) and other rare King bits such as the eBook-only "Riding the Bullet" and you have King's most consistent collection to date...until his next one is released in Fall 2008, of course.

NOTE: This "movie tie-in" version (for the "1408" adaptation) does not include any new material; it is simply a new printing of the same collection that was originally published in 2001.

These were good stories written in that great Stephen King manner. I missed that in some of his recent books. it is alive in these stories.

While this is not Stephen King's best collection of stories, on the strength of two stories in particular I can rate this as high as four stars. These two, originally appearing in The New Yorker, are, as one would hope, very well-written and compelling, especially "That Feeling, You Can Only Say it in French."

Unfortunately, some of the stories do not measure up to this. In the "Dark Tower" story, "Little Sisters of Eluria," odd, creepy things happen, but the story has no point. And for some reason, King violates the 'it was only a dream' rule not just once, but twice, in "Riding the Bullet" and "Luckey Quarter."

Stephen King ruined me at a young age ~ I love feeling like I am right there and I love being scared with his characters. These stories are all gems that left me wanting more. You will not be disappointed if you read this book~you will just not want it to end!

One of the things that King does well are his short stories. I think it is because he sees horror everywhere and because he goes out of the box when he does work like this. We have no more little +women bashing in their beloved's heads, and we escape the shadow of the Dark Tower. This is not menat to insult these works - FAR FROM IT - but to say that King has much more to offer. and ith 14 offerings you can see exactly what sort of press you can take away from this.

A listing of what is offered and its length in pages:
autopsy room four 19 -45
the man in the black suit 45 - 71
All that you love will be carried away 71 -87
The Death of Jack Hamiliton 76 - 119
In the Deathroom 119 -145
The Little Sisters of Eluria 145 - 211
Everything's Eventual 211 - 265
L.T.'s Theory of Pets 265 - 287
The Road Virus Heads North 287 - 313
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe 313 - 347
That Feeling, you can only Say what it is in French 347 - 365
1408 365 - 405
Riding the Bullet 405 - 447
Luckey Quarter 447 - 459

Regardless to what people say, I really found all of the stories in this book great. There are some that are better than others, but even the tie-in to 1408 set well with me. I could see the characters going at it like heavyweights when they talked about the office, and the deathtoll that was talked about was something to take in. Truly frightening in some ways, not to mention the things it says about the twins and how they were immune to the room in small inklings as they turned down the bedding and whatnot. I also know it is easy to damage a story so i will leave the spoilers to the sides and simply say that this is a great value because it carries so much inside of it that everyone can have a fill. I personally love the beasties here and i love the characters. You can see the author's growth over time and, hopefully, he will continue playing with some of these types of settings.