Customer Reviews

LT's Theory of Pets

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"LT's Theory of Pets" is a rare treat - a Stephen King audio CD that only costs (price). It's also a great listening experience. In a live recording Stephen King presents a funny, touching and in the end somewhat grisly tale in a manner that only he can. It is a tale about the relationships between husbands and wives and their pets. Steve is a great storyteller and in this instance shows that this ability is not limited to the written word. Most Stephen King fans will not need a nudge to get this item, but I encourage all those who are only occasional readers to check it out. You won't be sorry.

Being a hardcore reader, I normally don't like audio books, including those read by Stephen King, even though I am a big fan of SK. But this one, being done in front of a live audience, has an electricity I've never heard before in a recorded reading. I think it has to do with the interaction of a live audience -- it increases the enjoyment of the reading quite a bit as you listen to other people laughing at the parts you are laughing about. I hung on every word, listening to half of it on the way to work, and the other half on the way home. In several spots, I was laughing out loud at SK's simultaneously deadpan and mischievous delivery. I've heard some criticism of the story content, but found it to be enjoyable, and much like many of his other short-stories. If you're a SK fan, or even if you're not, I think you'll find this live performance enjoyable. The story is pure King. Enjoy!

Stephen King has come up with a gem of a story. This rare reading, recorded in England, I believe in 1997, is a wonderful find for us Americans. Previously published in the very rare 'Six Stories', it's now available for the mainstream. The story itself has to do with a retelling of LT's theory of pets and why you should never buy a pet for another person, in the retelling we come to find out the LT's wife has left him and this event has started the whole theory process. Of course, this being a SK story, nothing is ever what it seems on the surface. My only complaint with this version is that it leaves off the interview with SK that is available on the British version.

Thanks for reading!

~Pandora

The most disappointing thing about this little story, which I listened to on CD, is it's length. Much too short! Stephen King wins my approval for his excellent voice as well as his familiar talent of story-telling, but this CD was only about an hour long!! The story was good, not one of his best, but good, and I enjoyed it. The ending was severely abrupt, but many of Stephen King's stories end this way on purpose, and I suspect this was one of them. It makes you think, which is what, after all, the Master of Macabre is all about. LT is a man whose wife has left him. They had two pets, one that LT bought for Lulu, his wife, and one Lulu bought for him. It starts out amusing and light and winds it's way into an unsolved mystery. It is clever and intriguing. Stephen King is definitely someone I would love to have read me a bedtime story, and this is just what he does with this audio CD. He reads like he writes, a pro. I recommend this for a short car drive or airplane ride, but the trip really has to be short. For content, it is aces as usual for the King. For style and voice, fabulous. For length, your money is much better spent on longer stories by Stephen King. You will enjoy the very beginning, which is Stephen King's own voice and way of introducing his story, but I don't think you will care too much for the ending.

This is an unabridged audio version of a short story by Stephen King, available on CD and as audio download. It features Stephen King himself reading the story to a live audience.

This story is also available in print in "Everything's Eventual", a collection of 14 short stories by Stephen King.

The total length of the audio program is 56 minutes, and 5 minutes of this is the introduction, so the story itself is around 50 minutes. The introduction is a bit funny, with Stephen King happily reminding the audience that they are all going to die, and suggesting that they should check the back seats of their cars before getting in, just in case, you know...

The story itself is about LT and Lulubelle, a young couple who have broken up after three years of marriage. There are two pets involved, a dog and a cat, with the dog loving Lulubelle and hating LT, and the cat loving LT and hating Lulubelle. On the surface it looks like the friction between LT and Lulubelle about the pets is the cause of the breakup, but this is presumably only a symptom of deeper problems.

Stephen King has an amazing ability to create characters we can recognize as real people. LT and Lulubelle come across as very real people, and we can laugh at them and identify with them and understand that their marriage is doomed.

The story starts out funny, and then it turns tragic, and then it ends in a somewhat unsatisfying way.

In the story, the narrator (a good friend of LT's) at one point is talking about LT's so-called "theory of pets". He describes the reaction of people to being told this theory, and says, "They would always end up feeling let down. A story that good deserved a better punch line."

That's exactly my feeling after listening to this short story by Stephen King. The story is good but the ending is disappointing.

For hard-core Stephen King fans this audio version is worth having just to hear Stephen King reading his own story to a live audience. For average Stephen King fans it makes more sense to buy "Everything's Eventual" in book form, as it's cheaper and you get 13 additional short stories.

Rennie Petersen

Stephen give a reading of his short story before a live audience and I hope he does this again. There was an extra sense of spooky magic on this recording. Perhaps it came from the audience reaction or perhaps it was because King is obviously enjoying himself. The story starts out as quite funny. L.T. is a man who was married---badly to a dizty woman who leaves him and the cat, taking the dog with her. Of course since this is SK the story takes a dark turn. If you were not pleased with Dreamcatcher and you are a SK fan this audio story is a delicious little treat to tide you over until SK gets back on track with his books.

I enjoy hearing Stephen King reading his own works, and his delivery in this recording is even better because he has the immediate feedback of a live audience. There's not much in the way of plot--it's pretty much a series of anecdotes about a failing marriage and the mismatched pets involved--but you can't help grinning. I thought King was trying too hard to shoehorn a horror-type ending into a light-hearted tale, but it's still worth a listen.

I liked the story, but I agree it's too short for the money being asked. The whole performance is less than an hour, and about 10 minutes of that is intro, so the story itself is only about 45 minutes long. I agree it's hard to put a price-tag on art, but the story isn't King's best anyway. It's cute, and it will make you laugh, but you can probably live your life without it.

To break it down even more, most of King's audiobooks are pricey, but extremely long and entertaining. Dreamcatcher, King's most recent novel, and a really good one in my opinion, is a whopping 21 hours and 15 minutes. For less than three times what you'd pay for this audio book you will get 25 times the entertainment. See the math there? To be fair Dreamcatcher is a better story as well.

So to sum it up, if you are a big King fan and must have everything he does, get this audiobook. Even though it isn't his best, it is worth listening too. If you are torn, then take my advice, skip it, dish out a little extra cash, and get one of his other audiobooks.

Even before beginning a short story by Stephen King gives the reader the chills contemplating the horrors and fears ahead. There is an eerie under-current in King's 'IT's Theory Of Pets'. There is also joy in enjoying the journey of King's path rather than dreading the story's end.

The trip, regardless of one's perspective, is short -- barely an hour of unabridged audio. King is the narrator. Some authors are wise to delegate that role to an actor, but King relishes the role. He brings out the humor, color, characters and settings in a joyful demonstration of his craft in front of a live audience.

I won't spoil the ending -- only to say it makes you churn around the possibilities for a lot longer than an hour. So, give this short treat a try. You'll enjoy every minute of the trip.

The reason to get this CD is the perfect delivery by Stephen King of the story. It has very funny passages and King does a great job with them. It does have a horror aspect but that is not the strongest part of the story.