Customer Reviews

The Library Policeman: Three Past Midnight (Four Past Midnight)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Library Policeman" from Four Past Midnight is one of Stephen King's best stories ever. It is not only my favorite novella, but the scariest story I've ever read. If you like a good spook then you should read this. You'll be sleeping with the light on. Please e-mail me for questions or comments

This was the second book I read by Stephen King. It's main character, Sam Peebles, I fell in love with. Why? Because Stephen King has a knack for creating characters people can relate to. This probibly is what reels you in. It makes it easy for you to fit into that person's shoes, and when you do, you're in for a scary read! The Library Policeman was a very good Stephen King novel. It satisfied my hunger for a chilling night time story. I'll never go into another library alone again! =

I must have read this book a thousand times it's on of SK's best. I love the way he spins his books like a spiders web. You only see loose ends at first and see the web at very the end of the story. This book in particular: you cannot start reading and stop before the story is done. This book was so good that I even took the time to read the original Englisch version.

This novella was somewhat disturbing and weird. A Library Policeman!?! What the heck! When I started the book(novella), I almost laughed my head off. I must admit it was boring till about page 80 or 90. As the story went on though it turned creepier and more disturbing by the page. Once I got to the chapter called Dave's Story I was fully engaged in the story and couldn't quit it. I finished this novella in one day. Ardella or whatever the name is(couldn't remember the name even when I finished), is so creepy when Dave tells his story. King did a great job of connecting us to the character in only 200 pages or so. This is a great imaginative piece of work by Stephen King and he scores a grand slam again!

"The Library Policeman" is a thrilling story of a man and his bad trip to the library, and of what is to come. The book has great detail and well developed characters. The horror of such things could only come from a great writer like Stephen King. The book is fast reading and makes you grip the pages with suspense. Ardelia is a a monster from my deepest nightmares. I love how King incorporates children into the story, and makes them the victims giving it a more horrific feeling of what Ardelia is doing. The whole story sent chill's down my back. The library in the story, is so twisted and scary that I love it. The story shows a great case of coping with your fears in order to over come a bigger picture. If you like creatures that you have never imagined like the Library Policeman, then i suggest trying " The Langoliers", also by Stephen Kind. I enjoyed "The Library Policeman" a great deal and woudl read it again.

There are exceptions, but generally, Stephen King's novels tend to lean more on the subtle side and his short stories and novellas are mainly concerned with delivering the gore and scares. And that's fine- most King devotees have enjoyed both types of the master's tales. "The Library Policeman" takes the classic King novella approach: you don't get disturbing presences, subtle characterizations, and beautifully described locales off the beaten track. Here you get a shape-shifting, slime-covered psychic vampire terrorizing a small town with a variety of weird abilities; a main character with a horrible suppressed memory that the creature exploits; various incarnations of the classic "boogie man" figure; and a tour-de-force battle between good and evil. And it's all great stuff, scary and memorable.

There IS subtlety (mostly seen during the growing romance between the central character and a local woman who comes to aid him with his troubles), but that's not what this roller coaster ride of horror is mainly about. It's about telling you a really scary story, and that's what it does.

The unabridged audiobook version of "The Library Policeman", recorded back in the early 1990s and recently reissued, features a wonderful Ken Howard performance that sells the subtlety when it occurs and unapologetically ratchets up the sense of menace for the many horrifying scenes. For these latter sequences, Mr. Howard gives a strong, scary delivery but is never over the top.

After listening to these seven well-produced CD's, you won't soon forget real estate man Sam Peebles and the dilemma we walks into during a supposedly innocent trip to the library. And you won't look at small-town libraries in quite the same way, either.

This audio version of Three past midnight will capture your attention especially if you listen to it in the dark. the reader does an excellent job giving each character a distinct voice. spooky music punctuates the suspense of the book giving it a chilling feeling which pulls the lisener in. Still, like most Sk books the begining was better then the ending. I found the way the hero fought off the entity a bit over the top and really didn't make that much sensse. Yes Sam faced his fear but King built up the evil being so much that one would think it took more then childhood fears to kill it off. Overall though a pretty good listen. This book contains 6 cassettes and is narrated by a single reader.

Please note that this is a review of the story, as read in a book, not the audio. I'm sure the audio adds some separate dimensions that are important to evaluate independently. The book version I read ("Four Past Midnight") had 3 other stories as well. And the following paragraph does reveal some aspects of the story that may qualify it as a "spoiler," so beware.

The Library Policeman, of course, is a great idea, and a lot of the elements are really good. However, I found aspects of the story to be a little contrived - like the red licorice balls that the protagonist (Sam) used as a weapon. It's sort of a kids' story, except the crime details that Sam has repressed are definitely not suitable for children. Somehow, to me, the different elements didn't quite fit together. It was supposedly in a small town, but a town of 35,000 isn't really that small. I find it hard to believe that AA has such indifference to class - the bankers and the homeless hanging together - and what would be the point of pseudonyms if everyone knows everyone else? SK is right, though, about the prevalence of alcoholism in these parts of the country. Not much else to do. Anyhow, it feels strange to criticize someone of SK's skill and stature (I wish I could write a story even a tenth as good!), but I just don't think this is one of his better works. By the way, I bought this book from my local library as part of a sale, so I don't think I'm a candidate for a poleethman's visit - except I did get some "due back" notices for some other books. Wish me luck. And maybe King's "reviewer poleethman" will schedule a visit to discuss the paucity of stars in my rating. Oh, my aching backside. Load the licorice!