Stephen King has been a prolific short fiction writer over the years and I was eager to sink my teeth into this new collection as soon as it came out. Speculative fiction novels have been hit or miss for me these last few months, so delving into shorter pieces seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.
I'm glad I did give You Like It Darker a shot, for it was exactly what I needed to get back on track. Sure, it's not perfect and there's a bit of filler material here and there (there always is in anthologies and collections of short stories). But overall, most of the short fiction it contains made for a compelling reading experience.
Here's the blurb:
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
Given that two novellas, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and The Body, rank among my favorite Stephen King reads of all time, I had high expections for You Like It Darker. Understandably, I figure that I'm not the only one for whom the main draw was Rattlesnakes, a sequel to Cujo. And given that I've read that book recently, its story and its characters were still fresh in my mind and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to them.
The book opens up with "Two Talented Bastids," a story that explores how two old friends from the same small town ended up achieving great success in their middle years, one as a novelist and the other as an artist. How could two men, talented to a certain degree but not talented enough to really make it, suddenly strike gold and reach stardom in their respective fields? It all began during a hunting trip that took an unexpected turn. "The Fifth Step" recounts the tale of a retired man enjoying his morning paper in Central Park who encounters a recovering alcoholic who's going through the AA steps and who needs a favor. "Willie the Weirdo" is a weird little tale definitely not on par with most of the stories comprising this collection, but it's a quick read so no worries.
The novella Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream is likely the best of the bunch. King explores the notion of belief and how difficult/impossible it is for most people to believe in the supernatural. When Danny Coughlin has a vivid dream that shows him the location of a murdered young woman, something about the nightmare compels him to do some research about the location. Haunted by the visions he saw, on his day off he drives to the abandoned gas station to see if his dream was indeed true. When he finds the half-buried body exactly where he saw it in his nightmare, he calls it in because he wants the killer to be arrested. But no good deed goes unpunished and he soon finds himself the prime suspect in a murder investigation. "Finn" is another odd tale that makes little sense and whose ending offers little in terms of resolution. Feels like an unfinished draft, to be honest. Too bad, because you can't help but feel for the poor guy and would like to know more about his kidnappers. "On Slide Inn Road" recounts the misfortunes of a family getting lost trying to take a shortcut on a little-known country road and features a badass grandpa. Nothing special, but a fun read nonetheless. The same goes for "Red Screen," in which a man tells a detective that he killed his wife because she was possessed by an alien. "The Turbulence Expert" is a Twilight Zone-esque story about people whose duty it is to make sure that planes don't crash. "Laurie" is a nice tale about an old man who gets a puppie after his wife dies and the bond they forge together. Though they're not connected in any ways, this one reminded me of the dog Radar in King's Fairy Tale.
The novella Rattlesnakes is another banger. As a sequel to Cujo, it will help if you're already familiar with the book. Otherwise, you'll miss out on a lot of nuances. I really enjoyed seeing Vic Trenton again and discovering what happened to him and his wife following the events of the novel. It's the first Covid summer and Vic is in Florida to reflect on everything that turned his life upside down recently. Unfortunately, the death of a crazy old lady will lead to his being haunted by ghosts. Vic knows that he's losing his mind and must do something before it's too late. Poignant and creepy, this one was a great read! In "The Dreamers," a Vietnam vet answers an ad to become the assistant of a man who can be nothing but a mad scientist bent on unveiling what lies on the other side of reality. They'll both experience far more than they bargained for. The last piece, "The Answer Man," was first written over forty years ago. King's nephew found the unfinished draft and told him it was too good not to finish. It's interesting that this short story was first written when the author was in his thirties and he completed it when he was seventy-five. King explores the theme of prescience and how it can impact someone's entire life, but not always in the way one had initially believed.
Regardless of the few filler pieces, You Like It Darker demonstrates yet again just how gifted a writer Stephen King truly is.
The final verdict: 8/10
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