Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Buenos Aires : Sudamericana, 2015.
Description
This collection of short works is comprised of pieces that previously appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, Playboy, and McSweeney's, in a volume that includes such tales as ""The Gingerbread Girl"" and "N."
User reviews
LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
With just 13 stories, this latest collection of King’s shorter tales might seem disappointingly empty to his fans, but each tale is worthy of its place in the book and a couple are long enough that the purchaser won’t feel bitter. While there have been stronger collections from Mr. King, there
In one story, ‘N’, King explores that gothic horror feel that we found in ‘Crouch End’ in the Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection, and this time does it with what can only be described as lovecraftsmanship. The tale is absolutely, convincingly horrifying and built out of tension and madness. An example of King’s genius as a storyteller, and one of my favourite of his short stories now (and there have been some contenders!).
Another that is worth mentioning is ‘The Things they Left Behind’; a poignant haunting of a 9/11 escapee by small objects belonging to his lost co-workers. Sympathetic, thoughtful and honourable, it’s one of the first pieces of 9/11 fiction that I’ve read and it does not jar or feel cheap and I think perhaps Stephen King should be one of the writers to address - not the facts - but the fictions and legends and feelings that the day spawned. He does it here so simply and kindly that the story touched me in a way that the documentaries and movies have not.
Also interesting, is King’s short introduction in which he tells us about the gift of short story-telling and how easy it is to lose. King’s latest novel, Duma Key, was in my opinion, one of the strongest of his career, but his short stories have always delivered the elements that I enjoy the most in his writing, and Just After Sunset is no exception.
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are several very sleek stories (and, of course, some simply shiver-inducing ones) in Just After Sunset that leave me in awe of the man’s skill.In one story, ‘N’, King explores that gothic horror feel that we found in ‘Crouch End’ in the Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection, and this time does it with what can only be described as lovecraftsmanship. The tale is absolutely, convincingly horrifying and built out of tension and madness. An example of King’s genius as a storyteller, and one of my favourite of his short stories now (and there have been some contenders!).
Another that is worth mentioning is ‘The Things they Left Behind’; a poignant haunting of a 9/11 escapee by small objects belonging to his lost co-workers. Sympathetic, thoughtful and honourable, it’s one of the first pieces of 9/11 fiction that I’ve read and it does not jar or feel cheap and I think perhaps Stephen King should be one of the writers to address - not the facts - but the fictions and legends and feelings that the day spawned. He does it here so simply and kindly that the story touched me in a way that the documentaries and movies have not.
Also interesting, is King’s short introduction in which he tells us about the gift of short story-telling and how easy it is to lose. King’s latest novel, Duma Key, was in my opinion, one of the strongest of his career, but his short stories have always delivered the elements that I enjoy the most in his writing, and Just After Sunset is no exception.
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LibraryThing member break
I've never read any Stephen King short story. But when I stumbled upon the audiobook version of his latest collection in the library, titled Just After Sunset I thought it would be good to listen to while I work out or walk with the baby in the stroller. I was wrong. I kept losing count when I was
As expected with a collection there were some that were more interesting and some that were not. One measurement of “interesting” is which stories' theme are still on my mid now, a week after I finished the book. Before answering that question let me summarize what they were about. The following recaps are semi-spoilers. I don't tell you the ending of the stories, (often containing one more further twist) but I do cover their major theme. That in itself is a spoiler as the process of discovering them slowly as you read the stories are part the reward of reading scary stories. Figuring out where the horror comes from. So proceed at your own risk. I also jotted down a single word for each story that characterizes my memories of them:
The production of the audio recording was excellent. Each piece ha a short introductory music and ended with some too. The voice artists who read the, including King himself, suited well the pieces and were mesmerizing when they had to be. On the other hand the selection felt unbalanced, because three stories (The Gingerbread Girl, N., A Very Tight Place) were so much longer than the others. When you are listening to “short stories” it makes a difference whether they are over two hours long or stay within the 30-60 minutes range. To be fair there was a 15 minute long piece too (Graduation Afternoon).
I enjoyed each story, but The Gingerbread Girl, The Things They Left Behind and N., and will stay with me longer than the others. The first because of the detailed description of the willpower necessary to escape, the second because it is a great tribute to the feeling a lot of Americans felt after 9/11 and N., because it describes how OCD develops and the importance of a balanced mine.
There were a few recurring themes in these stories. One of them is a focus on the afterlife. Willa, The Cat from Hell and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates showed different options for this. Another is the power of imagination: The Gingerbread Girl, Harvey's Dream and N are prime examples. Finally Death or at least fear of death is the focus for all of theme one way or another. But what did you expect from a horror collection.
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working out, because I got immersed in the stories too much. And when I was with my daughter it increased my anxiety and concern for her. I don't think I want to read any scary or horror story any more when I am with my child. I love her too much and kept envisioning her in the awful situations King managed to come up with. So I ended up listening to the stories, just on my own.As expected with a collection there were some that were more interesting and some that were not. One measurement of “interesting” is which stories' theme are still on my mid now, a week after I finished the book. Before answering that question let me summarize what they were about. The following recaps are semi-spoilers. I don't tell you the ending of the stories, (often containing one more further twist) but I do cover their major theme. That in itself is a spoiler as the process of discovering them slowly as you read the stories are part the reward of reading scary stories. Figuring out where the horror comes from. So proceed at your own risk. I also jotted down a single word for each story that characterizes my memories of them:
- Willa - eerie - A man leaves a train station after a train got wreck and finds his girlfriend in a hopping bar, where a band called the Derailers play music.
- The Gingerbread Girl - slow - A woman runs out of her marriage and moves to her father's beach house, where she runs a lot, until she meets a playboy.
- Harvey's Dream - imitative - A husband shares a bad dream about one of their daughters with his wife.
- Rest Stop - dirty - A man overhears an arguing couple in a public restroom off the highway.
- Stationary Bike - unbalanced - A man with high cholesterol buys a stationary bike and while rides it regularly in the basement of the house he lives in he imagines a road he is riding on.
- The Things They Left Behind - personal - Objects belonging to his dead colleagues start to appear in the apartment of a man, who didn't go to work on 9/11 to his workplace in the twin towers.
- Graduation Afternoon - deceptive - A y middle-class girl goes to her rich boyfriend's house for his high-school graduation party.
- N. - thin - A psychiatrist's notes of one of his patients, who had OCD and thought his actions keep monsters from an alternative universe out of this one.
- The Cat from Hell - desperate - A hitman is hired by an old man to kill a cat, who killed his housemates.
- The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates - grievous - A man calls his wife on the phone, two days after he died in a plane-crash.
- Mute - fatal - A traveling salesman pours his heart out to his deaf/mute hitchhiker.
- Ayana - symmetrical - A terminally ill man gets saved by the kiss of a mysterious blind girl.
- A Very Tight Place - disgusting - A man manages to escape from a porta-potty, into which his old enemy locked him.
The production of the audio recording was excellent. Each piece ha a short introductory music and ended with some too. The voice artists who read the, including King himself, suited well the pieces and were mesmerizing when they had to be. On the other hand the selection felt unbalanced, because three stories (The Gingerbread Girl, N., A Very Tight Place) were so much longer than the others. When you are listening to “short stories” it makes a difference whether they are over two hours long or stay within the 30-60 minutes range. To be fair there was a 15 minute long piece too (Graduation Afternoon).
I enjoyed each story, but The Gingerbread Girl, The Things They Left Behind and N., and will stay with me longer than the others. The first because of the detailed description of the willpower necessary to escape, the second because it is a great tribute to the feeling a lot of Americans felt after 9/11 and N., because it describes how OCD develops and the importance of a balanced mine.
There were a few recurring themes in these stories. One of them is a focus on the afterlife. Willa, The Cat from Hell and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates showed different options for this. Another is the power of imagination: The Gingerbread Girl, Harvey's Dream and N are prime examples. Finally Death or at least fear of death is the focus for all of theme one way or another. But what did you expect from a horror collection.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jeremytaylor
Review by Jeremy Taylor
In his first short-story collection in six years, mega-best-selling author Stephen King presents thirteen tales on a variety of topics from exercise to OCD. As King states in the introduction, these stories are mostly recent—written in the last seven or eight years—with
These newer stories are mostly pretty good, though few of them are likely to make much headway into the annals of great short fiction. Still, the impression one walks away with is one of a veteran writer still very much on top of his game and not hesitant to share with his readers some of his literary fluctuations.
Without giving away any important information, here is a brief synopsis and evaluation of each of the thirteen stories.
Willa is an initially confusing and ultimately rather unsettling story about a group of travelers stranded at a remote railway station. Reminiscent of the television series Lost, the story takes a while to get into the flow of the narrative—which can be fatal for a short story but somehow isn’t in this case. Eventually two main characters and a plot emerge, and once the reader figures out what is happening, the story ends up delivering a pretty effective chill factor.
The Gingerbread Girl is structured more like a short novel than a short story. It consists of twelve sections, like chapters, and the plot seems to contain certain elements borrowed from other King books like Gerald’s Game and Duma Key. The first two or three sections are occupied by a subplot that is largely unrelated to the rest of the story—another way in which the structure seems more novel-like than short story. Eventually the plot evolves into a fairly straightforward and fast-paced aggressor-and-victim crime story.
Harvey’s Dream is a more traditional short story—short, to-the-point, and, in typical Stephen King fashion, with a supernatural (or at least psychic) theme.
Rest Stop details a scenario that many travelers have considered—what would you do if you witnessed an act of violence (or threatened violenece) in a secluded place with no one around to assist you? The story’s protagonist is an author who, like King himself has done (and has written about in several stories and novels) writes under a pseudonym that is also something of an alter-ego.
Stationary Bike is a six-part story about what happens to a middle-aged graphic artist when he embarks on a mission to get in shape. The story is an effective combination of supernatural unlikelihood with universal human experience.
The Things They Left Behind describes the misadventures of a office worker who, having stayed home on 9/11, has to deal with the fact that all his former colleagues have died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. As he fights his survivor’s guilt, he also struggles to find a way to live with the strange mementoes of his dead friends that keep popping up in unexpected places. King writes in his notes that writing this story was his way of processing the events of 9/11.
Graduation Afternoon is a short, brutal tale about a nuclear strike on New York City. If it ever happens, this story may be viewed as prophetic. Until then, it comes across simply as pessimistic.
N., one of the longest stories in the book, is presented as the journal of a psychologist dealing with the obsessive-compulsive tendencies of a new client. As the psychologist’s interviews with his patient continue, it becomes clear that the patient, referred to as “N,” is in the grip of a paranoid delusion about his role in preventing the end of the world as we know it. Clearly “N” is out of his gourd. Or is he?
The Cat from Hell is an older story, first published in a men’s magazine in the 1970s, and it’s vintage Stephen King. A hit man hired for a most unusual assignment meets a most unusual (though not entirely unexpected) end.
The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates is another very short tale, told in the present tense. It explores a widow’s grief in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s death in a plane crash.
Mute starts out confusing, as the story segments jump around out of chronological order. But once everything gets sorted out, it’s the tale of a traveling salesman who picks up a hitchhiker who is ostensibly deaf and mute. Alone in the car with an unhearing confessor, the salesman begins unfolding his life’s woes, only to discover that words can have unintended effects.
Ayana is a rather familiar-feeling story about a mysterious death-bed visitor whose presence ends up having miraculous ramifications. Not the best story in the collection, it nevertheless poses some interesting questions about the nature of God and the afterlife.
A Very Tight Place is the uncomfortable story of a man who gets trapped in an upended Porta-potty. This is one of the more enjoyable stories in the book, but it is also without question the most disgusting.
As I mentioned, Just after Sunset will likely not be remembered as one of Stephen King’s more masterful contributions to American literature. Still, reading these stories is an avid reminder that King is still, after all these years and all those best-sellers, a very good storyteller. The objectionable content is mostly language, though there are some rather grotesque descriptions here and there. Sexual content is minimal. Readers who are accustomed to Stephen King’s writing won’t find too much to be offended by, but fans won’t find too much to jump for joy over either. All in all, it’s a solid but unexceptional collection of stories by a quite exceptional author.
In his first short-story collection in six years, mega-best-selling author Stephen King presents thirteen tales on a variety of topics from exercise to OCD. As King states in the introduction, these stories are mostly recent—written in the last seven or eight years—with
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one or two older ones tucked in for good measure. He says that writing short stories is not like riding a bike, because an author can lose the knack. Well, Stephen King has not forgotten how to write short stories, but his style and themes have changed somewhat since the “old days” of collections like Skeleton Crew and Nightmares & Dreamscapes.These newer stories are mostly pretty good, though few of them are likely to make much headway into the annals of great short fiction. Still, the impression one walks away with is one of a veteran writer still very much on top of his game and not hesitant to share with his readers some of his literary fluctuations.
Without giving away any important information, here is a brief synopsis and evaluation of each of the thirteen stories.
Willa is an initially confusing and ultimately rather unsettling story about a group of travelers stranded at a remote railway station. Reminiscent of the television series Lost, the story takes a while to get into the flow of the narrative—which can be fatal for a short story but somehow isn’t in this case. Eventually two main characters and a plot emerge, and once the reader figures out what is happening, the story ends up delivering a pretty effective chill factor.
The Gingerbread Girl is structured more like a short novel than a short story. It consists of twelve sections, like chapters, and the plot seems to contain certain elements borrowed from other King books like Gerald’s Game and Duma Key. The first two or three sections are occupied by a subplot that is largely unrelated to the rest of the story—another way in which the structure seems more novel-like than short story. Eventually the plot evolves into a fairly straightforward and fast-paced aggressor-and-victim crime story.
Harvey’s Dream is a more traditional short story—short, to-the-point, and, in typical Stephen King fashion, with a supernatural (or at least psychic) theme.
Rest Stop details a scenario that many travelers have considered—what would you do if you witnessed an act of violence (or threatened violenece) in a secluded place with no one around to assist you? The story’s protagonist is an author who, like King himself has done (and has written about in several stories and novels) writes under a pseudonym that is also something of an alter-ego.
Stationary Bike is a six-part story about what happens to a middle-aged graphic artist when he embarks on a mission to get in shape. The story is an effective combination of supernatural unlikelihood with universal human experience.
The Things They Left Behind describes the misadventures of a office worker who, having stayed home on 9/11, has to deal with the fact that all his former colleagues have died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. As he fights his survivor’s guilt, he also struggles to find a way to live with the strange mementoes of his dead friends that keep popping up in unexpected places. King writes in his notes that writing this story was his way of processing the events of 9/11.
Graduation Afternoon is a short, brutal tale about a nuclear strike on New York City. If it ever happens, this story may be viewed as prophetic. Until then, it comes across simply as pessimistic.
N., one of the longest stories in the book, is presented as the journal of a psychologist dealing with the obsessive-compulsive tendencies of a new client. As the psychologist’s interviews with his patient continue, it becomes clear that the patient, referred to as “N,” is in the grip of a paranoid delusion about his role in preventing the end of the world as we know it. Clearly “N” is out of his gourd. Or is he?
The Cat from Hell is an older story, first published in a men’s magazine in the 1970s, and it’s vintage Stephen King. A hit man hired for a most unusual assignment meets a most unusual (though not entirely unexpected) end.
The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates is another very short tale, told in the present tense. It explores a widow’s grief in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s death in a plane crash.
Mute starts out confusing, as the story segments jump around out of chronological order. But once everything gets sorted out, it’s the tale of a traveling salesman who picks up a hitchhiker who is ostensibly deaf and mute. Alone in the car with an unhearing confessor, the salesman begins unfolding his life’s woes, only to discover that words can have unintended effects.
Ayana is a rather familiar-feeling story about a mysterious death-bed visitor whose presence ends up having miraculous ramifications. Not the best story in the collection, it nevertheless poses some interesting questions about the nature of God and the afterlife.
A Very Tight Place is the uncomfortable story of a man who gets trapped in an upended Porta-potty. This is one of the more enjoyable stories in the book, but it is also without question the most disgusting.
As I mentioned, Just after Sunset will likely not be remembered as one of Stephen King’s more masterful contributions to American literature. Still, reading these stories is an avid reminder that King is still, after all these years and all those best-sellers, a very good storyteller. The objectionable content is mostly language, though there are some rather grotesque descriptions here and there. Sexual content is minimal. Readers who are accustomed to Stephen King’s writing won’t find too much to be offended by, but fans won’t find too much to jump for joy over either. All in all, it’s a solid but unexceptional collection of stories by a quite exceptional author.
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LibraryThing member SamSattler
Just after Sunset, published in November 2008, is a collection of thirteen (what more appropriate number than thirteen for a King collection) Stephen King short stories. The stories gathered into this volume appear to have been written over a number of years (one of them over 30 years ago) with the
Of the stories in the collection, only one of them, a story called “N.” would really be called a Stephen-King-style horror story – although there is one other about a horrifying cat, titled “The Cat from Hell,” that does come close. That one, the oldest story in the book, was originally published in Cavalier magazine but this is the first time that it has been included in a Stephen King story collection. I should note, too, that there are several “ghost stories” in Just after Sunset, but none of these qualify as horror stories since the ghosts in them are generally among the stories’ most sympathetic characters.
Many readers, especially King fans, already will be familiar with “The Gingerbread Girl,” a longish story that was released on CD as an audio story about six months before its inclusion in Just after Sunset. This is one of the most effective stories in the book, and it follows the theme of what I think are the best stories in this collection – that is: wacky killers, crazed seekers of revenge, and crazy do-gooders are best avoided at all costs.
My personal favorites are “A Very Tight Place,” in which King demonstrates that he can still write a “gross-out” story with the best of them; “Stationary Bike,” a story in which one man learns what it really takes to keep his veins and arteries clear of all the goop he eats; and, “The Things They Left Behind,” an excellent story of one man’s survivor’s guilt after the murders of 9-11.
All in all, this is a nice collection of King’s work, and the icing on the cake is a seven-page section at the end entitled “Sunset Notes,” in which King explains the origins of the stories and why he felt compelled to write them. King fans should enjoy this collection – and those less familiar with his work might be pleasantly surprised.
Rated at: 4.0
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shortest of them clocking in at ten pages and the longest ones running over fifty pages each. In the book’s introduction, King laments about how easy it is for a novelist to lose his short story writing skills if he does not regularly practice the craft. Obviously, from what we see here, he need not have worried too much. Of the stories in the collection, only one of them, a story called “N.” would really be called a Stephen-King-style horror story – although there is one other about a horrifying cat, titled “The Cat from Hell,” that does come close. That one, the oldest story in the book, was originally published in Cavalier magazine but this is the first time that it has been included in a Stephen King story collection. I should note, too, that there are several “ghost stories” in Just after Sunset, but none of these qualify as horror stories since the ghosts in them are generally among the stories’ most sympathetic characters.
Many readers, especially King fans, already will be familiar with “The Gingerbread Girl,” a longish story that was released on CD as an audio story about six months before its inclusion in Just after Sunset. This is one of the most effective stories in the book, and it follows the theme of what I think are the best stories in this collection – that is: wacky killers, crazed seekers of revenge, and crazy do-gooders are best avoided at all costs.
My personal favorites are “A Very Tight Place,” in which King demonstrates that he can still write a “gross-out” story with the best of them; “Stationary Bike,” a story in which one man learns what it really takes to keep his veins and arteries clear of all the goop he eats; and, “The Things They Left Behind,” an excellent story of one man’s survivor’s guilt after the murders of 9-11.
All in all, this is a nice collection of King’s work, and the icing on the cake is a seven-page section at the end entitled “Sunset Notes,” in which King explains the origins of the stories and why he felt compelled to write them. King fans should enjoy this collection – and those less familiar with his work might be pleasantly surprised.
Rated at: 4.0
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LibraryThing member osodani
Some truly disturbing and *depressing* stories in this compilation. The stories were great, but not so enjoyable because of the sadness and death.
LibraryThing member manadabomb
Stephen has been on my shitlist recently. Finally though, a book of short stories, exactly what I was craving from him. Luckily, this didn't disappoint.
King has a distinct knack for short stories, drawing you in and scaring the bejeebus out of you that he just didn't do in his later novels. In
King manages to creep the reader (ME!) out by merely suggesting a situation. For example, the story N. gave me creepies that disturbed my sleep simply by telling a story of a guy going to a shrink. The story was told by the shrink's notes and depicted a patient who had severe OCD and firmly believed that a field he had went to was possessed. That's the story, big deal, right? No, the suggestion of what the character believed was happening was enough to put the thought into the readers head. If you look at the story, it's just what a patient tells his shrink - with some dire outcomes. But still, NOTHING really happens. But I was still creeped out.
I really liked Willa although King admitted in his notes it wasn't the best (it wasn't) and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates was on par with Willa. What happens after death is a special playground for writers with vivid imaginations.
The Cat From Hell reinforced my sincere dislike of the feline variety.
The Things They Left Behind would have pushed me over the edge, had it actually happened to me.
And lastly, of my favorites, The Gingerbread Girl actually made me hold my breath.
Good show, old man. This was a really good collection of what you do best.
King has a distinct knack for short stories, drawing you in and scaring the bejeebus out of you that he just didn't do in his later novels. In
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short stories, you have such a limited space to tell your story so you have to be a bit more adept with words. My favorite stories are the ones that plop you right in the middle of a situation and then pulls you right back out again. Haruki Murakami is excellent at this.King manages to creep the reader (ME!) out by merely suggesting a situation. For example, the story N. gave me creepies that disturbed my sleep simply by telling a story of a guy going to a shrink. The story was told by the shrink's notes and depicted a patient who had severe OCD and firmly believed that a field he had went to was possessed. That's the story, big deal, right? No, the suggestion of what the character believed was happening was enough to put the thought into the readers head. If you look at the story, it's just what a patient tells his shrink - with some dire outcomes. But still, NOTHING really happens. But I was still creeped out.
I really liked Willa although King admitted in his notes it wasn't the best (it wasn't) and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates was on par with Willa. What happens after death is a special playground for writers with vivid imaginations.
The Cat From Hell reinforced my sincere dislike of the feline variety.
The Things They Left Behind would have pushed me over the edge, had it actually happened to me.
And lastly, of my favorites, The Gingerbread Girl actually made me hold my breath.
Good show, old man. This was a really good collection of what you do best.
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LibraryThing member Tommie1
What a great storyteller! Always a pleasure to read Stephen's stories. A very tight place and Mute are excellent. Some of the stories I had read (or listened to) and they still kept me enrapt. Fantastic.
LibraryThing member bigorangemichael
I love Stephen King stories. There are lots of authors I read, but few that I am as eager to consume as any new work by King (Elizabeth George is a close second). Any new offering by King is a cause for celebration for me.
"Just After Sunset" is King's latest collection of short stories, written
"Just After Sunset" is King's latest collection of short stories, written over a period of about two years. Thematically, several of the stories look at what happens to us in the moments and years after we shuffle off this mortal coil and several of them are heavily impacted by the real-life horrors of 9/11. No, King doesn't take advantage or exploit the day for commercial gain. Instead, he examines the implications on those left behind in the wake of the tragedy. One haunting story finds a man who was running late the morning of 9/11 and who worked in the Twin Towers, finding objects from his lost office and co-workers turning up in is apartment. He tries to get rid of them, but they keep returning to him. He then decides he has to bring them to the families to offer those families a bit of closure--even if it's from something as out there as a novelty ice cube or a whoopie cushion.
Another story finds a widow being able to connect with her husband who dies in a plane crash. The husband was calling on his cell phone as the plane went down and now finds himself in a limbo, waiting area. His phone is slowly dying and he laments he didn't take the time to charge it the night before in order to be able to talk longer before he passes onward. The story doesn't say or really imply that it's related to any of the crashes of 9/11, but it's hard not to read that into any story about a plane crash after that fateful day.
As always, the strength of King's stories is their grounding in reality with strong characters reacting in authentic ways to bizarre and supernatural circumstances. King has, in my mind, long since moved out of the realm of a simple horror novelist and inhabits a place as simply a great storyteller. Yes, he can and does tap into some of the more twisted and bizarre visions or our time, but he always does so in such a way as to make the stories work and feel real, even when the supernatural element is turned up to the n-th degree. These stories are about death--as is a lot of King's work--and how we react to it.
Will we be like "The Gingerbread Girl" who flees from life in the wake of the death of her child? She literally begins running away from the problem before come face to face with an even greater evil and horror that snaps her back into survival mode and where she finds the will to live. Or will we be like those who ghosts who have died, inhabiting a strange camp and dance hall, going through the same motions over and over again, denying that we've left this mortal coil and refusing to embrace or accept what can or does come next?
It's not to say that every story in this collection is perfect. Some work better than others and there are one or two stories that just didn't connect with me and enthrall me as much as I'd hoped. But in a collection of short stories, odds are that is going to happen. But when King is on in this collection, his stories are as compelling and engrossing as any author out there today.
"Just After Sunset" is King's latest collection of short stories, written
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over a period of about two years. Thematically, several of the stories look at what happens to us in the moments and years after we shuffle off this mortal coil and several of them are h...more I love Stephen King stories. There are lots of authors I read, but few that I am as eager to consume as any new work by King (Elizabeth George is a close second). Any new offering by King is a cause for celebration for me."Just After Sunset" is King's latest collection of short stories, written over a period of about two years. Thematically, several of the stories look at what happens to us in the moments and years after we shuffle off this mortal coil and several of them are heavily impacted by the real-life horrors of 9/11. No, King doesn't take advantage or exploit the day for commercial gain. Instead, he examines the implications on those left behind in the wake of the tragedy. One haunting story finds a man who was running late the morning of 9/11 and who worked in the Twin Towers, finding objects from his lost office and co-workers turning up in is apartment. He tries to get rid of them, but they keep returning to him. He then decides he has to bring them to the families to offer those families a bit of closure--even if it's from something as out there as a novelty ice cube or a whoopie cushion.
Another story finds a widow being able to connect with her husband who dies in a plane crash. The husband was calling on his cell phone as the plane went down and now finds himself in a limbo, waiting area. His phone is slowly dying and he laments he didn't take the time to charge it the night before in order to be able to talk longer before he passes onward. The story doesn't say or really imply that it's related to any of the crashes of 9/11, but it's hard not to read that into any story about a plane crash after that fateful day.
As always, the strength of King's stories is their grounding in reality with strong characters reacting in authentic ways to bizarre and supernatural circumstances. King has, in my mind, long since moved out of the realm of a simple horror novelist and inhabits a place as simply a great storyteller. Yes, he can and does tap into some of the more twisted and bizarre visions or our time, but he always does so in such a way as to make the stories work and feel real, even when the supernatural element is turned up to the n-th degree. These stories are about death--as is a lot of King's work--and how we react to it.
Will we be like "The Gingerbread Girl" who flees from life in the wake of the death of her child? She literally begins running away from the problem before come face to face with an even greater evil and horror that snaps her back into survival mode and where she finds the will to live. Or will we be like those who ghosts who have died, inhabiting a strange camp and dance hall, going through the same motions over and over again, denying that we've left this mortal coil and refusing to embrace or accept what can or does come next?
It's not to say that every story in this collection is perfect. Some work better than others and there are one or two stories that just didn't connect with me and enthrall me as much as I'd hoped. But in a collection of short stories, odds are that is going to happen. But when King is on in this collection, his stories are as compelling and engrossing as any author out there today.
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LibraryThing member wpschlitz
A pretty good collection of new stories that really show how much Kings style has changed over the years.
It would seem the Florida Keys have taken the place of Maine as Kings locale of choice. Gone are the days of scary monsters... mysterious occurances and crazy neighbors are the new enemies.
I
Tight Place seemed like a Palahniuk story done King style. Gross, but fun.
Anyway, yeah, I enjoyed this one as much as most, but not as much as some.
It would seem the Florida Keys have taken the place of Maine as Kings locale of choice. Gone are the days of scary monsters... mysterious occurances and crazy neighbors are the new enemies.
I
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really liked the Lovecraftian "N"... predictable, but very much in the spirit.Tight Place seemed like a Palahniuk story done King style. Gross, but fun.
Anyway, yeah, I enjoyed this one as much as most, but not as much as some.
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LibraryThing member kmaziarz
I have found that I tend to prefer Stephen King’s short fiction to his novels. For my taste, the novels often lack the tense, taut, highly strained level of tension King is able to sustain in his shorter works, and if I am going to be reading a horror story, I want to be on the edge of my seat at
The collection is hit-and-miss, but when it hits, it hits hard! Some of the shorter works, such as “Rest Stop” and “Graduation Afternoon,” work best as slightly disturbing character studies. Others, such as “Willa” and “The Stationary Bike,” provide old-school Stephen King thrills, leavened with a bit of heart. The real stand-out in the collection, however, is the unutterably creepy “N.” Inspired by Arthur Machen’s “The Great God Pan” and borrowing equally from the style and themes of H.P. Lovecraft’s Mythos stories, “N.” morphs slowly from an absorbing profile of obsessive-compulsive behavior into a tale of the darkness that lurks behind the known world, waiting to break free.
All in all, not a bad return to the form by King! Here’s hoping he keeps it up rather than churning out more of the doorstop novels that only become interesting a few chapters from the end.
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least 80 to 90% of the time, if possible! So I was pretty happy when I saw that “Just After Sunset,” King’s first collection of short fiction since 2002, was coming out. In the introduction to the collection, King credits his editing of the 2007 edition of “The Best American Short Stories” with re-inspiring his desire to work with the shorter form…which was, he tells us, his bread-and-butter in the days before he made it big as a novelist. Most of the stories in this collection were written after his 2007 editorial stint, with only one dating to an earlier period of King’s career.The collection is hit-and-miss, but when it hits, it hits hard! Some of the shorter works, such as “Rest Stop” and “Graduation Afternoon,” work best as slightly disturbing character studies. Others, such as “Willa” and “The Stationary Bike,” provide old-school Stephen King thrills, leavened with a bit of heart. The real stand-out in the collection, however, is the unutterably creepy “N.” Inspired by Arthur Machen’s “The Great God Pan” and borrowing equally from the style and themes of H.P. Lovecraft’s Mythos stories, “N.” morphs slowly from an absorbing profile of obsessive-compulsive behavior into a tale of the darkness that lurks behind the known world, waiting to break free.
All in all, not a bad return to the form by King! Here’s hoping he keeps it up rather than churning out more of the doorstop novels that only become interesting a few chapters from the end.
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LibraryThing member sturlington
With this collection of short stories, King has returned to the level of suspense-driven, intimate storytelling that characterizes his best works, and it’s about time. After a string of lackluster novels, I was about to give up on my favorite author, but Just After Sunset has made me a fan
My favorite two stories were the two that open the collection. “Willa” is haunting and eerie, yet also romantic, a musing about what happens to the dead after they die; I found it to be more affecting than the other story that explores a similar theme, “The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates,” even though in his notes, King thought the second story was stronger. And “The Gingerbread Girl” is harrowing, heart-pumping suspense; like King, I like that in this story, everything hinges on the details.
Other standouts for me were: “Stationery Bike,” a tongue-in-cheek response to our health-obsessed culture; “The Things They Left Behind,” a meditation on September 11 and its lingering effects on the survivors; and “Ayana,” about how healing powers might work and the curse they might bring. There are some examples of vintage gross-out King, as well; do not read “The Cat From Hell” or “A Very Tight Place” unless you have a strong stomach. And of course, there are a few weak offerings, such as “Harvey’s Dream” and “Graduation Afternoon,” which both originated in dreams and show it.
I tore through even the weak stories, and simply devoured this book whole. All I can say is thank you to Mr. King for this great collection and for showing that he hasn’t lost it after all.
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again.My favorite two stories were the two that open the collection. “Willa” is haunting and eerie, yet also romantic, a musing about what happens to the dead after they die; I found it to be more affecting than the other story that explores a similar theme, “The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates,” even though in his notes, King thought the second story was stronger. And “The Gingerbread Girl” is harrowing, heart-pumping suspense; like King, I like that in this story, everything hinges on the details.
Other standouts for me were: “Stationery Bike,” a tongue-in-cheek response to our health-obsessed culture; “The Things They Left Behind,” a meditation on September 11 and its lingering effects on the survivors; and “Ayana,” about how healing powers might work and the curse they might bring. There are some examples of vintage gross-out King, as well; do not read “The Cat From Hell” or “A Very Tight Place” unless you have a strong stomach. And of course, there are a few weak offerings, such as “Harvey’s Dream” and “Graduation Afternoon,” which both originated in dreams and show it.
I tore through even the weak stories, and simply devoured this book whole. All I can say is thank you to Mr. King for this great collection and for showing that he hasn’t lost it after all.
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LibraryThing member klarsenmd
This wasn't my favorite collection of short stories, but it still gave me goosebumps a few times. The stories themselves seemed to be filled with deeper meaning at times and less designed for the simple fear factor. I love the Gingerbread Girl, Willa, and The Things They Left Behind, each for
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different reasons. The Cat From Hell was fun too. Show Less
LibraryThing member devenish
With this latest collection of short stories,King once more assumes the mantle of a great story-teller,something that has been missing from his recent novels I fear.
Here are 13 tales of which most are excellent,notably 'Willa',a surprisingly gentle ghost story ; 'The Gingerbread Girl',my personal
There are many clever twists and turns to be found between these covers and all power to him for them. It is unfortunate that King being King, just cannot resist going well over the top on a couple of occasions. 'Gross-out' I believe he has called it. Other readers may well like it,but I think that he spoils himself and would be a much better writer if he reined himself back.
Apart from that a first-class collection.
Here are 13 tales of which most are excellent,notably 'Willa',a surprisingly gentle ghost story ; 'The Gingerbread Girl',my personal
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favorite,is a pure page-turner about a woman in the hands of a homicidal maniac ; 'Rest Stop' tells of a situation that could happen to anyone and could turn very nasty indeed ; 'The Cat from Hell' is about,well,a cat from hell,and 'N", which King mentions in his useful notes which complete the book as influenced by Arthur Machen's 'The Great God Pan' I would have thought was influenced by H.P.Lovecraft instead,There are many clever twists and turns to be found between these covers and all power to him for them. It is unfortunate that King being King, just cannot resist going well over the top on a couple of occasions. 'Gross-out' I believe he has called it. Other readers may well like it,but I think that he spoils himself and would be a much better writer if he reined himself back.
Apart from that a first-class collection.
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LibraryThing member Mary_Overton
All the usual entertaining, cheesy, thrilling, creepy short stories -- King's explorations of the psyche. At his best, King is stunning in his ability to manipulate Jungian themes and archetypes. At his worst, he is cardboard, comic book Jungian. But I love it all because his sense of story flows
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from a true source. The man has a direct channel to the unconscious and knows how to honor it. My favorite story in this collection is "N." about OCD and its purpose -- to keep the world from disintegrating. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBreedlove
A tremendously average collection of stories. I think old Steve has lost his edge. Readable but missing the the odd darkness that used to be there. Compare earlier collections to these tales and note the difference. There were no surprises. There were a couple of good stories but overall a C.
LibraryThing member LisaLynne
You know, Stephen King writes one hell of a good short story. No matter what you think of his novels, his short stories are excellent - well-crafted, full of suspense, and rich with wonderful, descriptive language. They are the thing he does best, in my opinion, and even if I never read another one
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of his novels, I would always gobble up his stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member edecklund
A balanced selection of stories from the weird to the outright horrific.None of them really fail.Well read, including by Mr King himself. I listened to a library's Playaway version and had a paper copy for reference.I'm liking "Playaway" more and more. Love the lightness. Still have some minor
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problems with garrbled sound. Show Less
LibraryThing member dw0rd
A balanced selection of stories from the weird to the outright horrific.None of them really fail.Well read, including by Mr King himself. I listened to a library's Playaway version and had a paper copy for reference.I'm liking "Playaway" more and more. Love the lightness. Still have some minor
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problems with garrbled sound. Show Less
LibraryThing member francomega
I really hate saying it, but I hate even more that King keeps proving it: he hasn't had "it" since finishing the Dark Tower series. Yes, his writing has gone down hill since he "stopped writing." Anyway, nothing really stands out here. The stories aren't necessarily bad, but at this point in his
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career, I guess I expect more than that. Show Less
LibraryThing member oddbooks
Perhaps it was because his kindly face kept peeking out at me from the jacket flap, but I read this book immediately after ankle surgery, when I was in a fevered state of muted pain and a complete inability to sleep and each story was a winner. 'The Gingerbread Girl' and 'A Very Tight Place' were
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my favorites. The post 9/11 tale, the things they left behind, was especiially touching. Show Less
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
I've always found King's shortstories to be worthwhile, and for me this was a fascinating mix of literary suspense and traditional King-style horror. About half of the stories, while of dark content, just aren't horror--they are good, though. Reading them, though, I could understand how some of
As a collection, Just After Sunset is a roller-coaster ride of suspense and horror stories, some of which may well keep you up at night. With the caveat to steadfast horror lovers that not everything here is of a supernatural nature, I recommend the collection to King lovers and short story lovers alike, as well as to those folks who just like a good story of suspense. I may not come back to this collection like I come back to some of his others, but it's a good read.
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King's long-standing readers might be disappointed. About half of the stories have nothing of the super-natural, though they're fast and spellbinding reads. Because of this, the book is a really fascinating look into an author who literary critics consistently disagree about as to his lasting literary value versus just mainstream entertainment. I have to admit that while I don't think much of a few of King's works (Cell stands out as a low point for me), much of his work is literary--smart, well-written, and ready to stand up to time in both material and writing style. As a collection, Just After Sunset is a roller-coaster ride of suspense and horror stories, some of which may well keep you up at night. With the caveat to steadfast horror lovers that not everything here is of a supernatural nature, I recommend the collection to King lovers and short story lovers alike, as well as to those folks who just like a good story of suspense. I may not come back to this collection like I come back to some of his others, but it's a good read.
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LibraryThing member zsms
I'm not a big fan of King's novels, but as people kept encouraging me to try his short stories, I picked this up. The stories are well-written, entertaining, and occasionally brilliant. They run the gamut from serial killers to ghost stories to a Lovecraft tribute and made for a great read.
LibraryThing member valerieowens
Great collection of stories. I listened to this on my ipod and the best part was that King did not read the stories himself!
LibraryThing member donhazelwood
Mute is by far one of his best short stories - It's the gem in this collection.
LibraryThing member DanaJean
Stephen King brings us a very mature, thoughtful group of short stories in this collection. More "literary" than previous shorts, the stories stay with you long after you close the book. "The Things They Left Behind" was haunting; "Willa" had me thinking that in ways, we're all ghosts. We all
Stephen's work changes like a chameleon. He has writings that run the gamut of genres. The old argument that he is just a horror writer doesn't hold water anymore. Get over it people! He is an author guy stepping out of that creepy box you keep trying to stuff him into.
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filter the world and our lives through our own eyes, and sometimes we don't look truthfully at what we see. "The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates" tugged at my heart and left me longing; but my favorite in the collection was "Graduation Afternoon." Stephen's word choice for this story was poetic. The language was flowing and peaceful and beautiful, despite what was coming.Stephen's work changes like a chameleon. He has writings that run the gamut of genres. The old argument that he is just a horror writer doesn't hold water anymore. Get over it people! He is an author guy stepping out of that creepy box you keep trying to stuff him into.
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Awards
Shirley Jackson Award (Nominee — Collection — 2008)
Audie Award (Finalist — 2010)
Alex Award (2009)
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — Collection — 2008)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — Collection — 2009)
Language
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
440 p.; 20 cm
ISBN
9789500750721
Other editions
DESPUES DEL ANOCHECER (Spanish Edition) by Stephen King (Paperback)