Bite sized King (Night Shift - Stephen King)

Member Name: sandemp

Product:	Night Shift - Stephen King
Date:	07/04/05 (222 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good collection of short Stephen King classics

Disadvantages: Couple of duds

I love to read Stephen kings novels, but sometimes find that I'm up past the wee small hours, trying to find out how they end. What I needed was a book filled with some of his shorter stories, and this is where Night Shift comes into it's own. Comprising of twenty short stories, each of which can easily be read within an hour or so.

The Author
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Born in Portland, Maine in 1947, Stephen King is a prolific writer, dealing mainly in the macabre. He has written many novels, both in his own name and under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Many of his novels have been adapted for the screen, and in fact a few of the stories in this book have had such treatment, one so successfully that I have no fewer than four films in the Children Of The Corn series in my own collection.

The Stories
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What follows is a short introduction to each of the stories, with my opinion and rating on each.

Jerusalem's Lot
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On hearing the title of this story you will probably, like me, immediately think of 'Salems Lot. It is the story of a haunted house and town, and the evil that lurks behind the walls and beneath the ground. Unusually, for King, it is told in the first person in the form of a journal. This was an excellent choice to begin the book, you are quickly drawn in and some of the imagery is truly frightening.

My rating 8/10

Graveyard Shift
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Under a mill, lives a huge population of rats. When clearing the basement the employees find a trapdoor, locked from underneath. What secret menace is lurking below????
A pretty good story, and if like me you find rats make your skin crawl, it can be terrifying. This was made into an abysmal film of the same name.

My rating 7.5/10

Night Surf
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This story seems to have a similar conception to The Stand, in as far as it focusses on a group of teenage survivors of a killer 'flu that's wiping out the world's population.
Not the best story in the book, but still a fine read.

My rating 7/10

I Am The Doorway
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An astronaut has come back from space with unwelcome guests. After crashing to Earth, he is confined to a wheelchair, and discovers a strange itching on his hands, which eventually reveal themselves as eyes. Then he realises he is an alien forms Doorway to Earth.
This was the very first time I'd read a Stephen King story involving science fiction, and it was actually an enjoyable yarn, with a nice twist at the end.

My Rating 8/10

The Mangler
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In a bizarre set of circumstances a Ironer/Folder in a laundry gets a taste for blood and is possessed by a demon.
I'm sure I've seen a film version of this, but for the life of me I can't remember where. This story is full of classic King imagery and a pretty good read.

My rating 8/10

The Boogeyman
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The classic boogeyman tale, with a twist. When a father believes the Boogeyman has killed his children, he pours his heart out to a psychiatrist, who may not quite be what he seems.
A well-written story, with a good twist.

My rating 8.5/10

Grey Matter
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When a drunk drinks a “bad can” and starts to go all mushy, things can only go from bad to worse for the world.
While not the best in the book, this story was pretty cool, but the ending was very predictable.

My Rating 7.5/10

Battleground
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Think Small Soldiers and you'll get the idea what this story is about. An assassin is a attacked by little soldiers complete with modern weaponry, included the nuke.
A neat little story, which is more funny than scary.

My Rating 8/10

Trucks
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The tale of a diverse group of people who happen to be in a truck stop on the day that mechanical objects decide to take over the world.
Another good story, Trucks was made into a film titled “Maximum Overdrive”.

My rating 8/10

Sometimes They Come Back
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This story tells the tale of a teacher haunted by his brother's killers, who just refuse to stay dead.
I loved this one, it was one of my favourites. Another short that was made into a film of the same name.

My Rating 9/10

Strawberry Spring
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A Strawberry spring, is a false spring, which leads to the worst part of the winter. Only happening every so-many years, there's a killer loose, and he's preying on college students.
Yet another good story, with a perhaps unsurprising twist at the end.

My rating 8/10

The Ledge
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After his affair with a rich (and corrupt) gambler's wife is discovered, a tennis pro is given the choice between a long long stretch inside or a walk round the edge of a building.
A tense and well written story, The Ledge, became one third of the film “Cats Eye”.

My Rating 9/10

The Lawnmower Man
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Nothing like the film of the same name, this story has as one of main characters a gardener who has a very novel way of mowing the grass.
Although the imagery was good in this story, the actual plot left me cold.

My rating 6/10

Quitter Inc.
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A Mafia group has come up with a very novel, and gruesome way of helpers smokers quit.
Very well written, this story is another third of “Cats Eye”. This comes a close second to being my favourite story in the book.

My rating 9.5/10

I Know What You Need
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A young college student has always been able to give people “what they need”, but when he sets his sights on Beth, she fights back.
A good story with paranormal undertones.

My rating 8/10

Children Of The Corn
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A couple arrive in a town populated solely by children. But these are not ordinary children, they worship a cruel and hungry god that they've named “He Who Walks Between The Rows”.
This has been made into a film, that has had several sequels. I would however, suggest forgetting the film and reading the story, it's fantastic.

My rating 10/10

The Last Rung On The Ladder
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This is not a horror story in the least, but a sentimental look at family ties. Although quite a short story, and to actually try to give a synopsis, would be to give the whole thing away.

A good, and emotional story. well worth reading.

My rating 8/10

The Man Who Loved Flowers
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This is a bit of a weird one, and definitely the worst in the book. A man spends his time walking around as if in love, and buys flowers for his girlfriend. Of course, this being written by Stephen King, not everything is as it seems.

My rating 5/10

One For The Road
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Set in the aftermath of the events of 'Salems Lot, a man's car has broken down on the outskirts of Salem. And it seems the vampire menace is still there.
Excellently written, with the same sense of atmosphere of the original book.

My rating 9/10

The Woman In The Room
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Another emotion rather than horror based story. A man helps his desperately ill mother commit suicide.
What can I say about this one, exceptionally well written, you can almost share the sense of guilt.

My Rating 9/10


The Book As A Whole
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This is an extremely readable collection of short stories. There are occasional duds, such as The Man Who Loved Flowers, but on the whole each story is an excellent introduction to the works of Stephen King.

My complete rating for the book 8/10

Further Information
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Published by : New English Library
ISBN : 0450042685
No. Pages : 320
Price : £6.39 from amazon, or borrow it for free from your library.

Final Words
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This is a great introduction to the writing talents of Stephen King, without needing to invest in the length of time required to read a full-length novel.

I was bought this book, while I was in hospital while pregnant with my eldest child. As I was ill at the time, I had a pretty short attention span, and couldn't manage a whole novel. As each of the stories took less than an hour to read, this was therefore perfect. I still read my favourite stories in it, on those times when I don't have the time or inclination to read a full novel. I would recommend this therefore, as a book, to read on short journeys, or even a story each night before bed.

Summary: