I know I've said it before (and recently, to boot), but if somebody would just pay me a little for the work I'm doing here, it'd sure help. Because I love it. You can tell, huh? I hope so.
Oh, to do the work you want, and not just the work you have to do. A man can dream, can't he?
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| The paperback version of Night Shift I had. / Source: Amazon.com |
Night Shift, by Stephen King
From the book’s cover (the 1978 hardcover version, which differs from later texts):
Stephen King has brought together nineteen of his most unsettling short pieces--bizarre tales of dark doing and unthinkable acts from the twilight regions where horror and madness take on eerie, unearthly forms...where noises in the walls and shadows by the bed are always signs of something dreadful on the prowl.
The settings are familiar and unsuspected--a high school, a factory, a truck stop, a laundry, a field of Nebraska corn. But in Stephen King's world any place can serve as devil's ground...if the time of night is propitious, and the forces of darkness are strong, and the victims are caught just slightly off their guard...
Synopsis:
Night Shift is a collection of short stories. Therefore, I'm going to give a brief synopsis of each (a short paragraph apiece, if I can manage it). Here goes:
Jerusalem's Lot. A gentleman and his manservant move to Chapelwaite, Maine and into a neglected family mansion. Soon they discover that the surrounding neighborhoods are under a horrible curse, and are sucked into it. Plus there are rats. If you've read King's novel Salem's Lot, you know where this is going. It's actually a prequel to that larger work. The story is very Lovecraftian, but the ending is King all the way.
Graveyard Shift. Working the night shift in an old mill with a mean-spirited boss man can make a person do strange and potentially catastrophic things. Especially when there are rats. Big rats. Get the idea that King has a thing for rats? I've heard King mention this story specifically before in other publications, and it seems it is based in some personal experience of his. Let's hope only the first part. But I'd love to explore the mill he describes herein. Good stuff and very authentic feeling.
Night Surf. Let's visit King's novel The Stand, shall we? A bunch of teenagers on the beach in this post-apocalyptic vignette. Not the strongest story in the book, but it has its charms.
I Am the Doorway. An astronaut survives a traumatic mission to Venus and later finds he has brought something back to Earth with him. Something... unfriendly. It lives on the palms of his hands, and can compel him to do horrific things. He tried to resolve this issue by force, but even that goes awry eventually. Sooner or later, you just gotta get while the gettin' is good, they say. This one is The Twilight Zone, all the way.
The Mangler. Ever hear of the concept of "the ghost in the machine?" That a spirit or such might inhabit a mechanism and do odd things with it. Well what if a demonic presence took over a piece of particularly nasty industrial laundry equipment, with gruesome results? Don't think it's plausible? Read this, and you'll at least feel it at a gut level, even if your mind stays intellectually detached. And next time your TV is on the blink or your washing machine starts thumping off balance, you will wonder if you shouldn't keep your distance.
The Bogeyman. Here's the story: Man goes to see a shrink. He says: "Doc, I got my kids killed by not listening to them. See, there's a bogeyman in the closet, but I refused to believe it - 3 times - 'til it was too late. And now I'm afraid he's following me around." A good psychological piece. Is the bogeyman a symbol of the man's personal demons, representing the bad things he has done and can't face directly? Or is the bogeyman his own personal demon?
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| Frame captured from the 1990 movie Graveyard Shift (I haven't seen it, but I'd imagine it is based on the short from this book). You think that's a big rat? Just wait. / Source: SignalBleed.blogspot.com |
Grey Matter. You gotta be pretty hard up to eat or drink something when it tastes bad and is obviously gone over. Our bodies naturally reject things that are foreign to them. Maybe this story is one reason why. Because everybody wants to be a fun guy, and not a fungi. The mood-building in this one is top notch. And the ending? I'm still waiting. Read it and you'll see what I mean.
Battleground. The movie Toy Story goes to hell. That's all I really have to say. Very fun little story. And a great little bang for an ending. Gotta watch out for those promotional accessories.
Trucks. Been awhile since I read this one, as it wasn't actually included in the collected audiobook I picked up. But basically, we have more "ghost in the machine" stuff here. If you really want to get a feel for this one, watch the film Maximum Overdrive, which is based off this King story. A homicidal vehicle could really mess up your whole day.
Sometimes They Come Back. Can you ever really get away from something bad that happened to you? Especially when the dead won't rest. And is it worth asking aid from the devil to banish a few mere demons? The teacher protagonist in Sometimes They Come Back has to deal with these issues. The build up in this one was better, for me, than the end. I felt the conclusion was a bit over dramatic. But it still worked well enough, I suppose. And the build up? Great mood setting.
Strawberry Spring. Jack the Ripper, anyone? What if the Ripper was never caught because he didn't realize he was doing those horrific murders? At least not for years to come. This one is creepy on several levels.
The Ledge. Revenge is a dish best served on a five foot wide outcropping in the upper floors of a high-rise building. The climax is not what you see coming, but it feels so good. Everybody who has been put to it by somebody they hated and feared will cheer for this ending. I was sure it'd go one way, and it turns the table on you. Very good.
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| The author, Stephen King. / Source: PublishingPerspectives.com |
The Lawnmower Man. I've never seen the mid-90s movie associated with this one, but I'm guessing they took some liberties with it, based on the thin comparison I've been able to make after reading this story. The story, you ask? What if a god out of mythology decided to open a lawn-trimming business? And how could you complain if you didn't like his service? When I first read this one, I put the book down afterward. It's probably the craziest story in the whole book. What was King smoking when he thought this one up?
Quiters, Inc. Ever wanted to break a bad habit? Like smoking, perhaps. They say having somebody to help you and sponsor you is the best approach. After reading this, I'm not so sure. Be careful who you get to sponsor you. And for heaven sake, don't backslide!
I Know What You Need. The perfect guy is the one who made a deal with the devil to be that way. And coincidences are not so coincidental, so watch your back. And be sure to break any voodoo dolls of yourself, should you ever run across any. This tale is good, but the ending is a bit thin. The climax is fine, but it loses some punch in the wrap up. Left me feeling unsettled, and not just because the story was creepy.
Children of the Corn. A classic scary story, and the basis for many a Hollywood spook story on the silver screen. The concept? Get lost driving in the hinterlands of Nebraska with a spouse you are on the rocks with, and you'll do more than go splitsville with him/her. By the end, you'll both be splitsville, literally. Crazy fundamentalist vegetable-based cult churches are bad news. And for heaven sake, don't go in the corn! "Red eyes like footballs..." Shiver.
The Last Rung on the Ladder. We all get so busy in this life that we lose touch with people we love most, and sometimes those loved ones really need us to be around to catch them when they fall. Especially when that fall is a long one. One of King's more serious pieces. Not a typical horror story at all, but the results are horrific enough.
The Man Who Loved Flowers. People in this story keep saying: "Isn't it a lovely evening?" But there is a serial hammer murder on the loose. I'll paraphrase a couple lines from the book's conclusion. 'The woman turned to her husband and asked him why he never brought her flowers anymore. Or looked that way when he thought of her.' But you can't always tell if that look of serenity is really bliss... or just plain cracked. Starts off so peaceful, but then it goes all King on you. Sheesh.
One For the Road. A return to Jerusalem's Lot. This one is more of a post-script to the novel Salem's Lot. What happens when you go out of your way to help a stranger who has gone and taken the wrong road? Especially when that wrong road led him and his family smack into the middle of an human-abandoned and now monster-infested town on a freezing winter's eve? The audiobook portion of this one was fabulous (and I don't use the word "fabulous" casually). The sound effect of wind blowing in the background and the musical cues made this one so real that it stayed with me for hours. It's still with me, to tell true. Then again, I have a thing for the cold, pale, and undead.
The Woman in the Room. For me, the scariest story in the book. A man is faced with a tough descion when his mother gets aggressive terminal cancer. What would you do, if faced with a similar situation? When you read this one, it makes you think. I pray I never have to be in that position. That's where real fear lives. The rest of the book is less likely to happen, but this one (and The Last Rung on the Ladder) could. And do.
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| From the PS Publishing illustrated storybook of One For The Road. Certainly not one I'd read my kids before bedtime, but I'm definitely interested in checking it out for myself. / Source: PSPublishing.com |
What I liked about it:
I happen to think King's short stories are better than his full length novels. I've read too many of his novels that got bogged down somewhere about 2/3rds of the way in. Or ended in a somehow hollow way. Dreamcatcher comes to mind when I say that. But that is my own take on it.
Then again, I think King's strongest work is in the short sprint. His marathons are good, but his sprints are edge of your seat. It is my personal estimation that this collection of King's work is some of his best, all around. It is not by coincidence that many of these shorts have been made into films.
What I didn’t like about it:
As mentioned in the synopsis, some of the stories are weaker than others. And the material is dated, to a certain extent. This might have bugged me if I wasn't so tuned to things of a historical nature. But overall, not many complaints.
What I learned, if anything:
I keep coming back to One For the Road. I have a personal side project to write a vampire-related story or two, and the texture of One for the Road, over and above Jerusalem's Lot, is first rate.
The general ambiance of the tales collectively is also educational. It is not by accident that King has done so well as a writer. For an aspiring fiction writer (well, more so than what little I have done before in my life), it is helpful to watch and learn. Not that I'd ape it point-by-point, but it does have lessons to give.
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| A bit of dark humor. "He who walks behind the rows" would like it, I think. / Source: Worth1000.com |
Recommendation:
If you don't like scary stories, skip it. If violence and gore, and/or a bit of language (but not as bad as some of his stuff) offends you above your potential entertainment level, avoid it. But if you like spooky stories in any way shape or form and those qualms are nothing to you, you should be reading this. Right now! Why are you sitting here reading my ranting? Go get it.
Learn more about Night Shift, by Stephen King, on Amazon.com
The parting comment:
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| Source: LolSnaps.com |
I relate to #9. If I don't start studying, I'll never get through it. Says the man who would rather be blogging. Or most anything else, that is. #16 is appropriate too. And #23 is perfect. Sort of a no-brainer there, yeah?
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