(pb; 1977: prequel to Doctor Sleep)
From the back cover:
"This tale of a troubled man hired to care for a remote mountain resort over the winter, his loyal wife, and their uniquely gifted son slowly but steadily unfolds as secrets from the Overlook Hotel's past are revealed, and the hotel itself attempts to claim the very souls of the Torrance family. . ."
Review:
Gripping, vivid and emotionally raw-throbbing from the get-go, this is one of my all-time favorite horror reads - and one of King's best novels.
The Shining is worth owning - and re-reading every few years, this last bit something I say about few novels.
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This novel has resulted in two films.
The first film, a theatrical flick, was released stateside on May 23, 1980.
Jack Nicholson played Jack Torrance. Shelley Duvall played Wendy Torrance. Danny Lloyd played Danny Torrance. Scatman Crothers played Dick Hallorann.
Barry Nelson played Stuart Ullman. Philip Stone played Delbert Grady. Joe Turkel played "Lloyd the Bartender". Lisa and Louise Burns played "Grady's Daughters". Vivian Kubrick, daughter of the film's director, played an uncredited "Smoking Guest on Ballroom Couch".
Stanley Kubrick directed the film, from a screenplay by Diane Johnson.
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The second film, a television miniseries, aired in three parts, on April 27th and 28th, and May 1st, in 1997.
Steven Weber played John Torrance. Rebecca De Mornay played Wendy Torrance. Courtland Mead played Daniel Anthony Torrance. Will Horneff played Tony. Melvin Van Peebles played Richard Halloran.
Cynthia Garris played "217 Woman". Shawnee Smith played a "Waitress". Sam Raimi played "Gas Station Howie". Christina Faust played "Screaming Female Ghost". Richard Christian Matheson played "1st Hitman". David J. Schow played "1st Ghost in Playhouse". Preston Sturges Jr. played "2nd Ghost in Playhouse".
Mick Garris directed the miniseries, from a teleplay by source novel author Stephen King.
(pb; 2011: horror anthology)
Overall review:
This is an excellent collection of Old School/classic horror-style stories, intended for non-Twilight readers, who bristle at the idea of defanged "sparkling vampires". (Editor Stephen Jones states this, in different words, in his Introduction ["Whatever Happened to Horror?"].)
As such, A Book of Horrors is an impressive endeavor, one worth owning.
Standout stories:
1.) "The Little Green God of Agony" - Stephen King: Good story about a wealthy man (Andrew Newsom) whose post-accident pain has taken on excruciating proportions.
2.) "Roots and All" - Brian Hodge: A war-hardened corrections officer (Dylan) and his cousin (Gina) return to their recently deceased grandmother's backwoods house to pack up her things, only to discover that the surrounding woods, heavy with a legendary monster - the Woodwalker - and troubling memories, has become a "meth haven".
Excellent, perfect work, this: a seamless entertaining fusion of old horror elements and modern realities, charged with a sense of mission.
One of my favorite stories in this anthology.
3.) "The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" - John Ajvide Lindqvist [translated by Marlaine Delargy]: A boy's piano lessons provide the possibility for ghosts to re-enter the natural world.
Creepy and unsettling, with a finish that's at once familiar and refreshing.
4.) "Getting It Wrong" - Ramsey Campbell: An asocial, disgruntled cineaste (Eric Edgeworth) finds himself participating in a dark, strange game show where providing wrong answers can prove agonizing.
Solid, interesting piece.
5.) "The Man in the Ditch" - Lisa Tuttle: Linzi, a woman with marital issues and uncomfortable in her new country home, sees a dead man on the side of the road.
Good, mood-effective work.
6.) "A Child's Problem" - Reggie Oliver: 1811. Tankerton Abbey, in Suffolk, England. A boy (George St. Maur), left in the cold-hearted care of his uncle (Sir Augustus St. Maur, Baronet), uncovers a dark, multi-layered mystery surrounding his uncle, his uncle's deceased wife (Lady Circe) and other fatalities.
Wonderful story, replete with classical, philosophical and other elements of particularly human shadiness and light.
One of my favorite entries in this anthology.
7.) "Sad, Dark Thing" - Michael Marshall Smith: Miller, an "aimless" man reeling from a divorce, sees an unexpected sign on a backwoods road, and is irrevocably altered by it.
Mood- and theme-efficacious piece, inspired by the author's real-life drive through the Santa Cruz mountains (in California).
8.) "Near Zennor" - Elizabeth Hand: A widower (Jeffrey), while sorting through his wife's belongings, discovers some mysterious letters which pull him into even bigger mysteries.
Good, unpredictable, atmospheric read.
9.) "Last Words" - Richard Christian Matheson: A serial killer waxes philosophical on the nature of the last moments of one's death.
Creepy, intriguing, vicious, memorable.
Other stories:
"Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint" - Caitlin R. Kiernan; "Ghost with Teeth" - Peter Crowther; "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" - Angela Slatter; "Tell Me I'll See You Again" - Dennis Etchison; "Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" - Robert Shearman
(pb; 1992: horror anthology)
Overall review:
Excellent short story anthology melding rock and horror, from the co-editor of the Flesh & Blood (noir) series. Alice Cooper’s "Foreword" is one of the best I’ve read in a long time: erudite and warm.
Review, story by story:
“You Know They Got a Hell of a Band” – Stephen King: A road-tripping husband and wife find themselves in small-town hell after taking a “shortcut” through Oregon. Solid, almost-classic King tale that runs a little long.
“Bob Dylan, Troy Jonson & the Speed Queen” – F. Paul Wilson: Jonson, a musician who can’t write his own music, time-travels back to 1964 to steal famous rock songs from their author-musicians before they write them. Complications, time line- and otherwise related ensue. Good tale, with a Twilight Zone-worthy end-twist.
“Odeed” – David J. Schow: Gasm, a hard rock band, plays longer than they’re supposed to (contractually-speaking). Will this destroy the band's career, or will it increase their already-incredible popularity? Schow’s prose is electric, exhilarating. This tale has an immediacy that grips the reader and doesn’t let go.
“Vargr Rule” – Nancy A. Collins: Well-written story about Varley, a charming slut, whose search for a one-night stand goes horribly (and fittingly) wrong.
“Blood Suede Shoes” – Ronald Kelly: Ruby, a plain-Jane bobby-soxer, catches a ride with Rockabilly Reb, a famous rock star. But Reb’s more than he seems to be, Ruby discovers... Solid tale, one that makes clever use of rock history.
“The Dead Beat Society” – Don D’ammassa: This reads like a late 80's heavy metal horror flick – fun, dumb and pot-friendly. Decent tale, though D’ammassa could’ve improved it by explaining how Mark Walton, a dead music geek, becomes a video/music ghost. D’ammassa eschews logic for atmosphere (which is serviceable, if perfunctory).
“Voodoo Child” – Graham Masterton: When Jimi Hendrix, dead for fifteen-plus years, reappears to his friend Charlie, Charlie sets out to discover why Jimi is so determined to return to his death site. Highly original, sad work – and one of the best entries in this anthology.
“Rites of Spring” – Paul Dale Anderson: Attendees at a Rites of Spring concert act accordingly, though more wildly than they expected. Good tale, up until the meant-to-be-symbolic-but-lame finish.
“Dedicated To The One I Loathe” – Michael Garrett: Quirky morbid-funny tale about two cops investigating some backwood murders, somehow linked to an oldies radio station. Good read, worth a chuckle.
“Requiem” – Brian Hodge: An aspiring folk singer and a club concert promoter check out the airplane crash site that killed the members of the 80's prog-rock band Grendel. An excellent morality tale about greed, bootleg recordings and earnest desire. One of the best entries in this collection.
“Heavy Metal” – R. Patrick Gates: Laugh-out-loud funny homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Gates recreates, with hilarious accuracy, the hysterical tone-language and structure of Poe's famous tale. The ending’s not unexpected, but it works.
“Bunky” – Rex Miller: I have no idea what this story’s about. The hip-hyperactive slang of the narrator alienated me instantly.
“The Black ‘59” – Bill Mumy and Peter David: A guitar, possessed by the spirit of a dead malevolent rock star, finds new victims. Good story until the dumb finish.
“Groupies” – Richard Christian Matheson: By far one of the most sexual and disturbing works in the anthology. Memorable, sporting an innovative deconstructionist structure (in the first half) and a nasty end-twist, this tale stands out from the other entries in this collection.
“Reunion” – Michael Newton: So-so story about a reunion tour of a Grateful Dead-like band. It’s too illogical to be effective, with no set-up for its Psycho-like twist.
“Bootleg” – Mark Verheiden:
Videodrome meets Ghost World with a supernatural heavy metal element. Suitably bizarre and compelling, with a finish that doesn’t quite work.
“Weird Gig” – Ray Garton: A washed-up 70's band gets hired to play a financially-lucrative but otherwise troubling concert. Predictable but entertaining.
“Hide in Plain Sight” – John L. Byrne: A cocky club rock singer is seduced by a woman who may or may not be a werewolf. Sexually explicit, trashy fun with a clever end-twist.
“Addicted to Love” – Thomas Tessier: Enjoyable story about a lonely music snob who attempts to win the favor of a woman with great gams and execrable music taste. Sly, memorable conclusion.
“Flaming Telepaths” – John Shirley: A strange psychic war erupts between a televangelical group and a mysterious rock singer in a concert bar. Another solid entry, highlighted by Shirley’s intelligent, blunt humor.
