Rating: 
Summary: The Master Speaks
Review: At 692 pages, "Nightmares & Dreamscapes" is a doorstopper of a book. I planned to read it a story at a time over a period of weeks, but as usual got hooked on King and read it straight through, right from his usual folksy introduction (each of which I am sure he writes solely for me!) to the charming little moral folktale tacked on at the end. The stories are to say the least, diverse. I would call this collection "King's Scrapbook.""Dolan's Cadillac" highly regarded by most Amazon reviewers is very hard tech for King. Interestingly, he says in his notes that technical stuff bores him, but it had to be done for this story. I have no more interest than he does in the proper "arc of descent;" I would have been just as mindlessly satisfied if he had shot the Cadillac out of a cannon, so it's not one of my favorites. "Clattery Teeth" I just know SK had a hoot of a time writing it. He lovingly sets the scene and characters and then puts them at the mercy of a set of not-so-funny joke teeth (that wear spats). It's 80 degrees more grotesque than the "Young Frankenstein," and I felt guilty for laughing. "The Moving Finger" Mr. Mitla is the perfectly normal man living a perfectly normal life when one morning he goes into his bathroom, and a finger is emerging from his bathroom sink drain and tapping on the porcelain. No one can see this finger except Mr. Mitla, and he slowly goes bonkers and his entire life is in a shambles. Unlike "Clattery Teeth" this one is terrifying. See for yourself. "My Pretty Pony" though highly acclaimed, didn't much interest me UNTIL I read in Notes that the exquisitely sensitive little boy, Clive Banning, grew up to be a hardened killer in an unpublished Richard Bachman novel. We leave Clive at 7-years old in the Pony story. "The House on Maple Street" delighted me because children are empowered and the bad guy gets his just desserts in a most explosive fashion. I was all-around satisfied. "Umley's Last Case" is my favorite. SK takes a spin in Raymond Chandler land. He sets the scene meticulously and the characters are perfect. I was reminded of Nathaniel West's "Day of the Locust." Then things start going askew in a very King-like way. What if the author of P.I. books decided he liked the detective's life better than his own, and decided to swap places? What would happen? Would it be too far out if the detective who has never lived outside a book set in the 1930's had to spend a week toilet training himself? (Characters in hard-boiled novels never have to go to the bathroom.) There are 20 stories in "Nightmares & Dreamscapes." It is not as brilliantly crafted as "Everything's Eventual" nor is it as well organized as "Skeleton Crew" and "Night Shift." I don't think many readers will like ALL of the stories, but there are such a variety, that most of the readers will like SOME of the stories, and some will like MOST of the stories. Chances are everyone will find one or two that will stay with them forever.
Rating:
Summary: A true collection of well-written terror.
Review: i havent read the entire book yet, i read a story or two between the novels i'm reading, but i'll tell waht i think so far.
Each story i've read have either shilled or scared me in a way that when the story ends so soon, being short stories and all!, your left to think about it even more. Not to say that they end too quickly or incompletely though. King gives all his short stories as much attention as his novels, and novellas.
Popsy, Nightflier, Sorry Right Number, Suffer the little Children, and Chattery Teeth are among the ones i've read. All ranging from monster stories to vampires, Things!! and zombies, muders and mystery etc. A great book in which you can take a story from every night...if u dare that is! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: crimehorrordrama
Review: i like SK particularly as a short story writer. if he has a good story he never fails then. considering his other collections, this was not as inventive as the two previous. not as matheson-like as the first. this was a great collection. a bit mixed. the end of the whole mess and umney's last case seemed to be the most inventive ones. but his other horror stories were good too. there are even some crime stories here, they are actually pretty good. although SK delivers, his collection is all in all very readworthy, his writing style good, this collection marks the sad decline of SK. some of the stories are great, true. some of the stories, however, are only good in the hands of a master. and some of the stories are completely uninteresting. it's very enjoyable, but don't expect too much.
Rating:
Summary: Great Combination of Short Stories
Review: I recommend this to anyone out there who love steven king and/or short stories. this is an excelent collection!
Rating:
Summary: Great for teens
Review: I'm not a big Stephen King fan but Nightmares & Dreamscapes is quite good. I worked for three years as a summer camp counselor and when you have a group of 15 year old boys, they don't want to hear cheesy ghost stories or little kid stories. I read them a few of King's short stories and they LOVED them. While his Novels tend to drone on a bit too much for my taste, his short stories are just right. Some of the ones in this book are better than others, but they're all pretty good. I actually think the stories in "Night Shift" are a little better, but both books are excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of money
Review: I've always loved short stories, particularly horror fiction, so as you can imagine how much I looked forward to reading Stephen King's 'Nightmares and Dreamscapes'. The only reservation I had was that I had already read much of the book in other anthologies - and in no case had I been overly impressed - but surely there would be something new to make the book worth buying? Boy was I disappointed! Most of the stories (e.g. Popsy, My Little Pony) are so weak that I doubt they would have been published at all without the Stephen King name. My guess is that they were rejects he had been hanging on to for years, until he could use them as filler when he was short of original ideas. There is NOTHING here that comes near the standard set by 'Skeleton Crew' or 'Night Shift' or even 'Four Past Midnight'. Nightmares indeed ...
Rating: 
Summary: Hit or Miss
Review: If you're a King fan, I'd read this pretty good collection of short stories. A few stories are amazing (Umney's Last Case, Crouch End, and Dolan's Cadillac to name a few), and most of them are okay-good. There are, however, a few that made me laugh out loud at the sheer idiocy. For example: "Rainy Season," a ludicrous story about giant, fanged toads falling out of the sky and attacking a young couple summering in a remote town; "My Pretty Pony," which is not horror or interesting at all, about some old grandfather imparting some incredibly boring wisdom on to his unfortunate grandson; and "Chattering Teeth," about a man who is saved from a homicidal hitch hiker by a pair of possessed wind-up teeth. All in all, however, a good book and a must-read for any King fan.
Rating:
Summary: A collection of some of King's best short fiction.
Review: NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES is a collection of some odd, eclectic short fiction, showcasing Stephen King at his macabre best. In "Dolan's Cadillac," a man gets revenge for his murdered wife...through hard labor and ingenious thinking. "Suffer the Little Children" is a tale for every child who had an insufferable teacher, and wanted to do something about it."The Night Flier" is a tale of obsession that leads to the ultimate horror. In "Popsy," a young boy is kidnapped...but his grandfather is on his trail, and has a few surprises up his cape. "The Moving Finger" is a macabre tale of madness...or the utmost sanity. In "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band," a young couple is about to attend an amazing rock concert...which may last for the rest of eternity. "The Ten O'Clock People" tells of two societies who live beneath normal human radar; one is benevolent, while the other is bent on world domination. "Crouch End" and "The Doctor's Case" are great examples of British fiction by an American, the latter about Sherlock Holmes. In the fantisful "The House on Maple Street," four children are about to unlock the secrets of their home. "Umney's Last Case" is a bizarre crime-noir, about the power an author has over his story, and vice versa. "Head Down" is an enchanting essay about kids and baseball. NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES. Stephen King. Need I say any more than that? A wonderful, intriquing, and entertaining collection, this book is guaranteed to occupy a welcomed place on your bookshelf. This collection goes to show why Stephen King is one of contemporary literature's best writers.
Rating:
Summary: A collection of some of King's best short fiction.
Review: NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES is a collection of some odd, eclectic short fiction, showcasing Stephen King at his macabre best. In "Dolan's Cadillac," a man gets revenge for his murdered wife...through hard labor and ingenious thinking. "Suffer the Little Children" is a tale for every child who had an insufferable teacher, and wanted to do something about it."The Night Flier" is a tale of obsession that leads to the ultimate horror. In "Popsy," a young boy is kidnapped...but his grandfather is on his trail, and has a few surprises up his cape. "The Moving Finger" is a macabre tale of madness...or the utmost sanity. In "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band," a young couple is about to attend an amazing rock concert...which may last for the rest of eternity. "The Ten O'Clock People" tells of two societies who live beneath normal human radar; one is benevolent, while the other is bent on world domination. "Crouch End" and "The Doctor's Case" are great examples of British fiction by an American, the latter about Sherlock Holmes. In the fantisful "The House on Maple Street," four children are about to unlock the secrets of their home. "Umney's Last Case" is a bizarre crime-noir, about the power an author has over his story, and vice versa. "Head Down" is an enchanting essay about kids and baseball. NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES. Stephen King. Need I say any more than that? A wonderful, intriquing, and entertaining collection, this book is guaranteed to occupy a welcomed place on your bookshelf. This collection goes to show why Stephen King is one of contemporary literature's best writers.
Rating:
Summary: King at his best
Review: This collection of stories from King spans several genres most notable of which are the vampire stories (Popsy, The Night Flier), human-eating frogs (sort of gives a new twist to the term "raining cats and dogs"), a hand in the drain which had me looking at the drain in my shower room, a city of famous dead musicians and his own foray into sportswriting in "Head Down" where he describes the exploits of his son's Little League Team in Bangor Maine (I think he's more than qualified to cover his favorite Red Sox).
What makes King's writing particularly effective is that he tells tales of common people(like you and me) experiencing extraordinary things. When you put this book down, you can't help but wonder if the same thing will happen to you. I also have the sense that these stories were written for the sheer joy of writing regardless if it makes the author a quick buck.
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