Four Past Midnight

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed the book
Review: But this is more about this particular story, which is one in a book of short stories. I've seen a lot of criticism but I fully enjoyed King's work here. It worth reading. I haven't seen the movie yet but I think the story is bound to be better from King's written word. But I do Like Depp!

I also recommend Evolution by Jennifer MacDonald.

Rating:
Summary: Four Horrifying Tales
Review: Four more tales of terror from the undisputed master, Stephen King. As always, nobody does it better--though newcomer John Robert Marlow's NANO is (in a different way) equally terrifying. Can't wait to see the movies!

Rating:
Summary: King's Best Ever
Review: I have read a couple of Stephen King stories and have found them amazing, but this one, this one stood out from the rest. It had an ending like no other I have ever seen or ever expected! When it got turned into a motion picture I went to go watch it the 1st day it was out just simply to see if it was as good as the book, and not surprisingly, it was! So if you're looking for a good story to keep your fingers turning pages, I suggest you read this story!!!

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: i recently saw the movie secret window, and loved it. then i saw the book in borders and decided to read it. i have to say i like the story almost more than the movie! ive read all the stories except the sun dog, which i am almost done with. this is definitely a book worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: If you loved Secret Window, you will love this
Review: I saw this movie a few weeks ago, and I thought it was good enough that I decided to buy this book. So far, I've read "The Langoliers" and I'm almost finished with "Secret Window, Secret Garden." So far, I'm loving this book.

Rating:
Summary: Let King provide you your nightmares...four in fact...
Review: In "The Langoliers," Captain Brian Engle awakes on an passenger airliner to discover that only a handful of the passengers are still onboard. They made no stops, there was no hijacking...and they are being pursued by something nameless, something evil...

In "Secret Window, Secret Garden," author Mort Rainey is having a crisis. You see, a man has showed up at Mort's doorstep, saying Mort stole his story. But Mort didn't. Or did he? And just how far is this man willing to go to get what he wants?

In "The Library Policeman," Sam Peebles goes to his local library to collect some books on delivery a good speech. Only he finds something straight out of hell: an evil librarian who's name is never spoken in the town, and who died years ago...and a mysterious man who calls himself the Library Policeman, and shame on you if you don't return your books on time...and Sam's due-date has just passed...

In "The Sun Dog," 15-year-old Keven Delevan receives a camera for his birthday. But the camera takes pictures of only one thing: a black dog, a horrible beast, who grows ever closer, and is only getting more hungry...

"Four Past Midnight." Each novella comes complete with a brief introduction. Stephen King. The master of the horror genre. Stephen King's "Four Past Midnight"--a stellar read, captivating and unforgettably chilling...

Rating:
Summary: Stephen King on autopilot
Review: Stephen King is a great storyteller. He comes up with a simple conflict between a group of characters and something powerfully evil, the he gives you just enough information to keep you turning the pages. As soon as he explains the last hint, he's given you a new one. The story unfolds at the perfect pace and you don't want to stop reading.

But when he begins the story with a bad premise --- a conflict between ordinary people and something that ISN'T SCARY --- his storytelling ability just isn't enough. This book has four examples of Stephen King at his worst, trying to scare you with bad ideas like

hungry red beachballs that eat reality
a stalker who wants to kill the writer who plagiarized him
a librarian from Hell
a haunted Polaroid camera

Then add a string of characterizations that would get a creative writing student kicked out of class. A British character, for example, talks about 'bobbies,' tea time, and the IRA. Can you say 'stereotype'? Then there's the guy in The Library Policeman who tells his tale of being seduced by a demon librarian and paying for it by drinking a lot of beer for the next twenty years. It has to be the worst excuse for alcoholism I've ever heard.

Add the strange reference to red licorice (which somehow hurts demon librarians), the Library Policeman who talks with a terrifying lisp (I'm not kidding), and a camera that summons a demon dog if you take too many pictures. Wow, this is a BAD book. Worst of all is Stephen King's obsession with broken marriages. If a character gets divorced, his life goes into a tailspin. King describes his grief in great detail, as if ending a marriage is the most devastating blow a person can experience.

If you want to chart the decline of Stephen King, this book marks the beginning of his worst period. His first five or six books were written in a unique all-American style, and the stories were so well-told that he turned the horror genre into a minor book industry. Then he decided that every idea he came up with --- no matter how boring or mundane --- could be turned into a terrifying threat. This guy looks at his toaster and thinks "I've got a GREAT idea for a new book. The Toaster from Hell!"

Avoid this book. If you have to read Stephen King, go back to the novels that were based on scary ideas: vampires, a haunted hotel, the end of the world. If you read this, you'll just read the work of a man who has run out of ideas, but still has enthusiasm for telling stories. You'll laugh long before anything scares you.

Rating:
Summary: Its okay!
Review: The book is kinda okay. The 1st story "The GangolierS" is pretty amazing!! I liked the way the story kept me entertained. I was totally hooked onto the book, was trying to read it at a maddening pace :).

The other 3 stories are not really that great. You might want to read them if you are out of books to read. Otherwish nuuhhh!

Rating:
Summary: The good & the bad
Review: This is a good read. No doubt about it that King is one of the greatest writers of his genre.

The first two stories "THE LANGOLIERS" and "SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN" are great stories. However, "The Sun Dog" seems a bit sloppy in the story plot. King didn't even bother to craft it more delicately. He seemed just tried to make it to the print.

Rating:
Summary: The good & the bad
Review: This is a good read. No doubt about it that King is one of the greatest writers of his genre.

The first two stories "THE LANGOLIERS" and "SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN" are great stories. However, "The Sun Dog" seems a bit sloppy in the story plot. King didn't even bother to craft it more delicately. He seemed just tried to make it to the print.