Rating: 
Summary: Still not his best
Review: As a dedicated Stephen King fan, I was somewhat ambivalent about this book after I finished it. To its credit, there are a few good stories to be told here, but there are just as many truly awful ones that probably never ought to have seen print. You can see what King would later become, but those spots can seem few and far between when you're mired in the desperate struggle to understand The Lawnmower Man. But, specifically:Jerusalem's Lot--Talk about a confusing title. Named after another book that he had already published and written a sequel story to in this volume, this story has nothing whatsoever to do with 'Salem's Lot. It's a pretty good indicator of the overall quality of the book, though he doesn't stay true to the letter based format that he opens with, and would have been just as well served by a narrative. Graveyard Shift--I don't understand any of the motivations here, and that ruins the story for me. The incipid hatred between the protagonist and the foreman seems utterly baseless. C+ at best. Night Surf--Is it just me, or didn't stories used to have beginnings, middles, and ends? This is a middle without anything around it. Add to that the fact that it's basically a precursor to the Stand (note that in the Stand, the disease didn't originate in the wild), and you've got some confusion. Nonetheless, it is reminiscent of the events of the first half of that great book, and can be recommended on that basis. I Am The Doorway--Okay, now here we have a relatively unoriginal concept (being taken over by forces you can't control) given a nice new twist. One of the better efforts. The Mangler--Oh look, more confusion--it's the Blue Ribbon Laundry from Roadwork. Just another argument for reading this before you start any of King's other work, I suppose. All the same, while this story is certainly implausible and a little hard to grab hold on, it's not bad. B. The Boogeyman--This is a fan favorite, but not so much one of mine. It probably is the best achievement of the book--it just doesn't rub me the right way. Nonetheless, it is still an excellent piece of short fiction. A. Gray Matter--I wasn't really satisfied with this. The sort of King short stories that I prefer are the ones that are remotely plausible--this one is not. It's adequate fiction, but nothing to write home about. B. Battleground--First of two absolutely idiotic pieces of prose. It reads like the script to a bad animated horror movie. F. Trucks--Worst story ever for King, bar none. This is so implausible as to be laughable, if it weren't told with such a serious and grounded tone. Obviously the precursor to Christine (a much better book), this story lacks any of the reasoning or thought that was put into that work. Trucks go crazy and kill people and nobody knows why...oh well, you can't win them all. F-. Sometimes They Come Back--Now we're back into the swing of things. This story is a lot better than the others to date, and contains a lot of the character development King's fans have come to expect of him. The ending fizzles a little, but it's not the worst. A-. Strawberry Spring--Here, King manages to write a story with good atmosphere, characterization, and plot. Unlike a similar story (The Man Who Loved Flowers), he also avoids sounding as though he's imitating Poe in the process. Probably the best story in the book, and certainly one of the best closing lines in King history. A+ The Ledge--I just like realistic Stephen King; that's probably why Hearts In Atlantis is my favorite story from him yet. This is a nice story that stays at a good constant emotional level and gives exactly the right amount of backstory and development. A. The Lawnmower Man--All that I can say is, "Huh?" I read this story three times in a row and I still don't understand what any of it means. This reads like something a drunken frat boy wrote after he got done watching the Exorcist and eating a salad. F-. Quitters, Inc.--It amazes me that fewer people have examined what this story has to say about the process of kicking an addiction to begin with. As a story, it's still wonderful, and as an examination of addiction, it's even better. A+. I Know What You Need--Just what everyone is most afraid of--meeting somebody who's absolutely perfect for them. No, wait a second...I was disappointed with this, not only because it seems rather implausible (even in a fantastic reality), but also because the reversal occurs a little too quickly and the primary villain in insufficiently dealt with. D-. Children of the Corn--This is okay. Not good, not bad, but okay. C. The Last Rung on the Ladder--So many people are going to be disappointed with this story because it has absolutely nothing to do with horror. All the same, it's the best story in the book, and it really carries an emotional whallop that you might not be used to finding in King. This is reminiscent of his pathos at its best (see Pet Semetary). A+. The Man Who Loved Flowers--This story is fairly hackneyed, but still well done. For some reason, it reminded me of Poe, though he wasn't famous for his plot turns. Compared to the other big twist story, this one is executed better, but lacks the well developed atmosphere. A-. One For the Road--Here's the REAL sequel to 'Salem's Lot, which unfortunately spends a lot of energy to go absolutely nowhere. D+. The Woman in the Room--He doesn't end on his best, but he doesn't end with his worst, either. It's fairly well told, I suppose, but the subject matter is nothing new, which translates to nothing impressive. C+.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen King in the raw
Review: This collection of stories was published when King was still early in his career. Most of them are very frightening. "The Bogeyman", which I first read when I was 12 will make you think twice about leaving the closet door open at night was especially good. "Strawbery Spring" has a horrifying twist ending and "I am the Doorway" has an echo 20 years later in King's book Dreamcatcher. Read the introduction by John MacDonald and the foreward by King himself. In light of what life was to throw at King in later years both are fascinating.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW!! Stephen King is the master of horror!!!
Review: I just got "Night Shift", and it is truly one of the best collections of short stories I have ever read. All of these are classic stories, absolutely bone-chilling. I read "The Boogieman" last night before going to bed, and I was scared to turn out the light. I kept looking towards the closet, expecting the Boogieman to pop out of it and eat me at any moment. "Graveyard Shift" is also one of my favorites, as are the two gems titled "Jerusalem's Lot" and "Gray Matter." I don't care how old you are or what type of books you prefer reading; this book will have you rivited by the first paragraph. Kings writing is superb. Go to the nearest bookstore and buy this collection of short stories by the Master of Horror. I can garuantee you it is worth it!!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent collection of short stories
Review: To start things off, I was really pleased with this particular book. I don't usually like to read a book of short stories, probably because there isn't nearly enough detail. As a matter of fact, one of the only reasons I actually picked it up is because of the stories that were listed...Children of the Corn, Graveyard Shift, and Sometimes They Come Back might sound a bit familiar (i.e.-movies that have been made). Nevetheless, I wholly approved of The Night Shift, and I recommend it to anyone that likes to read King's works. :)
Rating:
Summary: I love it.
Review: If you weren't thrilled with Kings latest big books, Nightshift is just what you need. These short gems are King in his prime. They're scary and they have don't try too hard like Bag of Bones, Tom Gordon or the really unfortuneate Hearts in Atlantis. If you are waiting for King to "come home" re-read or read for the first time this incredibly scary collection.
Rating:
Summary: JUST FINISHED READING 1 WEEK AGO...
Review: and I had a hard time putting it down. I really liked it. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellant Horror Book!
Review: Stephen King definetly is the master of macabre. This book proves it the best. This happens to be my favorite King book, and for good reasons. First of all, the stories in this short story masterpiece are the best. I think two or more have been made into films, but you have to read them. If you want a great stephen King book, look no farther than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reading for late nights and rainy days
Review: I am a big fan of Stephen King...but I must admit this is one of my favorite books. It's full of great short stories. It's the kind of book that has you looking around the room in the still of the night!!
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Batch
Review: I figured that I would try the Short Story route with Mr. King the second time around. Although there are some very good stories, there are a few clunkers which just did not maintain my interest. Jerusalem's Lot just never seemed to grab my attention and merely seemed to be a blah blah blah in my memory blanks. Night Surf does not say anything of consequence and Trucks is incredibly insane where nothing connects. It just seems as if the Trucks go crazy destroying everything yet how does one man even attempt to defuel them. Maybe I am not getting this one but I'm sure others feel the same. Quitters, Inc. leaves a good message in between the horror stating that you must have a strong willed attitude when you committ to doing something. The Ledge is another winner where control is a key element and strength of character perserveres. The imagery of the spooky town and blood sucking vampires is very captivating in One For The Road. I Know What You Need and The Man Who Loved Flowers are interesting especially for those of us who are looking for love and tired of being told "I am seeing someone else." Last Rung On The Ladder and The Woman In The Room deal with some sad issues involving family that people need to deal with better. If nothing else, the vivid horrific imagery of Stephen King makes this collection a good read. Even on some of the middle of the road stories such as The Mangler, Battleground, and Children Of The Corn, the various scenes are fairly captivating even if the overall plot is questionable. Combine this with several captivating stories and a few clunkers, a 3 1/2 star grade seems about fair.
Rating:
Summary: You and I. Let's sit down, and talk about Night Shift.
Review: For those of you who don't know, this is how Stephen King begins the introduction to this little collection. Only he says he wants to talk about fear. And talking about fear indeed. I think horror films/books generally exist on three levels. First, it's just physical horror (B movies, for example) -- two headed monsters, animated corpses, etc. Could be thrilling if managed correctly, but can never leave a lasting impression on an adult's mind. Second, it's some sort of attempt to present the fear and the darkness both inside the character's mind and externally. More sophisticated than the first level, but if presented clumsily, could turn into ridiculous self-rightous preaching (some guy named Dean for example -- yeah, you know who you are). The highest level, however, is the perfect synthesis, the fusion, of the external and internal darkness. This is the level of mastery that King has demonstrated in this collection of short stories. Not all stories are equally excellent in this regard (some, such as the Lawnmower Man, are essentially "first-level" stories). But here are the few that I think are the shining jewels of that rare third-level achievement: Graveyard Shift, Boogeyman, and The Woman in the Room. Graveyard Shift, for example, superficially is about a group of workers going down to the basement of a factory to do clean up and encounter deformed and murderous rats. But the entire storyline is an excellent metaphor: going down the ladder of the human psyche, trying to "clean up," but finding darker and darker things lurking down there, things that have eluded the light of nature, of society, and meanwhile have mutated and transformed into horrible nightmares. The same applies for Boogeyman, where the true horror that is lurking beneath is not so much the monster that jumps out of the closet, but the lack of courage of people to confront their fears, and consequently they get trapped by such fear. Finally, The Woman in the Room brings the collection to a climax. In the introduction written by himself, King says that ultimately all fears are really fear of death. This is just such a story -- the fear, the suffering, the terror of death -- all the excruciating details carefully drawn out, that one trembles to even look at them. There are some other excellent stories as well, such as Quitters Inc. (a sinister service company), The Ledge (graphic description of fear of height), and Last Rung on the Ladder (heartwrenching, but I don't think really qualify as a horror story). Even though they don't quite achieve the lofy heights of the first three mentioned here, they are still very good readings. Yes, there are a few stinkers, such as Night Surf and The Lawnmower Man, but overall this is defintely recommended.
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