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Summary: Stephen King's Skeleton Crew Will Chill..If You Want It To
Review: Stephen King is truly an imaginative and unique writer; sometimes making the simple things of everyday life seem dark and menacing. While Night Shift has to be his best short story collection, Skeleton Crew also has a few gems worth reading. It opens with "The Mist", this collection's novella that succeeds in keeping your attention, this time the villian is a mysterious fog..sounds goofy, but surprisingly its not. However, it's not one of those stories you would read again-like "Children of the Corn" from Night Shift. Then we have "Here There Be Tygers" which is pretty creepy just in its childhood fear of schools and teachers. "The Monkey" is one of the best in my opinion, just because I think those toys are scary! LOL!! "Cain Rose Up" is shocking, "For Owen" is an excellent poem about adolescence-which is in no way scary. Most of the stories seem to be free of any real horror, leaving the option to be scared or be challenged up to the reader. That's what sets Crew apart from most King works. Each story is compelling, whether you are hiding under the covers one minute or laughing hysterically the next. I think the choice is ours.
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Summary: Get a Stephen King "Quick Fix"
Review: Most book critics are less than enthusiastic over Stephen King's short story collections; but if you're a fan, youprobably don't much care. If you haven't read any of King's books, then this collection is the perfect medium for an introduction not only to the Master of Horror, but also to fiction writing at its finest. Whether you're looking for entertainment, or for a crash-course in superior writing technique, Skeleton Crew is well worth a look. The stories range from the eerie to the unsettling to the downright terrifying. What makes them so effective is their believability; the mundane "family-next-door" quality that so many of King's characters possess. These are not the brilliant lawyers, hard-boiled private eyes or blushing debutantes that form the character base of so much of today's popular fiction. King's characters are regular folks conducting their day-to-day lives in the same way we all do, and it is this quality which reaches into your imagination and takes hold of your personal fears with a grip hard to shake loose. "The Mist" is the signature piece of this collection. More of a novella, it is so poignantly authentic in its creation that you cannot help seeing your own family, summer cottage and small town as the cast and character of the tale. The pace of the story is akin to the snowball rolling downhill; slow and benign at first, speeding up to a pitch that is maniacal and devastating, testing the limits of your sanity. Whether you're looking for your next Stephen King fix, or just a shot of pure adrenaline riding the crest of crisp prose, this book is for you!
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Summary: Classic King
Review: Read this book if you have any interest in King what-so-ever.His short stories...though many aren't all that short...each have a different flavor, a different set of characters, and range from touching to chilling. Some favorites: "The Mist", (could have been sold by itself) "Word Processor of the Gods", "Survivor Type", "Gramma", and, of course, "The Raft". For some reason, I remember seeing The Raft, or a version there-of, on cable TV years and years ago as a kid. Scared me then, scared me more now reading it! A few of the stories fall somewhat flat (Uncle Otto's Truck...lame...sorry...), but you get something different with each...including a writing style. I bet Koontz wishes he could say that. This indeed ranks up among King's best. Just read it already.
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Summary: Worth it for "The Mist" alone
Review: If you're the sort of person who likes the best story in the least amount of time, then this book is an excellent anthology of some of King's greatest short stories. The flagship story is "The Mist", which starts innocently enough and builds (in typical King fashion) to absolute terror. Don't read "The Mist" before you go to sleep.
Oftentimes, while reading this book, you'll think to yourself "where does this guy come up with these ideas?" The plots of such stories as "here there be tygers" and "morning deliveries" will leave you scratching your head until it is raw and bleeding.
Of special note is the story "Survivor Type". Here, a man washes up on the shore of a tiny, barren island, and his struggle to survive always leaves you guessing as to what's coming up next. Great stories, and a great book. Another excellent job by Stephen King.
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Summary: If You Only Read One Collection In <insert timeframe here>
Review: This book was the very first thing I ever read by King, and it truly convinced me he wasn't just another horrible, talentless, light-faire and no-brains-necissary commercial writer (ok, no names, but some initials of such writers are: MHC and DS.) This collection blew me away with it's variety and wonderful stories. To date, this is the only true Short Story collection of King's I have read (aside from a handful of stories from Nightmares & Dreamscapes, which didn't even compare.) The book opens with a lengthy (140ish page) story called The Mist; while a bit hard on one's suspention of disbelief, I loved it and felt it was a strong story. Other stories that really stuck in my mind and won't dislodge themselves are Gramma, The Monkey, Nona, Here There Be Tigers (very short and childish, but appealing in a way I can't quite put my finger on), The Raft, and Mrs. Todd's Shortcut. This is just naming a few of the stories I felt were above and beyond. Very seldom do I read an anthology or collection with such a high percentage of stories I like. Of course, like any such book, it has its duds, but they are few and far between. This is a great introduction to King, and a must-read collection if you're already a fan.
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Summary: A Few Low Points, But Mainly Great Stuff
Review: I guess there's something for everyone in "Skeleton Crew," - or at least for most people. The book contains a few tales where, as King himself puts it in one of his other short-story anthologies, "things happen just because they happen." In other words, impossible (or maybe just improbable) things become possible, and even frequent. Stories like this in "Skeleton Crew" include "The Mist," "Here There Be Tygers" and "The Raft." Interestingly enough, these are three of my favourites. I was a bit disappointed by the end of "The Mist," with a proper ending and more detail in between, it could've been a standalone novella. As it is, the ending leaves a lot - too much, in my opinion - to the imagination. We want to know what happens in the end, but that's largely unexplained. Still, it's a great story. "The Raft" is simply King at his gruesome, unforgiving best. Stories like "Here There Be Tygers" and "Cain Rose Up" held my interest, but at the end I found myself thinking "What's he trying to say with this?" In my opinion, there are no outright stinkers in the bunch, although I would say my least favourite is the sci-fi attempt "Beachworld." Another that I liked less was "The Reach." On the other hand, my favourite story of all is the other one with a sci-fi feel, called "The Jaunt." Some have called it a cautionary tale, I call it just plain brilliant. In my opinion, it's got some of the funnier moments of the whole book, but these are contrasted with some of the most frightening, which is what makes the story superior. Highly recommend it. In fact I highly recommend the whole collection.
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Summary: Great read!
Review: As someone who's read almost every Stephen King book, I can safely say that his short story collections are by far the best things he's ever done. If you liked "Night Shift", you will definitely like this. This book is packed with great stories, but the best in my opinion have to be The Mist, The Raft, The Jaunt, and Survivor Type. The Mist is probably the longest entry (it's actually more of a novella than a short story), but I guarantee you that it will be well worth it. You'll freak out the next time you're driving in heavy fog. One word of caution, however: most of the stories in this book are great, but there are some bad ones. I would STRONGLY recommend skipping "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet", because it is EXTREMELY long and goes absolutely nowhere. King also wrote some poems which he threw in that don't really serve a purpose, so I'd skip those as well. The rest are well worth the read.
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Summary: PACKED WITH GREAT SHORT STORIES! ESPECIALLY "THE MIST"
Review: Stephen King's best book yet! One of the stories in the book, "The Mist", is the best short story I've ever read! King is a genius story-teller, and any Stephen King fan will love this book! 5 stars all the way!
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Summary: Creepy, creepier, creepiest.....oo ee oo
Review: Before I shifted in literary tastes from mostly science fiction and fantasy to Tom Clancy-style military thrillers, I was a regular reader of Stephen King's macabre masterpieces. I have about two-thirds of his literary output, and if books were not as expensive now I'd still be a regular reader of King's works. One of my favorite books by Steve-o is Skeleton Crew, his second collection of short stories, including the novella "The Mist." And as in any collection of short fiction, some of the 22 stories stand head and shoulders above the rest. The creepiest, by far, is "The Mist," which begins with, as in all good King works, with a seemingly normal event (a storm) and a routine occurrence (a trip to the supermarket) and slowly but surely morphs into a situation which becomes scarier as the story progresses. While not wanting to give anything away, I can tell you this much -- I'll never go to the Kash n' Karry and look at it quite the same way again, particularly in the spaghetti sauce section. "Survivor Type" is King's take on Robinson Crusoe. Its protagonist is Richard Pine, a surgeon who, unfortunately, has also been involved in the narcotics "business." Now, after he is shipwrecked and marooned on a desert isle, Pine is forced to face his inner demons and, by the way, cope with the problem of what to eat in a place where there is no viable food source. Suffice it to say that in his desperation he will have to use his surgical training to solve this dicey problem. While there are other stories that give me the willies, I am always drawn to "Word Processor of the Gods." I first read it before I ever owned -- or even used -- a personal computer, and its premise involving a word processor with supernatural powers, while silly on the surface, was very compelling to me as an aspiring writer. King asks: What if you simply typed a sentence like "I wish I were married to the loveliest, kindest person on earth," and by pressing ENTER, it came true? Maybe in the hands of a lesser writer the premise is silly, but King tells his story with a fine balance of spookiness and wit. The closing paragraph is a gem. The beauty of an anthology like Skeleton Crew is that you can read as much or as little of it as you like, choosing whatever story strikes your fancy at any given moment. If you are a newcomer to King's storytelling and don't want to commit yourself to a major novel such as IT or The Stand, this is a fine place to start.
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Summary: King opens the gate
Review: Skeleton crew is a highly recommendable collection of short stories by Stephen King, including a large variety of little masterpieces that are worth reading more than once. More than anything, the novella "The mist" makes this book a must-buy for any serious horror fan. It is not typical Stephen King, miles away from "Christine", "Cujo", "Salem's Lot" and even "The Shining", it is, apart from some short stories, Stephen King's darkest, most hopeless, and most cosmic story ever. It is in every sense lovecraftian without even mentioning one of the usual prerequisites, but combines Lovecraft's concept of cosmic alienation with all the merits of Stephen King's fine writing: a detailed and sympathetic characterisation of his protagonists and antagonists, a good sense of black humour, an action-packed plot and some delvings into the funny horror of old school splatter movies (among many others). "The mist" tells about the dire adventures of a bunch of Mainers (of course) caught in a supermarket and confronted with the unknown and utterly alien, told from the perspective of a family father. The horror is generated on several levels, by the mysterious "mist" that traps the people (and for which a good 1950'ies horror movie explanation is provided) which creates an eerie atmosphere of constant threat, by the creatures that inhabit it (which range from the ridiculous to the awe-inspiring), and particularly by the behaviour of the people that are confronted with supreme horrors, and which slowly but constantly go nuts one after the other. It is easily one of Stephen Kings masterpieces and easily outshines any of the other stories in the collection -well done as they are. It is more lovecraftian than anything Derleth, Carter or Lumley ever wrote, because it understands the cosmological concept. H. P. L. always raged about what would happen if the gates to the outer spheres are opened. Stephen King shows it and leaves no (or, at best, a pathetic) hope for mankind. To put it in one word: brilliant. If King wouldn't have written anything else, this book would secure him a place among the masters of weird fiction.
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