This One Is Mostly A Book Review

All right, this is a really long one, because it includes a story by story review of You Like it Darker so I’m not going to add a whole lot of other stuff on the front end. Life has been relatively good, with the exception of the fact that I am limping a bit today. We have someone coming out in a few days to look at our a/c and they will require access to the attic. This means I need to pull out all of the Christmas stuff I have stored there.

No, silly. The Halloween stuff still takes up an entire storage unit.

Anyway, we have two ladders — a super extendo-ladder that can reach up to the roof of our old (two story) house but which is heavy as hell and a cheaper but shorter one. Well, we used to have two ladders. We got rid of the cheap one after it bent on me yesterday, leaving me swinging from the attic access only to drop down and land poorly, hence the ankle.

Listening to: White Trash Zombie Unchained. Given everything that’s going on in the world, I decided I needed something a little lighter. If you haven’t read any of the White Trash Zombie books by Diana Rowland, you should get on that. They are a great mix of humor, horror, and action written by a genuinely stellar person.

And yes, our Halloween dragon is named after her. IYKYK.

Currently Reading: I’m splitting time between the Maybe pile from the submissions and The Drowning House. I really want to get that review written before the release day next week. I’m a big fan of everything Cherie Priest writes — speaking of genuinely nice people. Remind me to tell you about the first panel I ever moderated at Penguicon sometime.

Current Obsession: Trying to be online without doomscrolling.

We had a great time at the Sinister Swap Meet last weekend. Thank you to the Flint Monster Society for putting it on and to everyone who came in out of the heat to say hello and pick up some great horror stuff.

We will not be vending at Festival of Books in Eastern Market this Sunday, but the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers will, so you should definitely go down and check them out.

The big news is that it is now possible to get analog (paperback) copies of all Dragon’s Roost Press titles without ordering from Amazon or coming out to see us in person (although we do like it when you come to see us in person). The great people at Splatter Theatre have given us our own page. This means savings for you and better returns for our authors. Check it out here.

If you follow me over on Goodreads, you’ve already seen the generic portion of the review. Skip down to triple asterisks.

I was pleased when I learned that Stephen King’s newest book was titled You Like It Darker. While I appreciate a good mystery as much as the next person, I was more than happy to delve into something a little more…well, as the title says, darker.

The book contains a dozen pieces of various lengths (five listed as novellas, seven as short stories). As can be expected, there are some connections to previous works including Cujo and Duma Key. A number of the stories are set during COVID which lends to a more authentic feel to the pieces (and which personally increased the creep factor). There are also a couple of themes which appear in a few of the stories — questionably creepy elders connecting to young people, crooked and/or obsessive police officers, and the debate between free will and determinism among them.

For the most part, the stories deliver what the title promises, dark bits of fiction to keep one up at night. While not his darkest work, it is for the most part a happy return to form.

A note on the audio version: Most of the book is narrated by Will Patton, with the author narrating a few of the stories himself. While Patton does an excellent job of conveying tone and characters, his volume has a tendency to dip which may make it difficult for those listening while doing other things or driving.

In case you are interested in more detailed look at each story, read on. Don’t worry, this is a spoiler free zone.

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Synopsis Protagonist Mark Carmody is caring for his father — bestselling author Laird Carmody. While Laird no longer gives interviews, he is persuaded to talk to Ruth Crawford, a reporter writing a piece with a novel slant: How did the small town of Harlow, Maine produce two extremely talented creatives (Liard and his artist friend David “Butch” LaVerdiere)? Mark discovers his father's notes detailing something which happened to the two men long ago which may have altered their futures.

My Take I enjoyed this story, especially the examination of the creative process with all of its frustrations and self-doubt. Does talent come from within or without? Bonus points for having a character share her name with The Mrs.

Synopsis An old man, Harold Jamieson, is sitting in Central Park when he is approached by a stranger working through the Twelve Steps. Harold agrees to listen to him confess his misdeeds.

My Take While the narrative is compelling, I found the twist ending to be rather lack-luster. This one didn’t really feel like a King story to me so much as something that anyone could have written. One of the weaker entries in the book.

Synopsis Willie is a young boy who everyone, including his family, think is weird. This creepy child shares a bond with his equally creepy adopted grandfather. He delights in listening to the violent tales that his grandfather tells, impossible claims of being at various historical events. As the grandfather gets closer to death, Willie soaks up his favorite stories.

My Take The second “twistish ending,” and while the ending doesn’t really have much of a gut punch, I found this story to be far more unnerving than “The Fifth Step.” Willie comes off as a sociopath in training and the grandfather just leaves the reader wanting to take a shower. Very disturbing in the best way.

Synopsis The titular character is a high school janitor who dreams of a dead body being savaged by a stray dog. Unlike normal dreams, this one stays with him, unnerving Coughlin until he is forced to research the area. He discovers the body and attempts to call it in anonymously but soon becomes the primary suspect for the murder. The lead investigator, Franklin Jalbert, becomes obsessed with Coughlin, refusing to believe in the dream explanation. Coughlin must try to prove his innocence agains someone willing to do anything to put him in jail.

My Take While possibly a bit overlong, this is a nice piece of crime fiction with a noirish feel. King does an excellent job making the reader hate Jalbert. It was difficult not to feel helpless right along with Coughlin. This is a contender for the best in the collection.

Synopsis Finn Murrie is the poster child for the phrase “if it wasn’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all.” By the time he reaches his teens he’s had numerous scrapes and run ins including close calls with cherry bombs and lightning strikes. One unfortunate evening he is mistaken for another person and abducted. He endures torture from members of a mysterious organization.

My Take This was another story which felt like it could have been written by anyone. The main character is a bit flat and the events are odd. On the plus side, there are some bits of humor which lighten things nicely. I also liked the ending (and I won’t give that away).

Synopsis Three generations of the Brown family are crammed into an old station wagon on the way to visit a dying family member when they encounter trouble on the back roads. A nod to “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”

My Take Even though we had something out of Chekhov’s closet, this was still an enjoyable ride. It was nice to see the reactions of the different generational representatives and how the story would play out.

Synopsis A police detective ruminates on how his spouse has been more irate recently, then interrogates a suspect who claims that his own wife was replaced by a nagging alien. The proof of this is the red screen flashing on a piece of technology.

My Take This is one more of a concept than a full on story. It has the basis for something, but doesn’t delve deep enough.

Synopsis Craig Dixon receives an emergency call requesting the he report for a specific flight. He reluctantly agrees. We meet his seat-mates. The plane encounters clear air turbulence and both Dixon and one of people near-by have visions of the plane crashing.

My Take This is my second time with “The Turbulence Expert” as I read it when it was originally published in Flight or Fright (which I read on an airplane because sometimes I’m just not that bright). The story still holds up based on its original concept and striking visuals.

Synopsis Lloyd Sunderland is trying to come to grips with life after the death of his wife. His sister, hoping to break him of his depression, gives him a dog to take care of. We then follow Lloyd and Laurie (the dog) as they bond and eventually encounter an alligator.

My Take Let me start out by stating that animals are a commitment, and should not be given as surprise pets. That being said, this is a touching, if horror-free story of a man learning to care for a dog. Also, given the fact that this is a King story, the reader spends most of the time thinking “you better not kill the dog.”

Synopsis Vic Trenton, father of Tad and husband of Donna from Cujo finds himself in Florida as the COVID pandemic starts to ramp up. He meets Alita Bell, an old woman who lost her children to rattlesnakes when they were toddlers but who still pushes them around in an empty pram decades. After her death, Vic appears to have inherited what may be ghost children.

My Take This is another strong contender for creepiest of the bunch. This one felt like a bit of classic King with a lot of characterization thrown into the mix. Sure, it could be just a story of a man inheriting a haunting, but it hits harder because the loyal reader known what Vic has gown through losing his own son. The backstory, including the time between the end of Cujo and now gives the current predicament depth, as does our second obsessive cop of the collection. King also taps into the feeling of being trapped by the pandemic that is still in the back of everyone's mind.

Scroll down for a spoilerific comment.

Synopsis A young man, William Davis, becomes the stenographer for a scientist who is researching dreams with the aid of narcotics. Subjects are administered Flurazepam and then told to concentrate on a picture of a red house and given instructions about what to do if they see it in their dreams. After half a dozen subjects and various levels of success, the seventh subject not only taps into something, but brings it back with him.

My Take This one is a fun and eerie nod to Lovecraft which I enjoyed. But then, I would, wouldn’t I?

Synopsis This novella spans roughly 60 years of the life of Phil Parker, from recent law school graduate through marriage, fatherhood, WW2, his career, and the loss of various family members. Over this span, Parker meets the “Answer Man” three times. Each time he is given a limited amount of time to ask questions and receive their answers. Parker uses these answers to guide his future and come to grips with various aspects of his life.

My Take This is a strong story with a very unsettling feeling. On one level it is the story of a man’s life, the choices he makes, and the joys and hardships he encounters. At the same time it is an exploration of fate, life, and mortality. This is all wrapped up in a classic bit of small town life that we have come to expect from Mr. King. While not the scariest story, it is the most moving of the collection.

Final Take Away This is a solid four out of five from me. While not all of the stories are home runs, there are no real strike-outs here.

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Is King saying “yeah, I let Laurie live, but I did write some seriously fucked up shit about a dog man.”