Skeleton Crew
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Amazon.co.uk Review
In the introduction to Skeleton Crew, his second collection of stories, King pokes fun at his penchant for "literary elephantiasis," makes scatological jokes about his muse, confesses how much money he makes (gross and net), and tells a story about getting arrested once when he was "suffused with the sort of towering, righteous rage that only drunk undergraduates can feel." He winds up with an invitation to a scary voyage: "Grab onto my arm now. Hold tight. We are going into a number of dark places, but I think I know the way."
And he certainly does. Skeleton Crew contains a superb novella ("The Mist") that alone is worth the price of admission, plus two forgettable poems and 20 short stories on such themes as an evil toy monkey, a human-eating water slick, a machine that avenges murder, and unnatural creatures that inhabit the thick woods near Castle Rock, Maine. The short tales range from simply enjoyable to surprisingly good.
In addition to "The Mist," the real standout is "The Reach," a beautifully subtle story about a great-grandmother who was born on a small island off the coast of Maine and has lived there her whole life. She has never been across "the Reach," the body of water between island and mainland. This is the story that King fans give to their friends who don't read horror in order to show them how literate, how charming a storyteller he can be. Don't miss it. --Fiona Webster --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Liable to leave the reader in a state of shock' (Sunday Telegraph )
'Deliciously scary' (Cosmopolitan )
'As a storyteller King is unbeatable' (Mirror )
'Deliciously scary' (Cosmopolitan )
'As a storyteller King is unbeatable' (Mirror )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is by far the best collection of short stories King has released to date. Don't expect any great literary behemoths (I'm sure you weren't from Stephen King anyway) but do expect excellent, if highly implausible, bedtime tales of horror and fantasy that will both scare the pants off you and fill you with warmth. The Mist is almost a book in its own right and is one of the best things he has written (but it is kind of like the film The Fog). The Reach shows King at his haunting best, the sort of King you find guiding the pen over such excellent stories as The Body (from another excellent anthology of mini novels), Rita Hayworth & Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Inbetween these two masterpieces lie roughly 20 little slices of death that range from all-out horror (Gramma, The Raft) to dabblings in sci-fi (The Jaunt, Wordprocessor of the Gods) to just great little tales of interest (Mrs Todd's Shorcut - one of my favourites - , The Wedding Party and the Ballad of the Flexible Bullet.).
For first timers and constant readers alike.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having read Just after sunset recently, I was eager to read some of Stephen King's earlier short story compilations. With the birth of a new born baby, it was the perfect book to just pick and put down again.
Skeleton Crew consists of a variety of stories that encompass mainly horror tales with the odd sci-fi story thrown in for good measure. The stories also vary wildly in length, from 1 or 2 pages to one novella (the mist).
It is said novella that is the stand out story in the book for me. I had seen the film before reading this collection and so knew all about the Mist and how the end had been tweaked (brilliantly I might add) in the film. Normally, this would mean I would find reading the story a chore. Not so with the Mist. This is one of the best books that Stephen King has written. It is a terrific study of the human psyche under pressure. Atmosphere just oozes of the pages and although I prefer Frank Darabont's conclusion to the tale, Kings works very effectively just the same.
There are other stand outs in Skeleton Crew. The sci-fi story, "the Jaunt" is a superb piece of work, as a man tries to placate his family before the teleport for the first time by telling them out teleportation was invented. The other 10 out of 10 story is "the Raft." 4 friends decided to drunkenly swim out to a raft where they discover a rather unpleasant entity.
Special mention to other very good stories goes to: "Survivor Type," "Gramma" and "Word processor of the Gods."
Most of the other stories fall into the "good" category and there are only a few (mostly the flash fiction pieces) that fail to evoke any sort of emotion.
Overall, Skeleton Crew is a very good collection of stories with a few standouts, that really are top notch writing.
Skeleton Crew consists of a variety of stories that encompass mainly horror tales with the odd sci-fi story thrown in for good measure. The stories also vary wildly in length, from 1 or 2 pages to one novella (the mist).
It is said novella that is the stand out story in the book for me. I had seen the film before reading this collection and so knew all about the Mist and how the end had been tweaked (brilliantly I might add) in the film. Normally, this would mean I would find reading the story a chore. Not so with the Mist. This is one of the best books that Stephen King has written. It is a terrific study of the human psyche under pressure. Atmosphere just oozes of the pages and although I prefer Frank Darabont's conclusion to the tale, Kings works very effectively just the same.
There are other stand outs in Skeleton Crew. The sci-fi story, "the Jaunt" is a superb piece of work, as a man tries to placate his family before the teleport for the first time by telling them out teleportation was invented. The other 10 out of 10 story is "the Raft." 4 friends decided to drunkenly swim out to a raft where they discover a rather unpleasant entity.
Special mention to other very good stories goes to: "Survivor Type," "Gramma" and "Word processor of the Gods."
Most of the other stories fall into the "good" category and there are only a few (mostly the flash fiction pieces) that fail to evoke any sort of emotion.
Overall, Skeleton Crew is a very good collection of stories with a few standouts, that really are top notch writing.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read this book many years ago, and I still enjoy going back and reading a few of the tales. "The Jaunt" still sends a shiver down my spine! Buy and enjoy!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A collection of brilliantly chilling and oddly puzzling stories
This collection of short stories starts off well with the excellent "The Mist" which I can't help wonder if it couldn't have become a novel in it's own right. Read more
Published 16 months ago by "zadunajska8"
very disappointed
This book was advertised as being in very good condition, but was missing it's dust jacket and covered in stains. poor quality and i was disappointed with it.
Published 19 months ago by jo073
Worth having.
King's style slightly annoys me at points - he creates characters who one rarely can sympathize with or feel sorry for, and often one is left actually wanting them to die in... Read more
Published 20 months ago by T. Blackburn
The Mist and Others
I must have read over thirty Stephen King books, which does not make me an expert (he has written over fifty afterall), but I feel that "The Mist" could well be the best thing he... Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2010 by Good Book Fan
Dated but good
Being a King fan, I went back to read an early work. I agree with mist of the other reviews. Stick with his later work.
Published on 17 May 2009 by Dr. Michael J. Atkins
Skeleton Crew
Unusually for genre authors, King has managed to master the short story as well as novel-length fiction. Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2008 by David Brookes
A consistent collection of mostly mediocre stories
One thing I'll give Skeleton Crew is that it is Stephen King's most consistent collection of short stories. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2007 by B. D. Wilson
Collected short stories part 2...
'Skeleton Crew' is Stephen King's second collection of short stories, and perhaps inevitably is slightly weaker than 'Night Shift', consisting as it does of a mix of newer tales... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2007 by Jane Aland
ONE OF THE FEW NOVELS THAT REALLY CHILLS THE BONE...
From the start you know that you are in for another deliciously scary treat from the Master of Horror Stephen King. Read more
Published on 1 May 2001 by kevinhall3@hotmail.com
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