by Stephen King
"You like it darker? Fine, so do I," writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel "the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind," and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
"Two Talented Bastids" explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream," a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny's most catastrophically. In "Rattlesnakes," a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In "The Dreamers," a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. "The Answer Man" asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King's ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
"You like it darker? Fine, so do I," writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel "the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind," and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
"Two Talented Bastids" explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream," a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny's most catastrophically. In "Rattlesnakes," a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In "The Dreamers," a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. "The Answer Man" asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King's ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
Reviews-
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March 1, 2024
Tucked away in King's new collection of a dozen stories, many published here for the first time, is a previously unpublished novella that is, quite simply, a small masterpiece. "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" features some of the author's most compelling characters: Danny, whose frighteningly real dream upends his life; Jalbert, a detective whose obsession with Danny borders on the delusional; Davis, Jalbert's partner, who struggles to believe the unbelievable. This absolutely spellbinding tale, all by itself, is worth the price of admission. But there's so much more, stories about love, loss, tragedy, resilience, and--this is Stephen King, after all--unearthly creatures and the strange, unpredictable overlap between this world and another. A character from a classic early King novel makes a welcome return, too, in a beautifully imagined tale that will move readers to tears. This book features some of the author's most engaging writing ("There's plenty of get-along between them, but love ain't in it"). King's first book, Carrie, was published 50 years ago. He's had a remarkable career, and You Like It Darker proves that he is still at the height of his powers. A triumph.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With so many new and exceptional stories, this collection will have King's legions of fans clamoring.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Starred review from April 1, 2024
In King's (The Bazaar of Bad Dreams) new collection of short stories, a rogue scientist tries to peer past the boundaries of the world by hypnotizing "The Dreamers"; "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" becomes a nightmare when a police officer mistakes Danny for the murderer of a young woman; and the son of a famous author discovers how his father's writing talent blossomed in midlife in "Two Talented Bastids." There's also a young lawyer in the 1930s who is trying to determine whether he should work at his family's white-shoe law firm or open his own small practice; he's lucky enough to fall into a fold of space and time to find "The Answer Man." In fact, the lawyer will come to find the Answer Man three times in his life; will he like the answers he hears? Meanwhile, in "Rattlesnake," the Constant Readers bump into a character from Cujo long after the events of that book, who is trying to outrun his own ghosts and the ghosts of others. VERDICT King explains in an afterword to the collection that short stories are hard for him to write, but readers will be thrilled by these tales. Some of the stories are darker and more poisonous than others, but they all have that King touch.--Jennie Mills
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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May 1, 2024
A dozen tales from the master of creepiness. Do you like your short stories on the dark side? Enjoy having eerie images and unsettling plot points turn your dreams into nightmares? Take pleasure in jumping at shadows and feeling your heart beat faster after nightfall? If so, this beefy new collection is for you. In a dozen stories--some considerably longer than others--spanning about 500 pages, King gives the reader a host of things to fear: deadly snakes, ghoulish ghosts of long-dead children, man-eating alligators, stealthy serial killers, plummeting airplanes, mad scientists, mistaken identity. Along the way, he also offers insights about, among other things, the fickleness of talent, the power and pathos of unrealized dreams, the pain and pleasure of relationships, and the meaning and meaninglessness of life and, of course, death. In "Two Talented Bastids," the son of a famous writer seeks out the source of his father's success as well as that of his father's best friend, an artist--and confronts his own limitations. In "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream," a man's dream about a dead body turns into a living nightmare of suspicion and disbelief. "The Answer Man" explores the value of knowing your future; "Rattlesnakes," a sequel to King's bestseller Cujo (1981), the importance of reckoning with the past. And while the book is not without an occasional misstep ("Red Screen," about a cop with a nitpicking perimenopausal wife, say), King's conversational prose, relatable characters, and knack for knowing precisely what you are afraid of will draw you in--page by page, horror by horror--and hold you fast. The disturbing stories in King's latest collection will seep into your psyche and haunt you.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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May 20, 2024
King proves he’s still a master of short fiction in his sterling seventh collection (after The Bazaar of Bad Dreams). Standouts from the five previously unpublished entries include “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” in which the title character has a psychic vision and then accidentally incriminates himself in a murder he didn’t commit, and the eerie yet touching “Two Talented Bastids,” in which a young man discovers the dirty secret that helped his famous father and successful best friend develop their artistic prowess. Among the notable entries previously published elsewhere are “The Fifth Step,” about a recovering alcoholic making amends for his more sinister impulses, and “On Slide Inn Road,” which traces a family’s wrong turn en route to a family reunion in Maine. Themes of fate, morality, and heartache crop up again and again in these tightly coiled tales, and King expertly utilizes them to make every twist of the knife all the more terrifying. This remarkably assured collection will thrill the author’s fans. Agent: Liza Darhansoff, Darhansoff & Verrill.
