“The Mist” is a novella
May 24, 2024 3:38 PM Subscribe
I really love “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut.” That’s all.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:04 PM on May 24 [13 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:04 PM on May 24 [13 favorites]
The audio narration for Mrs. Todd's Shortcut is delightful as well. That brightness in her voice - so perfect!
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 4:07 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 4:07 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
I didn't realize that 'The Jaunt" was such a perennial fan favorite; I like it a lot, but it's not the first King story I would think of. I guess that's because it's essentially a science fiction story, which isn't really his thing.
It's been a long time since I've read either, but my favorites are probably "One for the Road" and "Nona," the first of which may not be the best Stephen King story, but is, I would argue, the most Stephen King story. I'd also nominate "The End of the Whole Mess," which is certainly too long but nevertheless is built on a terrific story engine that just...oh! Chef's kiss.
I think King's best short stories are probably the cycle collected in The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, which may be cheating to say because I guess it's kind of a novel. I don't think it is, though; there's a hint of cliffhangery serialization toward the end, but to that point it's very much a book of linked stories. I would not be the first to suggest the Dark Tower series goes off the rails (opinions vary on where, exactly, this happens; but the general consensus is, it does), but I would further suggest that the whole series is downhill from here, and if this book had never been followed by a sequel, it would still endure. It might actually be better regarded.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:10 PM on May 24 [2 favorites]
It's been a long time since I've read either, but my favorites are probably "One for the Road" and "Nona," the first of which may not be the best Stephen King story, but is, I would argue, the most Stephen King story. I'd also nominate "The End of the Whole Mess," which is certainly too long but nevertheless is built on a terrific story engine that just...oh! Chef's kiss.
I think King's best short stories are probably the cycle collected in The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, which may be cheating to say because I guess it's kind of a novel. I don't think it is, though; there's a hint of cliffhangery serialization toward the end, but to that point it's very much a book of linked stories. I would not be the first to suggest the Dark Tower series goes off the rails (opinions vary on where, exactly, this happens; but the general consensus is, it does), but I would further suggest that the whole series is downhill from here, and if this book had never been followed by a sequel, it would still endure. It might actually be better regarded.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:10 PM on May 24 [2 favorites]
I remember reading the stories in the collection “Night Shift” over and over again trying to make them not be scary. It didn’t work.
posted by chavenet at 4:17 PM on May 24 [9 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 4:17 PM on May 24 [9 favorites]
I remember being scarred the first time I read The Raft. That's an image that will stick with you for a while...
posted by ikahime at 4:33 PM on May 24 [9 favorites]
posted by ikahime at 4:33 PM on May 24 [9 favorites]
Oh, God yes. The original Children of the Corn, for one.
posted by y2karl at 4:33 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
posted by y2karl at 4:33 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
Omg The Raft fucked me right up ughjhhhhhh
posted by supermedusa at 4:35 PM on May 24 [5 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 4:35 PM on May 24 [5 favorites]
First: I like this kind of list a lot better than "the thousand best horror short stories for you to argue over" or whatever! Second: So glad to see "Survivor Type" on the list--plenty of King's stories have stayed with me over the years, but that one has always given me a fiendish delight in how wrong it is. Third: I somehow lost track of King in the very early 2000s and haven't read any of these newer story collections, a problem I must rectify!
posted by mittens at 4:37 PM on May 24 [3 favorites]
posted by mittens at 4:37 PM on May 24 [3 favorites]
I bet 'The Plant' would be on this list. Alas, he's never finished it.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 4:44 PM on May 24
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 4:44 PM on May 24
"1408" and "Crouch End" have got to be two of the scariest things King ever wrote. Glad to see them both represented here.
"At least ghosts were once human."
The older I get, the more I enjoy King's short stories and novella instead of his overlong novels. The guy just works better under restriction.
posted by fortitude25 at 5:02 PM on May 24 [9 favorites]
"At least ghosts were once human."
The older I get, the more I enjoy King's short stories and novella instead of his overlong novels. The guy just works better under restriction.
posted by fortitude25 at 5:02 PM on May 24 [9 favorites]
haven't read any of these newer story collections, a problem I must rectify!
Not represented here, possibly because it’s all novellas, but Full Dark No Stars is really good. Really dark too though, earning the title.
posted by Artw at 5:13 PM on May 24 [5 favorites]
Not represented here, possibly because it’s all novellas, but Full Dark No Stars is really good. Really dark too though, earning the title.
posted by Artw at 5:13 PM on May 24 [5 favorites]
I had NO IDEA Mrs Todd's Shortcut even registered on anyone else's radars except me and my college girlfriend, both of us veteran late-night-drivers-around.
I have always been a big reader, and like a lot of GenX I spent a lot of my tween and teen years fucking myself up on these books my mother happily bought me, but I have never been especially into short stories...except for King's. And I read Skeleton Crew early, I understood before 8-12th grade literature-oriented classes what a short story was and how incredibly powerful the form is in the right hands, but only a few short stories and novellas have held my attention like this.
And just like that, I know what my reading project is for this summer. Might get the audiobooks thanks to Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq., as they're my native format these days, though I dunno...I might actually need that cheap paperback in my hands for these.
It could have only been a few years between starting on King and being introduced to Douglas Adams. The Jaunt is a truly scary story, but now in my head is permanently melded into Adams' Teleportation Blues song.
Just a few weeks ago, we were driving along a reservoir and there was a equipment thingy out in the water that was a cement box with a ladder up the side. Not a raft at all, and yet out of nowhere I muttered, "Fuck that thing" and my husband immediately went, "ugh, raft."
What a strange touchstone. Anyway, thank you Artw for this re-jumpstart.
posted by Lyn Never at 5:44 PM on May 24 [4 favorites]
I have always been a big reader, and like a lot of GenX I spent a lot of my tween and teen years fucking myself up on these books my mother happily bought me, but I have never been especially into short stories...except for King's. And I read Skeleton Crew early, I understood before 8-12th grade literature-oriented classes what a short story was and how incredibly powerful the form is in the right hands, but only a few short stories and novellas have held my attention like this.
And just like that, I know what my reading project is for this summer. Might get the audiobooks thanks to Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq., as they're my native format these days, though I dunno...I might actually need that cheap paperback in my hands for these.
It could have only been a few years between starting on King and being introduced to Douglas Adams. The Jaunt is a truly scary story, but now in my head is permanently melded into Adams' Teleportation Blues song.
Just a few weeks ago, we were driving along a reservoir and there was a equipment thingy out in the water that was a cement box with a ladder up the side. Not a raft at all, and yet out of nowhere I muttered, "Fuck that thing" and my husband immediately went, "ugh, raft."
What a strange touchstone. Anyway, thank you Artw for this re-jumpstart.
posted by Lyn Never at 5:44 PM on May 24 [4 favorites]
A very good list. I'm glad it spends time with his early stories.
posted by doctornemo at 6:24 PM on May 24
posted by doctornemo at 6:24 PM on May 24
If you like these stories, or even a good chunk of them, then it's worth looking up some of King's notes about them, mostly sandwiched in some brief autobiographical writing, which are scattered between some of the collections, his book On Writing, and elsewhere. (King has said that he doesn't remember his childhood well enough to write a popular autobiography; given some of the other things that he's said about his childhood, and hints in some of the stories, maybe that's for the best.) Going through the list, here would be my picks from it:
- "Graveyard Shift": King worked at a fabric mill like that one summer, and didn't get that weekend gig cleaning out the lower levels, but heard stories about the size of the rats from the guys who did, and bumped things up a notch.
- "The Mangler": he also worked in a laundromat.
- "Children of the Corn": people who haven't been to the midwest before are impressed by how much farmland there is. There has to be something out there.
- "The Jaunt": there's an ongoing thread throughout the Star Trek franchise about how their transporters really kill and recreate the people that they teleport; King imagines something even worse.
- "Survivor Type": I wouldn't swear that this must have actually happened--a shipwreck involving a lone surgeon with an ample supply of painkiller (actually heroin) and surgical supplies--but I wouldn't swear that it hasn't.
- "The Raft": this came up in a FanFare post recently, but the original version of this story has been lost--King sent the only copy of the manuscript to a men's magazine, and had to recreate it later--and AFAWK he hasn't been able to locate it if it was published. Or maybe he did, and quietly buried it, because the rewrite was better.
- "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut": already discussed, but I loved the idea that there might be little wormholes in reality, and that driving certain routes, at certain times, under certain circumstances, can actually change you. Hopefully for the better.
- "The Reach": speaking of which, another journey, a final one... or is it?
- "Dolan's Cadillac": the best revenge story ever. Yes, that includes "The Cask of Amontillado."
I'd add: "Here There Be Tygers", "Trucks", "Gray Matter", "The Ledge", "Quitters, Inc." (this one has a queasy fascination because both King and I are in recovery), "Gramma", and "Beachworld". A couple of the more recent collections are in The Pile.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:41 PM on May 24 [6 favorites]
- "Graveyard Shift": King worked at a fabric mill like that one summer, and didn't get that weekend gig cleaning out the lower levels, but heard stories about the size of the rats from the guys who did, and bumped things up a notch.
- "The Mangler": he also worked in a laundromat.
- "Children of the Corn": people who haven't been to the midwest before are impressed by how much farmland there is. There has to be something out there.
- "The Jaunt": there's an ongoing thread throughout the Star Trek franchise about how their transporters really kill and recreate the people that they teleport; King imagines something even worse.
- "Survivor Type": I wouldn't swear that this must have actually happened--a shipwreck involving a lone surgeon with an ample supply of painkiller (actually heroin) and surgical supplies--but I wouldn't swear that it hasn't.
- "The Raft": this came up in a FanFare post recently, but the original version of this story has been lost--King sent the only copy of the manuscript to a men's magazine, and had to recreate it later--and AFAWK he hasn't been able to locate it if it was published. Or maybe he did, and quietly buried it, because the rewrite was better.
- "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut": already discussed, but I loved the idea that there might be little wormholes in reality, and that driving certain routes, at certain times, under certain circumstances, can actually change you. Hopefully for the better.
- "The Reach": speaking of which, another journey, a final one... or is it?
- "Dolan's Cadillac": the best revenge story ever. Yes, that includes "The Cask of Amontillado."
I'd add: "Here There Be Tygers", "Trucks", "Gray Matter", "The Ledge", "Quitters, Inc." (this one has a queasy fascination because both King and I are in recovery), "Gramma", and "Beachworld". A couple of the more recent collections are in The Pile.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:41 PM on May 24 [6 favorites]
Ah. Mrs. Todd's Shortcut. Yes.
posted by Savannah at 6:46 PM on May 24 [4 favorites]
posted by Savannah at 6:46 PM on May 24 [4 favorites]
The older I get, the more I enjoy King's short stories and novella instead of his overlong novels. The guy just works better under restriction.I'm a huge fan of short stories — they're my favorite literary form — and I think I have to thank Stephen King for getting me into them and appreciating them so much.
He comes up with great ideas, and having a novel to explore them almost invariably makes him build up so much that the ending wouldn't fulfill the promise no matter what …and then he does something like a spider monster or the Hand of God.
posted by cardioid at 7:18 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
Yikes. Up until just now I'd remembered The Jaunt as a Cordwainer Smith story.
posted by phooky at 7:28 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
posted by phooky at 7:28 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
But that's just a negative comment. What I neglected to clarify is the short stories are excellent, and the contrast really highlights (or it did for me) what makes the form so special. They're tight, and interesting, and just enough to explore this wonderful idea.
I can't say enough about "The Jaunt" or "Survivor Type" or*Mrs. Todd's Shortcut". Hell, even his novellas are incredible.
And Halloween Jack made a good point about finding the notes on the stories. I love that sort of thing. There are great short-story collections from Joe Haldeman and Connie Willis and Neil Gaiman that include little notes or explanations about the context or meaning or history behind the stories, and getting that extra insight is precious.
posted by cardioid at 7:29 PM on May 24 [2 favorites]
I can't say enough about "The Jaunt" or "Survivor Type" or*Mrs. Todd's Shortcut". Hell, even his novellas are incredible.
And Halloween Jack made a good point about finding the notes on the stories. I love that sort of thing. There are great short-story collections from Joe Haldeman and Connie Willis and Neil Gaiman that include little notes or explanations about the context or meaning or history behind the stories, and getting that extra insight is precious.
posted by cardioid at 7:29 PM on May 24 [2 favorites]
i know it's not on the list, but since we're talking about king.... decent odds i'm still here in large part because of "the long walk". i've gone through a hole in the ice, pulled myself out, and hiked out under my own power in the middle of an albertan winter. that story helped give me a schema for surviving the experience. don't care how much pulp king ends up putting out, his good stuff is darn good.
posted by LegallyBread at 7:38 PM on May 24 [13 favorites]
posted by LegallyBread at 7:38 PM on May 24 [13 favorites]
i've gone through a hole in the ice, pulled myself out, and hiked out under my own power in the middle of an albertan winter.
Wait, what?
posted by hippybear at 7:50 PM on May 24 [5 favorites]
Wait, what?
posted by hippybear at 7:50 PM on May 24 [5 favorites]
I read night watch and skeleton crew at summer camp when I was 14. The Boogeyman is a good way not to get any sleep at summer camp. The Jaunt is a good way to not get any sleep for the rest of your life.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:20 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:20 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
like a lot of GenX I spent a lot of my tween and teen years fucking myself up on these books
I read night watch and skeleton crew at summer camp when I was 14.
There was a weird subculture that went on amongst the library nerds in both my junior high and high schools where kids were sort of daring each other to read the newest Stephen King because it might freak you the fuck out.
Pet Sematery came out when I was in Seventh Grade, and for some reason, despite me having read several King novels before this, THAT is one that truly fucked me up.
posted by hippybear at 8:28 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
I read night watch and skeleton crew at summer camp when I was 14.
There was a weird subculture that went on amongst the library nerds in both my junior high and high schools where kids were sort of daring each other to read the newest Stephen King because it might freak you the fuck out.
Pet Sematery came out when I was in Seventh Grade, and for some reason, despite me having read several King novels before this, THAT is one that truly fucked me up.
posted by hippybear at 8:28 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
"I Am the Doorway" was robbed. That's maybe still my favorite story of his, probably tied with "The Jaunt."
posted by cats of formaldehyde at 8:29 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
posted by cats of formaldehyde at 8:29 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
> it's essentially a science fiction story, which isn't really his thing.
Hmm. I'd say The Jaunt is superficially a science fiction story, but essentially (in its essence) it's a story about... no, I won't spoil anything, but it hits if you have children.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 8:36 PM on May 24 [2 favorites]
Hmm. I'd say The Jaunt is superficially a science fiction story, but essentially (in its essence) it's a story about... no, I won't spoil anything, but it hits if you have children.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 8:36 PM on May 24 [2 favorites]
King has always been a better short form writer than overlong novelist (particularly as he's gotten more senior and beyond an editors control)
And yes, it was always a thing amongst my friends to see who was or wasn't scared by his latest writings.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:38 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
And yes, it was always a thing amongst my friends to see who was or wasn't scared by his latest writings.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:38 PM on May 24 [1 favorite]
Lady fingers, they taste just like lady fingers
posted by sibboleth at 8:57 PM on May 24 [12 favorites]
posted by sibboleth at 8:57 PM on May 24 [12 favorites]
I remember being scarred the first time I read The Raft. That's an image that will stick with you for a while...
This was the first short film in the anthology Creepshow 2. The rest of the movie is pretty forgettable, but The Raft is don't perfectly. It's just as gnarly and upsetting as the story, and I almost certainly saw it when I was too young. Loss of sleep happened.
posted by zardoz at 2:38 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
This was the first short film in the anthology Creepshow 2. The rest of the movie is pretty forgettable, but The Raft is don't perfectly. It's just as gnarly and upsetting as the story, and I almost certainly saw it when I was too young. Loss of sleep happened.
posted by zardoz at 2:38 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
don't perfectly
I know this is a typo but even still it's about the best 2-word summary of Stephen King's work I've ever seen.
posted by chavenet at 5:16 AM on May 25 [8 favorites]
I know this is a typo but even still it's about the best 2-word summary of Stephen King's work I've ever seen.
posted by chavenet at 5:16 AM on May 25 [8 favorites]
lady fingers they taste just like lady fingers. (Oops. I missed that someone made this comment RIGHT ABOVE ME. Survivor-type stabs, rise up!)
posted by kbanas at 6:02 AM on May 25
posted by kbanas at 6:02 AM on May 25
I'm surprised at how many I don't know or remember, as I've listened to many of his short story collections.
I know I listened to Everything's Eventual, but the only one I 'remember' is Autopsy Room Four, and that made quite an impression on me.
I was out driving between clients, and I had to stop (a driveway moment as they used to say on NPR) to see how it turned out.
The only one listed here I remember most of is A Very Tight Place.
I know I listened to The Life of Chuck (novella?) but couldn't remember any details. Maybe it's best that I don't retain these.
posted by MtDewd at 6:06 AM on May 25
I know I listened to Everything's Eventual, but the only one I 'remember' is Autopsy Room Four, and that made quite an impression on me.
I was out driving between clients, and I had to stop (a driveway moment as they used to say on NPR) to see how it turned out.
The only one listed here I remember most of is A Very Tight Place.
I know I listened to The Life of Chuck (novella?) but couldn't remember any details. Maybe it's best that I don't retain these.
posted by MtDewd at 6:06 AM on May 25
Longer than you think!
posted by gottabefunky at 8:13 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 8:13 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
“survivor type” made me genuinely queasy. “1408” felt like a nightmare. “the jaunt” is unforgettable. they’re all such good horror shibboleths — “if you know, you know” — namedrop them in the right crowd and watch those who know shudder.
“my brother was eaten by wolves on the connecticut turnpike.”
posted by a flock of goslings at 8:50 AM on May 25 [1 favorite]
“my brother was eaten by wolves on the connecticut turnpike.”
posted by a flock of goslings at 8:50 AM on May 25 [1 favorite]
a personal favorite that didn’t make the list: “that feeling, you can only say what it is in french”
posted by a flock of goslings at 9:09 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
posted by a flock of goslings at 9:09 AM on May 25 [2 favorites]
I think a lot of these choices are spot on, but the two that I would have added were "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" and "Everything's Eventual."
I like it when Stephen King writes about being a writer, and the concept of the Fornits has always stayed with me. It's funny, but I had a moment in a Usenet newsgroup more than 30 years ago when someone included the name of their Fornit (Delphe) in their netsig. Just a tiny moment of like calls to like. (Mine got a name after that--Aldis.)
And I just love the character and the voice of Dinky Earnshaw, possibly more than any other King character. I've never been able to shake the tiny note King tacks on, that the story grew out of the tiny moment of seeing someone dropping coins down a storm drain. I like that "genesis of the story" moment, and I can pinpoint it for things I've written as well.
posted by dlugoczaj at 9:32 AM on May 25 [1 favorite]
I like it when Stephen King writes about being a writer, and the concept of the Fornits has always stayed with me. It's funny, but I had a moment in a Usenet newsgroup more than 30 years ago when someone included the name of their Fornit (Delphe) in their netsig. Just a tiny moment of like calls to like. (Mine got a name after that--Aldis.)
And I just love the character and the voice of Dinky Earnshaw, possibly more than any other King character. I've never been able to shake the tiny note King tacks on, that the story grew out of the tiny moment of seeing someone dropping coins down a storm drain. I like that "genesis of the story" moment, and I can pinpoint it for things I've written as well.
posted by dlugoczaj at 9:32 AM on May 25 [1 favorite]
Checked to see if The Man In The Black Suit made the list; was not disappointed.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:11 AM on May 25 [1 favorite]
posted by KingEdRa at 10:11 AM on May 25 [1 favorite]
I think a lot of these choices are spot on, but the two that I would have added were "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" and "Everything's Eventual."
Both fall down the “actually a novella” hole that most of the omissions seem to be in.
posted by Artw at 12:39 PM on May 25 [1 favorite]
Both fall down the “actually a novella” hole that most of the omissions seem to be in.
posted by Artw at 12:39 PM on May 25 [1 favorite]
Up until just now I'd remembered The Jaunt as a Cordwainer Smith story.
Isn’t it a reference to the “jaunting” in The Stars My Destination?
posted by house-goblin at 4:12 PM on May 25 [2 favorites]
Isn’t it a reference to the “jaunting” in The Stars My Destination?
posted by house-goblin at 4:12 PM on May 25 [2 favorites]
Anyone like Roadwork, from the Bachman Books? Also The Long Walk? Novellas really. Super good.
posted by kneecapped at 8:07 PM on May 25 [1 favorite]
posted by kneecapped at 8:07 PM on May 25 [1 favorite]
A couple musings on 1408....
* In King's book ON WRITING, there is a section King says is an example of his editing process. He'll show you the first couple pages of the first draft of a story idea, then discuss what he'd change and why, and then print the edited version of those pages. He's not sure the story will go anywhere, he adds - he's still working on it and may decide to ditch it if it doesn't work.
And I can only assume it did work because the story in question is 1408. I keep feeling like King hadn't really planned to do anything with it, but editing it forced him to take a second look and he got into it.
* I actually like the film adaptation a lot - I feel like it improved upon the story on some level. When I read the story, it somehow felt like Mike Enslin was barely in the room for 10 minutes before noping out, but the film really makes you feel that full hour Enslin is in there.
Also, if you are a John Cusack fan it is a chance to stare at him for a full hour. And if you are NOT a John Cusack fan it is a chance to be amused at the sight of him losing a fist fight with a mini-fridge.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:46 AM on May 27 [1 favorite]
* In King's book ON WRITING, there is a section King says is an example of his editing process. He'll show you the first couple pages of the first draft of a story idea, then discuss what he'd change and why, and then print the edited version of those pages. He's not sure the story will go anywhere, he adds - he's still working on it and may decide to ditch it if it doesn't work.
And I can only assume it did work because the story in question is 1408. I keep feeling like King hadn't really planned to do anything with it, but editing it forced him to take a second look and he got into it.
* I actually like the film adaptation a lot - I feel like it improved upon the story on some level. When I read the story, it somehow felt like Mike Enslin was barely in the room for 10 minutes before noping out, but the film really makes you feel that full hour Enslin is in there.
Also, if you are a John Cusack fan it is a chance to stare at him for a full hour. And if you are NOT a John Cusack fan it is a chance to be amused at the sight of him losing a fist fight with a mini-fridge.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:46 AM on May 27 [1 favorite]
He really wasn't fooling anyone saying he wasn't going to finish it.
posted by Artw at 1:13 PM on May 27
posted by Artw at 1:13 PM on May 27
Anyone like Roadwork, from the Bachman Books? Also The Long Walk? Novellas really. Super good.
I do. Roadwork was the most realistic of the original four Bachman Books, and although it may be a bit difficult for people to really grasp what made the protagonist so furious (continuing a highway construction project while the mid-seventies oil embargo was going on), it does have that compelling drive toward the climax. And I think that The Long Walk is an even sharper indictment of competition-type reality shows, well before they actually became a thing, than The Running Man, although that book is better than the movie. (I don't have much use for Rage--it's King's attempt to write a bad-dad book, even though he himself didn't grow up with a dad--and don't mind that he won't put it back in print.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:56 AM on May 28
I do. Roadwork was the most realistic of the original four Bachman Books, and although it may be a bit difficult for people to really grasp what made the protagonist so furious (continuing a highway construction project while the mid-seventies oil embargo was going on), it does have that compelling drive toward the climax. And I think that The Long Walk is an even sharper indictment of competition-type reality shows, well before they actually became a thing, than The Running Man, although that book is better than the movie. (I don't have much use for Rage--it's King's attempt to write a bad-dad book, even though he himself didn't grow up with a dad--and don't mind that he won't put it back in print.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:56 AM on May 28
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posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:43 PM on May 24 [19 favorites]