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Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

Space ship with a planet behind with ominous lightning the caption says Infinite Space Infinite Terror
The Jaunt
★★★★½
 
I was wondering about the sweet family trip to Mars, but then the story had a stopover in Providence and I knew where we were going :)

Cthulhu's arms in the mist reaching out to a man and his son with the sun behind the monstrocity in the sky the caption reads Terror is the Widening of Perspective and Perception
The Mist
★★★★☆ 

A strong dose of Lovecraftian Horror mixed with a full range of King’s Mainers - a one two punch! Yet, not nearly as brutal as the movie version. I can’t decide if I liked it better this way. 

Alan Rickman at the computer looking annoyed at the interruption the caption reads I won't be long. I just want to note down a few things.
Word Processor of the Gods ★★★★☆
A delicious little fantasy of What If’s? Can two sentences change your life? They can with the right computer.

Survivor Type ★★★★☆ 
Brutal story of a drug dealing surgeon forced into desperate measures - one body part at a time.

Middle Age woman kneeling in room of candles and occult paraphernalia holding a knife and reading the Necronomicon that lights up her face in green magic
Gramma ★★★½☆ 
When grandma could not have children she went in search of the Necronomicon and had herself a passel. Oh, it’s never named in particular, just “those books,” but I know a chant to the Outer God when I hear it. Wouldn’t be the first time His name was called to aid impregnation. The ending was a question, did all of witchy grandma find a new host or did the God touched part of grandma find a new host?

Little creatures around a typewriter on one side the other is a black background with an eye inside a triangle with the caption Fornit Some Fornus
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet ★★★½☆ 
This is the story of a writers descent into madness and how it spread to his editor. It was more fantastical than scary.

A snow covered road with one set on boot prints the caption reads The Final Walk
The Reach ★★★½☆ 
A dying woman picks her time to finally leave the island and rejoin old friends.

Nona ★★★½☆ 
A spree killer story with ratty twist. Likely an unreliable narrator story, or worse.

Horrid vintage monkey with cymbals on sale on Etsy with a sold sign and a satisfied customer
The Monkey ★★★☆☆ 
A creepy cursed doll story. As you can see, a whole new generation is making more such stories.

Cain Rose Up ★★★☆☆ 
Originally published in 1968, well before Rage, this was an early school shooting story.

Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut ★★★☆☆ 
”The man from Massachusetts said, he’d like to be able to afford to live here year around, and all I can say is sometimes you pay for the privilege after dark.” 

Spooky small town story with an eternal love ending… maybe. Lol, will he survive her terrible beauty, will he become one himself?

The Raft ★★★☆☆ 
Now I know the inspiration for Star Trek’s Skin of Evil. RIP Tasha Yar.

The Reapers Image ★★★☆☆ 
A mirror may show the grim reaper.

Uncle Otto’s Truck ★★★☆☆ 
A family history story with a little murder and a lot of truck.

The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands ★★★☆☆ 
A man cursed in foreign lands with a deadly ability comes to a lovely end.

Beachworld ★★☆☆☆ 
Post-apocalyptic war snippet in the middle of the desert. 

The Wedding Gig ★★☆☆☆
A musician witnesses some gang violence. 

Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1) ★★☆☆☆ 
A short route of merry malevolence.

Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2) ★½☆☆☆ 
Non merry malevolence.

Paranoid: A Chant 
★½☆☆☆ 
Just a lil’dollop of crazy.

Here There Be Tygers ★☆☆☆☆ 
Stupid fragment.
I read all 21 stories, not counting the poetry, and sadly it came out to 2.4 stars. Still, I’m not sorry I read this so I will give it three stars. 

2 comments:

  1. Cool review! Though I haven't read this book by King yet. Three stars?! Yikes! Sounds iffy to me. I have given a couple or so DNF's on King so I get it. lol :)

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  2. A few winners and too much early mediocrity.

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