Flipping Through Pages #16 - Night Shift (A Book Review)

"Let's talk, you and I. Let's talk about fear."

I read an anecdote once where an author is given different common place objects by an interviewer and told to make stories out of them.

One of the things I have really admired in Stephen King in this compilation of short stories, most of which are from his early days of writing, is his ability to make common place objects and places sinister and sometimes, deadly.

Whether it be a sentient car, an open closet, a breezy ledge, a lawnmover from hell or just some plastic soldier toys.

They can kill. And they will.

It’s hard to review short stories without spoiling a key element so I will refrain from going story by story. And just include some of my favourites.

First of all, it was a pleasant surprise to find The Children of the Corn here. It’s a popular Stephen King story that has been adapted into a series of movies, and it’s amazing to see how a short story can grow into something so big.

Over the twenty short stories in the compilation, a few render themselves dependent on other works of King in a direct manner namely Salem’s Lot – one serves as a prequel and the other a sequel to that novel. It makes you wonder if King wanted to go deeper into the lore in that area, but decided against it.

The standalone ones are much more enticing, especially one that deals with nicotine addiction in a magnificently depraved manner. If you ever want to quit a habit, know what you need to save. Similarly, other common place things turned mad include a hitman fighting toy soldiers, men vs sentient vehicles, a bet over a windy ledge and deadly lawn movers.

There is some tragically heavy stuff as well, as we see a man dealing with the decision to euthanize his mother or a brother coming to grips with his sister’s suicide. They aren’t supernatural, and maybe that makes them darker.

Overall, a lot of hits and a few misses, and that’s what good short story collections are, I think. Given this is mostly his early work, it’s remarkable to see the versatility inherent in King’s writing.

Highlights (Must Reads): Battleground, The Boogeyman, Quitters Inc, The Last Rung on the Ladder, I Know What You Need, Grey Matter, Children of the Corn

So, I give it 8 out of 10.

+A wonderful versatile collection of stories

+Uses common place elements in beautifully macabre fashion

+Brilliant display of first person and third person narratives

-The tie ins to other novels do not add much

-Some short stories seem to not work in the limited sense