Just After Sunset *possible spoilers*

[theyspunaweb]

Alright, who has read it? Who has read some of it? I haven't seen a thread for this yet so I thought it should be made.

I bought it but I haven't read it yet. It may or may not be a Xmas gift for someone else. I've heard there are a few stories that are old, and a few that are new in the collection. What are your thoughts?

[jayson]

I know many people are reading this now, and some have probably finished by now, so I thought the time was right to start a thread about the book and its stories.

I was looking forward to this one as I usually love the short story collections. This one has not impressed me so far. I'm not quite done yet so something may yet please me, but so far, the best I can offer is a "meh" about "Stationary Bike" and "Willa". Both of those I enjoyed conceptually a lot more than I did the way King executed the concept itself.

"The Things They Left Behind" I have to say is one of the most trite and heavy-handed pieces of schmaltz I've ever read. It might very well be that it's difficult to write a 9/11 story without being trite or heavy-handed, but my if that's the case, just don't write the story. Yes, that day was tragic, but I didn't appreciate how purposely maudlin that story was. Quite frankly, I feel I've read more than enough fiction about 9/11 without having to read King's thoughts on the subject.

[JQ The Gunslinger]

Yea I didnt like "The Things They Left Behind" either. If you have read "Mute" yet, it is an enjoyable story.

[Darkthoughts]

I liked Stationary Bike - I think however that Gingerbread Girl, N and A Tight Place were my favourites - but as a whole not my favourite collection overall.

[educatedlady]

I agree with you, darkthoughts, not my favorite collection but the stories you named were the ones I enjoyed the most.

My mom doesn't like any of the stories so far...she's about halfway through the book.

[obscurejude]

I guess I know what I won't be reading over Christmas break.

[Sam]

I enjoyed ALL of these stories. My favorites are A Very Tight Place, Ayana, The Gingerbread Girl, Rest Stop, and Mute. They were horrifying, poignant, enthralling, fun, and thought provoking (in the order).

[ManOfWesternesse]

I thought it a reasonably good collection.
A few in there that will soon be forgotten (almost are already), but also a couple of good ones:-

-'N' was brilliant, I thought. I had a couple of old-time SK 'hair standing on the back of the neck going upstairs at 1am' moments with that one.
-'Stationary Bike' was very good.
-'Gingerbread Girl' was also good for me.
-'A very tight place' - was pretty good too.

[jayson]

"Rest Stop" was another one I didn't care for in the least.

It actually reminded me of a friend who similarly involved himself in trying to stop a guy from beating his girlfriend. My friend wound up facing assault charges and a civil suit. I guess that girl would rather have just been beaten to a pulp. My friend told his story better than King too, but perhaps that's because it actually happened.

[Darkthoughts]

I knew there was a "very" in that story title

Ayana and Mute were good, but I'd read those previously in Playboy and the Paris Review.

[Dave!]

Now I am torn more than ever. Not a big fan of the collections (I.E. Nightshift). But after Duma Key I can't help but be interested to see if this release has the same different feel to it. I've seen it in the store, picked it up, read the jacket, and put it back down three times now. Think I may pick it up, but am afraid to invest the $ for something I'll not think was worth it, or want to read again or recommend. Hmm...If you guys were to compare the majority of the stories to a previous SK work, what do you think most of the stuff would compare to as far as "feel", or even quality?

[jayson]

I can't really compare it to anything else.

Ultimately, don't let anyone else's reviews determine anything for you. We all take different things from different stories. What I may hate may appeal to others and vice versa. You could always check it out of your library if you are unsure if you want to pay the purchase price without knowing if it's something you will like and then if you do, you can always purchase your own copy.

[Heather19]

I've read about half of it so far. I enjoyed Willa (although I figured out what was going on from the get go), and I had previously read The Gingerbread Girl which I really enjoyed. The rest that I've read have been so-so.
Currently I'm about halfway thru A Very Tight Place (at the part where he just gets locked in). So far I'm not enjoying this one at all. I'm hoping it gets better, but the whole first part of the story has just bored me to tears. It seems like a lot of you have enjoyed this one so we'll see if I still feel the same way after I finish it.

[jayson]

I liked Mute with the exception of one ludicrous statement within that story. Early on in the story, Monette listens to a Josh Ritter cd and says Ritter is comparable to a young Bob Dylan.

Josh Ritter = Bob Dylan? Are you fucking kidding me?

King has shown me time and time again that while he likes the occasional good song here or there, for the most part his opinions on music are shit, but this was the ultimate example of that.

Josh Ritter = Bob Dylan. Not on this or any other level of the Tower.

The rest of the story was pretty good, if somewhat predictable.

[Sam]

Those ARE his opinions though, and he's the writer. Besides, that statement is not necessarily ludicrous. I am not familiar with Josh Ritter by name and cannot make a proper comparison, but I can say that I think Bob Dylan is one of the worst singers I have ever heard. He has written some very good songs, but I would rather listen to a coked up Whitney Houston than Dylan (and I am not a fan of Houston either). I'd rather listen to Clay Aiken than Dylan any day.

[DanishCollector]

Each to his own, of course, and that's as it should be. I like this collection a lot. King's recent short fiction has a special appeal to me, mostly because he experiences a great deal with this format. Surely his older short stories, all the way back to Night Shift, were awesome, and his newer output has the tendency to become slightly predictable here and there, but I still feel he packs a wallop. As much as I love his long, fat bricks of novels, I'm always a sucker for his short stories.

I don't agree at all with "The Things They Left Behind," I liked that one, in fact, I liked them all. "N." was the best, period. I have always been a fan of "The Cat From Hell" (old school King), but as it was not rewritten or updated the slightest, it seems outta place here amongst the other tales.

[DanishCollector]

I have to ellaborate on that a little: Every time King comes out with a collection, I take great delight in having the original magazine/anthology appearances next to the collection, and spot the differences, the rewrites. In this case, however, I could only find two: Willa and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates, and these differences were very minor, more revisions in style only.

I'm still a bit baffled that King didn't rewrite "The Cat From Hell" just a little bit...as if he choose the tale in the last minute, threw it in there, and didn't bother to think it's a story first written and published in 1977. I wouldn't like cell phones or ipods or Internet in the story, but perhaps some few time updates. Still a good little tale, though.

[jayson]

Those ARE his opinions though, and he's the writer. Besides, that statement is not necessarily ludicrous. I am not familiar with Josh Ritter by name and cannot make a proper comparison, but I can say that I think Bob Dylan is one of the worst singers I have ever heard. He has written some very good songs, but I would rather listen to a coked up Whitney Houston than Dylan (and I am not a fan of Houston either). I'd rather listen to Clay Aiken than Dylan any day.

Ok. You disagree with me. I disagree with King. Hooray. I stand by what I said. King's opinion is laughable. I never said he wasn't entitled to it, but I am certainly entitled to find it laughable, as I am entitled to find a preference for Aiken over Dylan laughable. To me, there's more to listening to music than just identifying a pleasant voice. I find that authenticity goes a very long way. But to each their own.

[Jean]

Grr I wish I could read it right now. You have intrigued me.

[Darkthoughts]

Fait accompli!

[Sam]

I concur with you R of G, to each his own. I was just trying to point out how different our perceptions are. The sort of music I enjoy is southern rock and old school heavy metal. I know plenty of people who despise King but absolutely LOVE Danielle Steel. My mother doesn't read his books because they give her nightmares, but that's her. I knew a woman once who thought King was one of the worst writers the world had ever seen, and yet she thought the sun rose and set on V. C. Andrews. Go figure. Now back to our regularly scheduled forum.

[jayson]

I was just trying to point out how different our perceptions are.

Perception plus expectation = reality.

The whole of existence is subjective and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Sam]

I've always been one to ascribe to the idea that perception IS reality. And each person's reality is different from the next.

[jayson]

Same here my friend, same here.

[obscurejude]

I'll never read this collection of short stories. I don't know if that's what you set out to accomplish Jayson, but it sounds like counting pennies is more worthwhile than slugging it out with this one.