Stephen King

Rereading Rage by Stephen King, Writing as Richard Bachman

~ megs14malloy

RageRage by Richard Bachman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rage is the first short novel that King published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. After the Carneal incident in December of 1997, King allowed Rage to go out of print in the United States.

You can mainly find this now in rare original copies, or in old versions of The Bachman Books, which released in 1985 and was comprised of a bind-up of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man.

I am lucky enough to have a 1st-edition hardback copy of The Bachman Books, which is how I read this story. It’s been in my family since it was published and is one of my most treasured books.

This was a reread for me, but I haven’t read it since the 6th, or 7th grade, many years before 1997. I didn’t remember too much about it except for the setting and the basic premise.

This is a well-written story. It contains wonderful character work and succeeded in pulling me in. The entire scene is set in Mrs. Underwood’s Algebra classroom, after our MC, Charlie Decker goes berserk ((his words)), kills the teacher and takes the rest of the students hostage.

We follow, fly on the wall style, all that goes down inside that classroom after Charlie takes control. I loved the dynamics and conversations amongst the students.

It’s very dialogue heavy, but in such a way that keeps you engrossed as you see an evolution of the character’s opinions within that space. By the end, it gets very Lord of the Flies as the teens develop their own system of self-reflection, judgement and even, punishment.

I really enjoyed the themes explored, especially those involving the experience of teens, or kids, and the various pressures they can feel from those in authority positions, as well as their lack of autonomy, and how that can backfire if pushed too far.

King has always showed an interest in the mind, and psychology, but that was most evident to me in his earlier works. You clearly see that interest within this story, and I loved the way he incorporated that into Charlie’s character and these events.

I understand and respect King’s opinion on this story. I do. In a way though, I think it’s a shame this story isn’t more readily available, as it does offer up a lot of important food for thought and discussion.

There are mentions of the violence children are exposed to and how that effects them over time. I think this would make an incredible Book Club pick. It would be so interesting to see how various Readers interpret this story.

I’m glad that I took the time to reread this one. I obviously have way more grounds to appreciate it as an adult reflecting back on my youth, than I did as a child picking it up.

I would recommend this if you can get it!

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Rereading ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

'Salem's Lot‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As with many King’s, I loved this even more upon reread.

This story will always hold a special place in my heart, but more than that, I’m considering proclaiming it my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME!!!

🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤

‘Salem’s Lot was the first King novel I ever read. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say it shaped who I am as a Reader.

The year was 1987, I was 9-years old and I have never turned back. Surprisingly, this is one of the few early-Kings that up until now, I had only read once. I’m so excited that I finally revisited this childhood favorite!

The standout to me, as with most King novels, is the detailed character work and incredibly-palpable sense of place. This book also has some terrifying scenes as the drama builds, and it’s truly hard to put down once you start.

I love this entire cast, Ben and Mark, as well as Father Callahan, being personal favorites. As luck would have it, MAX is set to release an new adaptation of this one and I am anxiously-anticipating it. I can’t wait to see how they choose to bring it to the screen.

King’s stories are always better as books, but the trailer looks promising. I’m willing to give it a shot.

If you haven’t read this before, you should. An absolute classic and besides Dracula, arguably the best vampire novel ever written. It’s perfect for this time of year, as you can sit back and truly let the atmosphere overtake you.

There’s nothing else I really feel compelled to say about this. I love it so much, it would be impossible to capture in words how special this story is to me. This won’t be the last time I read it, that’s for sure.

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Stephen King Publication Project: Re-Reading Carrie

~ megs14malloy

CarrieCarrie by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5-MODERN CLASSIC STARS YET AGAIN!!!

Recently, I’ve started this thing. It’s not unique to me. Many people have attempted it, some have even succeeded, but I’m currently reading all of King’s books in publication order.

I’ve already read 52-books of King’s extensive list of works, many multiple times, but I’ve never read them in order. I think this will be a fun way to experience the trajectory of his career, as well as his different eras, if you will.

I’m also annotating this time through and recording my final thoughts in a King-designated Book Journal, courtesy of Clever Fox planners. I’m so stoked for this journey, you have no idea.

With this being said, I don’t plan on really updating any of my thoughts on this one. Please see my previous review below for full thoughts. I’m pretty proud of this one, and feel very much the same this time through, as far as the execution of this novel, its importance and my love for it.

I did notice a couple of fun little Easter Egg type things this time around though that I’ll mention real quick. King gave Carrie his birthday, although he would have been turning 16 on the day she was born. Also, her English teacher that she turned a noted poem into was named Mr. Edwin King, and Stephen’s middle name is Edwin — that was fun.

Also, I believe I found some foreshadowing to Christine, Firestarter, and if you think about it, maybe even The Institute.

Oh, and did anyone else notice that in one of the news reports of what happened in Chamberlain on that fateful night, the first casualty was reported to be a firefighter, his first name escapes me now, but middle initial, B, last name, Mears? I found that fun, since King’s protagonist in his 2nd-novel, a little known work called ‘Salem’s Lot, is Ben Mears.

Final thought, Margaret White is one of the most heinous villains King has ever created. Every scene with her makes me want to knock her head off a wall.

That’s talent.

Previously:

Carrie, Stephen King’s first published full-length novel was released in 1974 and at this point, I think it’s fair to say it’s a modern classic. This novel has been adapted to film four times, the most well-known being the original 1976-release starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie.

Incidentally, I did decide to listen to the audiobook for this reread, as I had only read the print copy before, and the audio was narrated by Spacek.

It was fantastic and I highly recommend that audio-version. Spacek clearly has an intimate connection with this story and with Carrie in particular. I felt like it made the audio experience extra special.

Assuming most people at least have a general idea of what this story is about, I will keep this short and simple. This story, through the incredible use of mixed media, tells the story of Carrie White, a bullied teen who lives in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine.

At the beginning, there’s an infamous scene taking place in the girls locker room at school, wherein Carrie experiences her first menstruation. Raised by a single-mother, a religious fanatic, who believes only women who sin grow breasts, Carrie has no idea what her period is.

She’s frightened at the sight of the blood and panics. Her peers, who have already been bullying her mercilessly for years, are brutal in their reaction to the event, pelting her with feminine products and screaming at her.

It’s awful. The girls are awful. Carrie gets sent home for the day and the young women involved in torturing her are given a light slap on the wrist.

It’s at that time, under distress, that the first public signs of Carrie’s powers appear. At least since that rock incident when she was a child…

The plot progresses from there, advancing Carrie’s story from that point forward, as well as filling in some of her backstory, including her gut-wrenching, abusive relationship with her mother.

When one of the girls involved, Sue Snell, starts to feel remorse for the locker room incident, she concocts a slightly hair-brained and uber-naive plot wherein her popular, jock boyfriend, Tommy Ross, will take Carrie to the Spring dance instead of her.

Tommy isn’t crazy about the idea. Not because he has anything against Carrie, he’s not that kind of guy, but because he doesn’t feel like Sue’s tepid attempt at ridding herself of guilt will make any real difference in Carrie’s life.

Nevertheless, he loves Sue and is willing to do anything she asks. If only he hadn’t…

I had such a blast listening to this. I haven’t read this story in over 20-years and it was so great to revisit one of King’s earliest hits. Imagine reading and reviewing this in 1974, like ‘this Stephen King guy is an author to watch.’

I was struck immediately by the creative use of mixed media. I have read from other authors who have mentioned how this novel influenced them with that format and I can see why. It is so incredibly well done here. IMO, definitely still one of the best displays of that format published to date.

I think it is important to keep in mind how unique that would have been at the time of publication.

There have been numerous novels in the past few years that have embraced that narrative style, particularly if you think of all the ones including podcasting elements. It seems now an obvious choice as a way to tell a story, but it’s really not traditionally.

I’ll be honest, it did make me sad reading this though. I was reminded why I have never reread it until now. There are certain King’s, mainly this and Cujo, that are so good, yet so painful to read, because of how much empathy I feel for the characters involved, that I sort of avoid them.

As a Horror story, one could categorize Carrie as the ‘baddie’, but you feel for her and I would assume that 99.9% of Readers will be on her side.

To me, it’s a bit like Frankenstein, another book I could only read once because I felt so damn bad for Frankenstein’s monster, and in a way, Carrie is the Frankenstein’s monster of modern times.

Carrie was created by the abuse of her mother and the constant harassment and ridicule of her peers. Sure, there’s an argument in the book that her powers are genetic and I get that, but having telekinetic powers doesn’t necessarily equate to killing hundreds of your peers and burning down your entire town.

I feel like there could have been other options for Carrie if she hadn’t been treated like complete trash her entire life.

I loved how this wrapped up too, how the speed that the mixed media jumped around in the aftermath of prom night increased the intensity of the conclusion. I just thought it was so well done and then that final little snippet, PERFECTION.

I’m so happy that I took the time to reread this one. Even though Carrie’s story is a painful one, it’s also powerful and absolutely one that will stick in your mind once you’re done.

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Rereading 1922 by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

19221922 by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

1922 is the first novella included in my favorite short-story collection, Full Dark, No Stars.

This is the second time I have read this story and its impact was not diminished with repetition. In fact, I think I appreciated it more this time around.

One thing I had actually forgotten about this story is that the entire thing is told via a written confession. Epistolary format generally does work for me anyway, but in King’s capable hands, it elevated this to a higher level.

The quality of the writing makes you feel like you are actually listening to a haunted man tell his story. In this case, that man is Wilfred James, a farmer from the Hemingford Home area of Nebraska.

King’s Constant Readers may recognize that name from other works, most notably, The Stand.

The publisher’s synopsis for this story explains it best: A powerful tale of betrayal, murder, madness and rats, 1922 is a breathtaking exploration into the dark side of human nature. That’s exactly what this is.

The story flows organically and steadily, while unsuspectingly gettin under your skin. Before you know it, you’ll be flinching at the smallest noises around you. Any little scratch or scatter could be the rats coming for you.

I frequently mention that when I reread King’s works that my attention is drawn to different elements each time. With the initial horror of the story out of the way, I found myself more able to focus on the relationships this time through.

The relationship between Wilf and his son, Henry, of course, but also the relationship between Henry and his young love. Additionally, I felt more drawn to Wilf’s inner turmoil after the horrors began. It’s like a 1920s-Midwestern version of Crime and Punishment.

Overall, the way this story is told, it’s absolutely captivating. Even the gruesome bits will have your eyes glued to the page, dreading whatever will be coming next.

Readers are cautioned to scenes of animal hurt, or harm, but truthfully, it’s a farm and the circumstances involved are things that would, or could, occur on a working farm. I will admit to skim reading some of those scenes though.

As with the rest of the stories included in the Full Dark, No Stars collection, 1922 is ultimately a story of ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary, and gut-churning, circumstances.

If this sounds at all intriguing to you, I absolutely recommend checking it out. I’m so happy that I took the time to reread this. It’s definitely secured itself in my mind as one of my top novellas ever.

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Re-Reading The Shining for the 4th-Time!!!

~ megs14malloy

The ShiningThe Shining by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my 4th-time reading The Shining.

You read that correctly, the 4th-time. I’m aware rereading isn’t for everyone, but I am a huge supporter and fan of rereading, especially tried and true favorites.

I know a lot of people feel it is a waste of time, but for me, when a story is special enough to you, each time with it is like a whole new experience. That’s exactly how I feel every time I open the pages of this book.

Additionally, I feel like where I am at in my life plays a huge role in what I take out of a reading experience.

For example, the first time I read this, I was in high school. You better believe that 14-year old Meg walked away from this having picked up on different things than 44-year old Meg does, reading it now.

My experiences have shown me that rereading allows me to focus on different areas of any particular story. This time around, for me, I felt myself really drawn to the private thoughts and emotions of this cast of characters.

Jack’s experience, in particular, as he struggles with the position he finds himself in, his loitering addiction and the love for his family, hit me hard this time. Instead of seeing his horrible aspects front and center, I thought more about what was going on with him internally.

There were moments of clarity for him, when he could see beyond the fog of the hotel’s power, moments where he cherished his son and wife, but they would slip away like mist. It made my heart ache for the whole family.

This experience also reiterated for me how much I love Wendy and Hallorann. They got played dirty in the movie adaptation and we all know it. Not by the actors, the acting was fantastic, but yeah, they feel like completely different people in the book, IMO.

Again, I was beyond impressed with some of the scenes in this still having the ability to scare the shit out of me, even after all these years. The perfect example would be the first time Jack tries to trim the topiary.

That freaking scene gets my pulse racing every time!

I also felt like I paid more attention to the history of The Overlook this time through; like when Jack is looking into it. I really felt focused in those sections and loved being reminded of its intensely lurid history.

Finally, I would just give all the stars in the universe, yet again, to King’s sense of place with this one. His ability to transform a hotel into an actual character in the story is just a masterpiece. It’s basically the standard to which I compare atmosphere in all other stories.

I’m so glad I took the time to reread this. It was exactly what I needed to re-energize my reading. You better believe, this won’t be the last time either!

Earlier

Here’s the thing, July hasn’t been the best reading month for me. I’ve had a lot of 2-to-3-star books. I’m frustrated. I’m getting disgruntled and burnt out on it honestly.

I have never been in a reading slump before, but I definitely feel myself drifting into that territory…

I feel like in an effort to keep that from happening, I am going to reread one of my top-3 favorite books of all-time. If anyone can shake me out of this funk, it’s Jack Torrance. I hear the fourth times a charm!!!

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Re-Reading Stephen King’s Carrie, Review

~ megs14malloy

CarrieCarrie by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Carrie, Stephen King’s first published full-length novel was released in 1974 and at this point, I think it’s fair to say it’s a modern classic. This novel has been adapted to film four times, the most well-known being the original 1976-release starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie.

Incidentally, I did decide to listen to the audiobook for this reread, as I had only read the print copy before, and the audio was narrated by Spacek.

It was fantastic and I highly recommend that audio-version. Spacek clearly has an intimate connection with this story and with Carrie in particular. I felt like it made the audio experience extra special.

Assuming most people at least have a general idea of what this story is about, I will keep this short and simple. This story, through the incredible use of mixed media, tells the story of Carrie White, a bullied teen who lives in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine.

At the beginning, there’s an infamous scene taking place in the girls locker room at school, wherein Carrie experiences her first menstruation. Raised by a single-mother, religious fanatic, who believes only women who sin grow breasts, Carrie has no idea what a period is.

She’s frightened at the sight of the blood and panics. Her peers, who have already been bullying her mercilessly for years, are brutal in their reaction to the event, pelting her with feminine products and screaming at her.

It’s awful. The girls are awful. Carrie gets sent home for the day and the young women involved in torturing her are given a light slap on the wrist.

It’s at that time, under distress, that the first public signs of Carrie’s powers appear. At least since that rock incident when she was a child…

The plot progresses from there, advancing Carrie’s story from that point forward, as well as filling in some of her backstory, including her gut-wrenching, abusive relationship with her mother.

When one of the girls involved, Sue Snell, starts to feel remorse for the locker room incident, she concocts a slightly hair-brained and uber-naive plot wherein her popular, jock boyfriend, Tommy Ross, will take Carrie to the Spring dance instead of her.

Tommy isn’t crazy about the idea. Not because he has anything against Carrie, he’s not that kind of guy, but because he doesn’t feel like Sue’s tepid attempt at ridding herself of guilt will make any real difference in Carrie’s life.

Nevertheless, he loves Sue and is willing to do anything she asks. If only he hadn’t…

I had such a blast listening to this. I haven’t read this story in over 20-years and it was so great to revisit one of King’s earliest hits. Imagine reading and reviewing this in 1974, like ‘this Stephen King guy is an author to watch.’

I was struck immediately by the creative use of mixed media. I have read from other authors who have mentioned how this novel influenced them with that format and I can see why. It is so incredibly well done here. IMO, definitely still one of the best displays of that format published to date.

I think it is important to keep in mind how unique that would have been at the time of publication.

There have been numerous novels in the past few years that have embraced that narrative style, particularly if you think of all the ones including podcasting elements. It seems now an obvious choice as a way to tell a story, but it’s really not traditionally.

I’ll be honest, it did make me sad reading this though. I was reminded why I have never reread it until now. There are certain King’s, mainly this and Cujo, that are so good, yet so painful to read, because of how much empathy I feel for the characters involved, that I sort of avoid them.

As a Horror story, one could categorize Carrie as the ‘evil’, but you feel for her and I would assume that 99.9% of Readers will be on her side.

To me, it’s a bit like Frankenstein, another book I could only read once because I felt so damn bad for Frankenstein’s monster, and in a way, Carrie is the Frankenstein’s monster of modern times.

Carrie was created by the abuse of her mother and the constant harassment and ridicule of her peers. Sure, there’s an argument in the book that her powers are genetic and I get that, but having telekinetic powers doesn’t necessarily equate to killing hundreds of your peers and burning down your entire town.

I feel like there could have been other options for Carrie if she hadn’t been treated like complete trash her entire life.

I loved how this wrapped up too, how the speed that the mixed media jumped around in the aftermath of prom night increased the intensity of the conclusion. I just thought it was so well done and then that final little snippet, PERFECTION.

I’m so happy that I took the time to reread this one. Even though Carrie’s story is a painful one, it’s also powerful and absolutely one that will stick in your mind once your done.

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Review: Elevation by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

ElevationElevation by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I picked up Elevation as Book #9 for my TBR-Haul Project.

I hauled this all the way back in October 2018 and had planned to read it immediately. Unfortunately, I didn’t pick it up as soon as I wanted and then it got buried on my shelves and forgotten.

This happens a lot, hence the need for the creation of my TBR-Haul Project. If I actually followed through on things, we wouldn’t need this type of self-improvement project.

But enough about me, let’s get to Elevation, which happens to be a Castle Rock story. That fact alone ups its rating. I love that twisted little town.

We follow Scott Carey, who has a disturbing health ailment he’s trying to make sense of. It sounds insane and he’d prefer not to have the whole town gossiping about it, therefore, he confides only in his good friend, retired General Practitioner, Doctor Bob Ellis.

Scott is losing weight, a lot of it and rapidly. Yet, his physical appearance looks no different.

It’s bizarre and no matter how long the two friends discuss it, they just can’t come up with an plausible explanation. However, scales don’t lie. He weighs the same dressed, or not, with heavy things in his pockets or not.

The problem is there seems to be no end in sight, besides reaching zero on the scale. What will happen then? Basically, Scott believes his life now has a rapidly approaching expiration date.

During the midst of all of this, he also is dealing with regular life stuff. Including befriending some new neighbors, a married lesbian couple who own a local dining establishment, and seem to be the talk of the town.

The women, Dee-Dee and Missy, are new to Castle Rock and not everyone is happy about the restaurateurs presence.

As the town starts preparing for its annual Thanksgiving Day 12k, Scott begins to notice the discriminatory behavior directed at the couple. In his own bumbling way, he decides to try to help.

Then there’s the actual road race, the turkey trot. An odd and well-detailed road race that Scott not only participates in, but excels at.

Unlikely friendships are formed and the rest of the book plays out with all the characters learning a lesson or two.

This story is like the Aesop’s Fable of Stephen King’s written work. It’s short, concise, a bit fantastical and I think he had a point to make; maybe a lesson for all of us.

In fact, I believe at the time, this story may have gotten a bit of heat for being too political. I personally have no opinion on that either way, but what I did take away from this was the quality of the storytelling.

As always I found the writing to be absolutely fluid and engaging; top notch stuff. However, if this had been included in a short-story collection, it wouldn’t really stand out to me as a favorite, as say something like Secret Window, Secret Garden, 1922 or The Body.

The book itself is gorgeous. The end pages and the illustrated chapter headings, loved them. 5-stars for the packaging. I’m happy to have it on my shelves as part of my vast King collection.

Overall, while this won’t stand out as one of my favorites of King’s work, I am glad that I finally made time for it. It always feels good to check something off a list!

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Review: Later by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

LaterLater by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stephen King’s writing is like coming home for me. I absolutely adored Jamie Conklin’s story.

Later is a coming of age tale with a supernatural twist, following a boy, Jamie, and his struggling single mother, Tia.

Jamie first discovered his ability when he was really young. He can see things others can’t and sometimes it can be really scary.

But it is an unchangeable part of himself and he learns the rules of it, as well as how best to live with it.

His mother knows what he can do, but she doesn’t like to talk about it. It scares her too and she urges Jamie to keep it a secret from everybody.

However, when she is backed against a wall, Tia asks Jamie to use his ability to help her. This event exposes Jamie’s gift to Tia’s police officer girlfriend, Liz.

After their relationship sours and the women call it quits, Liz continues to circle Jamie like a shark. She knows what he can do and eventually plans to use him for her own gain; legalities be damned!

Since this is Stephen King, it does go a lot darker than I am making out here, but it’s a short story; one best discovered for yourself.

I loved Jamie so much. The narrative is like you are sitting down with him, having a cup of coffee, or a whiskey, and he is telling you his story. It’s natural, heart-warming, occasionally frightening, funny and whip-smart.

I also really appreciated the depth of Jamie’s relationship with his mother. It was beautifully explored in my opinion. King excels at complicated familial relationships and this is no exception.

He also is a master at writing from the perspective of children and young adults. Great character work overall, but I always love his kid characters.

I absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves a Horror-based coming of age story.

Chef’s kiss for days!!!

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Thoughts on The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)The Gunslinger by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

3/20/21: 5-stars yet again!!! Who is surprised?

Now the question is, do I continue to read the entire series and actually read the final book this time? If ka says it is so, it will be done.

3/15/21: It’s been almost a year. I guess I should pick up The Gunslinger again. Why not!?

I only have 1,100 other books I want to read.

Picking up for the 4th time! 🖤

6/3/2020: ALL HAIL THE KING!!!

Five mind-blowing stars, again.

In contrast to the rest of the books in this series, The Gunslinger, is like the black and white portion of The Wizard of Oz.

By the time you enter The Drawing of Three, you’re in Technicolor, baby!!

Earlier

Reread number three.

Also, buddy reading with my dear friend, Shannon. It’s her first trip to the Tower and I am so excited to join her at the start of her adventure!

Original Review:

Every once in a while, a reread will come along that completely changes your outlook and opinion on a story.

This was absolutely the case for me and my reread of The Gunslinger.

Originally, I read it in my early 20’s, just out of undergraduate school and to be honest:

I didn’t get it.
I didn’t like it.

I didn’t like the atmosphere.
I didn’t like the strange dialogue.
I didn’t like the ending for one of my favorite characters.

I had read a lot of King books and this was so different for me. Rereading it now, on the cusp of 40:

I loved it.
I love the atmosphere.
I love Roland.

I understand where this is going.

The palaver between Roland and Walter at the end left me in absolute chills. Where once I gave this 3-stars, I now give it a very solid 5.

I put it down and immediately went to my bookshelf and grabbed The Drawing of Three: The Dark Tower II and started reading it, staying up way past my bedtime in order to do so.

Now this thought consumes me:

I need to get to this damn tower!

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Review: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

The Bazaar of Bad DreamsThe Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams turned out to be a really superb collection. I absolutely loved my time spent reading this.

Honestly though, am I surprised?

Included are 20-short stories, most never published before, that span a wide gamut of topics and provide plenty of food for thought.

I really enjoyed how varied the stories in this collection were. Going from one to the next, I was always surprised with where I ended up.

I found it to be unpredictable in the best way. One moment you are reading about savage cars, the next, names written in the sand, dueling fireworks shows, all the way to the literal end.

My favorite aspect of this book, however, was the short introductions, where King would give insight into his inspirations or personal connections to each story.

Those sections really helped to set the tone going into each story and for me, I think I took a lot more from each one because of that.

I highly recommend this collection, particularly if you are already a King fan and are familiar with his style and humor.

Even if you are new to King, however, I think you will really enjoy this one. It’s just a darn good time!

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