Full Dark, No Stars

Starred review from September 27, 2010
Eerie twists of fate drive the four longish stories in King's first collection since Just After Sunset (2008). In "1922," a farmer murders his wife to retain the family land she hopes to sell, then watches his life unravel hideously as the consequences of the killing suggest a near-supernatural revenge. "Big Driver" tells of an otherwise ordinary woman who discovers her extraordinary capacity for retribution after she is raped and left for dead. "A Good Marriage" explores the aftermath of a wife's discovery of her milquetoast husband's sinister secret life, while "Fair Extension," the book's most disturbing story, follows the relationship between a man and the best friend on whom he preternaturally shifts all his bad luck and misfortune. As in Different Seasons (1982), King takes a mostly nonfantastic approach to grim themes. Now, as then, these tales show how a skilled storyteller with a good tale to tell can make unsettling fiction compulsively readable.

Craig Wasson narrates two of the four frighteningly intimate horror tales in this collection, both of which have a male protagonist who commits a horrible act for gain and (perhaps) has a brush with the supernatural. Jessica Hecht handles the other, more bleakly mundane set, each featuring a woman who is driven to rid the world of a monster who has ruined her life and will destroy others if not stopped. Wasson has an earnest, intelligent everyman quality that appears to reflect the character's inner nature at first but eventually serves as an effective contrast. Hecht's warm, sweet voice perfectly fits that of a woman from a nicely settled life who is now brutally jolted from her comfort zone and making ruthless choices to restore a semblance of peace. A.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

March 15, 2011

The indefatigable King (www.stephenking.com) presents a collection of four darkly disturbing yet strangely riveting novellas. In "Fair Extension," a man dying of cancer is given the opportunity to regain his health by "trading" misfortunes with another. In "Big Driver," a writer of cozy mysteries perpetrates her own retribution after she is savagely raped and left for dead. Actor Craig Wasson narrates the stories featuring a male protagonist, "1922" and "Fair Extension," while actress Jessica Hecht narrates the stories told from a woman's perspective, "Big Driver" and "A Good Marriage." Both do an excellent job of interpreting King's mesmerizing tales, which, though fairly graphic and violent in places, showcase his ability to create characters you care about and stories that draw you in, even if it's to a dark and scary place. Recommended for King fans and anyone enjoying horror fiction. [See Major Audio Releases, LJ 10/15/10; the ZNew York Times best-selling Scribner hc was described as offering "dark humor and to-the-point gore," LJ 10/1/10; the Pocket pb will publish in July 2011.--Ed.]--Gloria Maxwell, Metropolitan Community Coll.-Penn Valley Lib., Kansas City, MO

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