Night Shift

Rating:
Summary: You'll love this book!
Review: I though the book was very good,expecially the story "quiters inc.". The plot kept me coming back for more. The charecters in it were very interesting as they unfolded slowly though the story.

Rating:
Summary: I love this anthology
Review: I read this volume when it first came out and still re-read it whenever possible. "The Last Rung on the Ladder" is one of my favorites...I always get a tear in my eye, and it also made me realize what a fine writer Mr. King truly is - the story doesn't have a breath of supernatural horror in it, but rather the horror we carry within ourselves as burdens.

I also enjoyed "Jerusalem's Lot," and the other stories. Give it a try...you won't regret it!

Rating:
Summary: Classic King
Review: "Night Shift" is a collection of King's short stories from the 70's, when he was at his prime. Almost every story creates an ambience of suspense, surprise and terror. Personal favourites are the stories "Children of the Corn" (this short story is better than all the movies 'based' on it combined), and the little-known "Quitter's, Inc.", a story about a man who would do anything to quit smoking, and the doctor ready to help. It sounds sappy, but trust me, it turns into a brilliant page turner.
"Night Shift" is a brilliant anthology of Stephen King's short stories when he was in his prime, and is a must buy for any King fan, or general horror/suspense lover.

Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE
Review: If you've never read any Stephen King, this is a perfect introduction. And if you're already a King fan who hasn't read this, I feel sorry for you. Every single one of these stories is incredible. A lot of them were even made into movies "Graveyard Shift" "Children of the Corn" "Trucks", and the good thing is the stories are WAY better than the movies.
This is a perfect introduction to King because each story illustrates a certain aspect of his writing. Some stories like The Woman In The Room,The Man Who Loved Flowers, and The Last Rung on The Ladder don't have any supernatural themes, but I do think The Woman In The Room could have been left out (One For the Road is a much better ending) while others are pure horror with giant rats, killer laundry machines, and gooey monsters. The first story (Jerusalem's Lot) is a bit reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft and The Lair of the White Worm. And for those of you who've seen Cat's Eye will recognize the stories Quitters, Inc. and The Ledge.
The book is a classic that can be read over and over until you can tell someone the stories by memory. Also, a few are connected to some of his novels: One for the Road takes place in Salem's Lot and I'm pretty sure Night Surf takes place during The Stand. Next to The Shining and Christine, this is one of King's best.

Rating:
Summary: stories of horror
Review: Stephen King is indeed the master of horror. This book was descriptive and very interesting. Kings Idea of how to get under your skin and terrorize you ins breathtaking. Night Shift, was a book of many short stories that King has written over the years. I liked it very much and found it to be easy and fun reading

Rating:
Summary: The place to start with King
Review: You know that friend of yours that notices you reading a Stephen King tome and says, "Ugh, you like that guy?" You know, the friend who hasn't ever actually read any Stephen King books and thinks his work is simply grist for very, very bad films? Well, slide them a copy of this and they'll be a fan for life.

This collection of his short stories is the first and best one he's ever done in tone, consistency and ideas. It's no mistake that out of the 20 stories collected here, no less than 12 of them have been made into cinematic adventures (though most of them have been bad films, they were originally great stories, trust me). All of the shorts that he's known for and that made him a household name come out of this collection as well: "The Lawnmower Man" (forget the movie...this is REAL horror), "Trucks" (which was made into 2 bad movies, but don't hold that against the book), "Quitters, Inc.", "The Mangler", "The Ledge"...this is all very concrete stuff that even a non-horror fan will take to because it's simply grand story-telling.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: Stephen King called, The Stand, "a dark chest of wonders", but that is a label that could also have been slapped on this book. It has all sorts of creepy stories, many of which seem to capitalize on the Lovecraft theme of people being nothing but yammering blobs of protien in a chaotic environment full of hidden creatures and things that are not at all concerned with civilization's politics, popular opinon, or good morales. If you enjoyed the X-Files, Tales from the Crypt, or other such series, not mention King's other works, such as Cujo, Salem's Lot, Pet Semetary, It, The Dark Half, and Needful Things, then you probably will love Night Shift.

Rating:
Summary: A great collection of stories.
Review: This was the first Stephen King short story collection that I ever read, and I enjoyed it greatly. My favorite stories include Jerusalem's Lot, I Am the Doorway, The Boogeyman, Battleground, Sometimes They Come Back, Strawberry Spring, and Quitters Inc. Some stories in here are just horrible, though These horrible stories include The Man Who Loved Flowers, The Last Rung on the Ladder, and The Woman in the Room. Two stories, Jerusalem's Lot and One for the Road are related to one of King's best books, Salem's Lot. I feel that Jerualem's Lot is the better of the two because One for the Road can get a little boring. Several movies have been made out of the stories in this collection. I would recommend Night Shift if you enjoy horror because there is plenty of it in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Still not his best
Review: As a dedicated Stephen King fan, I was somewhat ambivalent about this book after I finished it. To its credit, there are a few good stories to be told here, but there are just as many truly awful ones that probably never ought to have seen print. You can see what King would later become, but those spots can seem few and far between when you're mired in the desperate struggle to understand The Lawnmower Man. But, specifically:

Jerusalem's Lot--Talk about a confusing title. Named after another book that he had already published and written a sequel story to in this volume, this story has nothing whatsoever to do with 'Salem's Lot. It's a pretty good indicator of the overall quality of the book, though he doesn't stay true to the letter based format that he opens with, and would have been just as well served by a narrative.

Graveyard Shift--I don't understand any of the motivations here, and that ruins the story for me. The incipid hatred between the protagonist and the foreman seems utterly baseless. C+ at best.

Night Surf--Is it just me, or didn't stories used to have beginnings, middles, and ends? This is a middle without anything around it. Add to that the fact that it's basically a precursor to the Stand (note that in the Stand, the disease didn't originate in the wild), and you've got some confusion. Nonetheless, it is reminiscent of the events of the first half of that great book, and can be recommended on that basis.

I Am The Doorway--Okay, now here we have a relatively unoriginal concept (being taken over by forces you can't control) given a nice new twist. One of the better efforts.

The Mangler--Oh look, more confusion--it's the Blue Ribbon Laundry from Roadwork. Just another argument for reading this before you start any of King's other work, I suppose. All the same, while this story is certainly implausible and a little hard to grab hold on, it's not bad. B.

The Boogeyman--This is a fan favorite, but not so much one of mine. It probably is the best achievement of the book--it just doesn't rub me the right way. Nonetheless, it is still an excellent piece of short fiction. A.

Gray Matter--I wasn't really satisfied with this. The sort of King short stories that I prefer are the ones that are remotely plausible--this one is not. It's adequate fiction, but nothing to write home about. B.

Battleground--First of two absolutely idiotic pieces of prose. It reads like the script to a bad animated horror movie. F.

Trucks--Worst story ever for King, bar none. This is so implausible as to be laughable, if it weren't told with such a serious and grounded tone. Obviously the precursor to Christine (a much better book), this story lacks any of the reasoning or thought that was put into that work. Trucks go crazy and kill people and nobody knows why...oh well, you can't win them all. F-.

Sometimes They Come Back--Now we're back into the swing of things. This story is a lot better than the others to date, and contains a lot of the character development King's fans have come to expect of him. The ending fizzles a little, but it's not the worst. A-.

Strawberry Spring--Here, King manages to write a story with good atmosphere, characterization, and plot. Unlike a similar story (The Man Who Loved Flowers), he also avoids sounding as though he's imitating Poe in the process. Probably the best story in the book, and certainly one of the best closing lines in King history. A+

The Ledge--I just like realistic Stephen King; that's probably why Hearts In Atlantis is my favorite story from him yet. This is a nice story that stays at a good constant emotional level and gives exactly the right amount of backstory and development. A.

The Lawnmower Man--All that I can say is, "Huh?" I read this story three times in a row and I still don't understand what any of it means. This reads like something a drunken frat boy wrote after he got done watching the Exorcist and eating a salad. F-.

Quitters, Inc.--It amazes me that fewer people have examined what this story has to say about the process of kicking an addiction to begin with. As a story, it's still wonderful, and as an examination of addiction, it's even better. A+.

I Know What You Need--Just what everyone is most afraid of--meeting somebody who's absolutely perfect for them. No, wait a second...I was disappointed with this, not only because it seems rather implausible (even in a fantastic reality), but also because the reversal occurs a little too quickly and the primary villain in insufficiently dealt with. D-.

Children of the Corn--This is okay. Not good, not bad, but okay. C.

The Last Rung on the Ladder--So many people are going to be disappointed with this story because it has absolutely nothing to do with horror. All the same, it's the best story in the book, and it really carries an emotional whallop that you might not be used to finding in King. This is reminiscent of his pathos at its best (see Pet Semetary). A+.

The Man Who Loved Flowers--This story is fairly hackneyed, but still well done. For some reason, it reminded me of Poe, though he wasn't famous for his plot turns. Compared to the other big twist story, this one is executed better, but lacks the well developed atmosphere. A-.

One For the Road--Here's the REAL sequel to 'Salem's Lot, which unfortunately spends a lot of energy to go absolutely nowhere. D+.

The Woman in the Room--He doesn't end on his best, but he doesn't end with his worst, either. It's fairly well told, I suppose, but the subject matter is nothing new, which translates to nothing impressive. C+.

Rating:
Summary: Stephen King in the raw
Review: This collection of stories was published when King was still early in his career. Most of them are very frightening. "The Bogeyman", which I first read when I was 12 will make you think twice about leaving the closet door open at night was especially good. "Strawbery Spring" has a horrifying twist ending and "I am the Doorway" has an echo 20 years later in King's book Dreamcatcher. Read the introduction by John MacDonald and the foreward by King himself. In light of what life was to throw at King in later years both are fascinating.