Just After Sunset
Published: 11, November 2008
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Anthologies, Fiction, Horror, Literary, Literature, Mystery, Short Stories, Suspense, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
Just After Sunset Summary
The Review
Stephen King's Just After Sunset, is his fifth collection of short tales. Scribner published it as a hardback on November 11, 2008, with a holographic dust jacket. Just Past Sunset was unveiled as the title of the collection on the author's official website on February 6, 2008. The title was altered to Just After Sunset about a month later. Pocket Rockets and Unnatural Acts of Human Intercourse were previous names cited in the media by Stephen King himself.
I believe it is one of his best short story collections. While the stories aren't all winners, King covers a wide variety of narrative topics, demonstrating his incredible ability to elicit feelings ranging from dread, contempt, humor, and, most impressively, an uncomfortable sensation that his tales might actually happen.
These pieces, when compared to his previous works, show an astonishing maturity that makes them well worth reading.
King has an incredible capacity to communicate with his audience/readers, which is most noticeable in his introductions.
In this section, he discusses what sparked the collection and why the short tale is significant. Despite his nearly nasally voice, King is a terrific reader of his own work and has a distinct folksy manner about him, which means you will undoubtedly like the audio version of this book as well.
End notes, which I'm sure all of King's readers enjoy, are also included, as are a few comments from King about writing.
When I read these additions by King, I fall in love with them. This is a compilation for fans of Stephen King's uncanny ability to create believable, engaging characters.
The following are the titles of short stories from this collection, along with some details:
01 - Willa
Stephen King's story about the afterlife and the fear of what we can't comprehend. Many of these stories deal with the unknown; sadly, it is one of the weaker stories in the collection; however, keep in mind that it is the weakest of the best collection of stories, so you can't really call it a bad story when compared to stories outside of this book. And one thing is certain: this narrative gives you goosebumps of a different type.
02 - The Gingerbread Girl
It is an excellent illustration of two things King excels at: tension building and painting amazingly complicated and varied characters.
This suspense story is strengthened by a strong psychological profile of the main character and King's flair, which provide a nice touch to everything.
The title references the fairy tale The Gingerbread Boy, also known as The Gingerbread Man.
03 - Harvey's Dream
Another narrative with good depiction, but this short story doesn't have much else going for it. It's a good read, with language that conveys the same matter-of-fact sense of late-life sadness and tragedy. It is worth reading and especially listening to since Stephen King read this story to us.
04 - Rest Stop
This is the narrative, about a writer who relies on his alter identity in a pinch, is amusing, and may be regarded as a decent story; but, I don't think it would come over as well without O'Hare's delivery in the audio version. A strong, no-nonsense reading elevates this narrative from unremarkable to memorable.
05 - Stationary Bike
This is the story of an artist who is tormented by his work and whose addiction has been smoothed out through time. Another terrific character makes the narrative easier to swallow, despite a somewhat sad finale.
06 - The Things They Left Behind
This is a fantastic narrative that, unfortunately, resolves too quickly and then drags towards the finish.
There are many unsettling concepts in this story, and the main character has some of the most compelling expressions.
There's one amazing anecdote here; King knows how to make us uncomfortable in the most delectable ways!
If you have the audio version and are in the mood to experience a wide range of emotions, this is a terrific listen.
07 - Graduation Afternoon
It's a short story about a girl who sees a catastrophe. The tale isn't particularly interesting, but King maintains his streak of exceptional character development. However, because the character has nothing to do, this one is forgettable, albeit it can be a memorable read in rare situations.
08 - N.
This story, which appears for the first time in this collection, is another King nod to Weird fiction, and it ranks among the finest of the bunch.
King may have been thinking about Machen here, but Lovecraft devotees will recognize several clichés mastered by the master himself.
The plot revolves around a man seeking therapy for OCD and explaining why he's suddenly got the ailment. The story's structure, which has the eponymous man discussing his life and experiences, is an exceptionally perceptive examination of OCD, but with a supernatural twist.
This is so brilliant that it almost makes you angry that King can still wield the pen with such accuracy, intelligence, and ingenuity. This narrative deserves to be at the top of the list of stories in this book.
I'm using the author's words here, but merely modifying the way they were expressed to avoid the Copywrite issue: In interviews and in the book, King stated that the story was inspired by Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan: "It's not Lovecraft, but a play on words of Arthur Machen's 'The Great God Pan,' one of the finest horror stories ever written. The greatest in the English language, maybe. My writing is nowhere near that brilliant, but I enjoyed the opportunity to combine neurotic behavior—obsessive/compulsive disorder—with the concept of a monster-filled macro verse."
09 - The Cat from Hell
This is one of King's shocking stories that works because it blends absurdism and graphic, primal gore in such a manner that you have to take it seriously until the trigger is pulled and you know the joke is on you.
It doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the book, but it's good to have this classic included in an official collection.
The audio version of this story is also excellent. This story was also adapted for film in the anthology film Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), and I loved it.
I remember my cousins' faces when one of the craziest scenes from the book happened on screen, the eyes of all my cousins looked like they were going to pop out and one of them threw up with sheer terror of it but I was laughing so I think it really depends on who is reading or watching this story and that determines how they will react.
10 - The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates
This is similar to Harvey's Dream. This seems like a fragment of a wonderful narrative that isn't long enough to please you, and you're left wanting a lot more of this amazing idea and plot.
In this one, a phone call from beyond affects a recent widow, but there's not enough to it. A film project was in the works, but it became stalled and has remained dormant for a long time.
11 - Mute
This is another story that appears to be a snoozer at first but then turns out to be extremely good towards the conclusion. A powerful character propels a narrative of betrayal, rage, and bewilderment that takes a softer approach to organized religion than King is renowned for. It's not a terrifying narrative, but it has a tremendous emotional pull.
12 - Ayana
A narrative about miracles and their positive and negative aspects with a good plot that is greatly aided by King's ability to generate almost lyrical passages in a narrative.
13 - A Very Tight Place
Another absurd tale But this one is a slam dunk! With one character spouting hate speech in the beginning, I was already uneasy, but as the tale progresses, it becomes a compelling thriller that is skillfully written behind all the awful stuff.
There is an Easter egg for Stephen King fans. The numerals on the main character's dog's collar total up to 19, an important number that appears throughout King's novel worlds, most notably in the Dark Tower series.
Final Thoughts
The stories themselves exhibit King's distinct blend of horror, pop culture, and music allusions, all laced with King's tremendous sense of humor.
Almost all of the stories are excellent and innovative in the King tradition. Nobody writes like King, and it pays off, as seen by this compilation.
This compilation will be quite entertaining and even interesting for both first-time King readers and those who have read huge portions of his literature.
You know how it is with short stories: we don't all like the same ones, but there are always a few that you enjoy.
I used to feel the same way after reading all of Alfred Hitchcock's short story collections. This book featured some extremely fantastic stories and some that were just okay.
I also enjoyed how Stephen King wrote a little bit about how he wrote each story, which is near the finish but I would not read it till the end so they are not spoiled.
In a nutshell, this is a compilation of short stories that all kept me fascinated from beginning to end.
I've never read anything by Mr. King that didn't grab my interest and keep me wanting more.
He's been doing it since I was a kid, and he still does it now. I can't imagine growing up without being both bewildered and delighted by The King. This is a fantastic collection of short stories, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Synopsis
The following synopsis is taken from the book's audio version.
“Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying-journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable -- and resourceful -- as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark. In "Ayana", a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In "N", which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countrysideÉor keep the world from falling victim to it.
Just After Sunset -- call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Christian Slater, David Johansen, Deborah Harry, James Remar, John Harrison, Left Behind, Mitchell Galin, New York, Paramount Pictures, Rae Dawn Chong, Richard P. Rubenstein, Richard P. Rubinstein, Stationary Bike, Tight Place, William Hickey, York Times
Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (1990) (R)
1408 (2007) (R)
Stand by Me (1986) (R)
Apt Pupil (1998) (R)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) (R)
Secret Window (1994) (PG-13)
The Langoliers (1994) (PG-13)
Under The Dome - Season 1 (2013) (13+)
Dreamcatcher (2003) (R)
Cell (2016) (R)
Bag of Bones Season 1 (2012) (13+)
Dolores Claiborne (1995) (R)
It (1990) (R)
It (2017) (R)
It Chapter Two (2019) (R)
Needful Things (1993) (R)
Desperation (2006) (16+)
Silver Bullet (1985) (R)
The Tommyknockers (1993) (M)
Christine (1983) (R)
The Dead Zone (1983) (R)
Misery (1990) (R)
Carrie (1976) (R)
Firestarter (1984) (R)
Mr. Mercedes Season 01 (2017) (TV-MA)
Thinner (1996) (R)
The Running Man (1987) (R)
The Dark Half (1993) (R)
The Green Mile (1999) (16+)
Salem’s Lot (1979) (G)
Salem’s Lot: The Miniseries (2004) (NR)
The Dark Tower 8 Book Boxed Set (Paperback)
The Dark Tower (2017) (PG-13)
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