Skeleton Crew
Published: 21, June 1985
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Anthologies, Contemporary, Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ+, Literature, Psychological, Short Stories, Supernatural, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
Skeleton Crew Summary
The Review
Stephen King's Skeleton Crew is a collection of short stories released by Putnam in June 1985. Scream/Press published a limited edition of 1,000 copies in October 1985, illustrated by J. K. Potter, and included an additional short story, "The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson," which first appeared in Rolling Stone magazine (July 19 – August 2, 1984), and was later incorporated into King's 1987 novel The Tommyknockers. The book's initial title was Night Moves, but it was eventually changed to Skeleton Crew.
The Mist is undoubtedly the standout element of Skeleton Crew, and although being shorter than most of his novels, he's able to deliver on a wonderful combination of tension, action, and character development better than most of his 700+ page novels. This story alone is practically worth the price of this book, while taking up barely a fifth of the collection.
Cain Rose Up, as many other readers have noted, stands out uncomfortably as a basic and too brutal tale of a school massacre. It feels like the conclusion to a much more intricate and engaging narrative, such as Rage.
The Jaunt is probably my favorite of the bunch because of how it delivers on an intriguing notion and the ensuing reward at the end, but it's also wonderful to read one from Stephen King that digs into some exciting sci-fi features. This entire narrative is available for free online, so if nothing else, read it.
The notion of Word Processor of the Gods is fantastic enough: a handmade computer that can generate whatever that is written into it. However, I believe that this should have been lot bigger and better than it is, but it is still an excellent read.
Nona seemed the most like a Stephen King narrative, with an overabundance of characters that all felt like they belonged in a broader story, which is why most of them subsequently appear in other stories set in the same town. It's still a fantastic book, especially if you've just read Body or Hearts in Atlantis.
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet takes a while to get going, but once it does, it's a wonderful unsettling yet subtly humorous narrative. It's one of the collection's longer and last pieces, and it, along with The Reach, ends on a high note.
The Monkey is the book's second longest story, and it also happens to be my second favorite. A guy is terrified of a cymbal-clapping windup monkey who he believes has been responsible for several fatalities since he was a child. This is his effort to rid himself of the item in order to rescue himself and his family. It's a basic narrative, but it's spooky, and it's an excellent illustration of what a short story should be.
The collection includes eighteen short stories, two novellas "The Mist" and "The Ballad of The Flexible Bullet," as well as two poems "Paranoid: A Chant" and "For Owen."
In addition to the opening, in which King addresses his readers directly in his trademark style of speech, Skeleton Crew includes a type of epilogue called "Notes," in which King examines the genesis of numerous pieces in the book.
The stories are drawn from science-fiction and horror anthologies such as Dark Forces, Shadows, Terrors, and New Terrors, as well as genre magazine publications such as Twilight Zone, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Startling Mystery Stories, Weirdbook, and Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as popular magazines such as Redbook, Gallery, Yankee, and Playboy.
Overall, I would suggest this collection to any Stephen King fan, since it contains many of his most popular and memorable works (especially those that are not whole novels), and it may even be the ideal place for a beginner to Stephen King to begin.
The following is a list of the stories from this book.
01 - The Mist
02 - Here There Be Tygers
03 - The Monkey
04 - Cain Rose Up
05 - Mrs. Todd's Shortcut
06 - The Jaunt
07 - The Wedding Gig
08 - Paranoid: A Chant
09 - The Raft
10 - Word Processor of the Gods
11 - The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands
12 - Beachworld
13 - The Reaper's Image
14 - Nona
15 - For Owen
16 - Survivor Type
17 - Uncle Otto's Truck
18 - Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1)
19 - Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2)
20 - Gramma
21 - The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet
22 - The Reach
My recommendation is to wait until you've finished all of the other tales before reading The Mist, since it's one of the greatest stories in the book in my view.
Final Thoughts
Stephen King is an author who should be read at least once by every reader. His ability to tell stories and draw you in from the first phrase is incredible.
The stories are among King's best, as mentioned in the title.
"The Mist" is the collection's first short story, and it's also the longest.
I've always been wondering about where King gets his ideas, and I was glad to learn that at the conclusion of this book, there are some details about what inspired King to create a couple of the stories.
While "The Mist" is his most well-known work in this collection, I also enjoyed "The Jaunt," "Word Processor of the Gods," (a bizarre but enjoyable piece of writing, "The Raft," and "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet."
Fantastic bits of writing that demonstrate King's talent in a variety of forms. It's also worth noting that not all of these short tales are about terror or weirdness; he's also fantastic at writing about everyday life and seemingly ordinary events that we as humans face. Any Stephen King lover should have this book.
There are around 20 tales here, all of varied quail. Most of them are between 20 and 30 pages long, so even if you don't like any of them, you haven't wasted too much time.
I thought almost all of them to be quite amusing, with a few of them being considerably above average. The book is certainly worth purchasing, and I would suggest it to any Stephen King fans who are ready to read him in tiny doses.
Synopsis
The following synopsis is taken from the Audiobook version of the book.
“Narrated by Stephen King, Matthew Broderick, Michael C. Hall, Paul Giamatti, Will Patton, Norbert Leo Butz, Lois Smith, Dylan Baker, Kyle Beltran, Dana Ivey, Robert Petkoff, David Morse, and Frances Sternhagen.
The master at his scarifying best! From heart-pounding terror to the eeriest of whimsy - tales from the outer limits of one of the greatest imaginations of our time!
In "The Mist", a supermarket becomes the last bastion of humanity as a peril beyond dimension invades the earth.
Touch "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands", and say your prayers.
There are some things in attics that are better left alone - things like "The Monkey".
The most sublime woman driver on earth offers a man "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" to paradise.
A boy's sanity is pushed to the edge when he's left alone with the odious corpse of "Gramma".
If you were stunned by Gremlins, the Fornits of "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" will knock your socks off.
Trucks that punish and beautiful teen demons who seduce a young man to massacre; curses whose malevolence grows through the years; obscene presences and angels of grace - here, indeed, is a night-blooming bouquet of chills and thrills.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Ballad Of The Flexible, Flexible Bullet, Mrs Todd, Processor Of The Gods, Shake Hands, Short Story, Survivor Type, Todd Shortcut, Word Processor
Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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