Four Past Midnight
Published: 24, September 1990
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Anthologies, Fiction, Horror, Occult, Short Stories, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
Four Past Midnight Summary
The Review
Stephen King's novella collection Four Past Midnight, released in August 1990, is a compilation of tales written between 1988 and 1989. It's his second novel of this style, following Different Seasons. The collection received the Bram Stoker Award for Best Collection in 1990 and was nominated for a Locus Award in 1991. In the preface, King states that, unlike Different Seasons, which is a compilation of four stories, this book is more exclusively horror with supernatural aspects.
As I've indicated in previous reviews of short tales, I've never loved reading them, but every now and then, a writer changes my mind, and Stephen King is one of them and this book, as well as the short stories included inside it, caused my mind to alter for the better once more.
The Langoliers, Secret Window, Secret Garden, The Library Policeman, and The Sun Dog are the four novellas. All of the pieces were excellent, but I can't help but think that a handful of them might have worked better as full-length novels.
There was simply so much more to discover in some of them. For example, The Langoliers, a jet that goes into yesterday, when the earth is rapidly being eaten away by bouncing alien balls known as the Langoliers. They fly back to the present/future after a brief stop at the airport of the past. I simply felt that there may be some fun in all of this, but it was hampered by the length of the tale.
The following are the short stories from this book:
01 - The Langoliers
It's a mysterious time travel story with a surprising twist. A jumbo jet carrying passengers takes off from Los Angeles bound for Boston, but passes through a time rip, sending the few surviving passengers back in time by barely a few hours while the past-tense world decays around them.
This narrative was converted into a TV show and a film, and it wasn't horrible to watch. This was my personal favorite. It's horrifyingly creepy and will keep you fascinated till the finish.
Of course, practically everyone has seen the TV movie, but even if you haven't, it's a wonderful read. The characters, like all Stephen King's, are incredibly believable.
02 - Secret Window, Secret Garden
The plot of Secret Window, Secret Garden is similar to that of Stephen King's earlier work The Dark Half. Both are about authors who are barely veiled parallels of King himself—in The Dark Half, it's Thad Beaumont, and in Secret Window, Secret Garden, it's Mort Rainey.
In Secret Window, Secret Garden, Mort Rainey, the author, is approached by a man who accuses him of stealing his novel.
Rainey's life takes a truly nasty turn as he rejects the claims, and the perpetrator of it all gave me the goosebumps.
It's creepy, unsettling, and heartbreaking. This is my third choice. There are several obvious differences between the book and the film, some of which are negative, but the tale is generally wonderful.
Prepare for a crazy voyage into the human psyche. Secret Window, Secret Garden was the one exception to a borderline-juvenile narrative. That one was the most mature and, in my opinion, creepiest.
This is due to the fact that it dealt with the very real and terrifying thought of losing one's mind in the worst way possible, all the way into the world of violent schizoaffective disorder.
03 - The Library Policeman
A man who hasn't been to the library since he was a youngster, comes in to look for two specific books. His experience there is, to say the least, unpleasant, as he rapidly discovers he has entered another realm.
The stereotyped librarian threatens him that if he does not return his books on time, the library policeman would come to his house.
The novel is a little monotonous at first, but when the narrative takes a supernatural left turn, boring turns into odd, and bizarre goes into spine-tingling.
Just keep reading over the dull portion and you'll be able to enjoy the narrative once it's over. It is second on my list.
This was a dramatic and interesting story about confronting childhood anxieties as an adult. It is twisted and may even cause a nostalgic lump to form in your throat.
04 - The Sun Dog
For his 15th birthday, a boy receives a much-desired Polaroid camera, but something is horribly wrong with it.
It only takes one type of photograph... And something genuinely awful and sinister is happening with each passing image.
The camera is a portal to another world—an evil, malevolent space where things can get sinister and eerie.
All of the novellas are preceded by a preface from Stephen King explaining how he came up with the story idea.
Only Stephen King would consider them novellas, which are longer than short stories but shorter than novels. I've read several books that are shorter than the "novellas" in this book and almost every story in this book is the size of a standard novel.
These stories were really enjoyable to me. They all piqued my attention instantly and kept it to the finish. Stephen King shines most brightly in these sorts of stories, which are neither too long nor too short.
Final Thoughts
Short tales may be difficult to impress, especially when they come from an author who creates 1000+ page volumes.
You can see from King's short tales that he had an idea but couldn't figure out how to properly explore it and turn it into a novel.
Fortunately, Four Past Midnight has three terrific stories that are neither hurried nor abbreviated.
Sun Dog, on the other hand, did not live up to the other three, while being great on its own but not on the level of the other three.
It has always surprised me how he can transform nothing into something, how he can take the simplest of narrative lines, the most basic of concepts, and turn them into something really intriguing and exciting.
My main issue isn't actually a complaint at all; rather, it's a source of intrigue. His ability to twist topics that, from a distance, appear to be rather infantile into something dramatic, enigmatic, and sophisticated is a source of intrigue in and of itself.
What do you mean, Library Policemen? A camera that is possessed? Is there a time-warp in the sky? I mean, really. Despite this, I was able to readily suspend my disbelief.
It's amazing to see how things develop and play out. And it's a lot of joy to go through them and observe the mystery.
Synopsis
This synopsis is taken from the book's audio version.
“Four chiller novellas set to keep listeners awake long after bedtime.
One Past Midnight: "The Langoliers" takes a red-eye flight from LA to Boston into a most unfriendly sky. Only 11 passengers survive, but landing in an eerily empty world makes them wish they hadn't. Something's waiting for them, you see.
Two Past Midnight: "Secret Window, Secret Garden" enters the suddenly strange life of writer Mort Rainey, recently divorced, depressed, and alone on the shore of Tashmore Lake. Alone, that is, until a figure named John Shooter arrives, pointing an accusing finger.
Three Past Midnight: "The Library Policeman" is set in Junction City, Iowa, an unlikely place for evil to be hiding. But for small businessman Sam Peebles, who thinks he may be losing his mind, another enemy is hiding there as well - the truth. If he can find it in time, he might stand a chance.
Four Past Midnight: "The Sun Dog", a menacing black dog, appears in every Polaroid picture that 15-year-old Kevin Delevan takes with his new birthday gift - with each following photograph beckoning him to the supernatural. Old Pop Merrill, Castle Rock's sharpest trader, wants to crash the party for profit, but the Sun Dog, a creature that shouldn't exist at all, is a very dangerous investment.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Castle Rock, Johnny Depp, Library Policeman, Needful Things, Past Midnight, Polaroid Camera, Secret Garden, Secret Window, Sun Dog, Well Written, Window Secret
Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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