Just After Sunset

Critics

• My poisoned bon-bons

  A young man stands at a Wyoming railway halt. His train has been derailed, his girlfriend has abandoned him for the bright lights of town; the dregs of the sunset recently "faded to bitter orange" over the Wind River mountains. He is about to discove ... (read full critics)

  guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

• Horror lurks in the humdrum

  'There lots of things in life that are like riding a bike,' says Stephen King in his introduction to Just After Sunset, 'but writing short stories isn't one of them. You can forget how.' Over the following 13 stories he faces his fear that after year ... (read full critics)

  guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

7 Reviews

• 2 people find this helpful

  *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  

  LONG LIVE THE KING

  THE GINGERBREAD GIRL: Only He can re-write masterly a story told a million times before, and make it sound fresh and interesting, putting so much truth and reality in it that you can't stop reading anyway. For those who don't believe in ESP (among which yours truly) I reveal that, just having this b ... (continue)

  THE GINGERBREAD GIRL: Only He can re-write masterly a story told a million times before, and make it sound fresh and interesting, putting so much truth and reality in it that you can't stop reading anyway. For those who don't believe in ESP (among which yours truly) I reveal that, just having this book in my hands (it's months, a lot of months I've been reading it), I caught some images through the hardcover (jumping down through a window glass to escape from death) my affectionate readers will be able to find in NINA. What does it prove? Osmosis, this should be the right word, I guess).
  REST STOP: Still talking about stories told and retold, how many times did the King treat the same duality author/character (real profession/artistic avatar)? A bunch. Yet... Simplicity masterly used. And the King is hardly often "simple".
  THINGS THEY LEFT BEHIND: Reading it for the third time. Nobody will ever be able to get rid of this kind of "things". This century is much heavier than Aragon could ever guess.
  WILLA: when you are dead, do you realize it immediately? how long does it take you to admit it? a tender ghost love story.
  THE NEW YORK TIMES AT SPECIAL BARGAIN RATES: the kind of story, so almost unbearably moving, that every writer would like to have written himself. But nobody else would be able to. Very likely. So, let's call the whole thing off.
  N.: a strange somewhat too long story to be considered as a homage paid to Arthur Machen (one of the greatest). Not too intriguing, though. I'm awfully curious about the visual version (???) included in the bonus DVD.
  CAT FROM HELL: so this is one of his earliest stories. Great great GREAT, in the tradition of Poe, M.R. James, J.S. Le Fanu. It has inspired me my most successful story up to now: Il Topo.
  A VERY TIGHT PLACE: one of the most disgusting, and best written stories I ever read.
  STATIONARY BIKE: haunting, creepy, hard-hitting
  MUTE: Delightful: a story in the Alfred Hitchcock's mystery stories style.
  AYANA: this story is a miracle in itself, so tender and sensible. Hard not to be moved, believers or not.

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  paolo parigi said on May 7, 2010 | 2 feedbacks

• 2 people find this helpful

  

  This book just didn't live up to my expectations. King is capable of writing a fantastic collection of short stories but here he fell short. Not a single one was scary and only a couple were suspensful. The majority were just decent little stories. For King a disappointment, but to be fair I deci ... (continue)

  This book just didn't live up to my expectations. King is capable of writing a fantastic collection of short stories but here he fell short. Not a single one was scary and only a couple were suspensful. The majority were just decent little stories. For King a disappointment, but to be fair I decided to rate as if it had it been written by an unkown author.

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  Icedream said on Nov 20, 2008 | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  A collection of short stories and also
  Stephen King at his finest.
  I have to admit while reading "N" I got
  up to shut my closet door, I'm sure something was in there. Really.
  Gingerbread girl and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates not only creeped my out, but were my ... (continue)

  A collection of short stories and also
  Stephen King at his finest.
  I have to admit while reading "N" I got
  up to shut my closet door, I'm sure something was in there. Really.
  Gingerbread girl and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates not only creeped my out, but were my personal favourites.

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  Leahrussell76 said on Feb 18, 2009 | Add your feedback

• 

  I can now proclaim, conclusively, that Stephen King is best at writing novellas. Not short stories, not novels, but medium-length stories of about 80 pages or so. I came to this conclusion after realizing that my favourites in Just After Sunset, which are <The Gingerbread Girl>, <N ... (continue)

  I can now proclaim, conclusively, that Stephen King is best at writing novellas. Not short stories, not novels, but medium-length stories of about 80 pages or so. I came to this conclusion after realizing that my favourites in Just After Sunset, which are <The Gingerbread Girl>, <N.> and <A Very Tight Place>, all happen to be novellas.

  King's short stories usually end sort of abruptly to me. Yes he has interesting ideas, but without adequate character development, the stories just don't leave a lasting impression on me. His longer novels pose another problem. Sure the characters get developed fully, but sometimes I find the plot drags on, and I may skim-skip a few paragraphs from time to time just to move things along.

  So, as is almost everything else in life, moderation is the key - for King's stories. His novellas are perfect balancing acts that integrate intriguing ideas, gripping plots and memorable characters. <The Gingerbread Girl>, <N.> and <A Very Tight Place> all make my heart race and keep my fingers busy turning page after page. They are classic King thrillers that won't disappoint any of his fans.

  A final note of caution though: make sure you don't have a full stomach when you read <A Very Tight Place>. It will gross you out big time. No, it's not blood and gore, it's something much more familiar, yet we all refuse to think about. Find out for yourself, and be entertained (if you're childish enough).

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  Holmes said on Nov 12, 2011 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Dear Stephen,

  I've loved you longer than I haven't. You were always there for me when I needed you most. When I was sad, you made me appreciate how little that moment really mattered in the grand scheme of things. When I was happy, you reminded me gently to love it for as long as I could cause lor ... (continue)

  Dear Stephen,

  I've loved you longer than I haven't. You were always there for me when I needed you most. When I was sad, you made me appreciate how little that moment really mattered in the grand scheme of things. When I was happy, you reminded me gently to love it for as long as I could cause lord knows it wasn't going to last long. And when I was so sick of someone that every time they appeared before me I mentally tortured & killed them in various, unseemly ways, you made it okay. You did it, too. But having just put your latest creation to the side, I felt the need to pause and take stock of what you and I have. I felt so betrayed, so alone in my passions after reading your collection, but surely you didn't intend to leave me this feeling away. Maybe with From A Buick 8 and Cell, but no, not this.

  So I did what my momma had always told me to do: I made a list of pros and cons. And while your attributes began to become endless, I started remembering all the books you put out after your 1999 accident, and the cons just came a-rolling through. That's it, Steve. That's what changed. And while I feel horrible about that, I feel like it's been long enough. You can't continue to blame an 11 year old event. It just ain't...right. It just ain't...honest.

  Well, it's time someone started being honest around here: it's over between us. I can't continue to watch you struggle and half ass your talent. Watching it all unfold in front of my eyes leaves feeling empty and alone, even after I listen to our first song together, ""Keep A-Knockin'".

  *sigh*

  Goodbye.

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  Clementine said on May 20, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  Scary Short Story Must Have!

  OMG just when I thought I couldn't fall deeper in love with Stephen King's work than I already am, I find this little gem! A short story bundle written to keep you awake night after night. Okay I did sleep well even after reading the whole book, but oh can he give me the creeps like an expert. I esp ... (continue)

  OMG just when I thought I couldn't fall deeper in love with Stephen King's work than I already am, I find this little gem! A short story bundle written to keep you awake night after night. Okay I did sleep well even after reading the whole book, but oh can he give me the creeps like an expert. I especially loved N., The Cat from Hell and A Very Tight place. Looking into my cats eyes, riding past portapotties and having a small OCD attack will never be quite the same again. Stephen you rule my friend!

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  Jannekemarijn said on Jul 8, 2010 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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Book Details

• Rating:
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• English Books
• Hardcover 400 Pages
• ISBN-10: 1416584080
• ISBN-13: 9781416584087
• Publisher: Scribner
• Pub date: Nov 11, 2008
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Paperback, Audio CD and eBook
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, 和書, Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Libri Italiani, Nederlandse Boeken, Česká kniha, Polskie Książki

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