Book Cover

The dog is loose again. It is not sleeping. It is not lazy. It's coming for you, Kevin. It's very hungry. And it's VERY angry.

Past Stephen King reviews:

• Different Seasons
• The Stand
• Under the Dome
• Bag of Bones
• The Dead Zone
• 11/22/63
• It
• Dreamcatcher
• Misery
• The Institute

# Review

This is the second Stephen King collection of novellas. Unlike the last collection, the novellas in this collection are filled with King’s trademark horror and supernatural elements.

# The Langoliers

Passengers on a plane wake up to find that the rest of the passengers and crew have disappeared and weird events are occurring. This story features King’s technique for developing characters. There is an ensemble cast and the dynamics between the characters really showcases King’s skill.

The tense mystery is very suspenseful and the description of the Langoliers is terrifying. This is my second favourite novella from the collections.

# Secret Garden, Secret Window

Mort Rainey, a successful writer, is being accused by a man named John Shooter of plagiarizing Shooter’s manuscript. Things quickly spiral out of control and Rainey starts to doubt his own sanity.

This story is the most dramatic of the four novellas. It deals with a theme that King is personally familiar with: being accused of plagiarism (often by deranged people). The psychological thriller aspect of the novel is very enthralling.

# The Library Policeman

Sam Peebles borrows a book from a library and fails to return it. He quickly realizes that this act causes him more trouble than expected.

This book feels like It in that it deals with the theme of childhood trauma. King creates a terrifying supernatural entity that is both insidious and fantastical.

# The Sun Dog

This is my favourite novella from the collection because it’s simple and it’s classic King. Kevin Delevan receives a Sun 660 Polaroid camera for his fifteenth birthday. When he takes a picture, however, the only pictures which the camera produces are images of a menacing black dog running towards the camera.

The story is very cheesy with a straightforward story but it knows this and doesn’t pretend to be a sophisticated work. This is guilty fun.

# Conclusion

Not as amazing as his last collection but still a solid collection of fiction.

# Overall rating: 8.2

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