This is a vehicle for listening. We don’t need music

I’m so fed up with producers pushing music and effects on these stories.
I’m buying the words of the author not amateur atmosphere. Please stop infecting these stories with unwelcome sounds.

91 people found this helpful

please stop with the music in King books

who ever is responsible for the audio version of Stephen King books, please stop with the musical breaks! they are distracting; and some times continue over the narrator. in 1408 (read by King) the first several sentence are nearly obscured by the music. I like the book overall, some stories drag a bit.

48 people found this helpful

It Was So Eventual

I bought this audio book because I enjoy listening to Stephen King narrate his work. I've listened to all the novels he has narrated so far, and now I'm on to the short stories, starting with this one. I was not disappointed. LT's Theory of Pets was a live reading, and it was enjoyable, though it was a little strange hearing this live recording sandwiched in between studio performances which had better sound quality. Justin Long was the perfect narrator for Everything's Eventual, which ended up being my favorite tale.

34 people found this helpful

I enjoyed it, with one small hitch.

Well written, great narration, but sometimes the intro/outro music overpowers the narration. chapter 16 is the biggest example. The sax overpowered Stephen King's narration and I really couldn't understand it.

33 people found this helpful

A great collection with excellent narration.

There are no bad stories in this collection. Love it.

“Autopsy Room Four” – Super creepy and I love the ending. Four stars.

“The Man in the Black Hat” – Somewhat less definitive than I would have liked, but the descriptions are amazing. Three stars.

“All That You Love Will Be Carried Away” - The lady or the tiger? Four stars.

“The Death of Jack Hamilton” – This was so sad, and also disgusting. King can definitely make you feel all the feels, even in only one short story. Four stars.

“In The Deathroom” – I think this was extremely well-characterized for such a short story. I liked the ending a lot, too. Four stars.

“The Little Sister of Eluria” – I don't really understand the relationship between the Little Sisters and the doctor bugs. And Jenna's motivations mystify me. Still decent. Three stars.

“Everything’s Eventual” – I love this story and (view spoiler) Four stars.

“L.T.’s Theory of Pets” – Hilarious and poignant and oh-so-accurate. Five stars.

“The Road Virus Heads North” - Creeeeepy. Four stars.

“Lunch at the Gotham Café” – This one kind of bored me. Two stars.

“That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French” – This one kinda went over my head, I think. Two stars.

“1408” – Absolutely terrifying and fascinating. I may have to watch the movie now. Five stars.

“Riding the Bullet” – Soooo....was anything actually changed by George or....? Three stars.

“Lucky Quarter” – I so want to know what happened next. Three stars.

Not the best short story collection King has ever done (still Night Shift), but there are some gems here you definitely should not miss, whether you're a diehard Constant Reader or not.

31 people found this helpful

A few great, some good, a lot mediocre.

Stephen King is by far one of the greatest writers of our time. I don't believe he is just a horror writer either. His characters are often complexly human in a way that most writers struggle to articulate. That being said, most of the stories in this book are just average. However, average at Stephen King standards it's still worth a listen if you're a fan. There are a few great short stories in this collection. Only, far fewer than I had hoped.

8 people found this helpful

A great book for the beach or beside the pool.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely would recommend this title. I listened to it while on vacation and some of these tales will haunt me ever after.

What did you like best about this story?

This was a collection of short stories. Everything's Eventual, the title story about a geek with an unusual ability to create deadly emails, was brilliantly told, unfolded. The story about the boy trying to hitch-hike to a neighboring town to visit his sick mother presented that character with an unthinkable choice. The one about the road virus was terrifying. All of the stories included were good.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Some interpretation of the characters, I suppose. Hearing someone read to you is comforting and ensures comprehension, narrators in this collection were not intrusive and did a good job of interpreting the characters.

If you could take any character from Everything's Eventual out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The email writing geek. I want to hear more about the glyphs he can construct.

8 people found this helpful

Good stories, bad music

Enjoyed the stories and narration. Music is awful and distracting though.

Also didn't much like the inclusion of the long Dark Tower story.

7 people found this helpful

My FAVORITE King collection

I LOVE EVERYTHING about this book. It’s my favorite collection of stories by King. The paperback of this has been in my bathroom for years (tmi I know lol). There’s a story for almost every mood (except perhaps romance). There’s action, comedy, suspense, drama, horror. It’s read beautifully. My favorite stories on here are death room, L.T’s theory of pets, that feeling you can only say in French, Gotham cafè, 1408... I’ve read this book cover to cover and read and re read my favorite stories countless times.

7 people found this helpful

Some Great most Bland Really BLAND.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Some are GREAT 1408, The Killing Room, Gotham Cafe, and maybe a few others. But for 10 or so duds is not a reason to keep this book. I just have not had any luck with Stephen Kings short stories. I was not a fans of Dreamscapes either.

What was most disappointing about Stephen King’s story?

Most of the Stories were Bland and I can see why these never made it to full novels.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

I Like almost all of the readers, I feel that the stories had more to do with how well I enjoyed the Book, more than the Reader doing the reading.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment that more were not better stories.

Any additional comments?

I will be asking for a Refund of my credit.

6 people found this helpful