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Four Past Midnight
- Narrated by: James Woods, Tim Sample, Willem Dafoe, Ken Howard
- Length: 29 hrs and 39 mins
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Skeleton Crew
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Matthew Broderick, Michael C. Hall, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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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! 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.
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Great stories, presentation needs works
- By Priscilla on 2020-01-09
Written by: Stephen King
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Rose Madder
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Blair Brown
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rosie Daniels leaves her husband, Norman, after 14 years in an abusive marriage. She is determined to lose herself in a place where he won't find her. She'll worry about all the rest later. Alone in a strange city, she begins to make a new life, and good things finally start to happen. Meeting Bill is one, and getting an apartment is another. Still, it's hard for Rosie not to keep looking over her shoulder, and with good reason. Norman is a cop, with the instincts of a predator.
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Ok, kind of disappointing.
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-11-02
Written by: Stephen King
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The Dark Half
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Thad Beaumont would like to say he is innocent. He'd like to say he has nothing to do with the twisted imagination that produced his best-selling novels. He'd like to say he has nothing to do with the series of monstrous murders that keep coming closer to his home. But how can Thad deny the ultimate embodiment of evil that goes by the name he gave it - and signs its crimes with Thad's bloody fingerprints?
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The King Of Horror Does Not Disappoint
- By Goodie Two Shoes on 2018-09-20
Written by: Stephen King
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Full Dark, No Stars
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson, Jessica Hecht
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger...." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up "1922", the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.
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Quality Stories - Perfect Performers
- By Alex on 2019-06-20
Written by: Stephen King
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Everything's Eventual
- 14 Dark Tales
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Becky Ann Baker, John Cullum, Boyd Gaines, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The first collection of stories Stephen King has published since Nightmares & Dreamscapes nine years ago, Everything's Eventual includes one O. Henry Prize winner, two other award winners, four stories published by The New Yorker, and "Riding the Bullet", King's original e-book, which attracted over half a million online readers and became the most famous short story of the decade. Intense, eerie, and instantly compelling, they announce the stunningly fertile imagination of perhaps the greatest storyteller of our time.
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a wide assortment
- By A on 2022-07-06
Written by: Stephen King
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Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume I
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Tim Curry, Rob Lowe, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A star-studded cast of readers present unabridged tales of horror and suspense from Stephen King's classic best-selling short story collection.
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creepy stuff
- By Scott on 2021-07-02
Written by: Stephen King
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Skeleton Crew
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Matthew Broderick, Michael C. Hall, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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! 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.
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Great stories, presentation needs works
- By Priscilla on 2020-01-09
Written by: Stephen King
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Rose Madder
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Blair Brown
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rosie Daniels leaves her husband, Norman, after 14 years in an abusive marriage. She is determined to lose herself in a place where he won't find her. She'll worry about all the rest later. Alone in a strange city, she begins to make a new life, and good things finally start to happen. Meeting Bill is one, and getting an apartment is another. Still, it's hard for Rosie not to keep looking over her shoulder, and with good reason. Norman is a cop, with the instincts of a predator.
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Ok, kind of disappointing.
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-11-02
Written by: Stephen King
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The Dark Half
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Thad Beaumont would like to say he is innocent. He'd like to say he has nothing to do with the twisted imagination that produced his best-selling novels. He'd like to say he has nothing to do with the series of monstrous murders that keep coming closer to his home. But how can Thad deny the ultimate embodiment of evil that goes by the name he gave it - and signs its crimes with Thad's bloody fingerprints?
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The King Of Horror Does Not Disappoint
- By Goodie Two Shoes on 2018-09-20
Written by: Stephen King
-
Full Dark, No Stars
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson, Jessica Hecht
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger...." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up "1922", the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.
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Quality Stories - Perfect Performers
- By Alex on 2019-06-20
Written by: Stephen King
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Everything's Eventual
- 14 Dark Tales
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Becky Ann Baker, John Cullum, Boyd Gaines, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
The first collection of stories Stephen King has published since Nightmares & Dreamscapes nine years ago, Everything's Eventual includes one O. Henry Prize winner, two other award winners, four stories published by The New Yorker, and "Riding the Bullet", King's original e-book, which attracted over half a million online readers and became the most famous short story of the decade. Intense, eerie, and instantly compelling, they announce the stunningly fertile imagination of perhaps the greatest storyteller of our time.
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a wide assortment
- By A on 2022-07-06
Written by: Stephen King
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Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume I
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Tim Curry, Rob Lowe, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
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Story
A star-studded cast of readers present unabridged tales of horror and suspense from Stephen King's classic best-selling short story collection.
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creepy stuff
- By Scott on 2021-07-02
Written by: Stephen King
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The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
- Stories
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Dylan Baker, Brooke Bloom, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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A master storyteller at his best - the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story. Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King's finest gifts to his constant fan. "I made them especially for you," says King. "Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth."
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not bad, but not his best work
- By Can't Read Enough - Kindle Rocks! on 2018-09-19
Written by: Stephen King
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Different Seasons
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 20 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Four gripping novellas tied together by the changing of seasons. Hope Springs Eternal - "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption": An unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge...the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award nominee The Shawshank Redemption.
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I love Stephen King!
- By Debbie on 2019-05-18
Written by: Stephen King
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The Regulators
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Peaceful suburbia on Poplar Street in Wentworth, Ohio, takes a turn for the ugly when four vans containing armed "regulators" terrorize the street's residents, cold-bloodedly killing anyone foolish enough to step outside their homes. Houses mysteriously transform into log cabins, and the street now ends in what looks like a child's hand-drawn Western landscape. Masterminding this sudden onslaught is the evil creature Tak, who has taken over the body of an autistic eight-year-old boy, Seth Garin.
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Very underrated
- By Mosin Mochaccino on 2019-03-15
Written by: Stephen King
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Desperation
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 21 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Located off a desolate stretch of Interstate 50, Desperation, Nevada, has few connections with the rest of the world. It is a place, though, where the seams between worlds are thin. And it is a place where several travelers are abducted by Collie Entragian, the maniacal police officer of Desperation. Entragian uses various ploys for the abductions, from an arrest for drug possession to "rescuing" a family from a nonexistent gunman.
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Good, but not great
- By Sally on 2018-10-01
Written by: Stephen King
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Just After Sunset
- Stories
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Jill Eikenberry, Holter Graham, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Just After Sunset - call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.
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Just After Sunset
- By Sharron padden on 2021-10-03
Written by: Stephen King
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The Tommyknockers
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 27 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Writer Bobbi Anderson becomes obsessed with digging up something she's found buried in the woods near her home. With the help of her friend, Jim Gardener, she uncovers an alien spaceship. Though exposure to the Tommyknockers, who piloted the alien ship, has harmful effects on residents' health, the people of Haven develop a talent for creating innovative devices under their increasingly malignant influence.
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Narrator elevates a so-so book
- By Kelly Brianna on 2019-04-02
Written by: Stephen King
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Duma Key
- A Novel
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: John Slattery
- Length: 21 hrs
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
A terrible accident takes Edgar Freemantle's right arm and scrambles his memory and his mind, leaving him with little but rage as he begins the ordeal of rehabilitation. When his marriage suddenly ends, Edgar begins to wish he hadn't survived his injuries. He wants out. His psychologist suggests a new life distant from the Twin Cities, along with something else.
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I absolutely LOVED this!
- By hdamoca on 2019-03-14
Written by: Stephen King
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Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume II
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Kathy Bates, Matthew Broderick, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A star-studded cast of readers present unabridged tales of horror and suspense from Stephen King's classic best-selling short story collection.
Written by: Stephen King
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Dolores Claiborne
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Frances Sternhagen
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Dolores Claiborne is suspected of killing Vera Donovan, her wealthy employer, and when the police question her, she tells the story of her life, harkening back to her disintegrating marriage and the suspicious death of her violent husband 30 years earlier. Dolores also tells of Vera's physical and mental decline and how she became emotionally demanding in recent years.
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Random music?
- By JJ on 2021-07-28
Written by: Stephen King
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Hearts in Atlantis
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, William Hurt
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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All the stories in this collection from Stephen King are related to the Vietnam War. King fans will recognize echoes of The Dark Tower series in the collection's first story, "Low Men in Yellow Coats." As the characters develop over the next four stories, King's version of the Vietnam War becomes one of his most frightening tales ever.
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great book, bad useless music
- By Clint McNab on 2018-12-12
Written by: Stephen King
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Lisey's Story
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Mare Winningham
- Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Lisey lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a 25-year marriage of profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. Scott was an award-winning, best-selling novelist and a very complicated man. Early in their relationship, before they married, Lisey knew there was a place Scott went - a place that both terrified and healed him, could eat him alive or give him the ideas he needed in order to live. Now it’s Lisey’s turn to face Scott’s demons, to go to that terrifying place known as Boo’ya Moon.
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A new favourite.
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-02-24
Written by: Stephen King
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Bag of Bones
- Written by: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Even four years after the sudden death of his wife, best selling novelist Mike Noonan can't stop grieving, nor can he return to his writing. He moves into his isolated house by the lake, which becomes the site of ghostly visitations, ever-escalating nightmares, and the sudden recovery of his writing ability. What are the forces that have been unleashed here - and what do they want of Mike Noonan?
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Slow and Uneventful
- By John on 2018-06-21
Written by: Stephen King
Publisher's Summary
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.
What the critics say
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What listeners say about Four Past Midnight
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ryan Granson
- 2018-09-22
2 outta 4 isnt bad
i really enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd stories. the audio is garbage especially on the first story it does improve though. the secret window secrwt garden and the library policeman make this book worth the 1 credit 👍
2 people found this helpful
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- STACY
- 2022-01-03
Blast from the past
I have been listening to “The Sun Dog” since I was a little kid on cassette tape! Still love revisiting it every year or so
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- Annick S.
- 2021-09-08
Les histoires en valent la peine
La production audio aurait pu être retravaillée mais sinon les performances des narrateurs et les histoires sont super!
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- Andrew Foster
- 2021-05-31
Good stories, so-so narration
Pretty good stories. If you like Stephen King, these 4 novellas are not bad. Most of the stories in here have a kind Twilight Zone feel to them.
The performance and audio quality varies here. The first 2 narrators I didn't care for. I expected to really enjoy them, as I like them both as actors. But for some reason they just didn't work so well as narrators. They final story, The Sun Dog was probably the best as far as narration goes.
Worth it if you are a fan.
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- Xiaomeng
- 2021-01-12
Great Stories!
especially loved the first story! But personally could've done without the dramatic background music! it's too distracting!
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- J.D. Surf
- 2019-03-28
Excellent stories, excellent narration, TERRIBLE audio quality! What a bummer.
Audible will you PLEASE address these audio issues!?!? Your app is an AUDIO APP, please give users more audio control. Volume boost is a must!
This has always been one of my favorites of King’s short story anthologies. I’ve read it cover to cover many times. I was looking forward to listening to it while I putter around. But with this terrible audio quality and no way to boost the volume, I had to return it. For my purposes, it was unlistenable.
The audio has a noticeable hiss throughout the entire recording. This, I realize, is a product of the original recording process and the low fi equipment that may have been used.
However, the volume is so low that with my ear buds in and the volume, on both my pods and iPhone turned up to maximum, I still can’t hear the narration while working, jogging, driving, or even walking through a busy grocery store.
AUDIBLE DEVELOPERS, please give us users more control of the audio features of the app. Give us VOLUME BOOST, give us a user customizable equalizer. Give us something to deal with the sometimes low quality of the audio recordings.
This is the 4th or 5th book I’ve had to return because the audio was just so low that I couldn’t listen to the book while being active. I suppose if you just sat still in a quiet room and listened to your audible content, this would be ok. But if you prefer to listen while you are active at all, this lack of audio control is a total bummer. I have excellent hearing, I can’t even guess how discouraging this would be for the hearing impaired.
And yes, I have gone to iPhone settings and messed with the EQ settings, Late Night Mode, etc , the volume is still too low.
VOLUME BOOST FOR THE PEOPLE!!!
61 people found this helpful
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- Natalie
- 2017-02-25
Terrible Sound, Great Stories
The sound quality of this production is horrendous. Reminds me of audio tapes from the eighties. Clearly Simon & Schuster were out to make a quick buck by converting old recordings to digital format without polishing up the quality in any way. Unfortunate, as the stories are quite good and the readings even superb. Willem Dafoe is a treat – if you can ignore the background noise.
54 people found this helpful
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- Dawno
- 2016-09-11
The music is astoundingly annoying
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Yes, but only because I really enjoy Stephen King's writing. I'm actually only in the first story, but the added music is so infuriating I was compelled to pause and comment.
Any additional comments?
The music during the reading is almost impossible to bear. I want to hear the story and I don't need someone's idea of "enhancing" it with a jangling soundtrack that's lamely trying to increase tension. If King's writing needed that kind of help, like a laugh track for a not so very funny sitcom, I wouldn't be listening to his work at all. King's writing does a fine job of building intensity all by itself - I hope someone goes and revises this by stripping the unnecessary noise out.
41 people found this helpful
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- nancy
- 2016-05-04
Exceptionally Entertaining
4 novellas by King. One Past Midnight: The Langoliers narrated by Willem Dafoe. Not my fave, but better than the movie. Two Past Midnight: Secret Window, Secret Garden , narrated by James Woods. Even better than the movie adaption starring Johnnie Depp. Three Past Midnight: The Library Policeman, narrated by the late Ken Howard. Interesting and unpredictable. Four Past Midnight: The Sun Dog, narrated by Tim Sample. Another great, exciting and unpredictable. I enjoyed listening to all four stories. Worth the time , especially for Stephen King fans.
29 people found this helpful
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- KatherineHadar
- 2016-03-26
Sound Design
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Maybe, but I would warn him or her about the audio engineering. I love the story. But music and sound effects are distracting to the way I like to listen. I only want story and narration performance. I have had this problem before with the 'tier-2' Steven King books. It's enough to make me turn it off and return the book. Unfortunately, because the story is pretty interesting.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Story plot itself. It is a slow and strange unfolding, which is not the reason I listen to King. I really just want straight entertainment.
Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I haven't heard Willem Dafoe before. I really enjoy his performance.
Any additional comments?
STOP ADDING SOUND EFFECTS.
27 people found this helpful
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- Kinikki
- 2019-08-31
excellent collection of Stephen King stories
at first I was hesitant to get this, not because I didn't think this book was going to be good but because of all the negative reviews I read about the quality of the audio and the music. I found that the quality was just fine and the voice-over actors were exceptional, Willem Dafoe especially. while the music doesn't add anything to the stores, I did not find it nearly as troubling as some other people. I enjoyed this collection immensely and after each story I kept thinking well it's going to be really hard to top of that and yet there was another story right after that was just as good. I knew The Langoliers and Secret Window already the sun dog and the library policeman we're new to me and they were fantastic.
25 people found this helpful
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- DB
- 2016-03-09
Sound quality/unneeded music/random sound=mess
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
The stories themselves are of high quality. The random 'epic' music and 'creepy' sound effects were infuriating because the sound quality was already too 'bassy' and had volume issues.
What did you like best about this story?
The best one was the Langoliers. It was a great story of 'what would you do' and as always, King's characters are well developed and interesting. Willem Dafoe was great
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?
everyone was fine, james woods was weak.
Could you see Four Past Midnight being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
yes. in 2016... just in regard to Langoliers... Brian the pilot could be Hugh Jackman and the British Soldier Nick could be Paul Bettany. Paul Giamotti could be Craig Toomey. The Fastest Jew in the West could be any tall dark haired teen.
Any additional comments?
let music be on radio... not in audiobooks
19 people found this helpful
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- Dustin Elliott
- 2016-03-28
Good stories, but James Woods lisp
The stories are solid but I couldn't get through James Woods lisp. On the other hand, Willem Dafoe was tremendous.
12 people found this helpful
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- JennyT
- 2016-02-06
James Woods Ruined Secret Garden Hidden Window
Where does Four Past Midnight rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This was a good collection although not my favorite of King's.
What did you like best about this story?
Langoliers
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
I was so surprised and pleased to see that James Woods was narrating one of the stories, but believe it or not, it was a terrible reading. he rushed through much of the dialogue and did what I would call a poor job overall. Very disappointing considering I love him as an actor. Craig Wasson is by far one of the very best narrators of King's books IMO.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
What you don't know can hurt you...
10 people found this helpful
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- Steven Torres
- 2019-06-18
Better than people are giving it credit for
I'm not one to write reviews but I feel compelled to defend this book. People are being a little hard on the narration and audio quality. You should know that the novellas in this book were originally sold as four individual audiobooks by HighBridge Audio back in 1990-91 when Four Past Midnight originally came out in print.
Highbridge then released the novellas again individually on CD and here on Audible about 10 years ago. The entire book has only been available as a single download for a short time, so from that perspective alone I'd say you're getting a bargain.
None of the stories here are representative of King at the top of his game, both in terms of writing style and plot, but The Langoliers and The Library Policeman make this a worthwhile purchase for King fans. If you've never read King before, you should start out with one of his better known books.
As I mentioned, these stories have been released by multiple audio publishers. Naturally the audio quality isn't great. However The Langoliers is the only story where the low quality is somewhat noticeable.
And speaking as someone who owns a copy of the original HighBridge Langoliers download, I can confirm that Simon and Schuster did clean up the recording. It's not their fault the source recording has some tape hiss.
Much like the stories themselves, the narration by Dafoe, Woods, Howard, and Sample is good, not great.
Dafoe seems to be the narrator getting singled out here for ridicule. I don't get it. Sure, the voices he uses for Dinah and Bethany are somewhat cartoony, but they add to the story's charm in my view.
The way he interprets some of the lines by Bob and Nick are unintentionally hilarious, even after multiple listens. Aside from some of his character voices, Dafoe's narration is actually quite good considering he's known more as an actor than a narrator.
Bottom line: If you go into this book knowing you're not going to get something on par with The Shining, I'm sure you'll enjoy at least one of the stories here.
5 people found this helpful