The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

This collection is aptly titled - a lot of the stories end in gruesome and bitter ways. In recent years, King's style has long since changed from the rural characterizations of his 1970s early work to a more grand guignol approach. Some will like that, and I can enjoy it in small doses. The most positive aspect of King's short stories are the tight, controlled, on-point writing within the confined space. Personally, I think his longer novels could stand some more aggressive editing. His short stories - especially this collection - seem to have gone through a round or two of outside influence.and I think that helped a lot. In a story like “Herman Wouk is Still Alive,” the bitter ending needs to get wrapped up with a punch, and that happens here. I think that impact would have been lost in an extra 10 pages, for instance (I also read this story in its original magazine appearance, and something about it being in a book gives the narrative more weight...I was not as unsettled by the ending in the magazine, as I was here. Strange...).

“A Death,” I think will appeal to King's longest-running fans. It's the story that captures the rural-speak “Night Shift” vibe the closest. “That Bus is Another World” is close to the grim view a lot of the stories in “Skeleton Crew” had - it's not supernatural, not even horrible in a direct, specific, “it's happening to me” way - it's the ‘distance' from the horror that makes it terrible. If that makes sense.. “Mile 81” is sort of like “Mrs Todd's Shortcut,” except not so benign.

Very few of the stories are straight-up supernatural. Ultimately, it's four stars for me because of that. I loved “Night Shift,” for example, because of the supernatural/horror elements of the stories. They weren't “real.” This collection IS real - these events, mostly, COULD happen. And frankly, that took some of the fun away for me - which isn't to say I don't appreciate the writing. As Stephen King has gotten older he's much more attracted by the grimness of what's right in front of him, rather than fictional tales of zombies or vampires. We see that not just in these stories, but his new “Finder's Keepers” trilogy, which is mostly a real-world setting, with a little supernatural influence. That same vibe is through most of these stories.

But I like ghost stories where I don't have to think that world doesn't actually exist. I like horror of creatures beyond my imagination that might not actually show up to murder me (I really liked “Revival,” which WAS old-school horror)...and these stories by King are a world that could/does/will exist - and that IS a very true bazaar of bad dreams!