1922

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doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
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I respect that opinion, but I've just got to say that I loved "Fair Extension," and that it was my favorite of the collection. I might be a bit biased because I had a similar idea once, but believe me, I'm glad he wrote it and I did not. Has this been optioned yet? Come to think of it, maybe King should have written a screenplay for this story instead of "A Good Marriage." Might have been a better hybrid-release experiment.

I do, though, also love "1922." Just a great narrative voice on that one. It's one of those later King works that screams, "I still got it, kiddies."
Every one has their favorites for their own reasons. How boring would things be if we all liked the same thing? I think A good Marriage,while flawed is still a better option than Fair Extension. Agree completely agree on the narrative of 1922.
 

RichardX

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Sep 26, 2006
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Just finished listening to 1922 from the audiobook. Good GRIEF! That is a pitch black story. I suppose that's why this collection is named what it is, but I haven't heard the other stories yet. I liked it, but it would have been nice to have at least one character to root for. I thought our narrator was going to be a somewhat sympathetic character caught in a tough position forced into making a horrible decision, but then he started rocking the casual racism. He just gets worse after that. Despite all of this, seeing everything unravel was fascinating and the last scene is wonderful, of course. It felt very classically horror to me. I loved that.

It speaks to SK's skill that he can take a character like Wilfred and use his every aspect of his humanity to keep us from fully turning on him. The man doesn't have a lot of decency to speak of, but his love for his son, his love of the land, and the fact that those set against him seem somehow more malicious keep us in his corner. Oh, and his affection for a couple of his cows. OH! And I've rarely had a more cringe-worthy experience during an audiobook than when

the leader of the rats was hanging off that poor cow's teat. And then ****ing ripping it off! Oh, God!
The people in the cars around me must have thought I was dancing to rock music I was squirming around so much. A really nice murder tale. Almost an extended campfire tale.

I just re-read this one and agree on it being one of King's darker stories. In part because it contains no real supernatural elements. Basically the darkness of the human soul and what otherwise normal people are capable of. Look up someone like Andrew Kehoe for example. A decent real life comparison from the 1920s to this one: Bath School disaster - Wikipedia
 
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Steffen

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Aug 9, 2015
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I just re-read this one and agree on it being one of King's darker stories. In part because it contains no real supernatural elements. Basically the darkness of the human soul and what otherwise normal people are capable of. Look up someone like Andrew Kehoe for example. A decent real life comparison from the 1920s to this one: Bath School disaster - Wikipedia

Thanks for the link, man. Some grim stuff there!
 

Dynamo

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May 12, 2017
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The end of this story seemed so familiar, the part with the rats waiting while he wrote his confession. Was there another short story where something similar happened because my brain keeps telling me there is. Or maybe it was by another author.
 
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Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
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The end of this story seemed so familiar, the part with the rats waiting while he wrote his confession. Was there another short story where something similar happened because my brain keeps telling me there is. Or maybe it was by another author.
There were a lot of rats in the book Night Shift, in the story Graveyard Shift
graveyardshift1.jpg

I enjoyed the movie version, too!
:hopelessness:
:)
 
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Dynamo

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May 12, 2017
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There were a lot of rats in the book Night Shift, in the story Graveyard Shift

I guess it is somewhat similar because didn't the rats hold back for a while and let things play out before attacking? I'm pretty sure it's not what I'm thinking of though. I thought there was a story where the narrator was writing out his story while rats, or some sort of creepy-crawly, waited patiently to kill him. It felt like pretty classic King though so it may have just seemed like something I read before.
 
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GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
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I guess it is somewhat similar because didn't the rats hold back for a while and let things play out before attacking? I'm pretty sure it's not what I'm thinking of though. I thought there was a story where the narrator was writing out his story while rats, or some sort of creepy-crawly, waited patiently to kill him. It felt like pretty classic King though so it may have just seemed like something I read before.
...it was Jerusalem's Lot or something to that effect...another Lovecraftian flavored story....I'm wore out, so may have the title wrong...brain is broke...
 

Dynamo

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...it was Jerusalem's Lot or something to that effect...another Lovecraftian flavored story....I'm wore out, so may have the title wrong...brain is broke...

Yeah, that's the title, and it may be the one I'm thinking of. I remember the gist of it, the correspondence narrative style, the church of the Worm, dead people in the walls, etc. But I'll have to read it again and see if it's what I'm thinking of.
 
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Machine's Way

“Go then, there are other worlds than these.”
Jul 13, 2009
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Just finished this last night and just in time for the Movie. I agree with most posted above. Very dark, back to roots "I still got it" SK. I loved it and cant wait to see Thomas Jane play Wilf. There is no reason to change a thing, lets hope this one turns out right.