Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption: I saw the film before reading the novella, and both are damn near perfect. Different Seasons lives up to its name and concept in that the works in it are very different for King. This is a great start. Red is an incredible narrator and Andy Dufresne is an incredible character. Extremely compelling stuff that makes you love to see how it ends even when you already know what happens. One of my favorite King stories that leaves you, obviously, full of hope.
Apt Pupil: This story is so, for lack of a better term, ****ed up. To me at least. The imagery of the horrible acts the Nazis committed and then in turn the horrible acts that Todd and Dussander commit later are some of King's most gruesome. Todd's declining sanity is done masterfully here, as is Dussander's cleaning of the skeletons out of his closet. (And I had no idea that the Anthrax song was based on this story!) The ending is equally as horrid. Really messed up stuff.
The Body: I consider this to be a literal masterpiece and I've been trying to find other words to describe why I love this one so much but I'm failing at it. King absolutely nails childhood and the way the world is to you at that age. This story is so simple yet so incredible. It's kind of neat that this came a little bit before It, it's like he was warming up for a full fledged (and incredibly long!) novel about childhood. Again, this is a masterpiece to me.
The Breathing Method: A bit of a somber ending, but what do you expect from early King? This isn't a favorite, nor does it fall at the bottom for me. It's a great story that never bored me throughout and the mystery of the club and its members keeps you hanging on til the end and even after.
Apt Pupil: This story is so, for lack of a better term, ****ed up. To me at least. The imagery of the horrible acts the Nazis committed and then in turn the horrible acts that Todd and Dussander commit later are some of King's most gruesome. Todd's declining sanity is done masterfully here, as is Dussander's cleaning of the skeletons out of his closet. (And I had no idea that the Anthrax song was based on this story!) The ending is equally as horrid. Really messed up stuff.
The Body: I consider this to be a literal masterpiece and I've been trying to find other words to describe why I love this one so much but I'm failing at it. King absolutely nails childhood and the way the world is to you at that age. This story is so simple yet so incredible. It's kind of neat that this came a little bit before It, it's like he was warming up for a full fledged (and incredibly long!) novel about childhood. Again, this is a masterpiece to me.
The Breathing Method: A bit of a somber ending, but what do you expect from early King? This isn't a favorite, nor does it fall at the bottom for me. It's a great story that never bored me throughout and the mystery of the club and its members keeps you hanging on til the end and even after.