by Stephen King

A Horror Short Stories, 2024 by Scribner, 502 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

The opening story is predictable and not nearly as dark as I was expecting, given the title. This is frustrating because it’s the first story, so it should give a good first impression.
Many of the stories end without much resolution, which makes sense since they’re short stories. But a few end so soon it almost renders them pointless.
The title and the back cover blurb promise Dark and not all of these were the kind of dark I was expecting. They are much more contemporary (real life) than horrific. Sure, real life has horrors as well but this might not be what you were expecting.

The second story delivers! It’s solid, captivating, quick, and suitably dark. I actually wish this story had been first as it sets the tone much better.
The characters here are incredibly realistic and pull you right in. Even when the stories might seem to be focused on everyday life you find yourself sucked in because the characters feel so real.
There’s a sequel buried in here! King, you absolute master. I won’t mention which story, as it was a fun surprise for me and I’ll leave it that way for you. But to have a horror story be a sequel to a story that felt solved and yet horrific in an entirely different way was BRILLIANT.

Short story fans. This is a decent collection with a good variety of themes and a solid cast of characters.