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To begin with, at the risk of sounding like Annie Wilkes from "Misery", I am one of Stephen King's biggest fans and have read & own everything by him. This being said, I am extremely disappointed with his latest release, "Just After Sunset".

This mostly depressing tome of work deals with life and death - coming directly from Mr. King's own battle with mortality a few years back. However, with the exception of 2 stories ('Willa' - a great tale about the afterlife and those not aware they are dead and 'N.' - an homage to H.P. Lovecraft) the tales range from depressing to just plain awful. Specifically, 'The Things They Left Behind' is a painfully depressing take on post 9/11 trauma and having personally known some who perished in that tragic event this story was not a comfort.

I long for the classic Stephen King short story collections that he does better than anyone in the business - "Night Shift", "Nightmares and Dreamscapes", etc. Perhaps, he is taking himself too seriously since he has found acceptance (at last) from serious literary critics over the past few years. I can only hope Mr. King gives his 'constant readers' a better effort the next time out.

This book is a collection of short stories by the "Master of Short Stories." Most of these are very good and I wished they were longer. I found only a couple that I didn't get into; hence 4 instead of 5 stars. Must read for all King fans!

Excellent book of short stories. King at his best, and the hits just keep on coming.

This was a gift. He really seemed to like it especially since it is short stories and can read each one at his leisure.

Simply Outstanding! I would say that is my opinion of Mr. Kings newest collection of stories. I could not put this collection down. If you have enjoyed his other short story collections this effort will not let you down AT ALL. Some of my favs were:

Willa (A look at what might happen after we die)

Stationary Bike (A definate thrill ride for acid takers and non acid takers alike)

Graduation Afternoon (My favorite of all is a small glimpse at the moment a nuclear bomb is dropped on N.Y. -Go Sox- just don't look right into the blast)

N. (Just plain spooky)

While I enjoyed them all, these particular stories stood out among the rest. I feel with Just After Sunset, Mr. King has brought the entertainment value of his work back to the reading chair for us. Please don't forget to read his introduction and the Sunset Notes at the end of the collection for more tasty bits of King. Very Very well done Mr. King!