Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Look for You Like It Darker on May 21, 2024, with a $30 hardcover price in the States. Twelve stories in 512 pages include five previously unpublished tales:
"Two Talented Bastids" (new)
"The Fifth Step"
"Willie the Weirdo"
"Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" (new)
"Finn"
"On Slide Inn Road"
"Red Screen"
"The Turbulence Expert"
"Laurie"
"Rattlesnakes," a Cujo sequel (new)
"The Dreamers" (new)
"The Answer Man" (new)
(edited, edited)

WOW. Thanks Michael

Dude, that's seriously awesome news! Hopefully, it's packed with a bunch of fresh short stories, not the ones we've already devoured. I mean, 'If It Bleeds' was cool, but four novellas felt like just an appetizer. Fingers crossed for a huge feast this time! 📚🤞

He says it will contain "mostly new stories, long stories for the most part," and he adds that it will be a substantial tome of over 600 pages. He mentions a story that will be in it called "The Dreamers", and goes on to tell how the idea came in part from Lovecraft's "Beyond the Wall of Sleep": "what if a man didn't get through the wall of sleep or over the wall of sleep, but under it. And what if there was something beyond that wall, beyond the actual dreams we have, a reality that's huge, that's, you know, apocalyptic, some huge darkness that's sentient". He adds that the story is dedicated to Cormac McCarthy: "His prose unlocked that story for me".

He also mentioned an upcoming novel, "We Think Not" in the same podcast, but with no details. He was careful to say he doesn't talk about whatever he is currently working on, which makes me think You Like It Darker is at least in the final editing phase, and We Think Not in his work in progress.

I can’t wait for this to come out, thank you.. :)

This is so exciting and I hope it's all true since 2024 is already looking to be an awesome new year with new King :-)

To add to Jaro’s list, this collection could also include:

Rattlesnakes
Thin Scenery
Memory
The Rock And Roll Dead Zone

This is fabulous news! I highly recommend the podcast of origin, it is a great listen and an hour well spent.

Awesome! Looking forward to it. I’m always excited for any new books from Stephen King. Although my bank account suffers for it haha.

Thanks for the info!

I love his short stories so I'm so excited for this!

Excited on this one and loved this version of the cover:



I'm especially excited about the Cujo sequel

I just pulled the trigger on the pre-order. It's my first pre-order in the audiobook format.

I am very much looking forward to the new read!

For those who would like to know where the seven previously published stories were, here you go:

1) "The Fifth Step": March 2020 issue of Esquire
2) "Willie the Weirdo": McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Issue 66
3) "Finn": a Scribd Originals in May 2022
4) "On Slide Inn Road": October/November 2020 issue of Esquire
5) "Red Screen": on Humble Bumble for a $5+ donation in September 2021
6) "The Turbulence Expert": in Flight or Fright: 17 Turbulent Tales (September 2018); Joe Hill has a story in here, too
7) "Laurie": online at in May 2018

Oooh! Then I have also read The Turbulence Expert because I have that book. I had forgotten about that one.

Oh, i'm so excited!

I can imagine that this is going to be real good!

Pre-ordered on audiobook. Maybe I should get around to Cujo in the meantime�?

Enjoyed reading all the enthusiastic comments in anticipation of You Like It Darker and am so looking forward to our May Group Read.

I can't wait! :)

Got my Kindle version just waiting for the group read..

I ordered the hardcover

Will be hitting the purchase and download button as soon as available 😊

You and me both^

I still collect King in HC, but I'm at the bookstore at 10am to claim my prize.

Pre ordered it, will be here on the 21st.

Got to wait until August. I get the new Stephen King books for my birthday or Christmas. Never let down.

Bob wrote: "Got to wait until August. I get the new Stephen King books for my birthday or Christmas. Never let down."

Yay for you!

Already read the first 3 stories. anyone want to buddy read? I would love to talk about it

I am waiting on my physical copy but can pipe in when start reading :(

I'm waiting for mine to come in the mail.

I am on story 4, Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream.

what was your favorite story so far Andi?

Woohoo, my hardcover came in, and Amazon didn't even damage it this time!

Wish I'd stuck with ordering from amazon, I ordered the special edition from waterstones thinking I'd get it release day but they only dispatched it yesterday 😭

I've finished the first 4 stories. I liked Willie the Weirdo best so far, but they were all good. King's shorter stories are more effective than his longer tales these days.

Anna wrote: "what was your favorite story so far Andi?"

So far I like Willie the Weirdo, but Danny C's bad dream was pretty good too.

I liked two talented bastids the best so far.

I was worried about a sequel to Cujo. Every fear I had about what shape this tale would take was absolutely WRONG! "Rattlesnakes" is a worthy sequel to Cujo (unlike Doctor Sleep to The Shining--which is where all my fears came from).

yeah Doctor Sleep was a great novel but not as the sequel to the shinning. I would have liked it a lot more otherwise. Do you have to read Cujo before rattlesnakes? it's been a few years since I've read it

I forgot to place a hold on it at the library sooner so now on Libby it's like a 17 week wait for the book or a 20 week wait for the audiobook.
They'll probably end up acquiring more copies and the wait could drop

I dont think you need to read Cujo before Rattlesnakes. But if you have, your memories of it will come back.

Hi all, hope everyone is doing well. This is the first time in a very long time, that I sat down and read an entire book in one long sitting. I love this book--with a few comments.

When I was a kid, our public library had a book of science fiction stories edited by Isaac Asimov called "Tomorrow's Children." SK's story "Red Screen" in You Like it Darker, reminds me so much of a story in that book called The Father Thing. It was so good. I found SK's "Red Screen" a good story, but predictable. However, I appreciated the memory of The Father Thing.

"The Fifth Step" will stay with me for a long time, as I have known so many alcoholics and addicts in my life. I was just not expecting the story to go the way it did. But absolutely, it is making me think--and that's a good thing.

And, maybe the same for some of you, but I always enjoy Mr. King's comments (afterword in this book) about some the stories and where they came from.

I look forward to seeing more of your comments on this thread. Thanks.

Ray441 wrote: "And, maybe the same for some of you, but I always enjoy Mr. King's comments (afterword in this book) about some the stories and where they came from.
"

Same! And his forwards. I'm not generally as into these with other author's but something about his is wonderful.

I have not been able to start yet and can never sit and read short stories back-to-back, but will comment here when get a chance. Enjoying seeing other's comments and excitement.

Squire wrote: "I was worried about a sequel to Cujo. Every fear I had about what shape this tale would take was absolutely WRONG! "Rattlesnakes" is a worthy sequel to Cujo (unlike Doctor Sleep to The Shining--whi..."

Agree!

Yay!! Out just in time for my birthday :)

Overall, I thought this was a great collection of stories. Loved Rattlesnakes, and memories of Cujo came back, but not necessary to have read it first. It is very hard to pick a favorite, but leaning towards The Dreamers.

So, I received my hard copy the other day, and when I opened the box, I thought they must have sent me half a book. It's over 500 pages, yet was quite thin. It's good bit thinner than Skeleton Crew, which was almost the exact same number of pages. Compared with recent books, it's thinner than Holly, which had fewer pages. It's thinner than Billy Summers, which has about the same number of pages. One last comparison: It's thickness is nearly identical to Pet Sematary, despite having 34% more pages. This says a lot, because my Pet Sematary is a book club edition, and don't those tend to be thinner than the "real" editions? It's like his books have been cursed to lose weight.

As far as the stories go, I've begun the first one, and it looks like I'm about to get to the point where something might be going on.

I absolutely tore through this collection.

I reviewed it as I read and then I went back in today and added more, as there was a lot written to think about, so many thoughts to go over in my mind.

I think the addendum that I added to the end of my review covers a great deal of my overall thoughts and feelings about not just this latest novel, but some recent thoughts of King himself.

/review/show...

Among my thoughts now is some sadness that comes with tearing through a great read for the first time and knowing that there are no pages left. This coupled with the anguish that King is 76 and I am never going to be in the ballpark of prepared and/or ready to read my last King novel.

Yeah, I also went dark.

It's an awesome read.

Enjoy!

just finished it. I think the answer man was my favorite story, but rattlesnakes was a close second. Will review soon

guys i'm german we don't have the collection yet :( but i'm happy that it seems to be good, really looking forward to it!