Never Look Behind You

Last updated
"Never Look Behind You"
by Chris Chesley and Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s) Horror short story
Published in People, Places and Things
Publication type Anthology
PublisherTriad Publishing
Media typePrint
Publication date 1960

"Never Look Behind You" is a short story by Chris Chesley and Stephen King. It was self-published by Chesley and King in 1960 as part of the collection People, Places and Things .

Contents

Plot summary

An "old miser" [1] and "usurer" [2] named George Jacobs is counting his money when an old women dressed in rags with a scarred face enters his office behind him. As Jacobs finishes counting his money, the women tells him "too bad you won't be able to spend it". After Jacobs turns around to confront the woman, she raises her hand, killing Jacobs with "a flash of fire on his throat".

Following Jacobs' death, an unnamed character queries what killed him, while another states that he is glad that Jacobs is dead. The latter character is described as "lucky" as "he didn't look behind him".

Publication

"Never Look Behind You" was written by Chesley and King in the summer before beginning high school. [3] [4] [5] It was self-published in 1960 as part of the short story collection People, Places and Things , [2] [6] which was mimeographed by Chesley and King. [7]

Reception

Rocky Wood describes People, Places and Things as "juvenilia" but with "clear hints of the King to come". Reviewing "Never Look Behind You", Wood comments that "it is the punch line that makes the story." [2] Michael R. Collings states, "In approach, content, theme, and treatment [the stories] clearly suggest directions the mature King would explore in greater detail...". [8] Tyson Blue describes "Never Look Behind You" as "an intriguing little tale not so much for what it says as what it does not say". [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Shining</i> (novel) 1977 novel by Stephen King

The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is King's third published novel and first hardback bestseller; its success firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. The setting and characters are influenced by King's personal experiences, including both his visit to The Stanley Hotel in 1974 and his struggle with alcoholism. The novel was adapted into a 1980 film and a 1997 miniseries. The book was followed by a sequel, Doctor Sleep, published in 2013, which in turn was adapted into a film of the same name in 2019.

"The New Lieutenant's Rap" is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published as a limited run chapbook by Philtrum Press in 1999 and was later reworked into "Why We're in Vietnam", a short story appearing in King's 1999 book Hearts in Atlantis.

"The Reploids" is a science fiction short story by American writer Stephen King. It was first published in the 1988 book Night Visions 5.

"The Blue Air Compressor" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in January 1971 in Onan.

According to books by Tyson Blue, Stephen J. Spignesi, and Rocky Wood et al., there are numerous unpublished works by Stephen King that have come to light throughout King's career. These allegedly include novels and short stories, most of which remain unfinished. Most are stored among Stephen King's papers in the special collections of the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine, some of which are freely accessible to the library's visitors. However, others require King's permission to read. Additionally, there are a number of uncollected short stories, published throughout King's long career in various anthologies and periodicals, that have never been published in a King collection.

"Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" is a short story by American author Stephen King. It was originally published in the May 2011 issue of The Atlantic magazine.

"The Glass Floor" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the autumn 1967 issue of Startling Mystery Stories. It was King's first professional sale.

"The Killer" is a short story by Stephen King. Written in the early 1960s, it was first published in issue #202 of Famous Monsters of Filmland in spring 1994.

"Man With a Belly" is a short story by Stephen King. It was published in Cavalier in December 1978.

"The Night of the Tiger" is a short story by Stephen King. Originally written in the 1960s, it was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in February 1978.

"The Little Green God of Agony" is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in 2011 as part of the anthology A Book of Horrors.

"I Was a Teenage Grave Robber" is a short story by Stephen King. It was first published in the fanzine Comics Review in 1965; a rewritten version was published in 1966 under the title "In a Half-World of Terror". It was King's first independently published story.

"Skybar" is a short story by Brian Hartz and Stephen King. The beginning and ending of the story were written by King and published in the 1982 book The Do-It-Yourself Bestseller: A Workbook, with the publisher, Doubleday, holding a competition in which readers invited to complete the story by writing the middle portion. The entry by Brian Hartz was selected by King as the winner.

"For the Birds" is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in 1986 as part of the short story collection Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?.

People, Places and Things is a short story collection by Chris Chesley and Stephen King, self-published in 1960.

"The Hotel at the End of the Road" is a short story by Stephen King. It was self-published by King in 1960 as part of the collection People, Places and Things.

"Jumper" is a short story by Stephen King. Originally serialized in the self-published newspaper Dave's Rag in 1959-1960, it was later collected in the 2000 work Secret Windows. It was King's first piece of fiction to be published.

"Rush Call" is a short story by Stephen King. Originally published in his brother's self-published newspaper Dave's Rag in 1960, it was later collected in the 2000 work Secret Windows.

"The Furnace" is a short story authored in instalments by Stephen King and 28 other writers as a piece of collaborative fiction. King's opening was originally published in 2005 in the educational magazine Know Your World Extra.

"Jhonathan and the Witchs" is a fairy tale by Stephen King. Written in 1956-1957, it was first published in 1993 as part of the anthology First Words: Earliest Writings from Favorite Contemporary Authors. It is the earliest work of King's still known to exist.

References

  1. 1 2 Blue, Tyson (1989). The Unseen King. Borgo Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN   978-1-5574-2072-5.
  2. 1 2 3 Wood, Rocky; King, Stephen (2017). Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished. Overlook Connection Press. pp. 225–231. ISBN   978-1-892950-59-8.
  3. Beahm, George (1998). Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 114, 156–157. ISBN   978-0-8362-6914-7.
  4. Rolls, Albert (2008). Stephen King: A Biography. ABC-CLIO. p. 5. ISBN   978-0-313345-73-9.
  5. Spignesi, Stephen J. (2018). Stephen King, American Master: A Creepy Corpus of Facts About Stephen King & His Work. Permuted Press+ORM. p. 357. ISBN   978-1-682616-07-9.
  6. Wood, Rocky (2017). Stephen King: A Literary Companion. McFarland & Company. p. 192. ISBN   978-0-7-86485-46-8.
  7. Wilson, Suzan (2000). Stephen King: King of Thrillers and Horror. Enslow Publishers. p. 37. ISBN   978-0-766012-33-2.
  8. Collins, Michael (2002). Horror Plum'd: An International Stephen King Bibliography and Guide, 1960-2000. Overlook Connection Press. p. 114. ISBN   978-1-892950-45-1.

See also