Author | Stephen King |
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Audio read by |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Horror |
Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | May 21, 2024 |
Media type | Print (hardcover), eBook, Audiobook |
Pages | 502 |
ISBN | 978-1668037713 |
Preceded by | If It Bleeds |
You Like It Darker is a collection of twelve stories by American author Stephen King, published by Scribner in May 2024. It delves into the darker aspects of life, both metaphorically and literally. Exploring themes such as fate, mortality, luck, and the unexpected turns of reality, the book comprises a mix of new and previously published stories. Each narrative, distinct in its approach, collectively contributes to this volume, marking its first comprehensive assembly. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] The book was announced on November 6, 2023, via Entertainment Weekly , which provided a look at the book's wraparound cover, table of contents, and an excerpt from "Rattlesnakes", a sequel to King's 1981 novel Cujo . [8]
# | Title | Originally published in |
---|---|---|
1 | Two Talented Bastids | Previously unpublished |
2 | "The Fifth Step" | March 2020 issue of Harper's Magazine |
3 | "Willie the Weirdo" | Spring 2022 issue of McSweeney's (#66) |
4 | Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream | Previously unpublished |
5 | "Finn" | Finn e-book (2022) |
6 | "On Slide Inn Road" | October/November 2020 issue of Esquire Magazine |
7 | "Red Screen" | Red Screen e-book (2021) |
8 | "The Turbulence Expert" | Flight or Fright (2018) |
9 | "Laurie" | stephenking.com (2018) [9] |
10 | Rattlesnakes | Previously unpublished |
11 | "The Dreamers" | Previously unpublished |
12 | "The Answer Man" | Previously unpublished |
The collection has a diverse range of stories, each delving into aspects of the human experience, often through a lens of supernatural or psychological horror. [8] Each story in You Like It Darker offers an exploration of themes such as fate, grief, the supernatural, and the line between the known and the unknown. [4] Notable stories within the collection include:
Serving as a sequel to King's 1981 novel Cujo , this tale follows a grieving widower who, in search of solace, travels to Florida. However, his journey takes an unexpected turn when he receives a peculiar inheritance, accompanied by significant conditions. [8] [10]
This story unravels the concealed secret behind the remarkable abilities of the titular characters, offering a narrative rich in mystery and revelation. [8]
Focusing on the impact of a sudden and unprecedented psychic event, this tale explores the profound upheaval caused in numerous lives. [8]
A narrative centered around a reticent Vietnam veteran who, upon responding to a job advertisement, discovers that certain realms of the universe are better left undiscovered. [8] Stephen King said that though it's very rare that he scares himself with what he writes, a story in the upcoming collection titled The Dreamers was "so creepy" that he "couldn’t think about it at night". [11]
This story probes the dual nature of prescience, contemplating whether it constitutes good fortune or a curse, and reflects on how lives marked by profound tragedy can still hold significance. [8]
The collection was published on May 21, 2024 by Scribner. It is available in physical, digital and audio book formats. [12]
As of May 23, 2024, You Like it Darker has received a positive critical response, with an average review of 4.3 stars. Critics of the book think the book has a slow and uneven pacing, while fans of the book enjoy the exploration of dark topics and the tone King uses to explore them. [13]
Stephen Edwin King is an American author. Called the "King of Horror", he has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy and mystery. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections. His debut, Carrie (1974), established him in horror. Different Seasons (1982), a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the genre. Among the films adapted from King's fiction are Carrie, Christine, The Shining, The Dead Zone, Stand by Me, Misery, Dolores Claiborne, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and It. He has published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and has co-written works with other authors, notably his friend Peter Straub and sons Joe Hill and Owen King. He has also written nonfiction, notably On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is King's third published novel and first hardcover 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.
Ramsey Campbell is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awards. Three of his novels have been adapted into films.
Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. The literary vampire first appeared in 18th-century poetry, before becoming one of the stock figures of gothic fiction with the publication of Polidori's The Vampyre (1819), which was inspired by the life and legend of Lord Byron. Later influential works include the penny dreadful Varney the Vampire (1847); Sheridan Le Fanu's tale of a lesbian vampire, Carmilla (1872), and the most well known: Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). Some authors created a more "sympathetic vampire", with Varney being the first, and more recent examples such as Moto Hagio's series The Poe Clan (1972–1976) and Anne Rice's novel Interview with the Vampire (1976) proving influential.
Cujo is a 1981 horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983. Cujo's name was based on the alias of Willie Wolfe, one of the men responsible for orchestrating Patty Hearst's kidnapping and indoctrination into the Symbionese Liberation Army. King discusses Cujo in On Writing, referring to it as a novel he "barely remembers writing at all." King wrote the book during the height of his struggle with alcohol addiction. King goes on to say he likes the book and wishes he could remember enjoying the good parts as he put them on the page.
'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot in Maine, where he lived from the age of five through nine, only to discover that the residents are becoming vampires. The town is revisited in the short stories "Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road", both from King's story collection Night Shift (1978). The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 1976 and the Locus Award for the All-Time Best Fantasy Novel in 1987.
James John Herbert, OBE was an English horror writer. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 languages, including Chinese and Russian.
Castle Rock is a fictional town appearing in Stephen King's fictional Maine topography, providing the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. Castle Rock first appeared in King's 1979 novel The Dead Zone and has since been referred to or used as the primary setting in many other works by King.
The Dark Tower is a series of eight novels, one novella, and a children's book written by American author Stephen King. Incorporating themes from multiple genres, including dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and Western, it describes a "gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. The series, and its use of the Dark Tower, expands upon Stephen King's multiverse and in doing so, links together many of his other novels.
Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King, who has appeared in at least nine of his novels. Described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark", he has supernatural abilities involving necromancy, prophecy, and influence over animal and human behavior. His goals typically center on bringing down civilizations through destruction and conflict. He has a variety of names, usually with the initial letters "R. F." but with occasional exceptions, such as Walter o'Dim and Marten Broadcloak in The Dark Tower series.
Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named after American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937). His work emphasizes themes of cosmic dread, forbidden and dangerous knowledge, madness, non-human influences on humanity, religion and superstition, fate and inevitability, and the risks associated with scientific discoveries, which are now associated with Lovecraftian horror as a subgenre. The cosmic themes of Lovecraftian horror can also be found in other media, notably horror films, horror games, and comics.
Bev Vincent is an essayist author of fiction and a literary critic, he also is the author of The Road to the Dark Tower and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion.
Spook's, published as The Last Apprentice in the United States, is a children's dark fantasy series by English author Joseph Delaney. It is published by imprints of Penguin Random House in the United Kingdom, and HarperCollins in the United States. The series has been published in 30 countries, with sales exceeding 4.5 million copies. It originated in 2004 with The Spook's Apprentice, which has been adapted into a play script, a feature film titled Seventh Son, and a French graphic novel.
Doctor Sleep is a 2013 horror novel by American writer Stephen King and the sequel to his 1977 novel The Shining. The book reached the first position on The New York Times Best Seller list for print and ebook fiction (combined), hardcover fiction, and ebook fiction. Doctor Sleep won the 2013 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.
Avatar is an American epic science fiction media franchise created by James Cameron, which began with the eponymous 2009 film. Produced by Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Studios, and consists of associated merchandise, video games, and theme park attractions. Avatar is set in the mid-22nd century on Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The film's central conflict is between the indigenous Na'vi led by Jake Sully and Neytiri, and humans led by Colonel Miles Quaritch from the Resources Development Administration (RDA), a megacorp which has arrived on Pandora to colonize and pillage it for its natural resources. The title of the series refers to the genetically engineered Na'vi body operated from the brain that humans pilot to interact with on Pandora.
Elevation is a novella by American author Stephen King, published on October 30, 2018, by Scribner. The book contains chapter-heading illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer, who previously illustrated King's first editions of Rose Madder and The Green Mile.
Holly Rachel Gibney is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King. Originally appearing in the Bill Hodges trilogy of novels, she later appears as a major supporting character in The Outsider and as the main character in If It Bleeds, a novella included in the collection of the same name, and the novel Holly.
This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 2024.
A Private Cathedral is a novel by American author James Lee Burke, published in 2020. It is part of the Dave Robicheaux series, featuring the character in a complex narrative that blends crime with elements of the supernatural. Set against the backdrop of Louisiana's haunting landscapes, the novel delves into a centuries-old feud between two families and presents a unique blend of mystery and mysticism.
Beautiful, Frightening, and Silent is a gothic horror novel by Jennifer Anne Gordon that delves into the psychological depths of grief, guilt, and the supernatural. Set on the haunted Dagger Island, the novel intertwines the lives of Adam, a man overwhelmed by the loss of his family, and Anthony, an elderly man haunted by the ghost of his past lover. The novel is recognized for its detailed setting and exploration of themes such as redemption and longing.