Parlare di una raccolta di ben 22 racconti è difficile, perché è impossibile dare un parere complessivo. Some stories I didn't like, others even bored me, and still others were just entertainment. However, I will try to give my impressions of the three that instead conquered me.

"La nebbia" is the longest in the collection. After a storm, a mysterious fog coming from a military base on the shores of a lake is spreading throughout New England, forcing the protagonist to take refuge in the supermarket where he was shopping. Maximum levels of claustrophobia, while the customers and employees of the supermarket react differently to the situation.

"Il viaggio" is set in the future, where a family man tells his children about the discovery of teleportation. A story that talks about the responsibility of science and the human desire to know.

"L'arte di sopravvivere" is about an ex-surgeon, fired for fraud, who is shipwrecked on a desert island with a load of heroin. Hunger, isolation, and an ankle injury determine one of the most disturbing escalations I have ever read in the pages of Stephen King.

This collection contains some of the author's best writings, so I recommend it despite some less successful stories.

Stephen King's works seem to have a bit of a hit-and-miss quality for me.

Sometimes, there's a great one like "Joyland," while at other times, there's something like "Under the Dome." However, they've never been truly bad or unreadable. They just seem a bit lackluster, rushed, and formulaic at times.

I've noticed that I tend to prefer his more modern tales over the huge output he had in the 80s and 90s.

Here's a short story collection from that era, when it seemed like he was churning out a book every couple of months. And it's exactly how I feel about all of his works. There were some great stories, but also some that missed the mark.

The outstanding tales in this collection were:

"The Mist," a post-apocalyptic Cthulhu story that's quite suspenseful, although a bit dated now. Still, it's a lot of fun.

"The Monkey," which I'm sure has become a classic in the horror genre. A toy monkey that taunts and lingers far longer than it should.

"Mrs Todd's Shortcut" will delight any map nerd or even mathematicians. It's very clever.

"Uncle Otto's Truck" is similar to "The Monkey" and even "Christine" (which I haven't read yet).

"Gramma" is great and haunting. What do you do with your dead Gramma?

But while these stories stood out, others were just okay. And there were one or two that really annoyed me. Especially "The Jaunt," which seems to be Stephen King's attempt at traditional SF short story writing. It was terrible. It brings back memories of the last section of "11 23 63." He just can't do SF. But I'm still hoping that this statement is wrong.

Overall, it's a great read for fans and a recommendation for casual readers. You might not love everything in here, but there's a good portion of it to enjoy.

Overall, this is a really good collection.

I took the time to rate every single story individually on my YouTube channel. After careful consideration and evaluation, I found that the average rating was approximately 4 stars.

In this collection, I discovered some new short stories that have now become my all-time favorites. However, as with any collection, there were also some that didn't quite meet my expectations and fell a bit flat.

If I had to pick my top 5 favorite stories from this collection, I would say The Mist, The Monkey, The Raft, The Jaunt, and Word Processor of the Gods. These stories really stood out to me with their unique plots, engaging characters, and excellent writing.

But it's important to note that there were also a few other stories that I rated 5 stars. These were equally impressive and added to the overall quality of the collection.

All in all, I would highly recommend this collection to anyone who loves reading short stories. There's something for everyone in here, and it's definitely worth checking out.

So, 2 stars on Goodreads means “it was ok”…. And that’s exactly what “Skeleton Crew” was. Just ok.... Not great, not even good…. But not absolutely terrible either because there are a six stories in Skeleton Crew that saved it from a “did not like it” rating (ex. The Mist, The Jaunt, The Raft, Beachworld, The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands, and Survivor Type)….. After calculating the average of the star ratings that I gave each individual story as I read them, it ended up coming in at 2.6 stars. I’m not a “glass is half full” kind of guy. I refuse to round up to 3 stars just to appease the masses. The majority of ratings on “Goodreads” are inflated and subjective. Anyone dispute that? I believe the ratings are highly influenced and relatively decided before the books are even read to be honest. Especially if Stephen King’s name is on it…. But I refuse to rate something 4 stars just because everyone else has or because I love the author and can just give him/her a pass. That’s not happening. There was never a point where I couldn’t wait to read more pages from Skeleton Crew. That reason alone justifies my rating. A handful of gems out of 21 stories is not going to warrant a 3 or 4 star rating from me.

Anyway…. Published in 1985 and originally going to be titled, “Night Moves”, “Skeleton Crew” is a collection of pre-published short stories and novellas…. As with all my short story collection reviews, I offer a warning…. Some of the reviews of each individual story includes a brief synopsis, which may or may not include a SPOILER. I write my short story reviews this way for future reference to remind me of which ones are worth the time re-reading and which ones are not. Although I do not ruin a good story by announcing any significant spoiler….. If you happen to come across one, it will be in a story that I hated and never intend on reading again. But, you can avoid potentially stumbling across a spoiler by skipping to the very bottom of the review, where it says “FINAL VERDICT”. That is where my overall review for “Skeleton Crew” is listed. The stories within the book include:

THE MIST – This is a novella that was first published in the anthology “Dark Forces” in 1980. It takes place in Bridgton, Maine and is about a mist that suddenly takes over the town and swallows people up. The story centers around a father with his young boy, who end up being trapped in a supermarket with a bunch of townies. Now in survival mode, panic and chaos breaks out within the group and plans are devised toward escaping the mist. This was a terrific opening to the book…. It had a “Stand” feel to it in a lot of ways, which would make sense considering the time frame of when they were written…. There is also a film adaptation of “The Mist”. Although I haven’t seen it yet, I do know that the ending is much different and far less ambiguous.

HERE THERE BE TYGERS – This was published in “Ubris” magazine in 1968 and was one of the first stories Stephen King ever wrote. It’s about a third grader named, Charles, who suddenly needs to take a leak in school during the middle of a class. Upon entering the bathroom, he immediately sees a tiger lying on the floor and is naturally too scared to enter. He just stands there at the entrance and cries like a little girl. After some time passes, one of his peers ends up coming to his aid to lead him into the bathroom. Can you guess what happens next? This story was written when King was in high school, so don’t expect too much here. It is what it is…. It’s fun little read and very short.

THE MONKEY – This story was first published in “Gallery” magazine in 1980 and is about a toy monkey that is discovered inside of an old chest in the attic of two boys’ great uncle’s house…. The catch here is that this isn’t just an ordinary toy monkey you can find at Toys R’ Us. It is cursed… and when it clangs together the cymbals it holds, people die (tell me that’s not intriguing). The story opens up in the present and then takes you through the history of the boy’s father with the monkey and the turmoil it caused him and his family. This was a great story with a pretty cut and dry plot. I highly recommend it. It’s a good way to kill an hour and a half!

CAIN ROSE UP – This story is about a severely disturbed college student named, Curt Garrish, who decides to waste some of his peers using a rifle that he snuck into his dorm room. You can tell right from the start that Curt is mentally unstable and is about to become unhinged, but it is not an easy story to follow. At least it wasn’t for me…. Like, “Here There Be Tygers”, this was originally published in a 1968 issue of “Ubris” magazine…. Perhaps it was a foreshadow of what was coming in the millennium. Nevertheless, this story isn’t for everyone so I cannot say I would recommend it. It’s a love or hate kind of story.

MRS. TODD’S SHORTCUT – This story was first published in “Redbook” magazine in the mid-80’s…. This one is a science fiction story with a “Twilight Zone” feel to it. It is an old man who narrates a tale about some chick he once knew named, Mrs. Todd…. Mrs. Todd has an obsession with finding and taking “shortcuts” and lures Homer into joining him on some of her expeditions. Homer soon discovers, they don’t’ always go as planned. For you Dark Tower nuts, “There are other world’s than these”…. Personally, I did not care for this story. The writing was great, obviously, but it was quite boring in my opinion. I think you will either love this or hate it.

THE JAUNT – This story was first published in “The Twilight Zone Magazine” in 1981 and takes place in the early 24th century (yes, far into the future where teleportation, also known as “jaunting”, has been developed and utilized)…. It is about Mark Oates, who is heading to Mars with his family, via teleportation. While Mark and his family are in the jaunting terminal, patiently waiting to be beamed like Mork, he provides them a little history of how the jaunt was developed and all the design flaws and resulted deaths that took place prior to reaching a high success rate and gain in popularity…. After Mark is finished with his family pep talk, the step into the jaunt and head to space. After a successful teleportation, he awakens to something horrific…. This was definitely one of the best stories in the collection, full of suspense and ambiguity.

THE WEDDING GIG – This one goes back to the Prohibition Era and is about a revenge act that was triggered by a man insulting another guy’s fat sister at her wedding to her embarrass her in front of her guests. It doesn’t get much crueler than that does it? The act results in blood shed and the fat sister carries the burden of guilt for her brother’s death and decides to avenge his loss…. I did not enjoy this story in any way and will never read it again in this lifetime or the next.

PARANOID: A CHANT – An extremely short poem narrated in the first person from the diary of a dude who suffers from schizophrenia…. He basically has paranoid delusions that the world is after him and his enemies, including the government, FBI and CIA, are all out to get him. I have no opinion on this piece. It is good for what it is, but it is too short to have time to like or dislike anything about it.

THE RAFT – This was first published as a booklet included with “Gallery” in the early 1980’s and is one of the better stories within this collection. It is about four college students celebrating the end of summer on a lake in Pennsylvania. They swim to a wooden raft and discover that some black, oil-like substance that emits hypnotizing, rainbow-like colors is coating the water and some sort of monster is lurking below the water with one goal…. To feed on human flesh! How lovely…. Needless to say, the story follows their time spent on the raft while the horror is unleashed and ends in classic King short story fashion. I would highly recommend this short story to anyone who is a big fan of horror, death, and sex (what a great combination).

WORD PROCESSOR OF THE GOODS – This story was first published in “Playboy” magazine and is about a writer named Richard, who suffers a miserable existence…. For his bitchy wife and punk-ass son have drained his manhood and sucked the fun out of his life. One day, Richard inherits a word processor from his nephew, who suffered a terrible tragedy and has involuntarily checked out…. But, this is no ordinary word processor…. It has “special abilities” which allow Richard to make his life “happy” and worth living for! This story was really good and another one that would have been a good addition to “The Twilight Zone” series. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a quick, fun short story.

THE MAN WHO WOULD NOT SHAKE HANDS – This one was first published in the early 80’s in an anthology titled, “Shadows 4”. The story is about an old man’s recollection of a poker game he played many years earlier, where he met some peculiar dude named Henry Brower, who refused (respectfully) to touch anyone due to a curse that was set upon him by an Indian shaman. Since the curse, any living thing Henry touches will (and has) die. It doesn’t get much cooler than that if you ask me…. I’m not sure if Stephen King came up with the concept on his own or if he was inspired by another author, but this seemed very innovative and was a very enjoyable read.

BEACHWORLD – This one was published in “Weird Tales” in 1984 and is set in the future, eight thousand years after the “Beach Boys” died (can you imagine such a world?)…. The story is about a spacecraft, occupied by three men, that crashes on some planet made up of endless, rolling sand dunes…. Only two men survive the crash and find the sand dunes hypnotic and beach-like. Although one of the survivors realizes that the sand’s hypnotic power will lead them to their death if they don’t snap back into reality, the other man becomes obsessed with the sand and needs to be near it and have it in view at all times…. A rescue ship has responded to the crews beacon and try to land the spacecraft on the planet to rescue the survivors, but the sand has other ideas. Personally I like stories where people suffer mental breakdowns and go mad, so for me this story was terrific. However, there is also a major science-fiction element here, so “Beachworld” isn’t for everyone.

THE REAPER’S IMAGE – This story was first published in “Startling Mystery Stories” in 1969 (great year) and is about an antique collector named Johnson Spangler, who visits a museum with plans to buy a rare mirror. The museum curator takes Spangler through the museum and explains the history of the mirror to him and all the mysteries that have been linked to it. This is a story with a predictable and somewhat ambiguous ending that didn’t quite deliver for me. It felt rushed and cliché’ for a King short story.

NONA – This story was first published in an anthology called “Shadows” and is about some nutcase looking back on his life and remember his time spent with a chick named, Nona, who seduced him into murdering random people while hitchhiking in Maine. After the murders take place, Nona ends up changing form and morphing into something else, leading the reader to believe the homicidal maniac is just insane (go figure). The story concludes with the incarcerated murderer preparing his suicide. “Nona” was ok. Nothing memorable, but had its moments….

FOR OWEN – A short poem about Stephen King walking his youngest son, Owen, to school and yacking about morphing fruit. I considered this somewhat of an intermission and wish I had skipped it, despite the fact that it only took up two minutes of my time.

SURVIVOR TYPE – This story was first published in a horror anthology called, “Terrors” in 1982…. It is a narration of a diary, written by a heroin smuggler stranded on a small island in the Pacific Ocean due to an explosion that occurred on his ship and forced the man onto a lifeboat. The island contains no human life or food and the man starts deteriorating and mentally breaking down. The pages within his diary take the reader through all of his time spent on the island until his ultimate demise. This was an awesome story…. Kind of psychotic, but if you’re into cannibalism and survival stories, this one is for you.

UNCLE OTTO’S TRUCK – This story was first published in “Yankee” in the early 80’s and is about a crazy truck owner named, Otto Schenck, who believes his truck is planning to kill him…. The story is narrated by his nephew who ends up making a disturbing discovery and explains his findings thereafter. Although I enjoyed the ending, I wasn’t overly impressed with this one. By this point, I’ve grown bored with cars and machines killing people.

MORNING DELIVERIES (MILKMAN #1) – This material was pulled from an unfinished novel called, “The Milkman”…. It’s about a long-haired milkman (go figure) named, Spike Milligan, who is seriously disturbed and gets off by leaving little surprises in the milk bottles he leaves for his customers during his morning route…. This one is very short compared to the majority of the stories in this collection and although I liked the concept, I was not particularly fond of it.

BIG WHEELS: A TALE OF THE LAUNDRY GAME (MILKMAN #2) – This is a continuation of “Morning Deliveries” and is material that was already written for the same unfinished novel titled, “The Milkman”…. It is about a couple of alcoholic laundry workers named, Rocky and Leo, who think it’s a good idea to drive around Pennsylvania trashed while in search for an auto garage that can renew an inspection sticker for Rocky’s Chrysler. After finding a garage and getting a new sticker put on by an old friend of Rocky’s, they hit the road again (and the bottle… Where’s a cop when you need one?). On their drive home, they end up running into (no pun intended) Spike Milligan, “the milkman”. Like the previous story, I was not fond of this one and am glad it never turned into a novel.

GRAMMA – This story was first published in “Weirdbook” magazine in the mid-80’s and is about an 11 year old boy named, George Brucker and his engrained fear for his 200 year old nasty ass, bed ridden granny…. George is scared to death of ol’ granny and when his mother suddenly has to take a drive into the city, leaving him in the house alone with her, he does nothing but whine like a little school girl. Where does all the fear derive from, you ask? It goes back to when he was 6 years old and she requested a simple hug from him, which was denied. During their alone time together, the boy realizes she is still waiting for that hug all those years ago and is now demanding it for reasons that will be uncovered. This one ends with a bit of ambiguity and I wasn’t fond of it, in general. It seemed like an idea a child would come up with. Perhaps that was the point?

THE BALLAD OF THE FLEXIBLE BULLET – This story was first published in “The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction” during the same time frame as the previous story, “Gramma”. It is about a fiction editor for a magazine publisher named Henry, who receives a short story from a novelist named Reg Thorpe. After reading the story, Henry believes it to be an instant classic. To put it mildly, Thorpe is nuts and the more Henry speaks with him, the more he learns he has a lot in common with him. Both of them come to believe their typewriters are bringing them good luck due to little elves living inside it. The “flexible bullet” is ultimately a metaphor for insanity. This story started off pretty good but then went down the crapper very quickly for me. I will never read it again….

THE REACH – This story was first published in “Yankee” in 1981 under the title “Do the Dead Sing?” It is about a 95 year old lady named, Stella who lives on Goat Island and has never traveled across the water (otherwise known as “The Reach”) to the mainland. Stella is on her way out and as the cancer in her body starts rapidly progressing she is haunted by visions of ghosts, including her dead husband, urging her to cross over. The ending to this story is what one would expect. When a 95 year old with cancer is suddenly hearing voices and seeing ghosts, there’s really only one conclusion one can reach (no pun intended). Although this story was a bit slow and depressing, I enjoyed it and thought it was a good ending to the collection.

FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 2 out of 5 stars. This is my least favorite Stephen King short story collection and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, especially not anyone who is new to Stephen King. If you are looking for an incredible short story collection, go read “Night Shift”. This one is overrated.

While Skeleton Crew overall doesn't reach the heights of Stephen King's previous collection for me, it still contains some fantastically brilliant stories.

I found when I was reading Skeleton Crew that the stories within it could be split into three different categories. The first category is what I thought of as "pedal-to-the-floor King" where the story has no fat or tangents and is all go, go, GO!. The second category I thought of as being for folksy tales that tend to go off on tangents, and the third category I thought of when encountering stories that held weirdness and had an overall surreal feel.

With these in mind, let the rating begin.

The Mist - 5 Stars - The Mist is really a novella and it's the first incidence of "pedal-to-the-floor King." Even though this story is the longest in the collection, it does not feel long at all when reading it, which is a clear indicator of how good it is. I always think the best stories are ones that make you want to swallow them whole on the first read and leave you wanting to reread instantly. That's exactly what The Mist did for me. It's a simple story about a father, his son, and their obnoxious neighbor as they drive to the local supermarket after a storm in rural Maine and become trapped inside by a mysterious mist. There's something in the mist, in fact, we learn that there are multiple things in the mist, but we only get glimpses of some of them. It's all left to our imaginations in the same way the creation of this mist is. There are references to a secret government project close to this community where the characters live, but nothing is ever confirmed. Instead, the characters just have to react. And it's those reactions, which pass by at breakneck speed, that keep the reader invested as each character has their own way of dealing with this disaster.

Here There Be Typers - 3 Stars - This story falls into the third category. A young boy is given permission to use the restroom at school by his cruel teacher only to discover a tiger in the bathroom. Weird.

The Monkey - 3.5 Stars - This uses a narrative device that King would later perfect in writing It. The reader gets two stories, one from the perspective of a child and another after that child has entered into middle age.

Cain Rose Up - 2 Stars - With so many school shootings, it makes this story a difficult read.

Mrs. Todd's Shortcut - 3 Stars - A lot of people seem to really like this story and I can understand why. It falls into the folksy category and for a lot of people, these types of stories rely on you falling for the characters within them. I didn't. I still found the premise interesting, about a woman who discovers shortcuts that allow her to travel to places quickly even when it verges on the physically impossible. Plus, the hinted explanation is linked to themes King has explored in other stories such as a multiverse, which is a nice side story but it didn't win me over.

The Jaunt - 4 Stars - The possibilities within this short story are endless. Plus, it features one of the creepiest lines of dialogue in any King story.

The Wedding Gig - 1 Star - I didn't really see the point of this story, plus its depiction of people who are overweight and of a certain race makes me uncomfortable.

The Raft - 5 Stars - Like The Mist, this one has its foot to the floor. It's a simple tale about four teens that head to a lake only to fall victim to a monster. What more could you want? The body horror here is some of King's best.

Word Processor of the Gods - 4 Stars - A trashy story due to certain characters but it holds plenty of charm.

The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - 3 Stars - An interesting tale from King as it’s a return to a location from another story, The Breathing Method. In it, men tell stories to one another, stories of horror and magic. It’s an enjoyable read as it provides King the chance to write in a different style, similarly to Victorian mystery.

Beachworld - 4 Stars - A story about two astronauts who crash land on a desert planet. Chilling and atmospheric, this is one of the collection's most memorable tales.

The Reaper’s Image - 4 Stars - This one had a very Night Shift vibe for me.

Nona - 4.5 Stars - Reminded me of Strawberry Spring from Night Shift.

Survivor Type - 5 Stars - I haven't read this story in years and I remember it having a real lasting effect on me as a teenager. I'm happy to say it still lives up to my memory of this horrifying, gruesome tale. It's one of King's finest and like the best ones in this collection, has very little fat in it. It also reminds me of a section in the early Resident Evil games where the gamer finds a diary with a similar story in it.

Uncle Otto’s Truck - 3 Stars - Another folksy tale told in first person.

Morning Deliveries (Milkman#1) - 4 Stars - A story that has an interesting premise but is too short. I wanted more!

Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman#2) - 2 Stars - This story has little to do with the previous one and is as long and rambling as the drunken stories its characters tell. It's my least favorite story in the collection.

Gramma - 4.5 Stars - This one is a creepy, chilling, and hair-raising tale about a young boy having to be alone in his house with his sick Gramma. That ending!! Damn did it deliver.

The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - 4 Stars - This is an interesting story that reflects on how certain people develop habits and mental tics while contemplating the idea of what happens when a person’s mind becomes self-destructive. It’s lengthy and it is a story that is told by someone about someone else and while that didn't necessarily work for me with Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut, it worked for me here. I found myself being pulled into the story by the narrator's voice.

The Reach - 3 Stars

Another wonderful collection from King.

I'm a huge fan of his, and this collection of short stories has truly captured my heart. It's probably my absolute favorite among all his works.

The Mist, in particular, is an absolute gem. It's not just a short story; it's more like a novella. But it's so engaging and well-written that it doesn't feel long at all. I have never been so creeped out and deeply affected by a story in my entire life as I was when I finished reading The Mist.

What's also interesting is that there are a few stories in this collection that showcase King's versatility as a writer. He can write stories that aren't horror and still do an amazing job. Oddly enough, I find myself almost enjoying these non-horror stories even more than his scarier ones. His use of words is simply wonderful, and he has a graceful way of bringing characters to life with just a few strokes.

This is a great book for those who are new to King's works. It contains a little bit of everything that he has to offer, making it a perfect introduction to his world of literature.

This collection is truly a mixed bag, presenting a diverse range of stories that offer a variety of experiences.

However, within this assortment, there are several standouts that truly shine.

One such standout is "The Mist." This story weaves a tale of mystery and horror, captivating readers with its eerie atmosphere and unpredictable plot.

Another remarkable piece is "The Jaunt." It is widely regarded as having one of King's best endings, which leaves a lasting impression on the reader. The story takes unexpected turns and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats until the very end.

Finally, "The Raft" also deserves mention. It presents a unique and chilling concept that explores the darker side of human nature.

Together, these standouts make this collection a must-read for fans of King's work and lovers of horror and mystery in general.

The Mist - 3

Here There Be Tygers - 4

The Monkey - 5

Cain Rose Up - 2

Mrs. Todd's Shurtcut - 5

The Jaunt - 3

The Wedding Gig - 3

Paranoid: A Chant - 3

The Raft - 4

Word Processor of the Gods - 3

The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - 5

Beachworld - 4

The Reaper's Image - 5

Nona - 2

For Owen - 3

Survivor Type - 3

Uncle Otto's Truck - 5

Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1) - 4

Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2) - 3

Gramma - 5

The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - 4

The Reach - 4

This collection of stories by King is truly remarkable. Each tale has its own unique charm and atmosphere. From the mysterious and terrifying "The Mist" to the thought-provoking "Here There Be Tygers", King's imagination knows no bounds. The characters are vividly drawn, and the plots keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether it's a story of horror, science fiction, or something in between, King always manages to deliver a powerful and engaging narrative. Maybe this is King's best collection yet, as it showcases his versatility and talent as a writer. It's a must-read for any fan of his work or anyone looking for a great collection of short stories.

I really appreciate the format of short fiction as it compels a writer to be concise, which is not a requirement in a novel. In the few books by King that I've read, there are moments when I find myself stuck in a narrative section that is overly bloated with scenes of little significance. However, King's short stories do not have this problem.

"The Mist" is by far the strongest in this collection - just as it was advertised. It is a novella in length and has an ending that I truly adored. "The Jaunt" made me ponder a potential horror of teleportation that I had never thought of before. "Nona" and "Gramma" were also outstanding stories in the collection. I also liked King's explanation at the end of the book, where he described how the ideas for some of the stories came to him.

My wife has requested "It" as the next book to be read to her (after we finish the "Lilith's Brood" trilogy). I'm curious to see how its 1,200 pages will compare to my impressions of these shorter works. I'm looking forward to delving into this long novel and seeing if King can maintain the same level of quality and engagement throughout such a substantial piece of writing.

This isn't my all-time favorite collection of King's short stories. However, there were a couple of truly outstanding tales within it that really elevated the entire anthology.

The dark and warped 'Survivor Type' is a massive standout. Just think about it: How far would you be willing to go to stay alive? What actions would you be capable of if the only alternative was death? I can only fervently hope that my courage will never be put to such a severe test.

The Mist is an excellent read, and that came as a pleasant surprise. I was extremely hesitant about reading it because I'm still dealing with some rather pathetic yet very persistent trauma from the darn film version.

The Jaunt is a prime example of a short story, and Stephen King truly shines in this genre. What an amazing ending!

Gramma was creepily terrifying. I could really feel the tension escalating, and it's quite unusual for me to feel so unnerved these days, considering I've read countless horror books.

I adored Mrs Todd's shortcut. The old man's voice is so genuine and immersive.

Lastly, I was completely charmed by 'The Ballard of the Flexible Bullet.' Is madness contagious? Can paranoia be contracted? Or perhaps you're not crazy at all...

On a separate note, when I was a child, my older brother would occasionally repeatedly hit me on the forehead with a spoon. It drove me absolutely nuts, and I loathed it. He called it 'the spoon torture of the heathen chinee.' Now, some 20-odd years later, I guess I've figured out what he had been reading. Thanks, Mr. King. Thanks a lot.

I'm not usually a fan of collected short stories. I have a preference for full length novels.

However, to my surprise, I really enjoyed over 95% of the stories in this collection.

One of the standouts for me was "The Monkey and Gramma". It had a unique charm and a captivating storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish.

"The Mist" was also very good. I've seen the movie adaptation many times, so I knew the general plot.

But there was one thing that did surprise me - the different ending in the story. It was a pleasant change and added an extra layer of interest.

I'm really glad that I read this collection. It's definitely a must-read for fans of Stephen King.

His ability to create vivid characters and engaging stories in a short amount of space is truly remarkable.

If you're a fan of King or just looking for some great short stories, I highly recommend giving this collection a try.

Skeleton Crew remains my all-time favorite among Stephen King's short story collections.

Several of the stories have been adapted for film and television, and in forms that I actually found quite enjoyable.

Overall, King does an excellent job of maintaining an atmosphere of suspense throughout the entire collection, rather than just from one story to the next.

The collection kicks off with a novella, The Mist. I even used an excerpt from it during high school for a competitive forensics dramatic reading. I scored very well throughout the season and received the highest marks at the state tournament.

Some of my personal favorites from the collection include The Mist (while many people disliked the film, I didn't think it was that bad), The Monkey (one of King's spookiest short stories), The Raft, and Gramma (which is also my favorite episode from the attempted revival of The Twilight Zone).

All in all, Skeleton Crew is a highly engaging collection of creepy tales that I thoroughly enjoyed upon my second reading.