Different Seasons

Four seasons, four sensations - hope, breakdown, growth, and rebirth! An eternal cycle!

This is what King has given us in this first collection of his selected novels, and the format will become his trademark in the years to come.

"The Shawshank Redemption" - almost everyone knows what it's about, and the movie based on this wonderful novel is an absolute classic. Andy Dufresne remains a very dear character to me.

A hot, endless, and insanely boring summer and a hidden Nazi monster as a neighbor - what could go wrong? The lid blows off, and no one is safe from crossing to the dark side...

The body is just a pretext for the group of growing boys to break free from the dull and monotonous hustle and bustle in a sleepy American town. To describe their world, problems, and hopes - this is what King can do better than anyone else. The movie based on this story is an absolute must-see!

The last novel is a bit of a Christmas minor and evokes different thoughts and sensations, incompatible with the holiday spirit...

Excellent 6* for King, it must be read!

Stephen King is widely known for his horror works, but who said he only writes horror? "Different Seasons" is a remarkable collection that encompasses a variety of genres - Young Adult, Mystery, coming-of-age, and more, yet it contains no horror. If you truly want to experience King at his best, then this is a must-read.

"Different Seasons" consists of four novellas, each penned by King after the completion of his four earliest novels. Initially, he had no intention of publishing them, but fortunately, he decided to release these novellas in an anthology, much to the gratitude of his readers. It's no wonder that this book has the second-highest average rating on Goodreads among all the sixty-plus novels King has written so far.

The first novella, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," is perhaps the most famous, especially due to its movie adaptation starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. It's a powerful story about hope and despair, freedom and imprisonment, and the strength of humanity and friendship. I've written a more in-depth review of this novel [here]. Nearly everyone has seen the movie (excluding me, as usual), but even without knowing how good the movie is, this novella can be wholeheartedly recommended.

The second novella, "Apt Pupil," is a captivating tale. What happens when you bring together two of the most unlikeable characters and force them to interact? You get one of the most breathtaking stories ever. The subject matter is already fascinating: a 1970s boy, Todd Bowden, discovers the secret of Kurt Dussander, a wanted Nazi war criminal. Out of his interest in World War II, Todd blackmails Dussander and forces him to tell detailed stories about his crimes. As time passes and Todd grows into a teenager, the stories begin to have a profound impact on his behavior. The only criticism of this novella might be its rushed ending, but aside from that, King manages to make the reader sympathize with two despicable characters with dark motives and thoughts. Although it's a bit slower compared to some of his other fast-paced novellas in this anthology, it contains several breathtaking scenes that make it a moving and memorable story.

"The Body" is my favorite story in the entire anthology and perhaps one of my all-time favorites. After reading it in just two hours, I was left amazed, enthusiastic, and slightly perturbed. King masterfully delves into the psyches of four young boys as they embark on an adventure and face numerous obstacles. The movie adaptation, "Stand By Me," is highly acclaimed, with all four child actors giving outstanding performances. However, the short story remains my favorite, perhaps because I read it first and was so impressed by the characters. I can't recommend this story enough - stop reading this review and go read it now!

The final novella, "The Breathing Method," is often considered the least favorite in the collection, and I have to agree. While it has great potential and includes a disturbing scene that could be classified as horror, on the whole, it's too short and underdeveloped. It's a shame that King set up such an interesting mystery and didn't bother to solve it in the ending. However, it is an interesting story about a middle-aged lawyer who attends a mysterious club where people tell various stories, one of which turns out to be very different from the norm. It feels like this story didn't quite fit in this collection and might have been better suited for one of his other anthologies. Maybe its short length prevented it from being as profound as the other three novellas.

In conclusion, "Different Seasons" earns a full five stars. Despite some minor flaws, this collection is both enthralling and thought-provoking. The stories are not about horror; they are about real-life situations, fates, humans, growing up, and life itself. Life in its darkest and least desirable forms, but life nonetheless. And the very possibility that these stories could have happened exactly as King has told them sends shivers down my spine more than any of his horror novels.

Well......WOW! These four LONG-short stories are ALL fabulous!

RITA HAYWORTH AND SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - 5 Stars
"Get busy living or get busy dying." Everyone has probably seen the movie adaptation or read the book by now and knows the story about the wrongful imprisonment of banker Andy Dufresne, the horror of "the sisters" and his best friend at Shawshank Red. However, if you haven't, you are truly fortunate to have this amazing read ahead of you. The novel offers a bit more detail here and there about Red and Andy. It is just as enthralling as the movie and completely unputdownable.

APT PUPIL - 4.5 Stars - Just a very nice and intelligent 13-year-old....uh huh. Todd Bowden wants to be a P.I. when he grows up and gets off to a quite a start as he sleuths out a criminal of the most vile kind. As his true unsettling nature begins to surface, our creepy apt pupil gets a whole lot more than he bargained for when he goes up against the master. This dark and powerfully evil story even has a cool Andy Dufresne tie-in. But damn.....why couldn't the butcher from hell stick to humans.....minus 50 basis points!

THE BODY (re-read) - 5 Stars - Four young lads head out on an adventure to see 'the dead body' but what they find is trouble and a few hard lessons learned. It is an absolutely wonderful coming-of-age story that was converted to screen as Stand By Me. Once again, the written word wins over the audio version for me.

THE BREATHING METHOD - 5 Stars
"It is the tale, not he who tells it." The club is creepy.....The rooms mysterious.....The weather chilling.....The fire roaring, and The ghost story.....OMG! SHOCKING!

That's possibly King's best short story collection.

And that's not just because all have been transformed into movies that were also milestones of suspenseful storytelling. It's because the freaking ingenious King is like an incredible Chuck Norris.

He doesn't even need any fantasy or paranormal elements to make it so thrilling. He just takes the inhumanity of the US prison system in Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption to describe the picture of a strong man in a just crazy system of eye for an eye stone age legislation. His will and perseverance are what let him deal with levels of brutality many won't survive because of the overkill of sociopaths like in Apt Pupil. One doesn't see the plot coming and the slow escalation is so perfectly timed and created that it, not just literally, blows one's mind away.

In contrast to these first 2 hardcore stories, The Body is more about childhood and coming of age. And besides, it maybe King's best description of both the magic and terror of this time. King is fascinated by the creative power, vividity, and potential of kids' imagination and is sheerly unbeatable at breathing life into this mentality with characters especially struggling with parents, school, and the intolerance and conservatism of the society of these days.

But a new life isn't always an antidote to death. Each woman's nightmare comes true in the only story with a bit of fantasy manifested as mama bear magic. The stories are prime examples of the important fact that less is so much more. All these pearls show that quality is often better than quantity, something very ironic in the case of King, because he is good at producing both with extremely varying results from incredibly good to nearly facepalm. But the short format forces him to focus on the essential character, helps to avoid the drivel infodump overkill some find a bit exaggerated, and finally made this quartet his subjectively best short story collection.

Well, that and a fact I'm more and more getting interested in and first mentioned, after an enlightening epiphany, in my review of 11 22 63 too. So here it is again: Impact of substances on creative output. During his high years when he created It, Misery, and some of his other best works. Because I just had some more, of course just theoretical, enlightenment about boosting productive creative output with legal and illegal substances, some totally sober thoughts: It's difficult to differentiate what fueled King when, because he used to smoke like a chimney, drink, and consume marijuana already before 1985 with cocaine and hard pills. And one of my biggest questions is how drunk and high he was before officially becoming an alcoholic, cocaine, and stimulant addict. How drunk and marijuana high was he when he wrote everything between his first works and the end of his junkie career? How would neuropsychiatry and pharmacology explain the origin of his creativity under the influence of at least 3 to 6 substances that all, already as single consumption, have massive impacts on thought quality and imagination? Because, yes, that's one of the few positive aspects of drugs. Would King have been able to become such an incredible writer without substance abuse? However, back to the show.

With some life prolonging ideas I'm currently testing. I'm kind of a health optimization freak and trying to reach new levels by experimenting with nootropics, power napping, calorie restriction, no TV or videogames, much sport, and similar exhaustive activities, and especially learning old school and with much techy help on all devices and trying to pimp my style. It may be subjective but I'm pretty sure that one can reach high creative performance levels with discipline, perseverance, and a combination of hunger, no pain no gain, and everything boosting and improving the serotonin, endorphin, dopamine, endocannabinoid, and noradrenaline systems of the body. It's freaking amazing what one can achieve by using organic, natural, and legal substances and excessive, obsessive training. I'm doing this for years now on and off to see what's the best combination, and to develop no tolerance to the substances I include breaks of weeks and months.

You will hate the worst realization I had. Calorie restriction seems to be the most essential brain, mind, and mood busting factor. I'm a vegetarian eater with an organic food fetish and a big breakfast, normal lunch, and very little or no dinner. As soon as I add more food to the mix, my cognitive abilities seem to be a bit reduced. But if I, from time to time for a week or 2, fast and just have a small breakfast and tiny lunch, the brain simply seems to have more of the power that's usually used for digestion. Imagine what one could do when adding alcohol or THC to the mix and how great and hard it would hit already in small amounts on an empty stomach. That would save costs too and be in the creative spirit of The King.

And I absolutely have no idea how I got to the point to end a Stephen King review by driveling like a lifestyle guru. Maybe I should start an evil, eco social, post scarcity cult, that would be a true, kind of inherently impossible, challenge.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

I have a particular habit when it comes to reviewing books. I like to wait a few days after finishing a book. This gives me the opportunity to see how it has truly taken up residence in my mind and imagination. Some books have a remarkable staying power. They remain crystal clear in my memory even months after I've turned the final page. On the other hand, there are those books that start to fade from my consciousness as soon as I reach the end, and sometimes even before.

Stephen King's Different Seasons is a truly fascinating case study. As I read through this collection, I got to witness how one story could haunt me while I was already moving on to the next. Published in 1982, this was King's first foray into non-genre fiction. He had made a name for himself with his horror masterpieces like Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot, and The Shining. After a string of bestselling thrillers, this book must have seemed like a bit of a risk, not only for him but also for his publisher.

The book is a 525-page collection that consists of four novellas. Well, actually, it's three novellas and one long short story. Only the final story, “The Breathing Method,” has even a hint of the fantastic or occult. What I really appreciate about this book is its boldness and generosity. In today's publishing landscape, a popular author would likely release these 25,000 - 35,000 word works individually as separate books, and rake in the cash. But King chose to present them all together in one volume.

Moreover, it was only by reading the book from cover to cover that I truly came to realize just how talented and versatile a storyteller King is. The opening novella, “Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption,” is a powerful exploration of hope and despair set within the confines of a prison. The narrator's relaxed and casual tone is perfectly suited to his character, who has been incarcerated for decades and has long since learned to take things one day at a time. It's only near the end that the reader realizes the true significance and purpose of his recounting. (It's worth noting that in the book, the narrator is a skinny redhead, not the Morgan Freeman character we all know from the popular movie adaptation.)

My personal favorite novella in the collection is “Apt Pupil.” At 200 pages, it's also the longest. This story offers a chilling look at the sick and symbiotic relationship between a former Nazi war criminal who is now retired and living under an alias in a California suburb, and a precocious boy who discovers his secret. King masterfully manipulates his point of view and even introduces a crucial character two-thirds of the way through the story. This only adds to the book's richness and depth. The story is beautifully structured, with not a single word wasted. King shows us how evil can lie dormant and then suddenly awaken, or how it can insidiously corrupt and influence those around it. The conclusion is both shocking and, in hindsight, inevitable (it differs from the film version). And that scene with the cat? Let's just say it's as effective as anything King has written before or since.

I know that many readers really love the third novella, “The Body.” This story served as the inspiration for the beloved Rob Reiner movie Stand By Me. I liked it too, but I didn't have the same level of passion for it as some others. King clearly has a penchant for writing about underdogs, and the four young boys who embark on a journey through Maine to find a dead body so they can report it are a real motley crew. They are battered and bruised, but King captures them with both sympathy and affection. His descriptions of their coming-of-age journey are evocative and touching. The suspenseful train scene, the big climax that plays out in a thunderstorm, and the bittersweet denouement are all expertly crafted. However, King also interweaves some rather self-indulgent examples of the narrator's “published fiction,” and these long-winded sections do tend to slow down the pace of the story. Still, “The Body” has a lot of heart, and it also features this great bit of post-modern writing.

The final story, “The Breathing Method,” could easily have been included in King's earlier Night Shift collection of stories. It's an intriguing and atmospheric tale about a doctor whose patient is having a baby out of wedlock during a time when that was considered taboo. It takes quite a while to get to the central story, and I'm not entirely convinced that the framing device, which is set in a mysterious and exclusive Manhattan men's club, was really necessary. However, there is a certain chill to the story that makes it appropriate for this winter's tale. (Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention that each novella in the collection is associated with a particular season. Is this an annoying marketing gimmick or a cool structural device? That's for you to decide.)
Throughout Different Seasons, King proves that he can write in a variety of styles and assume a wide range of voices. This book is an essential read for anyone who is interested in his evolution as a writer. It offers a fascinating glimpse into his creative process and showcases his remarkable talent and versatility. Whether you're a die-hard King fan or a newcomer to his work, Different Seasons is sure to leave a lasting impression.

I have an omnivore's appetite when it comes to books. I'll consume any genre, as long as the writing knocks me out. But, if you ask me what I avoid, I will tell you: horror.

I'm a Jane Austen devotee, not a lover of Carrie, Cujo or Christine. I find the silver hairs creeping into my bangs horrific enough; I never want to be more scared.

So, now you know you can trust me when I tell you how fabulous and fantastic this book is.

First off, if you're not familiar with this work, it is a collection of four novellas, each one set to a different season of the year. The first novella, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" went on to become the famous "Shawhank Redemption" movie with that tall, cool drink of water, Tim Robbins. But, despite how amazing Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins were in the film, it did not influence my experience in reading it. Turns out that "Red" is actually a white man with red hair and that "Andy" is a small white man, not a hunky giant with a mischievous grin. I didn't picture either actor while reading the story, and it worked for me immediately.

So, how good is this 100 page novella? Well, to me it's as good as anything that has ever been written. It could be taught in Creative Writing classes the whole world over as one of the most perfect short works of fiction ever written. I just don't know how else to say it. It is ridiculously, stunningly, break-your-heart good.

The second novella, "Apt Pupil," is the longest in the collection, and, while it is also brilliantly written, I must warn you here. This incredibly disturbing story offers you Holocaust torture flashbacks, violent rape fantasies, explicit murder scenes and animal cruelty and murder. I had to put it down multiple times and stop reading it, and the only way I ultimately resumed it was to read it as a writer. Meaning, I had to take a cold approach and study his technique and skim over every torture and dark fantasy theme. Having said that, I was glad I finished it. It was a fascinating psychological exploration of some of our most deviant members of society, and the way Mr. King juxtaposes his characters in this story is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

The third novella, "The Body," is the one that went on to become the famous "Stand By Me" movie. I found this one to be the most autobiographical (having read King's memoir), and I have a suspicion that Mr. King loved writing every page of it. Of all of the stories, I liked the characters best here. The flawed and abused boys: Gordie, Chris, Vern and Teddy. They are full-bodied and three-dimensional; you don't doubt their existence for a moment. I loved them all, and it's a story that enters your psyche as "real." I doubt I'll let go of the feel of this one for years.

The last novella, "The Breathing Method" is the book's "Winter's Tale," and it is the shortest at 60 pages. When I read in the Afterword that Mr. King declared, "elements of horror can be found in all of the tales, not just in The Breathing Method," I decided it was time for me to be done. I couldn't imagine reading anything more horrific than "Apt Pupil," so if "The Breathing Method" is the truly horrific story of the four, then I'm done. I figured I could skip the last 60 pages and spare myself a few nightmares.

I love this book, and I dog-eared several different passages, but I wanted to share this one here from "The Body":

The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them--words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.

This passage really struck a chord with me, as it speaks to the universal struggle of trying to convey our deepest thoughts and feelings. It made me think about all the times I've held back because I was afraid of not being understood or because I thought the words wouldn't do justice to what I was feeling. But as I read this, I realized that sometimes we just have to take the risk and speak our truth, even if it's hard.

Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves great storytelling. Each novella is unique and engaging, and Stephen King's writing is as masterful as ever. Whether you're a fan of his work or new to his writing, I highly recommend this collection.

Once again, as I delved into the novels included in the collection, I found myself grappling with the age-old question of where the boundary lies between high and popular literature. Then I recalled a line from the movie "The Cloud Atlas" - all boundaries are just illusions. And King, in his own words, precisely in this book, is not a charlatan. He tells stories. Some of them I would (and have) thrown in the trash. Others remain in both the heart and the library. Because what is a good story if not good literature?

With great interest, I read how Uncle Stevie, in frustration, decided to take on his horror publisher with this relatively early collection of four different stories. Yes, publishers are a bad thing not only if they stick to you but also if you let yourself become attached to them.

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" 5⭐️

For me, this is one of the two pearls in the collection. After reading it, although I knew the plot at least from the movie, which is also an excellent interpretation, I pondered over what I had read for a long time. What does the story actually tell? About the prison system in the US and the deep corruption and degradation, about the slum, considered far from the eyes of respectable society, where justice and redemption have not yet arrived and sometimes one wonders if the death penalty is not after all more humane in some cases? About the social stratifications themselves, which - neglected and deprived of possible losses for improvement - are doomed to reproduce the same waste human products on both sides of the fence, with the difference that some throw Bibles in their offices? About human dignity, and - yes, about the human spirit - which still exist and still cannot be stopped even in Shawshank? I think Emmer Tows was inspired here for his "A Gentleman in Moscow". And I think that "Shawshank" quite insidiously creeps towards that kind of literature that has a chance to fit the definition of "classic" - a book that everyone knows but no one reads...

"The Apt Pupil" 2.5⭐️

This was for me a standard, sharp-edged, and absolutely forgettable commercial mix of historical data, irony towards the Middle West, and a little sociopathy. The title could also be "A Meeting of Two Psychopaths". I expected much more from the niche of Nazism and was disappointed by the superficial look. No, the Nazis were not psychopaths. This is a complete and comforting delusion that Nazism is a deviation that is so rare and extreme that it cannot be repeated on a mass scale. But this story is about fans who are looking for a thrill without any known logic. This is the commercial King with the dollar-printing press.

"The Body" 5⭐️

It is an allusion to the good old Ray Bradbury and his "Dandelion Wine". King, however, leads for at least one length (or 15 kilometers that his heroes cover). The story of growing up in the poor, desolate, and ignorant Middle West is nothing new. But the presentation is with a lot of understanding, delicacy, and love for the four twelve-year-old heroes, who set off on a journey towards an apparently absurd and senseless goal. Every step and word of theirs outlines whole worlds - for the children, left to develop like weeds, without a drop of care, and ultimately turning into superfluous beings; for the US in the 60s, seen from the inside in a rather unusual perspective; for salvation and reconciliation; and again that human spirit that flickers even in the muddy twelve-year-old boys and clumsily and poorly seeks space. Something of Erich Kästner lives in these pages, as well as something deeply personal, dark, soulful, and still not lost hope.

"The Breathing Method" 2.5⭐️

A decent mystery, but not particularly impressive. It seems to draw attention to the history of obstetrics from the dawn of the 20th century, which has caused as much harm as no one dares to admit. And this mentality in science is still spreading with ease. The ending doesn't intrigue me at all.

In two words, the collection is wonderful, even if only because of two of the stories, and I will happily extract quotes from it.

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