Este es el segundo tomo de Cuatro estaciones de Stephen King.

Es un libro que salió cuando el autor quiso escribir algo fuera de su género habitual. En el primer libro, hay un prólogo donde cuenta cómo su editor no quería publicarlo porque Stephen King es casi la marca registrada de la literatura de terror actual. Era un riesgo, decía.

De estos cuatro relatos, tres se han llevado a la pantalla grande. He visto las tres películas mucho antes de leer los relatos.

El primer relato es El otoño de la inocencia. La película basada en él se llama “Cuenta Conmigo”. Cuando comencé a leer, no sabía que se trataba del relato que inspiró la película.

Vi esta película hace muchos años y, aunque me pareció buena en su momento, no entendí bien la idea o el fondo. Ahora, 20 años más tarde, al leer el relato y con más edad, he comprendido la profundidad de la historia, la nostalgia, la tristeza de quien la relata. Es una historia realmente conmovedora, tierna y realista.

Ya sabía que Stephen King es un genio de la literatura, pero me sorprende al leer cosas como estas. Aquí se habla del sentimiento de amistad, lealtad y la nostalgia de días que no volverán. La película es muy buena y se ha convertido en una de culto.

El segundo relato es el método de la respiración. Es algo diferente, una historia “batallita” como lo llamaría el protagonista. Él llega a un club de caballeros donde cada miembro cuenta historias. Nuestro protagonista nos refiere a una de un médico y una mujer embarazada soltera con un final trágico.

Es muy buena, diferente y extraña. No puedes parar de leer y King tiene ese algo que te hace entender lo que quiere decir.

Sin duda, Stephen King es un escritor fuera de serie.

The story of "The Method of Respiration" is truly disturbing and incredible. It makes you question many things.

As you read through it, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat, unable to put it down.

The author has crafted a narrative that is both captivating and thought-provoking.

It explores themes such as human nature, survival, and the power of the mind.

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Don't miss out on this amazing story that will leave you with a sense of unease and a new perspective on life.

The Body:

“Nostalgia is not always a vague, melancholic, and almost beautiful emotion, although that's generally how we imagine it. It can be an extraordinarily sharp sword, not just a metaphorical ailment but absolutely real.”

“The most important things are the hardest to explain because, in some way, words minimize and degrade them. It's very difficult to get strangers interested in the nice and important things in our lives.”

A powerful story in which the four protagonists, who don't precisely have a very blessed life, embark on a rather dramatic and chaotic adventure.

But beyond the story itself, I think what has even more power is King's particular way of telling what youth, friendship, complicity, the longing for adventure, and those moments with a magical tint are. And at the same time, the nostalgia for those experiences, those friendships that are lost along the way with time, and those moments that will not return.

The Method of Respiration:

“How different a door can be when you're on the other side!”

It's a story within a story. From the main mystery story, in the guise of a “storyteller,” another story of supernatural drama unfolds. Both plots are very interesting.

It could perfectly have been a story published in “Weird Tales” in the 1930s.

It's the only one of the four stories (of the four seasons) that doesn't have a cinematic adaptation.

Although it is separated into two different books in its Spanish edition, I consider "Four Seasons" as one of King's short story collections, so for me it is a 5-star work.

For me, the ranking of the stories would be:

- Winter's Tale (The Breathing Method): This last story won me over with the feeling of discomfort, terror, and sadness that Emlyn McCarron's account of Sandra Stansfield's willpower during her childbirth after being decapitated gave me. In addition, it has references to the Dark Tower that made me excited, as the Club where all these stories are told could be one of the floors of the Tower, a place outside of time and space, another dimension that the "members" visit and of which one cannot speak freely, as we saw that almost happened to David Adley when he asked Stevens, the immortal butler of the club, too many questions.

- Hope, Eternal Spring (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption): This story made me feel that anything is possible, gave me hope to overcome all adversities and know that in the end everything can turn out well. The story of Andy Dufresne, told non-linearly by Red, left me with a great sense of satisfaction knowing that an innocent person can escape from prison despite the injustices of the system and all the adversities. That letter that Red reads at the end and those last decisions he makes made me cry.

- Summer of Corruption (Apt Pupil): The story of the boy Todd Bowden and the former Nazi, Kurt Dussander, made me think about how terrible human beings can be, the inhuman acts that they can commit. These characters corrupt each other over the years, the boy being corrupted until he becomes a serial killer, being psychologically destroyed until he is killed in a shootout, and the Nazi reliving his old days of glory until he is discovered and forced to commit suicide.

- Autumn of Innocence (The Body): Although it is the slowest of the four stories, I don't think it's bad. I consider that the message it leaves us is one of the most important. The story of how Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy undertake that long expedition to find the body of Ray Brower is a metaphor for the passage from childhood to adulthood and, as we are told at the beginning of the story, sometimes the most important things are the hardest to tell or share with others. Remembering the things we did or thought in the past and that today seem so distant and absurd can be scary, it makes us think that nothing that happens in youth is forever, like the friendship of these 4 boys, of whom only Gordie is still alive in his adult stage. The sad story of Chris, who tries to overcome all the obstacles that life put in his way, who doesn't want his other two friends to drown Gordie by keeping him tied to a mediocre life and who finally ends in a tragic way, made me sad.

The Body:

This is one of Stephen King's most acclaimed stories. To be honest, I didn't enjoy it much. The book promises a spectacular climax, but it takes too long to reach that point. I felt there was a lot of filler and parts that could have been omitted without any problem. However, despite this, it is a very good story about friendship, growing up, and moving forward in life.

Method of Breathing:

This was a total surprise. I didn't really know what it was about, and when I read it, I really enjoyed it. The beginning also makes very little sense as the narrator eventually changes, but still, it manages to be a spectacular story, very easy to follow, fascinating, interesting, and well worth it.

In conclusion, the second book of Four Past Midnight has not been my best reading. I took a long time to finish it, but still, this compilation of stories is very much worth it. Stephen King's narration is impeccable, especially the construction of characters, and they make these 4 tales very recommendable.

A good book. I have liked it.

The body (The autumn of innocence):

A good tale.

It is a story about friendship in adolescence, about death and the fascination with it, about domestic violence and that of society in general, and about the freedom and idealization of adolescence and summer vacations. Ingredients that Stephen King combines magnificently with a slow-paced, well-told narrative and an air of nostalgia.

It is also cool because there are references to the books Cujo and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. As well as the fact that the protagonist has a lot of autobiographical elements with Stephen King.

Winter's tale: The breathing method:

An interesting story that increases in interest as it progresses. The story of the breathing method explained within the story by one of the characters has a brutal, terrifying and original ending. And the end of the story is mysterious and disturbing.

Of the two stories in the book Four Seasons II, it is this last one that I have liked the most.

Both stories seem to me that they truly work perfectly in their own way.

Although they are so different in structure and ideas, both reach you with the same intensity.

Honestly? I adore King's stories. It's hard for me to be objective about him, but still I think that truly they are stories that are worth it.

King has a unique talent for creating vivid and engaging worlds that draw you in and keep you hooked until the very end.

His characters are complex and relatable, and his plots are full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Whether it's a horror story or a drama, King always manages to deliver a powerful and emotional experience that leaves a lasting impression.

In conclusion, while I may be biased towards King, I truly believe that his stories are some of the best out there and are well worth reading.

A pesar de que originalmente este libro se publicó en una sola edición en su versión en inglés, en castellano lo dividieron en dos libros. En este tomo se encuentran los relatos de otoño, El cuerpo, e inverno, Método de respiración.

El argumento del primero es bastante conocido, gracias a la adaptación realizada por Rob Reiner en la década de los 80, en la película Stand by me. De este relato se pueden rescatar los matices de inocencia de un grupo de niños que emprenden un viaje para encontrar un cadáver. El argumento no es tan potente como la simbolización del paso de la adolescencia a la adultez. Los personajes son todos niños atormentados que viven en hogares duros y disfuncionales. La historia conmueve y hace reflexionar. Está escrita en clave de nostalgia y transita en las ideas de la amistad, la traición, la familia y el aprendizaje personal. Todo esto a través de la corta travesía de unos amigos adolescentes que caminan durante dos días el trayecto de un tren para ver un cuerpo al que la vida le ha sido arrebatada.

Al segundo relato no lo conocía, y me sorprendió gratamente. Es quizás el más corto de todos y mezcla un ejercicio metaliterario. Uno de los personajes cuenta la historia de una ocasión en que conoció a una mujer soltera embarazada, a quien atiende como su médico y a quien enseña un método de respiración ideado por él, que al final le salvaría la vida a su hijo. El final es inquietante y el manejo de la intriga hace que la historia se lea frenéticamente.

Estas cuatro estaciones muestran las capacidades de King como contador de historias, alejándose de los cánones del terror y el suspenso, y adentrándose en tramas profundas con personajes inolvidables. King demuestra una versatilidad que lo hace destacar como uno de los grandes autores de nuestra época.

"El cuerpo" is a story told in the first person by the protagonist, Gordie. As an adult, he recalls an adventure he had as a preadolescent with his three friends.

It is a story that mainly deals with friendship and what it can mean to an adolescent, especially when parents and other adults do not fulfill their duties and obligations to the younger ones.

In Gordie's case, the lack of interest from his parents leads him to consider his friends as his true family (this is a deduction I made, as it is not stated as such in the book). Just because of the closeness he had with them, and the love and time shared, it hurt me that over time they became just strangers. Although I suppose this represents real life, not all of us keep the same friends throughout our lives.

The characters are well-developed. As the pages turn, I felt like I was getting to know them more and more. All of them have a well-defined personality.

As the story progresses, we see how the characters want to do something significant in their lives, be recognized for something, and that is the reason that leads them to undertake the journey. However, at the end of the book, the protagonist leads an ordinary, boring life. He no longer enjoys writing, which was his passion throughout his life. Personally, while reading the end, I felt the need not to let that happen to me and to hold on to the adventurous characters at the beginning of the story.

Something that I don't want to fail to mention is how on several occasions the boys are afraid to show their emotions or afraid to show affection and love among them. We see how this also affects Gordie in his adulthood, when he wants to show weakness due to the death of Chris, not even in front of his wife.

The ending that hurt me the most was that of Chris (personally, my favorite), a character who was determined to overcome himself, despite the fact that everyone around him told him that this was not possible. It seems very unfair to me that he died in that way.

In summary, it is a story about friendship that also makes us reflect on who we want to be in this world and the effort we must make to achieve it.

Stand by Me, based on a novel by Stephen King, is an absolute gem of a film. It has received an impressive rating of 9.6 out of 10.

This marvelous movie has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing and two Golden Globes, for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Director for Rob Reiner. It is not only highly regarded by critics but also extremely popular with audiences, being among the Top Rated Movies.

The story of the quest to find the body of a missing boy is truly captivating. It is filled with moments of sincerity, compelling characters, beautiful scenery, amusing scenes, and a few scary ones. The film is a complete and near-perfect work of art.

All the child actors in the movie are superb. Will Wheaton as Gordie Lachance, River Phoenix as Chris Chambers, Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp, and Jerry O'Connell as Vern Tessio bring their characters to life with great authenticity. Each of them has a well-defined personality and some impressive, sometimes terrifying stories. For example, Teddy Duchamp is abused by his abominable father, who once almost burned his ear off.

The group of boys has to face many challenges on their journey. They are caught on a piece of rail tracks and have to run back in a flash to avoid being hit by a train. In a garage, there is a fierce dog that is thought to be trained to attack intruders. The movie also features some humorous moments, such as the chase scene and the 'barforada' where men and a boy compete for the top prize by eating more pie.

Ace Merrill, played by Kiefer Sutherland, is the leader of the thugs and a truly villainous character. He is willing to do anything to get what he wants, even if it means endangering the lives of others. The ending of the movie is a testament to its complexity and generosity, offering a satisfying conclusion without becoming a syrupy, corny soap opera. Overall, Stand by Me is an outstanding motion picture that is well worth watching.

**"Two Wonderful Tales by King"**

The story "El Cuerpo" is truly beautiful. It is so well-crafted that it touches the heart and makes the reader a witness to the power and the bonds that friendship is capable of creating. It is a touching tale filled with passages that make you sigh with longing while you remember the days of your childhood. The adventure that the children embark on may not be something extraordinary, but it is their characters and the way King relates them that makes the story so rich in emotional content. It is short, easy to read, and you finish it quickly. At the end, it leaves you with a sense of nostalgia, making you remember it as one of the most endearing novels you have read. Personally, I can't find any flaws in it. It's a short story that gets straight to the point, a perfect ten!

"El Método de Respiración" is not an endearing story nor does it offer "nice" things. However, it is an excellent suspenseful tale with a touch of horror! It was a pleasant surprise to find the bloody and descriptive King at the end of this story. From the beginning, the story traps you in the details, descriptions, and the humor of the narrator. It is very well done! I repeat, it's not a horror story, but at the end, in a simple dialogue, it reminds us that King's works all occur in the same universe and that here, these characters are closer to that "Dark World" than the children in "Cuenta conmigo".

As is obvious, I loved both stories! So much so that I will soon be acquiring (and reviewing) volume 1 of this anthology. Meanwhile, volume 2 gets a well-deserved 5/5 stars! Long live King! (and the books!)

This is the second part of "Different Seasons" which contains the autumn (the body) and winter (the breathing method).

Both of them have seemed spectacular to me. I don't have much to say except that I really liked them and I highly recommend it to all King fans and those who haven't read it yet and are reluctant to approve of his scariest books, because, this time, we don't have a horror book in our hands.

Review of the first part (Much deeper, I promise you): Spring and Summer.

The autumn section in "Different Seasons" delves into a unique aspect, perhaps exploring the theme of change and decay that is often associated with this season. It might present a story that is both thought-provoking and engaging, making the reader reflect on the passing of time and the inevitable transformations that occur.

As for the winter part, which focuses on the breathing method, it could potentially introduce a concept that is both mysterious and captivating. Maybe it offers a different perspective on survival or a new way of looking at the human body and its functions.

Together, these two parts of "Different Seasons" seem to offer a diverse and interesting reading experience that goes beyond the typical horror genre that Stephen King is known for. It shows his versatility as a writer and his ability to explore different themes and ideas in a way that keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end.