Не склалося у нас з цією збіркою. The collection didn't quite work out for us.

Перша після півночі
Невдовзі після зльоту ви прокидаєтеся в літаку, в якому зникла більша частина пасажирів. І що найгірше – пілоти також. Shortly after takeoff, you wake up in a plane where most of the passengers have disappeared. And worst of all – the pilots too.

І здавалося б з таким крутим початком автор точно має намір полоскотати нерви більшості своїх читачів, та подальше розгортання подій в оповіданні спантеличило і не зачепило зовсім. And it would seem that with such a cool start, the author surely intends to fray the nerves of most of his readers, but the further development of events in the story amazed and didn't touch at all.

Друга після півночі
На порозі будинку відомого письменника з’являється чоловік, що обвинувачує того в плагіаті. Мовляв, одне з оповідань, колись надруковане ним у збірці, належить саме його перу. Письменник спочатку навіть не приймає обвинувачень близько до серця, та невдовзі дійсно помічає, наскільки непідробно схожі два твори. Але як таке можливо? At the doorstep of a famous writer's house, a man appears who accuses him of plagiarism. Allegedly, one of the stories, once published by him in the collection, belongs to his pen. The writer at first doesn't even take the accusations to heart, but soon really notices how strikingly similar the two works are. But how is this possible?

Як на мене, найсильніше оповідання в збірці, але оскільки свого часу я дивилася екранізацію «Таємне вікно» з Джонні Деппом, то читати абсолютно знайомий мені сюжет було доволі нудно. For me, it was the strongest story in the collection, but since I had seen the movie adaptation of "The Secret Window" with Johnny Depp at the time, reading a plot that was completely familiar to me was rather boring.

Третя після півночі
Бібліотечна поліція? Для американців, як я зрозуміла з передмови самого Кінга, це живучий дитячий страх бути покараним, якщо не повернеш книгу в бібліотеку вчасно. Для мене як для українки, це було просто WTF?! The library police? For Americans, as I understood from King's own preface, this is a vivid childhood fear of being punished if you don't return a book to the library on time. For me as a Ukrainian, it was just WTF?!

Четверта після півночі
Підлітку на день народження дарують Полароїд. Він радо збирає всю родину, щоб зробити знімок, та замість усміхнених облич своїх родичів бачить зображення пса на фоні паркану. Новий знімок – нове фото пса. A teenager is given a Polaroid for his birthday. He happily gathers his whole family to take a picture, and instead of the smiling faces of his relatives, he sees the image of a dog against the backdrop of a fence. A new shot – a new photo of the dog.

Що ж страхи явно не універсальні. І якщо хтось слідкував за зростанням напруження, нервував через цей пекельний фотоапарат з не менш пекельним собацюрою, я ж просто намагалася вже дочитати і поставити крапку у цій збірці. Well, fears are clearly not universal. And if someone was following the increasing tension, worried about this hellish camera with an equally hellish dog, I was just trying to finish reading and put a period in this collection.

With this book, I conclude what I started in the middle of 2018. It's an obligatory cycle for those who wish to delve into the bibliography of Stephen King, beyond his so famous novels. In Four Past Midnight, I recalled that old way of narrating stories that brought so much fame to the writer from Maine. And although it sins, just like in Two Past Midnight, of what most of us already know - descriptions so detailed that they seem useless -, I doubt it won't make you lose some hours of sleep.

  "I hugged it - he replied. I gave it some special hugs, Davey. You don't know my special hugs, and with a little luck you'll never know them. I dragged it to the libraries, I surrounded it with my arms and I showed it my true aspect. Then it started to cry. Imagine how scared it was. It started to cry with special tears, and I dried them with my kisses, and when I finished it was dead in my arms"

One of the things I like most about King is how he manages to make the everyday - and even the absurd - become terrifying. This is reflected in the first novel of this book, The Library Policeman. I had never heard of policemen and libraries in the same sentence in my life; perhaps because the local libraries I used to go to didn't have a staff in charge of punishing those who didn't return the borrowed books on time.

This novel not only涵盖 what its peculiar title communicates; but also the traumas and sins of each of us. A rape? An alcoholism stage? Any past can serve for "that" - the main enemy of the story - to make those who cross its path suffer. And I don't use the word "that" simply because of my little ability to describe what the villain represents; but because I really find a relationship with the "that" of It. Without a doubt, it's the best story in the book.

  "Fear is an emotion that encompasses and prevents change"

The second novel, The Sun Dog, could have had everything necessary to close this cycle of terror with a golden key. It seems that King is so afraid of Polaroids that he was condescending with this story and couldn't change the bad elements that abound. The beginning is very interesting, a boy receives as a birthday gift a Polaroid camera - one of those that takes instant photos - that hides a problem; every time he takes a photo, a dog appears in it that little by little gets closer as new photos are taken. Is this entity a ghost? Will it come out and kill everything in its path? Or will it simply stop working when it reaches the edge of the photo? Any of those three alternatives would have been better compared to the way this story ends - very forced for me. By the middle I was seriously thinking about leaving it; but well, not everything that comes from King's hand is gold, sometimes it's just shit covered in gold.

4.5 ⭐

Here are four novellas, briefly described so as not to have spoilers, as Kinga can enjoy them the most in this way:

1️⃣ The Longoliers - A night flight from Los Angeles to Boston encounters extreme turbulence. 4 ⭐

The passengers on this flight are in for a terrifying experience as the plane is buffeted by the powerful forces of the air. The story builds tension as the situation becomes more and more perilous, leaving the readers on the edge of their seats.

2️⃣ Secret Window, Secret Garden - A well-known writer is accused of plagiarism by a stranger. 5 ⭐

This psychological thriller delves into the mind of the writer as he is faced with this accusation. The story explores themes of creativity, guilt, and paranoia, making it a captivating read that keeps the readers guessing until the very end.

3️⃣ The Library Policeman - The fear from childhood that the library policeman will come and take you away if you forget to return borrowed books also haunts a businessman. 3.5 ⭐

This story plays on the common childhood fear of getting in trouble with the library authorities. The businessman's past comes back to haunt him in a very unexpected way, adding an element of mystery and horror to the tale.

4️⃣ The Sun Dog - A Polaroid camera may not be the dream gift that a 15-year-old boy wished for. 5 ⭐

As the boy discovers the strange and disturbing images that the camera produces, he realizes that there is something very wrong with this supposed gift. The story takes a supernatural turn, filled with suspense and惊悚, as the boy tries to uncover the mystery behind the camera.

For me, it's always a pleasure to read Stephen King. Recently, the publisher has indulged me with two of his books, and that has me crazy with joy.

The first one I read was "Four Past Midnight", which consists of two short stories. One is called "The Library Policeman" and the other is "The Sun Dog".

As a good Stephen King book (his passion for writing is immediately noticeable), it starts with a message from the author to his frequent readers, where he tells us about the book and the inspiration behind these stories. And as an extra comment, I'll tell you that I LOVE when Stephen King takes the trouble (almost always, in fact) to tell us the background of his stories, where he got the inspiration from, or what led him to write the story you have in your hands. It's really a pleasure for me to read this, it makes me feel closer to the story, and even closer to King (who, if it's not already clear, is my favorite author, hahaha).

The first story, "The Library Policeman", is based on the custom in the United States of telling children that if they don't return their library books on time and in good condition, the library police will come for them. Personally, I had never heard anything similar in my life. The story revolves around this tale told to children to scare them and instill in them the habit of taking care of books and being punctual.

Sam Peebles, a real estate agent, needs to write an important speech that could get him several buyers. He follows his secretary's advice and goes to the public library for a couple of books that could help him with his speech. There he meets an old woman who, despite always smiling, gives him a sense of unease. The whole library makes him feel this way. Especially when she tells him with a smile that he better return the books on time if he doesn't want the library police to come for him. It was a strange and somewhat creepy experience, but his speech turned out well and the books were of great help. The problem started when a couple of days after the due date, he hadn't returned the books and many strange things began to happen to him.

The second story, and the one I liked the most, is about a teenager who receives a Polaroid instant camera as a gift, one that he really wanted. With excitement, he gathered his family to try it out by taking their picture, feeling like the king of the world for having that camera, not imagining the impression and disappointment he would feel when he had the image in his hands, an image that definitely didn't portray his family. Maybe his parents were playing a trick on him, so he took another picture, and another, and then another, but the image was still the same.

The first story took a while to catch my attention because the story about the library police, that supposedly told to children in the United States, wasn't something popular where I grew up (I mean, here it's not even a custom to go to the library), so I really didn't feel a connection with that story. But as I progressed, I got used to the characters, the atmosphere, and the story. It has a strange ending like many of King's stories, but in the end, I enjoyed it.

The second story, on the other hand, had a better start. It caught my attention much faster, and I was eager to devour the story to find out first what was in the pictures and second, why it was happening. It really intrigued me from the beginning. Also, the more I read, the more I couldn't imagine how it could end. I couldn't predict any kind of ending, and I love that. When that happens, I literally devour the books out of sheer curiosity. Of course, this story is a bit more gory and graphic than the first one, needless to say, but "very much in the style of Stephen King" when he gets intense with the blood.

Even though "The Sun Dog" was the story I liked the most, its ending didn't completely fascinate me. I feel that the idea King had in mind could have been developed and made something more sinister and macabre. Like he could have "got more juice out of it" with a different ending. But anyway, that doesn't mean I didn't like it. I just would have liked something that scared me more.

And that's why the book didn't get a perfect rating (King almost always gets a perfect rating from me), but love doesn't blind me, and I know when something doesn't completely fascinate me, and this time it didn't happen.

   

The Langoliers (3 stars)

was presented in audio format on 22 - 23/9 - 15. It offers an interesting story that keeps the listeners engaged.

Secret Window, Secret Garden (4 stars)

was released on 5/2 - 02 by NEL. This one is highly regarded for its captivating plot and well-developed characters.

The Library Policemen (3 stars)

was also in audio on 24 - 25/9 - 15. It has its own charm and mystery that draw the audience in.

Finally, The Sun Dog (3 stars)

was presented in audio on 23 - 24/9 - 15. It presents a unique tale that leaves a lasting impression.

Each of these works has its own merits and drawbacks, but overall, they provide an enjoyable listening experience for fans of the genre.

Whether you're a die-hard Stephen King fan or just looking for some good audio entertainment, these stories are worth checking out.

Please provide the article that needs to be rewritten and expanded so that I can help you.

A collection of four horror short stories awaits you, guaranteed to keep you completely engrossed and on the very edge of your seat. This is truly a remarkable book that delves into the darkest recesses of the human imagination. Each story is masterfully crafted, with vivid descriptions and spine-chilling plots that will send shivers down your spine. From haunted houses to malevolent spirits, from mysterious disappearances to terrifying nightmares, this collection has it all. You'll find yourself unable to put the book down as you are drawn deeper and deeper into the world of horror. Whether you're a die-hard horror fan or simply looking for a thrilling read, this book is sure to satisfy your craving for the macabre. So, grab a copy, turn off the lights, and prepare to be scared out of your wits!

Stephen King is truly a remarkable figure. When a publisher requests a collection of stories from an author, typically one would expect 15 - 20 stories in a 300 - 500-page book. However, with Mr. King, it's a different story. This collection consists of just four stories but weighs in at a hefty 1,154 pages (in the German translation). And yet, when I rated these stories separately, not one but two of my friends told me that a particular story was among their favorite SK short stories. Ha ha! Indeed, he is special.

I'm glad to say that three out of the four stories were well worth my time. Even "The Langoliers", which I had read before and didn't like initially, was quite entertaining this time around. And while the book ended on a somewhat low note for me, overall it was a very enjoyable read.

"The Langoliers" is a sci-fi/horror story that spans 416 pages. A group of people wake up during a commercial flight from LA to Boston and discover that the crew and other passengers have vanished. The mystery of what has happened is super intriguing as long as the answer remains unclear. Speculating about it was great fun. However, when the answers are revealed and the story leaves the realm of sanity for a while, becoming less and less grounded in reality, the book isn't as great. Maybe it's just a matter of personal preference. But when the characters are trying to find a way out of their situation and the story nears its conclusion, I found myself enjoying it quite a bit again. And the ending is actually rather cool. So, yes, I've changed my mind about this one. I'd rate it 3.5 - 4 stars.

"Secret Window, Secret Garden" is a 218-page thriller that I re-read. I didn't change my mind about this one. The story of a writer pressured by a stranger who accuses him of plagiarizing one of his stories was just as much fun as the first time. It's fascinating to see Mort's life fall apart and question what is real and what is imagined. Yes, the epilogue is unnecessary and what King did on the last eight pages almost feels like he wanted to live up to his reputation of writing bad endings. But otherwise, this story is almost perfect. I give it 4 stars.

"The Library Policeman" is a 301-page horror story. Sam must give a speech and his secretary Naomi recommends two books to him to spice it up. The town's library turns out to be an uninviting place, and the strange librarian warns him to return the books on time or face the wrath of the Library Police. The first 160 pages had me wondering why this wasn't a short story, but then it turned into "wow, this is awesome!". It's creepy, with interesting characters and some nice body horror. I rate it 4 stars.

"The Sun Dog" is an 186-page horror story. The premise is intriguing. Kevin is given a Polaroid camera for his birthday, but every picture he takes shows a menacing dog, no matter where he points the camera. The dog seems to be getting closer. Yes, King is special. Only he could take what should be a twenty-page story, make it almost 200 pages long, and still not end up with something terrible. But, by God, I hated reading it. It was clearly the low point of this collection for me. Pop going to the drugstore to buy a film for the Polaroid results in a 10-page chapter. What other authors would write as a simple sentence like "For a couple of days Pop tried to sell the camera to several of his customers, but to no avail" turns into a 40-page chapter in which nothing really happens except that Pop tries to sell the camera to several people and fails. Of course, this isn't entirely true. In this chapter, we learn about four people that Pop does business with, but they are completely irrelevant to the rest of the story. King may be special in many ways, but he often has a problem with bloat. And he knows it too. All those endless digressions that annoyed me so much aren't badly written. Far from it. I almost felt like I should give this 3 stars, but then again, I didn't like it. I give it 2 stars.

Since the only story I didn't like is the shortest in this collection and the rest was very enjoyable, I'll go with a four rather than a three. It's a shame that the last 100 pages or so were a real struggle, but overall this was a fun read.

This is not my favorite collection of stories. The Langoliers and The Sun Dog were, in my opinion, mediocre at best. However, I did enjoy The Library Policeman and Secret Window, Secret Garden.

I won't spend a great deal of time on this one as I don't believe it will have a lasting impact on my Stephen King reading journey. This, being my 28th read in the King chronology, will be ranked lower overall simply because I didn't connect much with half of the stories.

I really liked Secret Window, Secret Garden as the story seemed more realistic than its predecessor, The Dark Half. Although not actually linked, they follow a somewhat familiar narrative in many ways.

The plot of The Library Policeman was good, but it had some of the same themes as It regarding children and sexual abuse. This time it was centered around a pedophile rather than underage kids engaging in the act. If this is a trigger for you, it's best to stay away from the book entirely or perhaps just read the other three stories.

To be honest, The Sun Dog felt like an R.L. Stine Goosebump book. While I might have enjoyed it at an earlier stage of my life, right now I just don't care much about it.

4.5 stars for the collection as a whole

This collection of stories is truly a gem, earning an overall rating of 4.5 stars. Each story within it offers a unique and captivating experience.

The Langoliers - 4 stars
In this intense piece, the mysteries of time and reality are explored. The ensemble of unrelated characters, thrust into a terrifying and incomprehensible situation, makes for a thrilling read. The "locked room" setup of a red-eye flight, similar to King's well-known The Mist, creates an atmosphere of dread. Although the threat in The Langoliers is initially less overt, it proves to be just as effective, with its existential nature. Watching how the different characters react and change under pressure is where the real heart of the story lies.

Secret Window, Secret Garden - 4 stars
King is a master at telling stories about writers losing their grip on sanity, and he does it differently each time. In Secret Window, Secret Garden, the story starts with the known and true tightly wrapped, and then slowly peels back the layers to reveal the truth. The result is both expected and unexpected, always tense and discomforting. While the ending with the Epilogue provides closure, perhaps leaving it less defined would have been even better.

The Library Policeman - 4 stars
This story explores how childhood trauma can reawaken and feed a supernatural monster. Slaying the monster requires confronting repressed memories and fears. The imagery is shocking and frightening, and the characters are rich and real. It serves as a reminder that we don't know the hidden stories and battles of those around us.

The Sun Dog - 5 stars
This is my favorite story of the four. There is something inherently mysterious about mechanical recording devices, and King uses this to great effect. The idea of a horror attaching itself and coming into being is both basic and terrifying. The writing is excellent, capturing the essence of small towns and big characters. The ending is perfect, elevating this already excellent story to new heights.

There is extremely little that I can add to what so many people have said about this book.

So, instead of anything more substantive, I am just going to put out a few impressions.

Four Past Midnight is a collection of four short novels. I intentionally do not use the word novella. I think all four works in this book are too long to be classified as such. I think the only reason they were not issued as separate books is because they are so much shorter than Stephen King’s usual novels and his productivity is so high his publisher was trying not to glut the market.

The first of the four is “The Langoliers”. It is a clever paranormal tale about people waking up on a flight where the pilots, crew, and most of the passengers have suddenly gone missing. This story plays to Stephen King’s best strength. He is a master at character craft. He is even better at creating a whole community of characters, who interact with one another in bizarre or stressful circumstances.

The other thing I like about this story is the use of cosmic horror, which is often my favorite sub-genre of horror. In particular, I appreciate how he does not choose to flush out the cosmology of this story. One is hinted at, but you never know more than the characters do. So you are left with the fun of speculating what kind of wild world they (and we) are living in.

The second novel is “Secret Window, Secret Garden”. I am always up for a good tale with an unreliable narrator slowly descending into insanity... or is he? King does a good job here. Again he plays to his strengths. The protagonist is a writer struggling with creating and sanity, a common theme for Stephen King.

The third novel, “The Library Policeman”, might actually be my favorite of the bunch. In some ways it is primarily a character study of the protagonist. The star of the show is “bad guy”. I think this is one of Stephen King’s creepiest creations. It is right up there with Pennywise the Dancing Clown. I am so much surprised that this story has never been tapped to be turned into a movie.

The last novel is “The Sun Dog”. This one shares a lot of themes in common with Needful Things, which was released at almost the same time. It is the story of a boy who was given a Polaroid camera as a gift. However, whenever you take a picture with it, you get the next frame of a sort of movie from another dimension. The hijinks ensue from that point. It is a deeply unnerving story. If the implications of the story do not disturb you, I would go so far as to say you were not reading it right. My favorite character isn’t the boy who serves as its protagonist. It is Pop Merrill, who was used for the second season of the TV show Castle Rock. I find him to be one of the most intriguing characters King has created. It was a joy to spend time with him.

Overall, Four Past Midnight is a great collection of stories that showcases Stephen King’s talent for creating engaging characters and creepy atmospheres. Each story has its own unique charm and I would highly recommend this book to any fan of horror or mystery.

Welcome to nineties King!!!!

Yes, I’ve made it to 1990 in my reread of Kings’ work. Four Past Midnight is a collection of four long novellas. If they were released today, they probably would have been published separately due to their length and the horror industry boom in novellas.

The Langoliers - 3 Stars

The first and longest novella in the collection, The Langoliers, comes across as a horror adventure tale. It explores the myths behind the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon concerning disappearing aircraft. In King’s story, it occurs on a flight from LA to Boston. Ten passengers wake up to find everyone on their flight has disappeared, including the pilots, leaving behind all their belongings such as wedding rings, pacemakers, and even a dildo. First of all, I have to say that I actually found this to be refreshing after his last two books, The Tommyknockers and The Dark Half. I think that’s because I have good memories of reading this story as a teen, and I discovered that, more or less, the story is as good as I remembered. However, it has the worst ensemble cast King has ever written. The ten passengers who wake to discover the empty plane are at least four too many. Because of this, a few of them feel pointless, and the majority feel one-dimensional. There’s literally one person in this whose only contribution is to complain that he is hungry. Also, there’s an eleventh character who sleeps through the entire story only to wake up at the end of the event to deliver a punch line to a joke you can see coming for a mile. I think it would have worked more effectively overall if the small character traits of these pointless individuals had been wrapped into one person. However, there is an aloofness to the story that makes me think this was intentional. What saves it are characters like Nick Hopewell, a British spy, Albert, a violinist going to college, Brian Engle, a pilot, Toomy, an insane stockbroker, and Dinah, a blind girl with shining abilities, though she’s never referred to as such. The premise of the story is interesting, that of a group of people who find themselves outside of time and must find a way back before the creatures that eat old time, The Langoliers, come after them. And there are some fine moments, such as Albert surviving a gunshot because the effectiveness of the gun has been dampened, or the ending, which is one of King’s most joyful. It’s all held down by that aloof theme that makes it feel like a farce, as if King’s real intention was to write his version of Airplane!

Secret Window, Secret Garden - 2 Stars

There’s a small introduction note before this story in which King writes that this story is an exploration of similar themes that existed in Misery and The Dark Half. In terms of quality, it sits in the middle if you were to rank these three. He also writes that this would be the last time he would write about writers and this type of tale. YEAH RIGHT!! Not only did King not keep to his promise, but he also wrote two other stories set in similar settings, such as Bag of Bones and The Rat. Secret Window, Secret Garden is the story of Mort Rainey, a writer who is hiding out at a cabin in the woods. And while in those stories King brings something new, he doesn’t here. This was spoiled for me because of how identical the movie version is to this, enough to the point that, while this is a first-time read for me, it felt like a reread. The difference is the ending, which was a surprise until the over-description in the epilogue.

The Library Policeman - 3.5 Stars

One of the enjoyable surprises of doing this reread is encountering stories I haven’t read by King, and this was one of those for me. The Library Policeman is the story of Sam Pebbles, Naomi Higgins, and Dave Duncan, and it’s the best story in this collection, certainly the most harrowing by miles. Sam has been asked to perform a speech for the local Rotary Club and, through Naomi’s encouragement, seeks the help of the local library, where he encounters a creepy old woman by the name of Ardelia. What happens after is a chain of events that leads Sam, Naomi, and Dave not only fighting for their lives but also finding redemption in confronting their past. King remarks in the beginning note that this story was originally supposed to be a funny tale that took a dark turn as he was writing it, and it shows. The first third, Sam spends focused on embarrassing himself about the Rotary Club speech. It’s not until he gets to the library that things begin to darken, and boy do they go dark. Yet, as far as the story goes, it never feels unearned. So, if you want to read this novella, I’d suggest going in with caution, but doing so also introduces you to one of King’s creepiest and freakiest villains. Libraries, safe havens for people who love to read and get lost in other worlds. Not anymore.

The Sun Dog - 3 Stars

This is the classic story of a seemingly ordinary object that enters someone’s life only for them to discover it holds sinister ramifications. In this case, the seemingly ordinary object is a type of Polaroid camera. King tends to recycle, and this story is the second in his career that features an evil dog. It’s also the poorer version. No matter what the camera takes a picture of, the polaroid that is expelled shows a nameless fanged dog slowly getting closer and closer to the camera. Instead of Cujo, a good dog turned bad, we get a nameless mutt. Does it matter? Not really, as The Sun Dog isn’t really a story about a camera, dog, or its owner. It’s a story about Pop Merrill, a cruel son-of-a-bitch who rules King’s fictional town of Castle Rock. When Pop hears about the camera, he steals it, and this gives King the chance to write about what he really wanted to write about, Pop. It’s like he had this great character in his head that has this presence in a town featured in many of his novels but could never find the story to show him off in. Which makes this story painfully long beyond reason.