“Then his lids closed slowly over his slightly bloodshot eyes, and Mort Rainey, who had yet to discover what true horror was all about, fell asleep.” This opening line sets a certain tone that intrigues the reader. I usually have a great affinity for King’s short stories and novellas. He has a remarkable talent for shorter works, which is somewhat ironic considering that many of his novels are rather lengthy. However, I digress.

Unfortunately, this collection was not my favorite. I still have many more of his works to explore, so perhaps this one will not remain in the weaker category. A rating of 3 stars isn’t terrible, but compared to the brilliance of his other novella collections like the outstanding Different Seasons, this offering seems rather mundane.

While I initially enjoyed The Langoliers and couldn’t put it down, as time passed, it started to feel a bit dragging. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the concept, and the characters were well-developed. Secret Window, Secret Garden was another story that I liked. The idea of a writer obsessed with his fiction is quite interesting. I couldn’t help but picture Johnny Depp in the role, especially after seeing the movie. The movie had a darker twist that added an element of irony to the fictional short story, but the book ending is a bit more somber.

The Librarian Police was a major disappointment. It started off strong and sounded fascinating, but it turned out to be inconsistent and rather silly. The Sun Dog, as the final installment, was a strange wrap-up. It managed to stay interesting enough, but it also fully embraced its cheesiness.

One particular delight was King’s foreword before each story. He talked about the themes and how he came up with each story, often mentioning Castle Rock. His stories set in various imaginary towns in Maine have made that state stand out in the minds of horror fans.

I’ve been an avid reader of Stephen King ever since I was twelve years old, and I’ve always been captivated by his stories. However, as I’ve grown older, my reading habits have diversified, and now, perhaps because I also write, I’ve become more discerning when it comes to evaluating other works of writing.

One would think that reading more widely would only have positive effects, and in many ways, it does. But it also makes you view writing with a more objective eye. This can be both a blessing and a curse.

Which brings me to “Four Past Midnight.” Overall, it’s just okay.

“The Langoliers” starts off strong. The scenes描绘time slowing down and becoming heavy are masterfully done. The empty airport creates an eerie atmosphere. But the addition of the all-knowing writer and the character who turns into a psychopath seems unnecessary. And the ending involving Pac-Man is just plain silly.

“Secret Window, Secret Garden” also begins well, but then it devolves into silliness and ends with a twist that King telegraphs a third of the way through. It’s almost as if he knew it was obvious and wanted to get ahead of it. Then he tries to backtrack and hedge his bets, leaving the story feeling unfocused.

“The Library Policeman” has a great idea, but it gets bogged down with too many ideas about monsters and evil. The same goes for “The Sun Dog” – a great concept that is drowned out by too many points of view.

There is a sense that the writing in these novellas is a bit loose, lacking a clear focus. They could benefit from some pruning and might have worked better as short stories with a single point of view. The characters’ sudden knowledge at the right times also breaks the spell for me.

Moreover, there are only so many times I can read about someone laughing hysterically. It seems to happen once or twice in each story. There’s always someone stifling laughter, covering their mouth, or cackling. In this book, I found myself waiting for it, and sure enough, it happened.

At his best, Stephen King is truly a great writer. But unfortunately, “Four Past Midnight” is nowhere near his best work. The novellas are uneven and lack clarity. While the ideas are great, the execution falls short.

Wow, that took quite a while! After careful consideration, I’d rank them as follows:

First is "The Sun Dog". It has a unique and captivating storyline that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The mystery and the elements of the supernatural in this story make it truly engaging.

Second is "The Langoliers". This tale is filled with suspense and a sense of dread. The concept of the Langoliers and the way they are described add to the overall atmosphere of the story, making it a memorable read.

Third is "Secret Window, Secret Garden". The psychological aspect of this story is what sets it apart. The exploration of the main character's mind and the secrets that are revealed make for a fascinating and thought-provoking read.

Finally, fourth is "The Library Policeman". While it is also a good story, it didn't quite have the same impact as the others for me. However, it still has its own charm and elements that make it worth reading.

3.5 rounded up is 4.

This simple mathematical operation has its significance in various fields. For example, in financial calculations, when dealing with decimal values, rounding up can affect the final result.

In measurement and estimation, rounding up might be necessary to ensure accuracy within a certain range.

Moreover, in everyday life, we often encounter situations where we need to round numbers. Whether it's when calculating the cost of groceries or estimating the time it will take to complete a task.

Rounding up not only simplifies numbers but also makes them more manageable and easier to work with.

As we continue to explore different aspects of mathematics and its applications, there is always more to come.

We can expect to discover new ways in which rounding and other mathematical operations play a crucial role in our lives.

So, stay tuned for more interesting insights and developments in the world of numbers.

Probably more of a 3.5 but decided to bump it up to a 4 because I don't do half stars and for the most part this novella collection was incredibly enjoyable and easy to get through!

The Langoliers - I thought I was familiar with the plot, but I think I was mixing it up with some other adaptation of King's work that I remember from my childhood walking in on. This is more a scifi/cosmic horror than anything else, which isn't really typically my preference in horror. However, this was surprisingly enjoyable with its almost single location setting and large cast of characters. Some of them faded into each other for me, but the ones that stood out really stood out and there were plenty of incredibly memorable moments in this that made it well worth a read. 3/5 stars.

Secret Window, Secret Garden - This was such a great thriller. I had seen the adaptation, but it was so many years ago that I basically forgot all of the plot points, which helped keep the novella fresh for me. It did start to peter out for me a little at the end, but I was pretty much hooked from the start. This is impressive as it usually takes me a little while to drop into the groove of a story, particularly King's stories. There were really shocking moments and a pretty effective ending as well! 4/5 stars.

The Library Policeman - My favourite of the collection, and probably the most typical horror here. This was creepy, eerie, and had some truly disturbing disgusting imagery. It actually made me feel something which is really saying something. Despite a slightly slow start, I found the pacing really picked up and didn't let up until the end! It would be really interesting to see if they could adapt this actually. The ending was a little... interesting, but overall I found this really satisfying to read. 4/5 stars.

The Sun Dog - Ah. This one kind of dragged it down for me, which is kind of weird as I loved the concept and really enjoyed the ending. I just found the execution to be lacking here. Although it was eerie at times and had a truly threatening undertone throughout most of the story, it just felt like it was taking too long to get where it needed to go. Maybe my rating is a little harsh for this one, but it took me a while to get through despite not being as long as some of the other stories. Even though the subject appealed way more to me than in The Langoliers, I felt pulled in by that one more. 2.5 stars.

Overall a pretty solid collection of novellas, and it was great to return to more King horror after being away from it with his thrillers more recently! Definitely recommended.

This book is composed of 4 short stories, with each story approximately 200 pages long. Just like all of King's works, the supernatural plays a crucial role in them.

The first story, titled \\"The Langoliers\\", is about a group of people who wake up in a deserted plane. They find themselves in an unknown world where the rules are unclear. It's truly fascinating. I rate it 4 out of 5.

The second story, \\"Secret Window, Secret Garden\\", I found rather boring. It's about a writer who is accused of stealing someone else's story. I would give it a 2 out of 5.

The third story, \\"The Library Policeman\\", is a real page-turner. The writing is magnificent. As the years pass, it becomes increasingly difficult to find books that you just can't stop reading. This story is about a guy who borrows two books from the town library but fails to return them on time, and the librarian sends the library police after him. I give this one a perfect 5 out of 5.

The last but not least story is \\"The Sun Dog\\". I can clearly state that this is by far the scariest story I've ever read. King has included some extremely detailed paragraphs that give you goosebumps all over. I'm ashamed to admit that this story even gave me a nightmare. It's about a camera that takes pictures of some unknown place. In my opinion, it deserves a 5 out of 5.

At the end, my average grade for this book is 4 out of 5.

Four Past Midnight is an anthology composed of four captivating novellas penned by the renowned Stephen King. It is a compilation of four spine-chilling horror novellas that revolve around the concept of time. The four novellas are delicately intertwined through subtleties related to time, ranging from 1 to 4 past midnight, with each novella numbered in the order of its appearance.

The Langoliers centers on pilot Brian Engle. After a grueling flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles, he learns of the tragic death of his ex-wife Anne in an accident in Boston. He then boards a red-eye flight to Boston as a passenger. A flight attendant mentions an unusual phenomenon over the Mojave Desert that resembles an aurora, but is actually a time rip that has sent the plane into the past.

Secret Window, Secret Garden focuses on novelist Mort Rainey. One day, he is confronted by John Shooter, who accuses him of plagiarizing a story he wrote. Mort vehemently denies any such act. Shooter leaves, but not before leaving his manuscript, "Secret Window, Secret Garden." Mort throws it in the trash, but when his housemaid retrieves it, thinking it belongs to him, he finally reads it and discovers its惊人的similarity to his own short story "Sowing Season," with only minor differences in title, character names, diction, and ending.

The Library Policeman is about Sam Peebles, who is asked to give a speech to his local Rotary Club. An office assistant directs him to the public library to check out books for his speechwriting. At the library, he gets a library card and assistance from an elderly librarian, Ardelia Lortz. After noticing a series of disturbing posters in the children's section, including one featuring a terrifying "Library Policeman" character, he discusses their suitability with Ardelia, only to soon learn that she has been dead for two years.

The Sun Dog centers on Kevin Delevan, who receives a Polaroid camera for his fifteenth birthday. He quickly discovers that there is something诡异about the camera: the only pictures it takes are of a malicious black dog that seems to move closer with each shot, as if about to attack the photographer.

For the most part, these novellas are expertly written. With them, King returns to the familiar territory of horror that has made him infamous. The pacing is excellent for most of the novellas, and they are all suspenseful reads, as the collection strikes a nice balance between science fiction and psychological horror. In this anthology, King writes in the genres of dark fantasy, thriller, and horror.

All in all, Four Past Midnight is a remarkable collection of novellas that showcases the reason King is highly regarded as the "King of Horror."

LANGOLIERS and SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN were 4 star reads for me.

These two novellas were truly creepy and thrilling, which made me enjoy them a great deal. The plots were full of suspense and mystery, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat.

I would give 2 stars to THE LIBRARY POLICEMAN and THE SUN DOG.

Although I liked the casts in both novellas overall, I found them very tedious to get through. The stories seemed to drag on at times, and the pacing was not to my liking.

Moreover, both stories took a path that is not my cup of tea. They deviated from the kind of plots and themes that I usually enjoy, which made it a bit of a struggle for me to finish reading them.

Nevertheless, I still appreciate Stephen King's writing skills and his ability to create unique and engaging worlds within his stories.

4.5

"Four Past Midnight" is a collection of four long stories.

The first story, "The Langoliers," is by far my favorite in this collection. And let me tell you, reading a Stephen King story set on a plane when the next day you have to take one is not exactly the best thing for your mental well-being, especially if you already get nervous just thinking about going to the airport. But when a story keeps you glued to the pages from start to finish, it's definitely worth experiencing all that anxiety.

The second story, "Secret Window, Secret Garden," is the one I liked the least. I think a good part of my assessment depends on the fact that this story really reminds me a lot (maybe too much?) of "The Dark Half," a book that came out just before "Four Past Midnight" and that I didn't like at all. In itself, "Secret Window, Secret Garden" is by far better than the just-mentioned novel, but the similarity and some very slow parts didn't excite me.

The third story, "The Library Policeman," I really liked a lot. So much so that I didn't give it the highest score only because of some slower parts that I wouldn't say bore the reader, but that do surely lower the adrenaline. In my years as a reader, I've been to the library quite a few times and fortunately, I've never thought or experienced what the protagonist has, because in that case, my hometown library would have seen me once and goodbye.

The fourth and last story, "The Sun Dog," I liked as much as the third story and the reason I didn't give it the highest score is the same.

As for the references, in "The Langoliers" we find a reference to "The Firestarter" when talking about a government entity called the Shop.

In "Secret Window, Secret Garden," Derry is named, a small town that often appears in King's novels and then, as I said at the beginning, the story surely reminds of "The Dark Half" by the same author.

In "The Library Policeman," Paul Sheldon, the writer protagonist of "Misery" and Stephen King himself are mentioned. The villain of the story often and willingly reminds of "It" in how she appears and behaves.

I think she should… that she should be good for certain periods.

Just like "It."

You expected to see a middle-aged librarian, and since this suited her, that's how she presented herself to you. But when she arrived in Junction City in the summer of '57, she had ash-blond hair and the only places where she was round were where you expect a woman to be round.

This also reminds of "It," which takes the forms that most scare the child of the moment.

And in my opinion, the terror of children was still the best from her point of view, the thing that satisfied her the most. Because that's what she lived for, you know? She fed on their fear.

I don't think there's any need to add more here. The references are more than clear, I'd say.

In "The Sun Dog," the Shawshank prison is named, the center of the first story of another collection by the author: "Different Seasons." There is also a clear reference to "Cujo":

He suddenly remembered Joe Camber's Saint Bernard, the one that had killed Joe, that old drunk Gary Pervier, and Big George Bannerman. That dog had gone rabid. It had trapped a woman and a child in their car up at Camber's house and after two or three days the kid had died.

And finally, another reference to "It," as well as to the Dark Tower saga when the black wells are named.

It has to be said that in general, reading this book, I realized that Stephen King's narrative mechanisms are always the same and in the long run, they could bore the reader. Maybe I'm reading too many of his books and especially too many that are close together, but yes, it seems to me that the story is always the same. Obviously, the protagonists and the events that involve them change, but for better or worse, you can tell where the author is going to end up.

This doesn't take away the beauty or value of King's books, but in the long run, it might not surprise that much anymore, being rather predictable. For this reason, I'm considering slowing down. Maybe reading only one book a month by the author, we'll see. In any case, "Four Past Midnight" didn't disappoint me at all as a collection. I really liked three out of four stories, and I'm convinced that if I had read "Secret Window, Secret Garden" before "The Dark Half" novel, this story would have also liked me more. In general, therefore, I feel like recommending this collection of stories, which confirms my idea: Stephen King does much better with long stories than with short ones.

In difficult times […] it had always been more natural for him to write. Even necessary. It was nice to have invented worlds at his disposal to return to when the real one had hurt you.

We have here the remaining 2 stories included in the collection “Four Past Midnight”, which for our Spanish language was published in two separate books. Today we will focus on the second one also titled “Four Past Midnight”.

**The Library Policeman**

We begin with "The Library Policeman", where once again King starts from a ridiculous starting point: the idea that the menacing library caretakers will pursue those who let the book return deadline pass, twisting it into a terrifying execution. Sam Peebles, an insurance salesman, is obliged to give a speech with little notice. He knows the topic well but wants to bring the narration to life with some jokes, so he makes a trip to the local library to look for some tips and examples and thus improve his piece. There he has an eerily sinister experience with the building itself (and its decoration) that seems designed to scare. Once he has the books he needs, the librarian warns him to return them on time or otherwise he will face the "Library Policeman", who punishes late returns.

In the center of this story there is a creature analogous to “It”, an alien being that can read people's minds and enhance their worst memories. In Sam's case, he is forced to relive his worst childhood memory in a truly chilling and devastating sequence, generating a sense of unease and fear without precedent in all that King had written up to that point.

At a certain point in our lives, we believe that we have already outgrown the age when monsters can scare us. It's not that we realize they're not real, but simply that we outgrow them. Children are afraid of things they don't understand or over which they have no control, and imaginary monsters definitely fall into that category; but this type of fear never completely disappears; it's just that the monsters take different forms. However, this story contains a couple of literal monsters that are frankly creepy.

It's not that the Library Policeman is intimidating by its nature, but by what it represents for our protagonist. Inside this story there is a delicate theme that still remains somewhat of a topic that is not talked about much in real life, and King treats it with respect and mature fear. For the more apprehensive, this could easily be the most offensive story in the collection, but for those who can get through it, this is a powerful story about how to face our fears and overcome trauma.

**The Polaroid Dog**

And we end the collection with “The Polaroid Dog”, where we follow a child who receives a polaroid camera for his birthday. He soon discovers that the camera is only able to print the same image over and over again: a huge black dog with its back to the camera in front of a white fence on a sidewalk.

Stephen King once talked about three different types of fear: the disgusting, the terror (which is a very intense fear), and the horror (which is an intense feeling (but not necessarily fear) caused by something scary). This story has all three. The terror comes at the beginning, with the camera that can only take one mysterious photo. Our unease here is effective because although we no longer use polaroids, we still take photographs, and there is still something intrinsically mysterious in taking them. The horror occurs when we discover that there is something in that dog that defies reality. And the disgusting we see when one of the characters is the victim of a fierce attack. However, of the three, it is the horror that truly stands out in the story.

There is something to learn from this narration; the horror can only go so far when the author tries to immerse the readers in the real world. If the monster is unstoppable, what is the point of the story? If the monster has an obvious Achilles' heel, we will know what the end will be. If the author gives us too many details, there is a risk of making the situation seem silly. Too little and we are not sure what to be afraid of. Different writers have solved this problem in different ways. Lovecraft had his terrible gods, eternally unknowable and incomprehensible. John Carpenter had “The Thing”, a terrifying creature with terrifying abilities and placed in a terrifying situation. It's all about balance; you have to give a little to get a little. “The Polaroid Dog” tried too hard to be horrible and, as a result, sacrificed the suspense.

The theme of the accumulation of guilt and sins of the past, addressed to various degrees in each of the stories in the collection, is interesting and delves into the issues of children who pay for the sins of their parents. But this short story turns out to be simply too long and gets tangled up in irrelevant details that stop the momentum. While it presents a rather chilling ending, unfortunately it is one of King's less successful short story attempts.

While “Four Past Midnight” flirts (and advances) with integral themes of King's career, one has the feeling that this is simply Stephen King having fun, emphasizing the story, the rhythm and the mood over the thematic concerns. While none of the stories have had the same impact on King's broader career as, for example, those of “Four Seasons”, these short stories are almost uniformly entertaining, exciting and well-written, and as such, can be a good place for new readers to begin to explore the author's work.

Full spoiler-free review on my YouTube channel ➡ Maponto Lee

Four Past Midnight is a compilation that features the following "short" stories:

1. The Langoliers (233 pages)

2. Secret Window, Secret Garden (146 pages)

3. The Library Policeman (195 pages)

4. The Sun Dog (149 pages)

In general, Stephen King commences with astonishing concepts that are unfortunately soon marred by subpar execution. To add some amusement, the next time you peruse a King novel, search for the following and see how many you can detect:

- FLAT, IMPARTIAL TONE. Whether he is depicting the protagonist's morning ritual or the final climactic instant when he or she is on the brink of death, engaged in a battle with a ferocious supernatural entity, King approaches it all with the detachment of a courtroom stenographer. He peppers in a few flashy similes, occasional pop culture allusions, and, very rarely, a few words of truly excellent writing. However, these snippets stand out against a dull backdrop. It is easy to envision him suddenly coming up with such a gem while in the shower, at the only moment when he isn't actually trying, and dashing across the house, naked and soapy, to jot it down before he forgets it again.

- REDUNDANCY. After rinsing and drying off, King tenderly coddles his favorite inventions. He employs and reuses words, phrases, references, and concepts across his books, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But he will also utilize the same word or phrase multiple times within a paragraph or even a sentence.

- SELF-REFERENCE. It may not occur in every story, but King has a tendency to reference his own works quite frequently. You can decide for yourself whether this is actually clever or just egotistical.

- UNREALISTIC DIALOGUE. Spoken ideas are not structured in the same manner as written ideas... unless you're a character in a King novel. King's character dialogue is more or less identical to the surrounding narration, which makes his characters sound scripted.

- STORY ABOUT A WRITER. King's books almost always revolve around authors. If the main character isn't an author, then another significant character will be.

- UNECESSARY MONSTERS. King adores inventing monsters for his stories, but they are usually not necessary. It is far more thrilling to imagine familiar creatures and objects behaving strangely or violently than it is to witness monsters, which one would naturally expect to act that way. It is also disruptive because King's monsters tend to be complex, sparsely described, and in a constant state of metamorphosis, making it extremely challenging to form a mental image of them.

- KNOWLEDGE WITH NO LOGICAL SOURCE. Instead of taking the time to construct a plausible path for the characters to acquire knowledge, King relies almost entirely on intuition and gut feelings, psychic connections between people, the influence of supernatural objects or beings, and enormous leaps in logic.

- DEUS EX MACHINA. When it seems like all the character's problems are about to be resolved, but you're only halfway through the book, hold on tight - a supernatural force is about to take control and redirect the story. On the other hand, if it appears hopeless for the characters, then someone is likely to win the battle by spontaneously obtaining knowledge, as previously mentioned.

- RAPID AGING. Being a character in a thriller or horror story is understandably stressful, but King's characters bear the brunt especially hard. Watch for characters whose hair turns white or grey overnight or who otherwise exhibit outward signs of having had several years subtracted from their lives during the course of the story due to trauma.

[WARNING: THE REST OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.]

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The subsequent reviews contain examples of the above-listed elements, spoilers, and a fair amount of criticism.

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THE LANGOLIERS:

The writer in The Langoliers is Jenkins, and he is also the main character who acquires knowledge without a logical source. Jenkins explains nearly every aspect of the characters' situation with theories based on his experience writing mystery novels. Fact and fiction collide every time he opens his mouth, but for the most part, the other characters accept it without question. The only thing more exasperating than their incredible suspension of disbelief is how Jenkins always manages to be right, even though most of his ideas seem to come out of nowhere and can hardly be justified by the "I've written a lot of stories" excuse. Dinah also knows an excessive amount, reaching a variety of her own conclusions through intuition or by spontaneously obtaining knowledge. She can also hear the langoliers long before anyone else, can see through other people's eyes, and appears as an apparition because, in this story's universe, being blind apparently grants you superpowers.

Overall, it is difficult to take The Langoliers seriously. The dialogue isn't terrible for a King novel, but the character relationships, the plotline, and the actual premise of the story are highly contrived. The story generally lacks substance and contains two particularly painful moments. The first is that Albert has an imaginary alter-ego - Ace Kaussner, the fastest Jew west of the Mississippi. This could have been charming if the character were a young child with a vivid imagination, but why is a seventeen-year-old, college-bound individual who is of sound mind and described as "fiercely bright" spouting such nonsense? The second is a bit of clumsy prolongation: after successfully passing through the rip in space-time, one would expect the characters to find themselves back in the normal world. Instead, King needlessly prolongs the suspense for several more pages with the justification that time somehow hasn't caught up with the characters yet. It is as if King could sense that the story was lacking something and was afraid to end it, but didn't know how to rectify the problem.

The langoliers themselves are King's typical hard-to-imagine, vicious-for-no-reason creatures. Their nature is largely explained by the only character in the story who isn't of sound mind. They aren't particularly impressive to read about, and the story would probably have been better without them.

SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN:

Secret Window, Secret Garden was easily the best story in this collection. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but King managed to craft a story that was thrilling without relying on a mountain of surreal fantasy and poor logic. The writing was very tight. Every aspect of the story is explained, although the reader still has to endure a minor instance of deus ex machina: just as Mort is about to kill Amy, Evans seems to appear out of nowhere to rescue her. His reasons for being there are later explained, but it is still a bit flimsy, especially when you consider that he made himself known at the last possible second and not before, allowing Mort to cause some serious harm. Aside from this point, King ties up all the loose ends quite nicely. The main character is still a writer, but the characters aren't bad, the dialogue could be worse, and there is a complete absence of poorly constructed monsters. Secret Window, Secret Garden was actually a good story, although King was outdone by the movie version, which had a much-improved ending - it made more sense, it was cleaner, it cut out the dull epilogue, and it was both creepier and more memorable.

THE LIBRARY POLICEMAN:

Sam is the writer in this story - the reason he visits the library in the first place is to check out some books to assist him in composing a speech. Fortunately, the speech is not included in the story, which is dull enough on its own. The real essence of it is contained in the approximately forty pages that Dave spends explaining everything. Even though he was apparently completely drunk the entire time he was interacting with Ardelia and his knowledge of what she really was is extremely limited, Dave manages to provide a very detailed account of his dealings with her and is absolutely certain of what's going to happen next. After Dave is done pulling (correct) explanations out of thin air, Sam defeats the monster, relying solely on intuition. His method and its origins are completely absurd, but the best way to defeat a monster in a King novel apparently is to have no idea what you're doing while you're doing it. Basically, everything surrounding Dave's story and Sam's confrontation with the monster is filler. In addition to being difficult to form a mental image of, the monster turns out to be a major disappointment, since the creature receives a great deal of build-up for how brief the final battle is and how little it manages to fight back. This story probably would have been better if King had invested more in the library policeman and the idea that it could be a real being and less in Ardelia. These were really creatures from two different stories that somehow got thrown together to争夺 the spotlight.

THE SUN DOG:

The Sun Dog starts off as truly chilling, but begins to decline when the dog in the photographs starts unnecessarily morphing into yet another poorly described monster. The dog monster's origins and motivations remain completely unexplored throughout the course of the story, and this is no great loss. However, the final showdown between Kevin and the monster is awkward, at best. Instead of having the dog spectacularly lunge out of an image, King delves into a bizarre metaphor for child labor. In the process, he melts a camera, kills a man in an indeterminate way, and stretches the size of a photograph far beyond the bounds of reason. Kevin defeats the monster thanks to a bit of knowledge without a source - after a series of nightmares, he knows that Pops still has the camera. He doesn't have a hunch or want to check to ease his nerves, he just KNOWS, even though he destroyed the camera himself. After discovering that Pops does, indeed, still have the camera in his possession, Kevin knows exactly how to defeat the dog monster with no explanation whatsoever. The predictable ending to this story would have been for Kevin to take a picture of the dog monster to return it to the Polaroid world and then destroy the camera. For once, it was a letdown to see a story behave unpredictably. When Kevin takes the monster's picture, it randomly turns to stone and then falls back through the photograph it was born from, which smolders dramatically away into nothing. Father and son share a cheesy moment of bad dialogue, and then we are treated to a painful epilogue in which a completely unrelated electronic device threatens Kevin, telling him that the dog monster is alive and well and angry. Wow.

YAY! It took me a whopping 6 months to complete this mammoth of a book, but I've finally achieved it.

No, I'm not that sluggish of a reader, and no, it wasn't so dreadful that I couldn't pick it back up.

I'm what you'd term a non-mood/random reader. I randomly pick up a book, read half of it, then put it down and pick up another.

All the books on my currently reading shelf are approximately halfway done. I have an issue with reaching the end because I like so many books, and it scares me to finish them. *cough Dark Tower cough*

I'm awarding this super awesome short story collection 5 stars.

Typically, when I review a short story collection with numerous stories, I select my favorites and discuss those.

In this book 'Four Past Midnight', there are only 4 stories, so I'll talk about all of them.

Langoliers is the first story in this collection. I ADORE THIS STORY. I read it back in high school ages ago... okay, it was twenty years ago, and to some, that might not seem like ages, but to me, I sometimes feel ancient.

Langoliers is about a plane traveling from L.A. to Boston. It's a red-eye flight and is quite full. At the beginning of the story, the passengers who had been sleeping are awakened by a screaming girl.

When all are awake, they discover that there are ten people still on board. The passengers are scared and confused. Where did everyone else go? Why were they left behind?

When I first read this story, the Langoliers were creepy furry creatures. When I watched the movie, they were metal balls with razor teeth.

Of course, I don't want to give away any of the story, but I loved it.

The next story in the collection is 'Secret Window, Secret Garden'. Our main character is a thriller author who has just divorced his wife, who was caught cheating.

They owned two homes, one in the suburbs and one in the country. I guess it's more of a lake house. Anyways, one day, our author meets a strange man accusing him of stealing/plagiarizing his story.

We get to see what the author does with this knowledge and if he can convince the other author that he is wrong. Again, another great movie and story.

The third story is called 'Library Policeman'. This one really threw me off. Part vampire, part boogeyman, this story truly kept me on the edge of my seat.

Especially the way it brought you back to reality with the stories of our main character's past and the alcoholic homeless man's backstory.

King always gets it right when creating characters and their backstories.

Lastly, there is 'The Sun Dog', about a young teen boy who receives a Sun 660 Polaroid camera for his birthday.

The unique thing about this Polaroid camera is that it doesn't take pictures of what's in front of it but of an unknown place to the family.

This place features a white picket fence and a shaggy mutt of a dog. The story takes place in Castle Rock and features many characters you may have read about in Needful Things.

Overall, this is a great collection of short stories. If I had to rank them from best to worst (although none of them are truly bad), it would be Langoliers, Library Policeman, Secret Window, and then The Sun Dog.

If you haven't picked up a King book yet, please know that he doesn't write "horror" as people think "horror" should be.

It's not all blood and gore and mayhem. King writes mostly supernatural, paranormal, weird fiction. They are almost always character-driven.

If you like character-driven stories with a touch of the weird, then you'll love these short stories.