You Like It Darker by Stephen King

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

Darker is a subjective term and this book shows that the author's definition is not what I was thinking of when I pre-ordered this book. Even a 100-watt bulb is darker than a 150-watt bulb but you would not need a flashlight to see in it. 

The first story was not at all what I consider dark. It dragged on to tell the tale of how an author who was getting nowhere suddenly became a sensation in middle age. It bored me and some of the references thrown in did not seem to fit the time period the story was set in. I'm almost positive there was no Judge Judy show in those days. 

Thankfully, things took a darker turn after that for at least a few of the stories, although you may have read some of them in previous publications. I had not, so the second and third stories were new to me. They were more along the lines of what I was hoping for. Short, dark, and unsettling.

The fourth story about a man who has a vivid nightmare that leads him to discover the body of a murder victim dragged a little in spots and seemed to stretch more towards novella length. I think if a movie is made from this book as they so often are, this will be the story chosen for it.

My absolute favorites were On Slide Inn Road about an uncomfortable family road trip that goes badly on the way to see a dying relative. 

And Rattlesnakes, which was a novella length sequel to Cujo. If you ever wondered what became of Vic and Donna after that poor rabid dog entered their lives here are the answers. This is the story that deserves a movie but since the original book ended so differently from the film version, I wonder if that could work.

The rest was a mixed bag that reminded me why I no longer automatically buy every new Stephen King book. When I saw the title I thought this would be like his Full Dark No Stars but darker. It wasn't.

While I enjoyed much of this book, Stephen King has written many that are darker.

3 out of 5 stars.