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The Mist: In 3-D Sound
Sound so visual you're literally engulfed by its bonechilling terror! Stephen King's sinister imagination and the miracle of 3-D sound transport you to a sleepy all-American town. It's a hot, lazy day, perfect for a cookout, until you see those strange dark clouds. Suddenly a violent storm sweeps across the lake and ends as abruptly and unexpectedly as it had begun.
Then comes the mist...creeping slowly, inexorably into town, where it settles and waits, trapping you in the supermarket with dozens of others, cut off from your families and the world.
The mist is alive, seething with unearthly sounds and movements. What unleashed this terror? Was it the Arrowhead Project---the top secret government operation that everyone has noticed but no one quite understands? And what happens when the provisions have run out and you're forced to make your escape, edging blindly through the dim light? "The Mist" has you in it grip, and this masterpiece of 3-D sound engineering surrounds you with horror so real that you'll be grabbing your own arm for reassurance. To one side---and whipping around your chair, a slither of tentacles. Swooping down upon you, a rush grotesque, prehistoric wings. In the impenetrable mist, hearing is seeing---and believing. And what you're about to hear, you'll never forget.
Then comes the mist...creeping slowly, inexorably into town, where it settles and waits, trapping you in the supermarket with dozens of others, cut off from your families and the world.
The mist is alive, seething with unearthly sounds and movements. What unleashed this terror? Was it the Arrowhead Project---the top secret government operation that everyone has noticed but no one quite understands? And what happens when the provisions have run out and you're forced to make your escape, edging blindly through the dim light? "The Mist" has you in it grip, and this masterpiece of 3-D sound engineering surrounds you with horror so real that you'll be grabbing your own arm for reassurance. To one side---and whipping around your chair, a slither of tentacles. Swooping down upon you, a rush grotesque, prehistoric wings. In the impenetrable mist, hearing is seeing---and believing. And what you're about to hear, you'll never forget.
2 pages, Audio CD
First published August 29, 1980
1 person is currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,293 books892k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
February 18, 2016
Well that was fun to listen. If you have already read the book I suggest giving this a try. It's pretty short and pretty fun to listen to on a short ride (like I did).
September 12, 2015
I really enjoyed this radio version audiobook. It had a different voice for each character. Eerie!
March 6, 2014
Have a problem with the finding the right volume; to listen to the discourse properly it's too loud and the sound effects blast your eardrums into the next century and if you turn down then it's a question of straining to make out the important asides.
From wiki "The Mist" is a horror novella by the American author Stephen King, in which the small town of Bridgton, Maine is suddenly enveloped in an unnatural mist that conceals otherworldly monsters. It was first published as the last and longest story of the 1980 horror anthology Dark Forces. A lightly re-edited version was included in King's 1985 short-story collection Skeleton Crew. The story is the longest entry in Skeleton Crew and occupies the first 155 pages. To coincide with the theatrical release of the film based on the novella, The Mist was republished as a stand-alone novella by Signet. The novella has been adapted into a computer game, an audio play, and a movie.
From wiki "The Mist" is a horror novella by the American author Stephen King, in which the small town of Bridgton, Maine is suddenly enveloped in an unnatural mist that conceals otherworldly monsters. It was first published as the last and longest story of the 1980 horror anthology Dark Forces. A lightly re-edited version was included in King's 1985 short-story collection Skeleton Crew. The story is the longest entry in Skeleton Crew and occupies the first 155 pages. To coincide with the theatrical release of the film based on the novella, The Mist was republished as a stand-alone novella by Signet. The novella has been adapted into a computer game, an audio play, and a movie.
October 18, 2017
There is no doubt that the star of this version is the sound track. The sound effects and the acting of the narrators is amazing. But the story itself gets shoved to the backseat and almost lost in all the noise and shouting. And perhaps because it is abridged, it seems like parts of the story are missing, especially the ending. But it is Steven King, and sometimes it’s about the journey, not the end. Still, it’s scary, and if things aren’t explained well, maybe it’s enough just to have your socks scared off.
October 27, 2020
Nope.
Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
SUMMARY
Stephen King imagines people being murdered in a grocery store in what must be Silent Hill.
THE GOOD
For such a short book, King packs in the detail and character motivations within pages. Every person who dies, you feel. Every moment of hopelessness seems real. I think one of the measures of a writer is their ability to transport you into the world they made. In this book, King completely puts you in that store with the characters.
Those freaking . NOOOOOOPPPPPPPEEEEEEE.
The ending was also surprising. I knew about the ending to the 2007 film WHICH IS DARK (also made by the creator of The Walking Dead, so now I want to watch it, not just wiki it). But King surprised me at how hopeful and ambiguous the ending is. It's not like him so it was fresh and nice to enjoy (though I agree with King, they're a cop-out).
I'm going to put Mrs. Carmody in the good section cause I believe King is tying her to his Dark Tower series, though barely. I like interconnected stories.
Also, thank you King for not abusing a child in this story.
THE CHALLENGES
The only issue I had was the believability of the people's reactions. This might be where a novel would've been better. Everything happens in 48 hours and I just can't believe that many people would be that stupid.
But 2020 has taught me...
CONCLUSION
It's a delightful short read. Just don't read it during a bad storm.
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
SUMMARY
Stephen King imagines people being murdered in a grocery store in what must be Silent Hill.
THE GOOD
For such a short book, King packs in the detail and character motivations within pages. Every person who dies, you feel. Every moment of hopelessness seems real. I think one of the measures of a writer is their ability to transport you into the world they made. In this book, King completely puts you in that store with the characters.
Those freaking . NOOOOOOPPPPPPPEEEEEEE.
The ending was also surprising. I knew about the ending to the 2007 film WHICH IS DARK (also made by the creator of The Walking Dead, so now I want to watch it, not just wiki it). But King surprised me at how hopeful and ambiguous the ending is. It's not like him so it was fresh and nice to enjoy (though I agree with King, they're a cop-out).
I'm going to put Mrs. Carmody in the good section cause I believe King is tying her to his Dark Tower series, though barely. I like interconnected stories.
Also, thank you King for not abusing a child in this story.
THE CHALLENGES
The only issue I had was the believability of the people's reactions. This might be where a novel would've been better. Everything happens in 48 hours and I just can't believe that many people would be that stupid.
But 2020 has taught me...
CONCLUSION
It's a delightful short read. Just don't read it during a bad storm.
4.5 stars, rounded up.
June 23, 2013
This was dreadful. I listened to the audio dramatization in 3D sound, and honestly, the sound effects were the best part. The first half of the story was boring. The second half was a marginal improvement, insofar as I became interested in the characters and wondered how, or even if, they would escape the mist. The ending was the clincher, for me. Nothing is explained: not the origin of the mist (What/who is it? Where does it come from? Why does it hunt people?), not the fate of the main characters (They're driving away, but do they make it? Is there even a safe destination?), not the flying monster (It's huge, but it just . . . what? Ignores them?!? Why?), not even the main character's weird decision NOT to drive home to check on his wife (Is she alive or dead? And why the heck does he not seem to care one way or the other?). This "ended" so abruptly that at first I thought there'd be one more disc that I had missed. But no. It just ends in the middle of nowhere with a nonending. I had come to expect more from Stephen King. This was such a disappointment. Of course, this being an abridged adaptation, it may very well be that other people's creative decisions are in play here. I may give the original a chance at some point in the future.
November 22, 2015
The Mist is probably my all-time favorite audiobook. I really liked the printed story when I first read it in the wonderful McCauley anthology, Dark Forces, though I thought the movie was really bad. The special sound effects in this dramatized version are beyond compare; it's still the absolute best story to listen to on a foggy evening drive.
October 20, 2022
This is a good dramatic adaptation and production (it's not just a bunch of narrators describing exactly what they see at all times, and the sound is REALLY good), but it loses a lot of its punch for being abridged. It's hard to get a good sense of the characters because things are happening so fast.
November 12, 2017
As usual for a Stephen King, the writing is impeccable; you get into the story quickly and totally, immerse into what's going on as soon as the narrator starts their tale.
However, also usual for King is the feeling of things left unexplained and a very unsatisfactory ending... :/
However, also usual for King is the feeling of things left unexplained and a very unsatisfactory ending... :/
January 19, 2016
Read before I started writing reviews. Short but terrifying when I first read it a long time ago!!
December 31, 2019
Short and sweet Stephen King!
April 6, 2022
Even though there was an element of the fantastical, I found the possible real life situations more terrifying. Very enjoyable. Good narration.
January 25, 2026
The Mist meets 1970s/1980s Doctor Who:
I’ve been meaning to check this Stephen King book out for a long time and, thankfully, found this on Spotify. It took a moment for me to realise that this was an audio drama rather than audio book… but it was actually pretty great!
… if you find cheesy dialogue, crap child acting, low quality sound effects, excessive descriptions of creature just so that you know what’s happening, and a super abrupt ending great. In which case, I did.
The feeling you get listening to this: as though you’ve fallen asleep with the movie adaptation on, and you’re woken up by an alarm on your phone that plays the classic Doctor Who openings. It’s so bizarre lol.
One of my actual issues with it though is that women are side-lined. It’s very clearly a patriarchal book in how women are presented as maternal figures for children or nutjobs. Could definitely have done with some characterisation beyond the hysterical caricatures we received.
This is a weird recommendation, but if you can handle the cheese, you’ll have a great time.
As an unintentional comedy, 9/10. As an actual audio drama taken seriously, a 4/10.
I’ve been meaning to check this Stephen King book out for a long time and, thankfully, found this on Spotify. It took a moment for me to realise that this was an audio drama rather than audio book… but it was actually pretty great!
… if you find cheesy dialogue, crap child acting, low quality sound effects, excessive descriptions of creature just so that you know what’s happening, and a super abrupt ending great. In which case, I did.
The feeling you get listening to this: as though you’ve fallen asleep with the movie adaptation on, and you’re woken up by an alarm on your phone that plays the classic Doctor Who openings. It’s so bizarre lol.
One of my actual issues with it though is that women are side-lined. It’s very clearly a patriarchal book in how women are presented as maternal figures for children or nutjobs. Could definitely have done with some characterisation beyond the hysterical caricatures we received.
This is a weird recommendation, but if you can handle the cheese, you’ll have a great time.
As an unintentional comedy, 9/10. As an actual audio drama taken seriously, a 4/10.
March 31, 2023
It's unfortunate that Audible have just dumped this 3-D audio drama into their library with no explanation, and I completely understand the other reviewers who've gotten upset because they found it was impossible to listen in mono. As the instructions at the beginning of the recording tell us, it's been designed for stereo headphones, and as such it works perfectly fine.
The actual audiobook for this story should be collected in one of the releases of Skeleton Crew.
It is of course, not unabridged, and that's the fault of Audible's cataloguing, not the producers. It's also one of the rare occasions where the movie is better than the book, to which this drama sticks closely to, as the book just kind of peters out with an ambiguous ending while the movie gives us an abrupt extra shock.
The actual audiobook for this story should be collected in one of the releases of Skeleton Crew.
It is of course, not unabridged, and that's the fault of Audible's cataloguing, not the producers. It's also one of the rare occasions where the movie is better than the book, to which this drama sticks closely to, as the book just kind of peters out with an ambiguous ending while the movie gives us an abrupt extra shock.
May 29, 2013
Suspended in a haze of terror, humanity makes its last stand against unholy destruction Stephen King's sinister imagination and the miracle of 3-D sound transport you to a hot, lazy day in a sleepy all-American town -- where a sudden, violent storm leaves behind a mysterious mist that traps you in the supermarket with dozens of others, cut off from your families and the world. "The Mist" is alive, seething with unearthly sounds and movements. "The Mist" has you in its grip, and this masterpiece of 3-D sound engineering surrounds you with horror so real that you'll be grabbing your own arm for reassurance. To one side -- and whipping around your chair, a slither of tentacles. Swooping down upon you, a rush of grotesque, prehistoric wings. In the impenetrable mist, hearing is seeing -- and believing. And what you're about to hear, you'll never forget. Learn more about Signet's paperback edition of The Mist.
April 23, 2013
I borrowed this 3-D sound audiobook from the Dallas Public Library.
This was a pretty cool way to experience the story. I have read King's story, seen the movie, and now listened to the 3-D sound version. I love the story all-around. It's a great thrill ride, scarefest, and even a kind of philosophical experience. I especially love the character of Mrs. Carmody, or rather I should say love to hate. She shows how people turn to religion, cults, violence, and scapegoating when they are terrified and insecure.
This recording is really meant to be listened to with good headphones on. I actually listened to it in the car with the sound all the way up. Pretty interesting experience! It gave the feel of listening to an old time radio drama, but I'm not sure any of them were like this!
This was a pretty cool way to experience the story. I have read King's story, seen the movie, and now listened to the 3-D sound version. I love the story all-around. It's a great thrill ride, scarefest, and even a kind of philosophical experience. I especially love the character of Mrs. Carmody, or rather I should say love to hate. She shows how people turn to religion, cults, violence, and scapegoating when they are terrified and insecure.
This recording is really meant to be listened to with good headphones on. I actually listened to it in the car with the sound all the way up. Pretty interesting experience! It gave the feel of listening to an old time radio drama, but I'm not sure any of them were like this!
October 25, 2012
This was just ok. I have seen the movie and was interested in reading the book to see if the endings would be the same (the movie ending is horrific)I don't count this as reading the book because this is just a dramatization with sound effects. It was pretty interesting and creepy, but it was hard to really know what was going on in the story with just dialogue and sound. I would still like to read the actual novella sometime, I thought I was getting an audio-book of it but this was what the library had.
April 18, 2017
I acquired an abridged “3D” sound recording of this book. Like many of these things, it sounds like a great option and would be a lot of fun, but what often happens is that it feels rushed and leaves out too much detail. I wish there was a ‘narrator’ voice that would explain things that weren’t mentioned in dialogue. All of the explanation from this version of the book came from dialogue. It was a little confusing.
Audiobook narrator rating: 3 stars
Otherwise, the 3D sound was great with good sound effects and creepy music. But, not enough narrating or explaining of what was going on.
Audiobook narrator rating: 3 stars
Otherwise, the 3D sound was great with good sound effects and creepy music. But, not enough narrating or explaining of what was going on.
June 17, 2010
the rating was for the story, but for the medium.. i could give it 3 stars. This is my first attempt listening to audiobook, and i found out that it was really hard to actually indulges in it.. gave me headache.
i choose the Mist as my first, not only because i had read the novella before in Skeleton Crew, but of its unique implementation of the stereo sound. soundtracks, and multiple voices... a lot like listening to a movie without watching it.
i choose the Mist as my first, not only because i had read the novella before in Skeleton Crew, but of its unique implementation of the stereo sound. soundtracks, and multiple voices... a lot like listening to a movie without watching it.
August 13, 2010
I had seen this movie and really enjoyed it so I thought I would read the book. However, this was not an audiobook of the short story like I thought. It was like a radio live theatre production, complete with sound effects and scary music. The problem I had is this was not the type of format to be listened to in a car. Headphones would have worked better and then maybe I could have experienced the story in the correct way.
December 3, 2020
I've started reading King. Why have I waited this long? I think King will be my new go-to when I don't know what to read. Together with the Queen of puzzle crimes, dear old Agatha.
The end was not satisfactory, that's why it "only" gets 4 stars. He ended it abruptly just before the ending, before we find out what lurks in the dark, how the story ends for our heroes. In the middle of a car ride away... how frustrating is that!
Oh and that sex scene.... why?
The end was not satisfactory, that's why it "only" gets 4 stars. He ended it abruptly just before the ending, before we find out what lurks in the dark, how the story ends for our heroes. In the middle of a car ride away... how frustrating is that!
Oh and that sex scene.... why?
October 15, 2014
first off, this is not in 3d sound. it is at best 2d. but the premise is cool...at least it was cool when i listened to it. i'm a big fan of the apocolyptic event that strands civilazition in the grasp of some unknown craziness. see trucks, night of the living dead, etc. but all in all, it was pretty cool...at least i think.
March 8, 2017
The WORST audiobook I have ever listened to.
The 3D sound, I either couldn't hear the sound and couldn't understand them OR it was blaring in my ears and making me deaf. I was constantly having to adjust the volume.
Only 1 track for the whole book.
Like a TV show without the pictures. There was no description, and I had no idea what was happening.
The 3D sound, I either couldn't hear the sound and couldn't understand them OR it was blaring in my ears and making me deaf. I was constantly having to adjust the volume.
Only 1 track for the whole book.
Like a TV show without the pictures. There was no description, and I had no idea what was happening.
January 18, 2016
This was not the novella, but rather the "made for radio" version of The Mist. I found the sound effects to be entertaining and felt transported back before my time to when radio programs ruled the airwaves. I felt the story was average at best, but I will have to get the novella to see how it reads in comparison to the 3D sound program. It was, at least, a unique experience.
June 9, 2018
I had watched the movie when it came out in 2007, and I really really hated the ending. Like really hated it. It made me angry every time I though about it. I used it as an example of dumb movie endings for years.
The book ends very differently, and while I still find it a bit unsatisfying, it's better than the movie. Most Shephen King books kind of drop off at the end, but I still enjoy them.
The book ends very differently, and while I still find it a bit unsatisfying, it's better than the movie. Most Shephen King books kind of drop off at the end, but I still enjoy them.
November 11, 2019
EEEK! The Kunstkopf binaural 'head' ZBS used for recording this (and other stories) gives the production an edge-0f-my-ears three-dimensionality that jacks up the chills by an order of magnitude. Quasi-spider horrors galloping around the supermarket loading dock? Had me under the bed and behind the sofa simultaneously. Don't ask me how.
October 5, 2007
I'm so used to regular audio books that this 3-D sound was hard to listen to. It's more of a radio play. In the midst (ha!) of running from a scary monster someone is yelling the description of the creature. Weird. I'm going to read in instead and see if I enjoy it more.
January 8, 2008
Actually never read this book, but the audio book was the coolest one that I've ever heard. 3D surround sound, acted out with sound effects and everything. Really scared the be-jesus out of me the first time!
I've not done a lot of audio books, are any others done this way?
I've not done a lot of audio books, are any others done this way?
September 2, 2010
My terrible rating is not based on the actual story. I couldn't appreciate the story because of how it was recorded. Instead of an actual reading of the story, it was a dramatization--like listening to a movie without seeing the screen. I just couldn't follow it and quit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews