De Satanskinderen (Children of the Corn), Ratten (Graveyard shift), De boeman (The Boogeyman), Doodtij (Nightsurf), De rozige lente (Strawberry spring), De richel (The Ledge), De patiënte van kamer 312 (The Woman in the Room), Een afzakkertje (One for the road), Twee maal twee is vier (Grey Matter), Soms keren ze terug (Sometimes they come back), De mangel (The Mangler), Ik ben de toegang (I am the doorway), Pastorale (Lawnmowerman), Afspraak met Norma (The man who loved flowers)
Stephen 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.
Niet alle verhalen in deze bundle waren leuk. Maar de eerste satanskinderen is dus eigenlijk Children of the corns. Het verhaal over de ratten vond ik maar vaag en raar, zo ook die over de ziekte A2 en A6. Verder was het wel heel vermakelijk.
Became rather disappointing rather fast. Especially after I realized the Dutch translation doesn't even contain all stories. My mom paid f12.50 (15 dollars) for this in 1986. Short review:
1. Children of the Corn - would have been a lot better if the protagonists were at least somewhat likeable and appealing, so I would have actually rooted for them. The ending is a bit dumb or maybe I'm being too strict on King, but if the Corn God demanded every 18-year old to be sacrificed even if there were 50 kids and half of them were impregnated the group would die out pretty quick because 4/5 year olds can't survive on their own long enough because by that time their parents will have turned 18 and will have been sacrificed.
2. Graveyard shift - dumb.
3. The boogeyman - slightly interesting premise, ending is dumb.
4. Night surf - boring.
5. Strawberry Spring - predictable and boring.
6. The ledge - predictable, boring and dumb.
7. The woman in the room - a waste of paper and ink. The world could have done without this one.
8. One for the road - interesting but way too short. Unsatisfactory.
9. Gray matter - lacking.
10. Sometimes they come back - somewhat enjoyable. Though I don't understand why Jimmy would take revenge after they've killed his wife.
11. The mangler - was okay.
12. I am the Doorway - badly written sci fi trash.
13. The Lawnmower Man - bloody ridiculous.
14. The man who loved flowers - boring and lame. Made me yawn.
Horrorverhalen met een voorwoord van de meester zelf. Zoals met alle boeken met korte verhalen is de kwaliteit van de verhalen niet altijd even goed, maar er zitten wel enkele mooie verhalen bij. Heb ik erbij gerild van schrik? Nee, ik moest eerder glimlachen. Er zat weer een verhaal over ratten bij en daar ben ik wel gevoelig aan, daar slaap ik niet zo goed van. Verder nog iets over een bezeten strijkbout, bezeten mensen, bezeten toestellen. Verhalen die duidelijk komen van een wat-als vraag en daarop gaat King dan filosoferen en dan krijg je dit soort verhalen.