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N.
»N.« ist No. 11 der Stephen King Story Selection (aus: Sunset). Sie umfasst ca. 100 Manuskriptseiten.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2008
18 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,401 books889k 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 9, 2020
This story is chilling. I read the graphic novel of this story and it was good, but reading it as a short story is spine tingling. This one gave me the creeps. The town that Pet Cemetary took place is mentioned in this story and it does remind me of the Mist, all the monster’s coming from a hole in reality. I also get images from Pet Cemetary when they walk back in the woods for the first time and hear the giants walking about.
This story is a true nightmare. If you are looking for a scary story, this is a good one. It’s the best story of the collection thus far. Sometimes curiosity is not worth it.
This story is a true nightmare. If you are looking for a scary story, this is a good one. It’s the best story of the collection thus far. Sometimes curiosity is not worth it.
June 10, 2020
A good reason not to be a shrink!
January 18, 2023
N. is a story about a man who suffers from an extreme case of OCD. So he visits a psychiatrist to seek help. He tells a weird story that can be found only in the realm of fiction. But is he delusional or do such strange cases occur?
By writing this story, Stephen King once again proved that he can write characters and understand the human psyche extremely well. It also ties in perfectly with his mythology and multiverse. Hence it is a must read for any weird fiction enthusiasts.
By writing this story, Stephen King once again proved that he can write characters and understand the human psyche extremely well. It also ties in perfectly with his mythology and multiverse. Hence it is a must read for any weird fiction enthusiasts.
December 11, 2025
I'm saying this as a psychologist: this is pure horror.
May 7, 2014
"It only exists in his mind, but that doesn't mean it's not real."
If a person believes they see an object, in their mind's eye, but a camera can never capture it, is it real? Should someone stop their habit of counting, placing and moving items around the house if it makes them feel better? Who is qualified to say if these behaviors are helpful or harmful?
These are some of the questions that one of this story's main characters, a psychiatrist, wrestles with while interviewing a troubled patient.
In N. King shows the reader that obsessive compulsive disorder can be terrifying. This story's psychiatrist shows a great deal of empathy and understanding for people "afflicted" with OCD. Here's an excerpt:
"I have seen many cases like N. during the five years I've been in practice. I sometimes picture these unfortunates as men and women being pecked to death by predatory birds. The birds are invisible -- at least until a psychiatrist who is good, or lucky, or both, sprays them with his version of Luminol and shines the right light on them--but they are nevertheless very real. The wonder is that so many OCDs manage to live productive lives, just the same. They work, they eat...they go to movies...and all the time those birds are there, clinging to them and pecking away little bits of flesh."
This story is effective at helping the audience empathize with those afflicted with OCD. N. also does a great job of showing how strong the temptation is to open many of life's Pandora Box's. The epistolary method of telling this story works great. The combination of personal correspondence, doctor's case notes and news articles makes sense here. This story's characters come off as authentic and differ from the typical cast and crew found in King's novels. I didn't like or dislike the supernatural element of this story. That means it didn't detract from my feelings towards this story.
I'm a fan of this short story. I recommend you pick up a copy of King's short story collection, Just After Sunset, and read this 50-ish page tale.
If a person believes they see an object, in their mind's eye, but a camera can never capture it, is it real? Should someone stop their habit of counting, placing and moving items around the house if it makes them feel better? Who is qualified to say if these behaviors are helpful or harmful?
These are some of the questions that one of this story's main characters, a psychiatrist, wrestles with while interviewing a troubled patient.
In N. King shows the reader that obsessive compulsive disorder can be terrifying. This story's psychiatrist shows a great deal of empathy and understanding for people "afflicted" with OCD. Here's an excerpt:
"I have seen many cases like N. during the five years I've been in practice. I sometimes picture these unfortunates as men and women being pecked to death by predatory birds. The birds are invisible -- at least until a psychiatrist who is good, or lucky, or both, sprays them with his version of Luminol and shines the right light on them--but they are nevertheless very real. The wonder is that so many OCDs manage to live productive lives, just the same. They work, they eat...they go to movies...and all the time those birds are there, clinging to them and pecking away little bits of flesh."
This story is effective at helping the audience empathize with those afflicted with OCD. N. also does a great job of showing how strong the temptation is to open many of life's Pandora Box's. The epistolary method of telling this story works great. The combination of personal correspondence, doctor's case notes and news articles makes sense here. This story's characters come off as authentic and differ from the typical cast and crew found in King's novels. I didn't like or dislike the supernatural element of this story. That means it didn't detract from my feelings towards this story.
I'm a fan of this short story. I recommend you pick up a copy of King's short story collection, Just After Sunset, and read this 50-ish page tale.
December 1, 2013
Just as addictive and impossible to put down as all the rest of his stories.
October 5, 2014
I didn't really like this title, but had to give it four stars due to terrifying the crap outta me. I've always had a problem with OCD and counting when I was younger but there was no source for the compulsion in N. however the OCD has a purpose, the safety of our universe depends upon it.
I wonder though...what would've happened if a religious fanatic or delusional pastarfarian encountered Cthun, pretty sure the flying spaghetti monster could kick some ass and save the day if worst came to worst. :)
I wonder though...what would've happened if a religious fanatic or delusional pastarfarian encountered Cthun, pretty sure the flying spaghetti monster could kick some ass and save the day if worst came to worst. :)
January 5, 2020
Going to stop making sure my eggs are always symmetrical.
Oh and Goodreads, please add half stars.
Oh and Goodreads, please add half stars.
August 30, 2020
One of the best SK short stories i've read. A homage to Lovecraft with its diary entry style descent into psychological madness.
June 18, 2021
N is located at the midpoint of Just After Sunset and is King’s only original work in the collection. He uses a nested narrative where a woman named Sheila writes to her friend Charlie about her brother Johnny, a psychiatrist who committed suicide after seeing a patient known simply as N. Normally, I don’t like nested narratives. They’re very tricky and difficult to do well, but King executes it to perfection, making the nesting an integral part of the story and leaving you to wonder if you, constant reader, as the outermost part of the nest, might be drawn in next. (Seven is a very bad number. Very bad. Just so you know.)
In the innermost part of the narrative, where most of the time is spent, psychiatrist John Bonsaint diagnoses N with obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoid delusions related to “keeping balance.” N is convinced that a circle of stones in Ackerman’s Field is actually a doorway to another reality through which some horrific entity is attempting to gain entry. The only way to keep this entity from breaking through is to keep order on the earth and SEVEN. IS. A BAD. NUMBER. READER.
This portion of the narrative ends with N’s suicide as he’s unable to deal with the mental strain of keeping everything together. Slowly but surely, the obsession begins to creep into John’s mind. He’ll just go see the stones. Verify that it was all a delusion. He could write a book about it. Or an article. Or.
King builds the tension in with a palpable precision. It steadily layers and intensifies so that even though you know where this is all going, you’re invested in it anyway and wondering what’s going to happen. John struggles with it for some time until. Until. Until. Until. Did I mention how bad a number seven is?
Until you move to his sister, now reading a letter written by him found among his things after his death. He’d been involved in something, something to do with Ackerman’s Field and a patient he’d been seeing. Maybe she’ll just go see what it was all about. N explores the transmissibility of obsession. It happens in benign ways all the time as friendships share experiences and groups share activities and cities share sports teams. But when does that become unhealthy? When should we be careful about exploring the unknown? Even when it might be a good thing—like saving the world from a monster—how do we handle it if it causes our own personal undoing?
N is a thoughtful, scary story. And don’t forget. Seven is a very bad number.
In the innermost part of the narrative, where most of the time is spent, psychiatrist John Bonsaint diagnoses N with obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoid delusions related to “keeping balance.” N is convinced that a circle of stones in Ackerman’s Field is actually a doorway to another reality through which some horrific entity is attempting to gain entry. The only way to keep this entity from breaking through is to keep order on the earth and SEVEN. IS. A BAD. NUMBER. READER.
This portion of the narrative ends with N’s suicide as he’s unable to deal with the mental strain of keeping everything together. Slowly but surely, the obsession begins to creep into John’s mind. He’ll just go see the stones. Verify that it was all a delusion. He could write a book about it. Or an article. Or.
King builds the tension in with a palpable precision. It steadily layers and intensifies so that even though you know where this is all going, you’re invested in it anyway and wondering what’s going to happen. John struggles with it for some time until. Until. Until. Until. Did I mention how bad a number seven is?
Until you move to his sister, now reading a letter written by him found among his things after his death. He’d been involved in something, something to do with Ackerman’s Field and a patient he’d been seeing. Maybe she’ll just go see what it was all about. N explores the transmissibility of obsession. It happens in benign ways all the time as friendships share experiences and groups share activities and cities share sports teams. But when does that become unhealthy? When should we be careful about exploring the unknown? Even when it might be a good thing—like saving the world from a monster—how do we handle it if it causes our own personal undoing?
N is a thoughtful, scary story. And don’t forget. Seven is a very bad number.
September 26, 2019
This is a fascinating tale about O.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). N. is a character plagued with the disorder and describes the experience that caused the neurosis to happen to him. It is very interesting to observe the psychiatrist see and even experience the feelings of N.
May 20, 2020
"Am so tired." chilling 3 words. Odd number.
May 13, 2020
Is it OCD or is something weird really going on here.?
Nobody can tell. I love kings short fiction I always have and this is why.
It's magical at times and downright creepy at others.
Nobody can tell. I love kings short fiction I always have and this is why.
It's magical at times and downright creepy at others.
October 26, 2022
Though he opens the story with reference to Machen, to this reader, King was essentially paying off his homage to weird literature by textbook definition and Lovecraft specifically. To N's arithomanic mind understanding was an obsession, as much as counting, experiencing and placing and to Dr.D's analytical mind N's insanity was a scientific excuse, an appropriate response to his conjured reality. Yet, to both, the limitations of human mind against the secrets of cosmos was a blessing, at least till the point they were safely able to contain their curiosity.
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of
ignorance in the midst of black seas of the infinity, and it was not
meant that we should voyage far."
H.P. Lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu
And in a universe where words and worlds leads to more and more, King has put considerable restraint on the narrative here (not to mention the title), and of course on the horror of the unknown. Like the stories that makes the mythos itself, N was able to captured the fragmented descent from periphery of ignorance elegently and efficiently in terms of words, originiality and pace; infact, to a level of delicious incompleteness that it leaves a satisfied reader ask for encore over installments.
Thus to someone who is eternally pissed off with King for ruining Bester's Jaunt, N offers great redemption to reconsider his self declared redundency with author's works; and some motivation to read more Machen.
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of
ignorance in the midst of black seas of the infinity, and it was not
meant that we should voyage far."
H.P. Lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu
And in a universe where words and worlds leads to more and more, King has put considerable restraint on the narrative here (not to mention the title), and of course on the horror of the unknown. Like the stories that makes the mythos itself, N was able to captured the fragmented descent from periphery of ignorance elegently and efficiently in terms of words, originiality and pace; infact, to a level of delicious incompleteness that it leaves a satisfied reader ask for encore over installments.
Thus to someone who is eternally pissed off with King for ruining Bester's Jaunt, N offers great redemption to reconsider his self declared redundency with author's works; and some motivation to read more Machen.
April 7, 2023
3.5/5
It was actually really good. The only reason for not giving more is because I don’t have the end 😭 I mean .. I feel like I should have more answers about the what and the how.
Also, the third chapter is EXTRAAAAAAAAA long 😭😭😭
It was actually really good. The only reason for not giving more is because I don’t have the end 😭 I mean .. I feel like I should have more answers about the what and the how.
Also, the third chapter is EXTRAAAAAAAAA long 😭😭😭
May 19, 2021
Creepy, the sort of story that gives you cold shivers on a warm day and has you mistrust everyone and everything for a few days. Great story, brilliant writing - duh, it's King.
August 8, 2021
2.5 stars
December 5, 2024
Me recordó mucho a los horrores cósmicos de HP Lovecraft, muy interesante. :)
July 21, 2025
apprenez de vos erreurs svp
May 27, 2022
استفن کینگ داره جاشو در قلبم باز میکنه
داستان در مورد بیماریه که وسوای فکری داره! ولی ایا واقعا وسواس فکری داره؟؟
داستان در مورد بیماریه که وسوای فکری داره! ولی ایا واقعا وسواس فکری داره؟؟
November 14, 2024
I first read this in King's short story collection Just After Sunset.
Patient N. (the name his psychiatrist refers to him as in his notes) has OCD. And his OCD is a compulsion to right a wrong in the world. But righting it for what reason, and the reason behind N.'s OCD has the same answer, and the answer is terrifying.
"N" is a novella, and it's one that will leave you feeling paranoid, long after the story is over.
King has this ability to write about areas in the world he calls "thin." Places where our world, our dimension, and whatever world or dimension might be touching ours in these places, have rubbed that area in the world almost raw.
You squint, and you can see a shimmer. A shimmer in the air that isn't quite produced by the heat, nor is it produced by the cold. It's just there. And then something seems to push against that spot in the air, you have been peering at, that spot in the air where it looks like a balloon's skin has been stretched way too much, trying to break through, and you wonder is it's your mind? Did you really see what you thought you saw? Are you going mad?
You just might be.
Patient N. (the name his psychiatrist refers to him as in his notes) has OCD. And his OCD is a compulsion to right a wrong in the world. But righting it for what reason, and the reason behind N.'s OCD has the same answer, and the answer is terrifying.
"N" is a novella, and it's one that will leave you feeling paranoid, long after the story is over.
King has this ability to write about areas in the world he calls "thin." Places where our world, our dimension, and whatever world or dimension might be touching ours in these places, have rubbed that area in the world almost raw.
You squint, and you can see a shimmer. A shimmer in the air that isn't quite produced by the heat, nor is it produced by the cold. It's just there. And then something seems to push against that spot in the air, you have been peering at, that spot in the air where it looks like a balloon's skin has been stretched way too much, trying to break through, and you wonder is it's your mind? Did you really see what you thought you saw? Are you going mad?
You just might be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews