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Detours
Every now and then your favorite author takes a detour while writing a new novel: a chapter gets chopped, a connected short story is dreamed up, an essay about the book's origins is composed, or an oddity is created on a day off.
Collected here together for the first time are detours by Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Peter Straub, Kelley Armstrong, Michael Koryta, David Morrell, Michael Marshall and Michael Marshall Smith, Chet Williamson, Poppy Z. Brite, Stewart O'Nan, and Owen King.
Join these bestselling authors as they share the other works they wrote while they were writing the books you already know and love.
Collected here together for the first time are detours by Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Peter Straub, Kelley Armstrong, Michael Koryta, David Morrell, Michael Marshall and Michael Marshall Smith, Chet Williamson, Poppy Z. Brite, Stewart O'Nan, and Owen King.
Join these bestselling authors as they share the other works they wrote while they were writing the books you already know and love.
- GenresAnthologiesHorror
432 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2018
268 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
Brian James Freeman
100 books149 followersBrian James Freeman sold his first short story when he was fourteen years old and now writes full-time thanks to the support of his patrons on Patreon. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, three kids, a German Shorthaired Pointer, and an English Pointer. More books are on the way.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 23, 2017
Note: this review is for and ARC from Cemetery Dance.
I, like editor Brian James Freeman, am addicted to finding rare and lost material from my favorite authors.
I don't know where to start with Detours! I have read most of the authors collected in Detours and some, like William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist, very recently. His "Story of the Exorcist," a kind of behind the scenes look into The Exorcist, was just so cool!
Memory by Stephen King is the short story that spawned one of my all time favorite books, Duma Key. It is essentially the first chapter of Duma Key with a few differences but a very cool peak into how one of the greatest King stories ever made was born.
Owen King's The Curator is a gem.
Stewart O'Nan's The Ghost Ship: An Unfinished Novel was a little disappointing because it's unfinished! Just as I was really getting into the story it just stops! I know, I should of expected that from the title, but as we readers know, sometimes you get so wrapped up in a story that you forget all else.
Detours is a must own if you are a fan of: Stephen King, Clive Barker, Owen King, Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, Michael Marshall Smith, etc.
I, like editor Brian James Freeman, am addicted to finding rare and lost material from my favorite authors.
I don't know where to start with Detours! I have read most of the authors collected in Detours and some, like William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist, very recently. His "Story of the Exorcist," a kind of behind the scenes look into The Exorcist, was just so cool!
Memory by Stephen King is the short story that spawned one of my all time favorite books, Duma Key. It is essentially the first chapter of Duma Key with a few differences but a very cool peak into how one of the greatest King stories ever made was born.
Owen King's The Curator is a gem.
Stewart O'Nan's The Ghost Ship: An Unfinished Novel was a little disappointing because it's unfinished! Just as I was really getting into the story it just stops! I know, I should of expected that from the title, but as we readers know, sometimes you get so wrapped up in a story that you forget all else.
Detours is a must own if you are a fan of: Stephen King, Clive Barker, Owen King, Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, Michael Marshall Smith, etc.
October 19, 2024
Advance Review Copy
What is DETOURS? In a word: amazing!
It's snips, and nuggets and bits of founds pieces of stories, most of which you've known existed. Like the fragment of a story that Ray Bradbury started back in the 1940's and set aside. Or the cut chapters from Poppy Z. Brite and Michael Marshall Smith's books. There's a Stephen King story that even though it had been previously published, I has never found it.
Most of the book is brand new, never before published; that makes it very exciting. The Bradbury story alone was a real thrill. But there are plenty more morsels where that came from, including introductions and even novels that were set aside.
Take a detour now from whatever you're reading and pick up this book. It's really good stuff!
What is DETOURS? In a word: amazing!
It's snips, and nuggets and bits of founds pieces of stories, most of which you've known existed. Like the fragment of a story that Ray Bradbury started back in the 1940's and set aside. Or the cut chapters from Poppy Z. Brite and Michael Marshall Smith's books. There's a Stephen King story that even though it had been previously published, I has never found it.
Most of the book is brand new, never before published; that makes it very exciting. The Bradbury story alone was a real thrill. But there are plenty more morsels where that came from, including introductions and even novels that were set aside.
Take a detour now from whatever you're reading and pick up this book. It's really good stuff!
May 7, 2018
Kind of a mixed-bag here. I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I was familiar with all of the stories that each detour led the author away from in the cases where they are explaining that particular work.
And with regards to some of the original tales in the collection - it wasn't always stated just exactly which story/novel the author was writing when they wandered off the path, which would have been an interesting note.
The main thing I took away from the collection is that I wish Stewart O'Nan would have kept running with his unfinished manuscript for 'The Ghost Ship' because after that novella-length excerpt I really want to know what happens next, danggit!
And with regards to some of the original tales in the collection - it wasn't always stated just exactly which story/novel the author was writing when they wandered off the path, which would have been an interesting note.
The main thing I took away from the collection is that I wish Stewart O'Nan would have kept running with his unfinished manuscript for 'The Ghost Ship' because after that novella-length excerpt I really want to know what happens next, danggit!
Want to read
October 20, 2024Read Blatty’s entry on The Exorcist prior to reading The Exorcist.
April 19, 2018
This book was filled with previously published work as well as original material by some very well known authors, including but not limited to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, and Ray Bradbury. When one reads the work of people like this they can expect to be entertained, and this book managed to do that quite well.
October 21, 2018
Great way to get the story "memory" in priny by Stephen king. Mixed Authors. Most stories are good
December 30, 2024
While this is a nice odd one for a collector of any of these authors, of itself it’s not hardly worth the read. The most enjoyable piece is the short story Memory by Stephen King which is darkly humorous and typical with King in that the main character is so normal, the horror of the story is its relatability and bluntness.
Surprisingly, I was intrigued by two pieces, one short story called The Hunt by Kelley Armstrong and Spares the missing first chapter by Michael Marshall Smith, not previously having read these authors, it has made me curious to seek out more.
Overall, I wouldn’ recommend this unless you have over 20 some extra dollars to spend on a paperback book with an unfortunately designed cover. Detours is going on my shelf, where it probably will remain until the pages are old and oxidized.
Surprisingly, I was intrigued by two pieces, one short story called The Hunt by Kelley Armstrong and Spares the missing first chapter by Michael Marshall Smith, not previously having read these authors, it has made me curious to seek out more.
Overall, I wouldn’ recommend this unless you have over 20 some extra dollars to spend on a paperback book with an unfortunately designed cover. Detours is going on my shelf, where it probably will remain until the pages are old and oxidized.
January 24, 2025
interesting
interesting premise, what do authors do with stories that just petered out. King folded it into a longer novel, his son made his into an readable, if confusing, short story. Bradbury's left me wanting more, some left me wanting less, much less. One story about a haunted amusment park (based on Cedar Point, a park we took our children to many times when they were young) was so good I hope the author dies finish it and soon.
interesting premise, what do authors do with stories that just petered out. King folded it into a longer novel, his son made his into an readable, if confusing, short story. Bradbury's left me wanting more, some left me wanting less, much less. One story about a haunted amusment park (based on Cedar Point, a park we took our children to many times when they were young) was so good I hope the author dies finish it and soon.
March 1, 2025
Not a conventional set of short stories. Some just musings of the authors. Some unfinished or outlines of books considered. Some are just chapters from a larger novel that has no real standalone value except that they were thought to be part of a bigger story. Some with no conclusion leaving you wanting more. Not exactly as expected but an okay read.
October 24, 2024
Interesting 'extras'
October 29, 2024
Honestly I'm biased when it comes to collections like this, I loved it, short stories from some of the greats in my opinion.
November 26, 2024
Boring. Waste of time.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews