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The Fifth Step
Stephen's short story will appear in the March 2020 edition of Harper's. About a man who meets an alcoholic who asks for his help in completing the fifth step in AA.
10 pages, ebook
First published March 1, 2020
About the author
Stephen King
2,134 books901k 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 73 reviews
December 20, 2022
WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!
this explanation/intro will be posted before each day’s short story. scroll down to get to the story-review.
this is the SEVENTH year of me doing a short story advent calendar as my december project. for those of you new to me or this endeavor, here’s the skinny: every day in december, i will be reading a short story that is 1) available free somewhere on internet, and 2) listed on goodreads as its own discrete entity. there will be links provided for those of you who like to read (or listen to) short stories for free, and also for those of you who have wildly overestimated how many books you can read in a year and are freaking out about not meeting your annual reading-challenge goals. i have been gathering links all year when tasty little tales have popped into my feed, but i will also accept additional suggestions, as long as they meet my aforementioned 1), 2) standards.
GR has deleted the pages for several of the stories i've read in previous years without warning, leaving me with a bunch of missing reviews and broken links, which makes me feel shitty. i have tried to restore the ones i could, but my to-do list is already a ball of nightmares, so that's still a work-in-progress. however, because i don't have a lot of time to waste, and because my brain has felt scraped clean ever since my bout with covid, i'm not going to bother writing much in the way of reviews for these, in case GR decides to scrap 'em again.
i am doing my best.
merry merry.
DECEMBER 20
every year i read a stephen king story during the advent calendar, and every year i enjoy the story and every year i make a mental note to see what stephen king's been up to since i last checked in with him (as a reader, not as a pal), and i never do. so at least i'm as consistent in this pattern as stephen king is consistent at cranking out pointy-sweet little stories for me to enjoy once a year. maybe this year...pals?
read it for yourself here:
https://harpers.org/archive/2020/03/t...
2022:
DECEMBER 1: PORGEE'S BOAR - JONATHAN CARROLL
DECEMBER 2: SKELETON SONG - SEANAN MCGUIRE
DECEMBER 3: JUDGE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MANUSCRIPT - LAVIE TIDHAR
DECEMBER 4: QUANDARY AMINU VS THE BUTTERFLY MAN - RICH LARSON
DECEMBER 5: IN MERCY, RAIN - SEANAN MCGUIRE
DECEMBER 6: CHOKE - SUYI DAVIES OKUNGBOWA
DECEMBER 7: THIS PLACE IS BEST SHUNNED - DAVID ERIK NELSON
DECEMBER 8: RED PYRAMID - VLADIMIR SOROKIN
DECEMBER 9: HOSPICE/HONEYMOON - JOYCE CAROL OATES
DECEMBER 10: MY FIRST CAR - JOY WILLIAMS
DECEMBER 11: HOW MANY - BRYAN WASHINGTON
DECEMBER 12: KENNY BOND SHOT MY DOG - CHRISSY KOLAYA
DECEMBER 13: I KNOW YOU'RE THERE - PAUL TREMBLAY
DECEMBER 14: THE THERESA JOB - COLSON WHITEHEAD
DECEMBER 15: CATTLE HAUL -JESMYN WARD
DECEMBER 16: I LIKE YOUR SHOES - KEVIN BROCKMEIER
DECEMBER 17: SOME OTHER ANIMAL'S MEAT - EMILY CARROLL
DECEMBER 18: THE MOM OF BOLD ACTION - GEORGE SAUNDERS
DECEMBER 19: THE WEIGHT - ANNE ENRIGHT
FROM THE BEFORETIMES:
2016 short story advent calendar
2017 short story advent calendar
2018 short story advent calendar
2019 short story advent calendar
2020 short story advent calendar
2021 short story advent calendar
this explanation/intro will be posted before each day’s short story. scroll down to get to the story-review.
this is the SEVENTH year of me doing a short story advent calendar as my december project. for those of you new to me or this endeavor, here’s the skinny: every day in december, i will be reading a short story that is 1) available free somewhere on internet, and 2) listed on goodreads as its own discrete entity. there will be links provided for those of you who like to read (or listen to) short stories for free, and also for those of you who have wildly overestimated how many books you can read in a year and are freaking out about not meeting your annual reading-challenge goals. i have been gathering links all year when tasty little tales have popped into my feed, but i will also accept additional suggestions, as long as they meet my aforementioned 1), 2) standards.
GR has deleted the pages for several of the stories i've read in previous years without warning, leaving me with a bunch of missing reviews and broken links, which makes me feel shitty. i have tried to restore the ones i could, but my to-do list is already a ball of nightmares, so that's still a work-in-progress. however, because i don't have a lot of time to waste, and because my brain has felt scraped clean ever since my bout with covid, i'm not going to bother writing much in the way of reviews for these, in case GR decides to scrap 'em again.
i am doing my best.
merry merry.
DECEMBER 20
every year i read a stephen king story during the advent calendar, and every year i enjoy the story and every year i make a mental note to see what stephen king's been up to since i last checked in with him (as a reader, not as a pal), and i never do. so at least i'm as consistent in this pattern as stephen king is consistent at cranking out pointy-sweet little stories for me to enjoy once a year. maybe this year...pals?
read it for yourself here:
https://harpers.org/archive/2020/03/t...
2022:
DECEMBER 1: PORGEE'S BOAR - JONATHAN CARROLL
DECEMBER 2: SKELETON SONG - SEANAN MCGUIRE
DECEMBER 3: JUDGE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MANUSCRIPT - LAVIE TIDHAR
DECEMBER 4: QUANDARY AMINU VS THE BUTTERFLY MAN - RICH LARSON
DECEMBER 5: IN MERCY, RAIN - SEANAN MCGUIRE
DECEMBER 6: CHOKE - SUYI DAVIES OKUNGBOWA
DECEMBER 7: THIS PLACE IS BEST SHUNNED - DAVID ERIK NELSON
DECEMBER 8: RED PYRAMID - VLADIMIR SOROKIN
DECEMBER 9: HOSPICE/HONEYMOON - JOYCE CAROL OATES
DECEMBER 10: MY FIRST CAR - JOY WILLIAMS
DECEMBER 11: HOW MANY - BRYAN WASHINGTON
DECEMBER 12: KENNY BOND SHOT MY DOG - CHRISSY KOLAYA
DECEMBER 13: I KNOW YOU'RE THERE - PAUL TREMBLAY
DECEMBER 14: THE THERESA JOB - COLSON WHITEHEAD
DECEMBER 15: CATTLE HAUL -JESMYN WARD
DECEMBER 16: I LIKE YOUR SHOES - KEVIN BROCKMEIER
DECEMBER 17: SOME OTHER ANIMAL'S MEAT - EMILY CARROLL
DECEMBER 18: THE MOM OF BOLD ACTION - GEORGE SAUNDERS
DECEMBER 19: THE WEIGHT - ANNE ENRIGHT
FROM THE BEFORETIMES:
2016 short story advent calendar
2017 short story advent calendar
2018 short story advent calendar
2019 short story advent calendar
2020 short story advent calendar
2021 short story advent calendar
April 23, 2020
That was rough! I know it's short, but I still think it deserves five stars because I finished wanting more. Much, much more.
I think, because this is actually about the fifth AA step, that there is a certain genuineness to it. All Constant Readers know King is an alcoholic, and we can only surmise that the steps helped him, so when he writes about them, even in this outlandish way, we believe him. Or I do.
I think, because this is actually about the fifth AA step, that there is a certain genuineness to it. All Constant Readers know King is an alcoholic, and we can only surmise that the steps helped him, so when he writes about them, even in this outlandish way, we believe him. Or I do.
February 25, 2020
Very very nice. Really enjoyed it.
January 2, 2023
Well damn.
link to read online in karen's review which I am not linking to because tired.
Not that I am likely to fall asleep. Ever. King is a pro.
link to read online in karen's review which I am not linking to because tired.
Not that I am likely to fall asleep. Ever. King is a pro.
August 23, 2022
Wow! This was a fun little ride. I really enjoyed it!
April 21, 2020
Excelente.
July 31, 2026
Short and dark. I totally didn't see the ending of this one coming. It felt like watching someone pulling a prank on you and then walked away thinking "yeah, I should have seen it coming".
Score: 4.25⭐
Reading difficulty: Easy
Format: included in You Like It Darker, Mass Market Paperback, Scribner
Score: 4.25⭐
Reading difficulty: Easy
Format: included in You Like It Darker, Mass Market Paperback, Scribner
March 10, 2020
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. The ending was typical King.
January 18, 2025
The ending was surprising 🔥
February 22, 2020
Debo decir que no le tenia mucha fe a un cuento corto de Stephen King con unnaproximado de 4 páginas, pero me equivoqué.
Me encanto el relató, empieza muy leve el cuento como un relato monotono de cualquier persona, pero cuando este personaje se sienta en un parque que acostumbra a leer el periódico se encuentra con un desconocido que trata a toda costa entablar una conversacion con el y quizas quiera confesar algo que hizo en su pasado.
El personaje de Jack es un personaje complejo que tiene un serio problema de alcoholismo que ha intentado salir de aquel problema por medio de AA y una esecie de patrocinador lo ayudara a salir de esa obsesión que tiene con el alcohol. Randy intentara a acercar a Jack hacia Dios para que el crea y le pida que le quite ese vicio, pero Randy esconde un secreto que no se deja claro y su método para dejar el alcohol consiste en cinco pasos y el ultimo no les digo en que tarea tiene que cumplir...
Randy es un personaje misterioso que no sabemos mucho de el al igual que Jamieson que sabemos de el en el presente, no futuro.
A mi me gustaria que Stephen King abordara mas estos personajes y les diera un poco mas de historia de lo que ya tienen, pero por el momento quedo conforme con el relato.
Muy bueno.
Me encanto el relató, empieza muy leve el cuento como un relato monotono de cualquier persona, pero cuando este personaje se sienta en un parque que acostumbra a leer el periódico se encuentra con un desconocido que trata a toda costa entablar una conversacion con el y quizas quiera confesar algo que hizo en su pasado.
El personaje de Jack es un personaje complejo que tiene un serio problema de alcoholismo que ha intentado salir de aquel problema por medio de AA y una esecie de patrocinador lo ayudara a salir de esa obsesión que tiene con el alcohol. Randy intentara a acercar a Jack hacia Dios para que el crea y le pida que le quite ese vicio, pero Randy esconde un secreto que no se deja claro y su método para dejar el alcohol consiste en cinco pasos y el ultimo no les digo en que tarea tiene que cumplir...
Randy es un personaje misterioso que no sabemos mucho de el al igual que Jamieson que sabemos de el en el presente, no futuro.
A mi me gustaria que Stephen King abordara mas estos personajes y les diera un poco mas de historia de lo que ya tienen, pero por el momento quedo conforme con el relato.
Muy bueno.
July 31, 2024
I didn't know where this story was going.. wow.
If only Jamieson left when Jack sat down.
'He was looking into Jamieson's eyes and smiling. "I did leave, but I cut that bitch's throat before I did. I didn't stop drinking, but it made me feel better. The way beating up Glenn Ferguson made me feel better. And that wino I told you about? Kicking him around made me feel better, too. Don't know if I killed him, but I sure did bust him up."'
"You'll be in my prayers tonight" Jack didn't even know his name, but he stabbed him with an icepick.
The story was only ten pages and I feel sad for Jamieson.
If only Jamieson left when Jack sat down.
'He was looking into Jamieson's eyes and smiling. "I did leave, but I cut that bitch's throat before I did. I didn't stop drinking, but it made me feel better. The way beating up Glenn Ferguson made me feel better. And that wino I told you about? Kicking him around made me feel better, too. Don't know if I killed him, but I sure did bust him up."'
"You'll be in my prayers tonight" Jack didn't even know his name, but he stabbed him with an icepick.
The story was only ten pages and I feel sad for Jamieson.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2024
A sharp tale that's a genuine pleasure to read, befitting King's style, but whose ending one could see from quite some distance.
September 17, 2024
This is a short story in the book You like It Darker.
March 4, 2025
Was bored while cleaning my room so I turned on a random audiobook (instead of music cuz RAMADAN GOALS)
I mean, it wasn't bad, it's not just what I normally read/what I'm used to. It was okay ig
I mean, it wasn't bad, it's not just what I normally read/what I'm used to. It was okay ig
April 22, 2024
I won’t spoil the read but I will say it drew me in and kept me invested till the end and the twist was definitely unexpected worth reading.
August 21, 2024
Short and to the point.
October 18, 2020
What a surprise to wake up and unexpectedly find a new story from Uncle Stevie waiting to be read. This a nice little tale with some, not unexpected, moments that are pure King. Really enjoyed it.
This is included in the anthology You Like It Darker.
This is included in the anthology You Like It Darker.
March 9, 2020
I honestly don't know how he does it, but pretty much everything he writes is gold, even when it's just a few paragraphs long.
November 19, 2023
Not much to say about this book. It's captivating but also just brutal and blunt. Not one of his best works.
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June 23, 2024This was extremely disappointing. I’m a huge fan of Stephen King and I am also in recovery. I really thought this would be a good read. But I would not even consider it a story, really. It’s actually pretty boring. There is absolutely no action or conflict. The climax is at the very end and then it’s over. And the twist comes out of nowhere. It’s almost as if he was right in the middle of writing a book, when suddenly he realized he was running out of space and just sloppily created an ending for it. Very unsatisfying.
February 21, 2020
En sprillans ny King-historia är alltid välkommet och The Fifth Step som är med i det nya numret av Harper’s Magazine och som även går att läsa på nätet är ett tio minuters perfekt avbrott i vardagen. En konversation på en parkbänk visar sig kunna vara väldigt underhållande. Hoppas den kommer inkluderas i en framtida bok med noveller!
April 6, 2020
The only reason I read this is because I am a fan of King's work, and his short stories can be pretty epic. Not much going on here, to be honest, which leaves me to wonder what kind of crisis King is experiencing. His "output" seems to be increasing, at varying lengths, but his quality is rather erratic. This one ends well enough, but it's no genius piece. Short enough, or possibly too short?
December 15, 2024
great short story, i was satisfied from the start and thought it would be a happy story about a stranger helping another stranger through their struggles, (not many people care to do that nowadays) only to be thrown a complete curveball, great short story for people who dont have much time to read. highly recommend :)
May 21, 2024
Another fascinating look into alcoholism with Kings short, brutal, and devastating story "The Fifth Step" which refers literally to Alcoholics Anonymous Fifth step in their rehabilitation program.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 four stars with an R rating for subject matter and some language
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 four stars with an R rating for subject matter and some language
August 3, 2026
I could kind of tell where this was going as soon as the main premise was set up but I still enjoyed it despite that. It has a Shirley Jackson-ish feel to it, that feeling that true evil could be living in your neighborhood. A nice read but probably not super memorable.
February 23, 2020
A tasty little morsel of a story. Enjoyed it!
March 8, 2020
Great twist!
March 9, 2020
Very enjoyable quick read in March 2020’s Harper’s Magazine.
March 10, 2020
My jaw dropped! What fun!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews