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Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished #1
Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished
Authors' Note: This Revised Edition represents the Second Edition of the publication; the First Edition having been published by Cemetery Dance Publications of Abingdon, Maryland, USA in 2005
399 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 13, 2015
I wish I could give 4, or even 5 stars, because so much work obviously went into this book. I absolutely loved finding the few titles I had not only not read, but never even knew existed. I was excited, but also a little upset. I had no idea I had missed so many! How is that possible?! I digress...
Much like the author! Wood goes on and on about every title, which would be okay with me, the ultimate Kingstalker fan, but then he goes on to repeat. And repeat. And repeat. It's as if Wood thought we would read only a chapter here and there, not the book cover to cover. I don't need a re-cap every time a piece of work is mentioned. The re-caps felt a lot like "Last week on..." that you fast forward through when you are binge watching on Netflix.
Five stars for research, one star for the obvious lack of editing and re-writing, for an average of three.
Much like the author! Wood goes on and on about every title, which would be okay with me, the ultimate King
Five stars for research, one star for the obvious lack of editing and re-writing, for an average of three.
January 29, 2022
Più per gli studiosi di King che per chi voglia godersi le opere del Re.
March 22, 2014
This is an amazing and exhaustive non-fiction guide to the works by Stephen King which have not been collected, and those known pieces that have not been published. There are a LOT! This book is almost 500 pages. Stephen King has so many well-known books and short stories that it is kind of a shock how many released stories that have never been featured in his collections exist, and still more how many stories, novels, and screenplays have been finished but never released or never finished. This was really well researched, with minimal editorializing. Sometimes, I didn't agree with the author's opinions on some of the work, but that was fine because those kind of opinions were kept to a scholarly minimum.
A fine resource for those curious about the uncollected or unreleased work of Stephen King, ranging from his high school newspaper days (and even before!) to about 2010. Highly recommended.
A fine resource for those curious about the uncollected or unreleased work of Stephen King, ranging from his high school newspaper days (and even before!) to about 2010. Highly recommended.
July 29, 2015
Repetitive, and for the most part boring. I skimmed through most of it.
September 16, 2020
Disappointed that it only describes the missing lost works..thought it actually had the stories but it’s more like a companion book.
February 20, 2026
Algunas historias son buenísimas, otras definitivamente aburridas o antiguas versiones de trabajos que King volvería grandes historias a futuro.
Lo más cañón es que también hay referencias a su mundo: Slade es consciente de ser escrito por el autor Steve King; en algún nivel de La Torre Oscura la familia King se enfrentan a una bruja que les dio galletas con efectos secundarios, el sobreviviente de Squad D reside en Castle Rock, y en la penúltima historia aparece el "here's Johnny!" de El Resplandor. Éso me encantó.
Otras son aburridas y demasiado cortas, pero definitivamente se siente el leer a King, y después de años de historias recolectadas en volúmenes como Night Shift se aprecia mucho leer al "viejo" joven King.
Lo más cañón es que también hay referencias a su mundo: Slade es consciente de ser escrito por el autor Steve King; en algún nivel de La Torre Oscura la familia King se enfrentan a una bruja que les dio galletas con efectos secundarios, el sobreviviente de Squad D reside en Castle Rock, y en la penúltima historia aparece el "here's Johnny!" de El Resplandor. Éso me encantó.
Otras son aburridas y demasiado cortas, pero definitivamente se siente el leer a King, y después de años de historias recolectadas en volúmenes como Night Shift se aprecia mucho leer al "viejo" joven King.
October 6, 2013
I am quite torn about this book.
It is clear that Rocky Wood is a master of Stephen King. He knows more about the published work and the connection between them than probably anyone else.
My issue here is that this book doesn't know what it wants to be. It is presented a narrative description of each of the unpublished or uncollected works of King. Each chapter covers one work detailing where it is available, and what is is about. These descriptions of the plot are difficult to read. I could never place a finger on it, but the descriptions are boring and confusing. Information is repeated frequently and the text does not flow. For instance, ever time a tale is part of the Castle Rock mythos, Wood list all the other works that are in the mythos...every time. That means that that paragraph is in the book probably twenty times. I feel the material would have been better presented in a format similar to the "Stephen King Encyclopia" using entries for People and Places along with brief plot descriptions.
The chapter from "Sword in the Darkness" is a highlight but that is also one of the most confusing summaries of the book.
The other flaw with this book is Cemetery Dance's ebook. They should pull this ebook and try again. Words are misspelled, sections are repeated, chapters are repeated it is a mess.
Woods research is impressive and evident, too bad his writing style and the eBook translation ruined it.
It is clear that Rocky Wood is a master of Stephen King. He knows more about the published work and the connection between them than probably anyone else.
My issue here is that this book doesn't know what it wants to be. It is presented a narrative description of each of the unpublished or uncollected works of King. Each chapter covers one work detailing where it is available, and what is is about. These descriptions of the plot are difficult to read. I could never place a finger on it, but the descriptions are boring and confusing. Information is repeated frequently and the text does not flow. For instance, ever time a tale is part of the Castle Rock mythos, Wood list all the other works that are in the mythos...every time. That means that that paragraph is in the book probably twenty times. I feel the material would have been better presented in a format similar to the "Stephen King Encyclopia" using entries for People and Places along with brief plot descriptions.
The chapter from "Sword in the Darkness" is a highlight but that is also one of the most confusing summaries of the book.
The other flaw with this book is Cemetery Dance's ebook. They should pull this ebook and try again. Words are misspelled, sections are repeated, chapters are repeated it is a mess.
Woods research is impressive and evident, too bad his writing style and the eBook translation ruined it.
Currently Reading
July 18, 2008Outstanding collection. I only wish the stories it talks about were more available.
March 21, 2013
Content-wise, this might have been a four, but the presentation/formatting drops it by a star - entire chapters are duplicated!
July 21, 2026
The exhaustive research by Rocky Wood, who can justifiably call himself a foremost expert on King, is commendable – worthy of five stars. The actual book is too full of errors in spelling, grammar and formatting to make for an enjoyable read. It repeats itself frequently, and story summaries are presented in the past tense (the present tense should be used for plot summaries, whether of prose fiction, plays, films, or any other form).
Wood's categorisations of King's "universes" are also questionable: there are stories set in Maine; stories set elsewhere in the US; stories set outside the US (there are remarkably few of these in King's entire œuvre); and stories set in science-fictional, fantasy, or other settings that differ from King's usual low-fantasy, contemporary America. This is not a categorisation of different literary "universes" however, especially since the stories catalogued here include a couple of stories set in other people's fictional universes (King's middling X-Files scripts, an abandoned Lord Peter Wimsey story).
Still, if you want a resource on some hard-to-find corners of King's immense bibliography – some stories mentioned here can only be read in person at the University of Maine – this is the best and only resource of its kind. Also includes a longish excerpt from an unpublished early King novel, The Sword in Darkness, which is the highlight here. Despite its title, The Sword in Darkness is not fantasy or horror but a contemporary (i.e. late-60s/early-70s) story of social and racial tension – think Richard Bachman's Rage or Roadwork.
Wood's categorisations of King's "universes" are also questionable: there are stories set in Maine; stories set elsewhere in the US; stories set outside the US (there are remarkably few of these in King's entire œuvre); and stories set in science-fictional, fantasy, or other settings that differ from King's usual low-fantasy, contemporary America. This is not a categorisation of different literary "universes" however, especially since the stories catalogued here include a couple of stories set in other people's fictional universes (King's middling X-Files scripts, an abandoned Lord Peter Wimsey story).
Still, if you want a resource on some hard-to-find corners of King's immense bibliography – some stories mentioned here can only be read in person at the University of Maine – this is the best and only resource of its kind. Also includes a longish excerpt from an unpublished early King novel, The Sword in Darkness, which is the highlight here. Despite its title, The Sword in Darkness is not fantasy or horror but a contemporary (i.e. late-60s/early-70s) story of social and racial tension – think Richard Bachman's Rage or Roadwork.
January 26, 2020
Un ottimo testo da consultazione secondo me, ma non da leggere come un vero e proprio libro. Gli elenchi e le liste molto lunghe a lungo andare smorzano il ritmo e l'entusiasmo per la lettura. E' comunque un libro particolare, ricco di dettagli su ogni cosa che King abbia mai scritto, e vengono trattate soprattutto quelle opere conosciute solo a chi gli è più vicino.
Sconsiglio la lettura a chi non abbia letto tutti i libri dello Zio, in quanto ci sono molti spoiler, soprattutto sulla fine di molti dei suoi personaggi più amati. Penso che lo utilizzerò di più affiancandolo ai testi citati ogni volta che ne avrò l'occasione.
Sconsiglio la lettura a chi non abbia letto tutti i libri dello Zio, in quanto ci sono molti spoiler, soprattutto sulla fine di molti dei suoi personaggi più amati. Penso che lo utilizzerò di più affiancandolo ai testi citati ogni volta che ne avrò l'occasione.
November 23, 2024
An exhaustive and interesting accounting King’s work. Wood seems to know more than anyone, other than King, about his work. This had duplicate and repetitive chapters which was annoying.
September 10, 2014
Fans of Stephen King know that his story collections (Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, etc.) aren't comprehensive and a number of his shorter works have never been published outside of magazines or anthologies. This is certainly a topic that deserves some coverage. Unfortunately the amount of coverage it deserves is a Wikipedia page, not a full blown book. Roughly half the entries in here aren't stories but rather screenplays, and while a few of those (King's adaptation of Something Wicked This Way Comes, frex) have never been produced, most of them have and can easily be purchased on DVD or Blu-ray. Do the screenplays for Creepshow or The Stand really deserve a place here? Or what about "stories" that were excerpts from soon-to-be-published novels? Sure, some of the tweaks King later made are interesting, but I don't see much point in knowing that one chapter of IT appeared in a magazine as a promotion for the novel.
Overall this is a book for OCD King fans and Wikipedia editors searching for reliable sources.
Overall this is a book for OCD King fans and Wikipedia editors searching for reliable sources.
March 3, 2017
A treasure trove of material written at various times in King's life. His Constant Readers will recognize some short stories which have been changed or made into novels. There are pieces he wrote while only a teen. A must for any SK fan.
January 9, 2015
Video Recensione: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Ri1...
August 29, 2015
more of a reference, and not really a collection of stories, but fairly thorough.
(...why did i buy this again?)
(...why did i buy this again?)
November 21, 2025
Very inciteful and full of interesting information. I'm a big fan of Stephen King's fiction.
March 30, 2026
If small interest.
Has interesting information, but is very redundant in places. At least one part of the book is riddled with typos. Maybe the updated version is cleaner.
Has interesting information, but is very redundant in places. At least one part of the book is riddled with typos. Maybe the updated version is cleaner.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews