Challenge Corner discussion

From the Flap:

The Master at his scarifying best! From heart-pounding terror to the eeriest of whimsy--tales from the outer limits of one of the greatest imaginations of our time!

Evil that breathes and walks and shrieks, brave new worlds and horror shows, human desperation bursting into deadly menace--such are the themes of these astounding works of fiction. In the tradition of Poe and Stevenson, of Lovecraft and The Twilight Zone, Stephen King has fused images of fear as old as time with the iconography of contemporary American life to create his own special brand of horror--one that has kept millions of readers turning the pages even as they gasp.

In the book-length story "The Mist," a supermarket becomes the last bastion of humanity as a peril beyond dimension invades the earth. . .

Touch "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands," and say your prayers . . .

There are some things in attics which are better left alone, things like "The Monkey" . . .

The most sublime woman driver on earth offers a man "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" to paradise . . .

A boy's sanity is pushed to the edge when he's left alone with the odious corpse of "Gramma" . . .

If you were stunned by Gremlins, the Fornits of "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" will knock your socks off . . .

Trucks that punish and beautiful teen demons who seduce a young man to massacre; curses whose malevolence grows through the years; obscene presences and angels of grace--here, indeed, is a night-blooming bouquet of chills and thrills.

Started this early because I realized my borrowed copy expires shortly after this was scheduled. I plan to read this somewhat slowly, though.

The Mist (view spoiler)[
I think I like the ending of the this better than the movie. It is definitely more optimistic. This was a good story, although I think I prefer the film. I enjoy being able to see the monsters rather than just imagining them.
Rating: 5/5 (hide spoiler)]
Here There Be Tygers (view spoiler)[
This was a weird story, but what bothered me most is that we don't have a conclusion! What happened to Miss Bird? How did the tiger get there? Was it real? What are they going to about it?? So many questions!
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
The Monkey (view spoiler)[
I already find those monkey toys to be creepy, so a cursed/haunted one is terrifying to think about! I was trying to figure out if that monkey was the reason those people were dying or if it was just the messenger. Ultimately, its taunting to Hal made me decide it was definitely evil and was the reason people were dying (especially that poor old man).
Rating: 3/5 (hide spoiler)]
Cain Rose Up (view spoiler)[
This one was kind of scary and a little too close to reality (although less so now with the pandemic). Honesty, I kind of hated this one. I didn't like how Garrish was both kind of loony and kind of sane. It freaked me out. I also hated how no one was doing anything or stopping him!
Rating: 1/5 (hide spoiler)]
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut (view spoiler)[
I thought this one was kind of boring. It wasn't just the content, but I didn't really like the language and writing style of this one. Also, it was slightly longer than it needed to be.
Rating: 1/5 (hide spoiler)]

The Mist (view spoiler)[ I did not like the ending: There is little that i hate more than open-endings. they feel incredibly cheap and easy to me. the story itself was quite interesting though... something that i've come to realise and i do not like, is that King often uses women as mere sexual objects (for certain scenes) or introduces absolutely unnecessary sex scenes into his stories. all in all, this short-story was enjoyable and david's thoughts were quite intriguing... i'd have liked to have a clear answer regarding the mist and its creatures though

3.5/5 (hide spoiler)]

Cain Rose Up (view spoiler)[ Sometimes, i don't understand Stephen King's stories and this is one of those times. maybe he was trying to comment on how humans are extremely vindictive snd destructive and Garrish was reaving havoc because of his failed grade, but i honestly didn't like or understand the appeal of this short-story. (hide spoiler)]

The Jaunt (view spoiler)[
Even if The Jaunt was seen to be safe, I would most likely not ever try it. I would also think that there would be more safety precautions. Like why were there no HR monitors to show that someone was actually asleep and not faking it?
Rating: 5/5 (hide spoiler)]
The Wedding Gig (view spoiler)[
I kept waiting for something weird to happen, but this was a rather normal story. The Wedding Gig wasn't a horror or sci-fi story like the others on this book so far. This was not my favorite because I felt let down. It wasn't an awful short story, but it felt out of place.
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
Paranoid A Chant (view spoiler)[
This was a so-so poem(?). It was exactly what the title prepared me for. This was basically the ramblings of a paranoid person. Although this wasn't ground-breaking, it wasn't too long, so it was fine.
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
The Raft (view spoiler)[
I already think swimming in deep waters like the ocean or lakes is terrifying because you can't see what is down there, so this story was particularly scary for me. The way that the four of the characters died was horrific. I honestly thought Randy was going to survive right up until the end when obviously he didn't.
Rating: 3/5 (hide spoiler)]
Word Processor of the Gods (view spoiler)[
Wow, I can't believe that Richard actually deleted his own son. I know he didn't seem like a great kid, but geez Richard didn't even think about the potential consequences too long before he executed that command. Richard ended up with a happy ending, but it was pretty twisted.
Rating: 3/5 (hide spoiler)]

Marissa wrote: "Started this early because I realized my borrowed copy expires shortly after this was scheduled. I plan to read this somewhat slowly, though.

The Mist
I think I like the ending of the this bette..."

Mrs Todd's Shortcut (view spoiler)[ I absolutely agree that it would have been a lot shorter but I really enjoyed this! It was rather slow-paced and didn't have loads of action but the ending, especially, was somehow magical and really peaceful... i rather liked it a lot. (hide spoiler)]

The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands (view spoiler)[
While I liked the idea of this one, I had a hard time paying attention. The story took too long to get started. Also, I think if the story of a man whose handshake killed people was written differently (maybe a completely different person?), this would've been more better.
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
Beachworld (view spoiler)[
Beachworld was alright. I felt like not a lot happened in it. The idea of crash landing on another planet with some unknown sand monster is not something I read every day, but it didn't really interest me that much.
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
The Reaper's Image (view spoiler)[
The length of this short story was perfect for what the story was. Any longer, it would've felt too dragged out. This seemed like it was just an idea that popped into King's head, so he wrote it down (which most likely is what happened).
Rating: 4/5 (hide spoiler)]
Nona (view spoiler)[
I was both a little confused by this story as well as intrigued. I liked the ambiguousness of Nona and that we don't actually know the truth about her. Was she a supernatural force or was she a hallucination? This was an definitely a weird tale, but I enjoyed it.
Rating: 3/5 (hide spoiler)]
For Owen (view spoiler)[
A short poem. I didn't love it, but also didn't hate it. It was refreshing since it was different than the other stories.
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
Survival Type (view spoiler)[
I think this story was rather well done. It was kind of unnerving as the MC's journal entries became more and more unhinged the longer he was on the island. Also, no matter how hungry I was, I would not amputate limbs to survive!
Rating: 3/5 (hide spoiler)]

Isabel wrote: "Marissa wrote: "Started this early because I realized my borrowed copy expires shortly after this was scheduled. I plan to read this somewhat slowly, though.

The Mist
I think I like the ending o..."

Maybe if the story was in another book I would appreciate it more. However, I went into this expecting some creepy or unnerving stories. You are right, though. It did provide a nice contrast to the other stories because of its more peaceful theme.

The Jaunt (view spoiler)[ I'm only a little in but the way Stephen King is already shaming climate change and the waste of natural resources gives me life... We need more authors that challenge today's egoistic and wasteful mindset! (hide spoiler)]

Uncle Otto's Truck (view spoiler)[
Haunted inanimate objects are actually quite scary to me. The idea of a haunted toy or heirloom or even a truck like in this is pretty terrifying. I think it is a mix of both going against everything you know (inanimate objects aren't supposed to move!), and that if it ever happened you'd convince yourself for the first so many incidents that it was all in your mind. Anyway, I enjoyed this story and didn't think I could be creeped out by a vehicle.
Rating: 4/5 (hide spoiler)]
Morning Deliveries (Milkman No. 1) (view spoiler)[
Oh wow, this was horrific. It started out all innocently and then escalated quickly there into horror. I am listening to this as an audiobook, and I think the narrator reading this all cheerful and nonchalantly is creeping me out. I guess I would just cross my fingers if I was these people and hope that I only got a tarantula in my milk.
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman No. 2) (view spoiler)[
I found this one to be dull, and I had a difficult time paying attention. This was mainly because the bulk of the story was the main character getting his car inspected. The ending picked up a bit, and linked the story back to Milkman No. 1, but I think it could've been done better.
Rating: 2/5 (hide spoiler)]
Gramma (view spoiler)[
This was a longer story, but I enjoyed it. Even if one's grandmother wasn't a supposed "witch" this would still be scary for a child. I would probably also be slightly frantic if I was in George's place at my current age. The phone lines out while being in a house alone with a dead body is not ideal. Of course… it turns out George's grandmother wasn't entirely dead, which is even worse.
Rating: 4/5 (hide spoiler)]
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet (view spoiler)[
Not a fan of this one. I found the subject to be boring (elves in typewriters are not what I consider interesting), and so the story felt too long. I am hoping the next story is more interesting to end this book on a strong note.
Rating: 1/5 (hide spoiler)]
The Reach (view spoiler)[
I am happy to say that I liked this last story. It was a nice one to end on. Despite Stella dying at the end, it had a hopeful tone. The story left the reader believing that she finally crossed the reach and was now with her deceased loved ones.
Rating: 4/5 (hide spoiler)]