The Griffin or the Agate

A collection of short stories and novellas is usually comparable to one of those all-you-can-eat buffets. Some of the stuff is going to be good, some is going to be lousy, and chances are you'll find one or two things you really like, making the experience worthwhile. Given Stephen King's prolific verbosity it's possible that with so much to chose from, every story would be a winner. Well . . .
     It's tough for King to get a fair shake from some critics, and that's a shame. While there are those who like to pigeonhole him as a 'horrormeister' the fact is, plain and simple, the man can write. When he's on his game King has the ability to run chilly fingertips up and down your spine. I can remember after reading his book Salem's Lot at age eleven I had to sleep with a crucifix under my pillow for a few months. He has the gift of being not just a writer, but also a storyteller. That's not a small thing. Too many of today's authors string together some metaphors with a plot line about angst. King has the rare skill of sucking the reader into his twisted worlds, of crafting a fully developed scenario.
     That is, as long as he sticks to his strengths.
     Everything's Eventual has its share of hits and misses. Some stories might be seeing print for the simple reason that they came from him - "The Man in The Black Suit," "The Death of Jack Hamilton," and "In the Deathroom" are stinkers. Not surprisingly, all three are genres apart from King's usual fare. On the other side, there are a number of very, very good pieces in this collection. The best is "1408," a creepy and disturbing tale about a writer's encounter with a purportedly haunted New York City hotel room. King does a masterful job of teasing the reader with bits and pieces, snippets of the experience. It's a story that can't be put down until finished and one of his best. Two other strong works are "Riding the Bullet" and "The Little Sisters of Eluria," a chapter from his terrific Dark Tower series. "Bullet" is a good old-fashioned ghost story, while "Sisters" once again places the laconic anti-hero Roland in harm's way once again. The only complaint here is that both stories have seen print in other places and aren't new, but if you haven't read it before, it's new to you, right?
     King also provides short prologues to each story, a nice touch that lets the reader feel a sense of intimacy. Dark Tower fans will be thrilled to find that he lets them know that book five of his proposed seven book epic is finished. Get it out already! In all , despite the few clunkers King delivers, as usual, in a major way. His scope targets living death, vampires, haunted paintings, and what might be. In other words, just a typical offering from his fertile mind.   §

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