Billy Summers is the guy you hire when you need to eliminate someone of ill-repute. No good guys, please. Hmm, that sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before? Ah well, it’s hard to come up with an original idea these days. Given the task of assassinating a hitman moments before he is set to…
Jamie can see dead people. No, we’re not talking about that Bruce Willis movie (he actually says this in the story). Jamie only sees those who’ve recently died and not for long either. For whatever reason, Jamie has found that the dead are unable to lie and must truthfully answer any question asked of them.…
Two college students take part in an experimental government drug trial that leaves them with unexpected mental powers. A few years later, after marrying, they have a child who inherits their abilities as well as new and destructive.. talents. Charlie McGee, the offspring of the aforementioned government test subjects, is a human Zippo lighter. She…
Everybody hates Carrie. Poor Carrie White. She gets it from everyone and she can’t even find solace at home. Her Mother is a straight-up monster. What happens when you push someone to their brink? What happens when they have telekinetic powers? A few years ago, I stepped into a used bookstore and I picked up…
In 1993, Stephen King released Nightmares & Dreamscapes, his third short story collection (fifth if you count his two novella collections “Different Seasons” and “Four Past Midnight”). In all honesty, as a collection, I thought this was pretty bad. When you look at the quality of Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, it’s hard to believe…
Stephen King returns with his strongest work in years with If It Bleeds, a collection of four novellas. King kicks it off with Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, a story featuring a student and mentor dynamic between two unlikely parties. Mr. Harrigan, a retired business magnate, settles into Maine to live out his golden years. Craig, a…
Tim Jamieson stumbles into the sleepy South Carolina town of DuPray. A former police officer, Tim works his way up the law enforcement ladder from glorified night watchman to cop proper – gun and all. However, that’s the last we’ll hear from Tim before the story shifts focus. Luke Ellis is a gifted child. At…
Because in America, you could have anything you wanted, just as long as you could pay for it. If you couldn’t pay, or refused to pay, you would remain needful forever. A new business has opened in the small town of Castle Rock, Maine. The proprietor, Leland Gaunt, will sell you whatever your heart desires…
