Skeleton Crew (Stephen King)

It took me a few weeks to get through the 600-odd pages of this collection of short stories, giving me the time to chew on some of the stories. I usually have two books on the go at the same time- the one that I carry around in my bag for when I have to wait for class to start or a bus or any time that I am outside of the house and am alone. Then there is the book at home. The book in my bag can take weeks to finish reading, depending on how much time I have to fill outside of the house. This is what happened with Skeleton Crew.

I have an odd relationship with Stephen King. While I love his earlier work, The Long Walk, The Stand, Insomnia, Misery, etc., I am not all that much on love with his newer works. I find his arrogance distasteful. It isn't the same sort of self importance that you will find in Kurt Vonnegut's work or even Alfred Hitchcock's films. It's a self righteousness that has only gotten worse over time. Of course, every author has to have a little of this in them.
It is clearly evident in this collection. King has something against fat people, lazy people and stupid people. Mostly fat people. You can pity them and even forgive them if you really want to, but he seems to find it impossible to move past it. He has an opinion and isn't afraid to say it. Over and over again.
That doesn't mean that his stories aren't good. He can paint a pretty picture (or pretty gruesome). He has some pretty damn good stories in there. And it is all horror all the time.
The Mist was one of my favourites for its ambiguity and it physical strength. It was 80's horror at its best, which includes ridiculous monsters that wouldn't seem out of place in a John Carpenter film. The Monkey almost terrified me. Mrs. Todd's Shortcut entertained me (I however, am one of those people who likes to know the quickest way, but will however take a different route each time to enjoy the scenery and literally smell the roses). The protagonist in The Raft pissed me off (which generally boils down to good writing). Morning Deliveries was confusing. Survivor type was though provoking. The Reach was predictable.
All in all it was a fun trip to take over a few weeks. Some of it is King at his best and some of it is King at his corniest. He wasn't always a self righteous twat. And despite my gripe that he should get out of the horror rut once in a while, he is adept at it. Unfortunately most of it is forgettable.

41 Down, 11 to Go

Cell (Stephen King)

There is much I like about this novel, and much I dislike, but in the end it left me feeling satisfied. It could be the Cube-like vagueness or the Levin-esque ending. It could be the predictability mixed with a few surprises. It could be that this in a way a return to form since he went bonkers and thought that the world owed him something.
The one thing that really bothered me was that Mr. King has over the years written himself into a pigeonhole. When I say this I point you to Rose Madder, a story that began as a brilliant portrayal of spousal abuse but was cheapened by his diversion into the supernatural. In fact my favourite stories of his are those that he did as Richard Bachman. That isn't to say that all the 'supernatural' elements in Cell are unwarranted- I, for example, believe in telepathy as science. It was the levitating that I thought depreciated the value of his vision.
It has an amazing start that draws you in immediately, never letting you stop (a scene that I think would transcribe well to the screen) to think about what has happened, how it happened.
It begins with the Pulse, a 'virus carried by every cell phone' in the world, a virus that sends anyone listening to it into a blind rage with no focus. Clayton Riddell does not own a 'cell' phone, but his son does.
But Clay has hope. His son's phone is often left unattended and with a flat battery and all Clay wants to do is reach him or his estranged wife to make sure they are safe. So he sets out on a road trip on foot (a common theme in King's novels that resonates deeply in me) with Tom, who has no one to lose but his cat, and Alice, a teenage girl who has lost her entire family.
This novel will lose something over time, many of the references are so contemporary and US-centric that in the future people reading it will fail to completely understand some of the references (even some people living outside of the USA today who did not follow the New Orleans aftermath will have issues with some of it). And personally the middle eastern bashing infuriated me. To me terrorism has always been around and always will be, and it isn't a middle eastern phenomenon. However it could be said that he was taking the mickey out of US paranoia.
But it won't lose the terror that people have over modern technology or the emotions that many people don't want to admit to when faced with a challenging situation. His characters aren't always perfect and sometimes a little superficial. The story never lets up and is easy to read. It is definitely a worthwhile read. Who doesn't have a 'cell' phone?
7/10