Product Description

A wonderfully diverse volume of compelling stories showing the richness, depth and variety of Stephen King's highly-acclaimed storytelling. The collection will include enthralling masterpieces such as LT's THEORY OF PETS, IN THE DEATHROOM and 1408; classic tales of supernatural and psychological terror and tales of everyday life with unexpected and brilliant twists such as AUTOPSY ROOM FOUR. It will also contain the highly publicised RIDING THE BULLET, only previously available as an ebook.
The stories are new or have only been published as audio books, in magazines or limited book collections.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #210682 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 427 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A new Stephen King book is always an event and Everything's Eventual--a collection of short stories that will be already familiar to King's die-hard fans--is a nicely timed appetiser for his next novel From a Buick 8.

Collected here are the stories published in the New Yorker and King's highly successful e-book Riding the Bullet and for those of you who haven't already seen them, it will be no surprise to learn that King explores a multitude of emotions and themes, from pure horror to simple everyday life. It's a very mixed bag but each and every one hits the mark as vignettes of a master storyteller who is equally at home with a short story as with 700-page blockbuster.

Particular standouts include the previous audio-only tales "LT's Theory of Pets" and "1408". Twists and turns abound and there are plenty of characters to love and loathe in equal measure. But King is at his best when writing about the nature of the human spirit and its enduring capacity for both good and evil--there is plenty here that explores both. --Jonathan Weir

Review
'Another masterpiece from Stephen King…Not only does he write better than anyone else in this genre, he also produces a narrative that never loosens its grip' - Evening Standard on DREAMCATCHER

'King has inspired a whole generation to read. He's made them read good, witty prose...a fabulous teller of stories who can create an entire new world and make the reader live in it' - Express on DREAMCATCHER

'Absolutely fascinating' - The Sunday Times on ON WRITING

'Astonishingly good' - Independent on HEARTS IN ATLANTIS

'Accomplished…unputdownable…his mesmerising best' - Observer on BAG OF BONES

About the Author
Stephen King is the bestselling author of more than thirty books of which the most recent are HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, DREAMCATCHER and his non-fiction book ON WRITING. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, in Bangor, Maine.

Customer Reviews

Late, slim, but vintage King
This collection is about 2 years late by my count (and Stephen King's, according to the introduction of it's predecessor "Nightmares and Dreamscapes") but well worth waiting for.

King has broken from his tradition of starting with a longer story, which in previous collections has acted as a barrier to the rest of the book. The brilliant "Autopsy Room Four" kicks off this collection, and is short enough (compared to "Jerusalem's Lot," "The Mist," and "Dolan's Cadillac" from previous collections) that by the time you reach the longer stories, you are so engrossed that you don't even realise you're still turning pages.

Not only are the stories shorter, there are significantly less of them than there are in the previous collections. But with three prize-winners tucked away inside the covers, there is still something for everyone.

One of the traditions he has maintained, is that of adding notes about each story - telling the reader where and how inspiration struck. This adds a more personal feel to the book, as if King were writing just for you! Many Kingoholics live for these notes, and the introductions to the short story collections, to glimpse an insight into their Hero's mind, and how it works. The more "user friendly" approach of adding the notes before or after each story, instead of at the back of the book, also removes the annoying "backwards and forwards" element (if you're anything like me, you HAVE to read the notes for each story WHEN you read the story, not altogether at the end!) making for a much more enjoyable reading experience.

The one thing that always delights me about King's short stories, is the "literary quality" of them. Although I started reading King for the shocks and horror, I LOVE the way her writes short stories - all the gritty realism we have come to expect from him, but written in a more scholarly, eloquent fashion. You can see this for yourself in most of the stories in this book, particularly "The Man in the Black Suit."

Nightmares & Dreamscapes will always be my favourite, but this latest collection is another worthy addition to the volumes of King's short stories, and will keep everyone happy for another seven (or so) years!

Buy it now, steal it if you must, but make sure you get a copy.

Good but not his best
There is no denying that Mr King is a superb story writer. His novels are in depth and you get the feeling of terror and inspiration with his characters as you deep further into his books.

As these are short stories (14 in all), you never get to feel that you know the characters well as the end is all to near. But then again, that is what short stories are.

These are not horror stories, but more phsycological. Autopsy Room 4, the starting story, opens this book well but as you get really into it, its the end. Some of the stories are very good, others you forget 10 minutes after reading them, but they are all good.... not outstanding. Some of these stories are old, but that is stated in the book. This is the first time they have been collated and printed together.

IF you like Steven King, then this book is worth getting to complete your set. If you are looking for a horror or a scary read, then either get another book or wait for the next new release.

The King Again
No self-respecting fan of Stephen King can afford to miss this one. But that's hardly positive press, now is it? I'll say the words, then: each and every story contained herein is worth a read. Some more so that others, it must be admitted - both In the Deathroom and All That You Love Will Be Carried Away seem little more than adventures in futility - but, for the most part, Everything's Eventual contains an outstanding selection of efforts. King could, with the short story, be perceived as "in his element," as it were - and this latest edition does much to prove such a theory. The claustrophobic terror of Autopsy Room Four, for example, reads so convincingly that the reader must wonder whether or not King spent some of his hospital time haunting such places. With it, he demonstrates an uncomfortable depth of knowledge on autopsy procedures and such things; and as such the tale is an effective and provocative one, just as frightening as The Man In the Black Suit is poignant, and as downright funny or outrageous or shocking or terrifying as most any other given short fiction. And the disturbing psychology of 1408, a thriller in every possibly sense of the word, simply must be read - by anyone, fan or otherwise.

Hell with all his critics: I like Stephen King. There are some tales contained within Everything's Eventual - of calibre great enough to warrant such deserved acclaim as the O. Henry award for Best Short Story, back in '96 - and it stands alone, independent of its author and his assured readership, as a triumph in both scope and execution. King writes with a deft and professional touch, and reads in smooth, easy-to-swallow chunks. His tales are rich and varied, and punctuated with honest interludes by way of introduction or afterword that make me lust after another On Writing. These personal touches are as down-to-earth and everyday as one might wish for, and I can't help but admit that not only am I an admirer of King's fiction, but also the author himself; he seems a frank and wise gentleman, and just the sort that I'd be honoured to call a friend.

With regards to the collection itself: it has my blessing, and my recommendation. If you aren't a King fan, for whatever reason, then you aren't a King fan - that much is given - but for all those of you with open enough minds to accept good, entertaining fiction for what it is: you'd be missing out on something quite special without a copy of Everything's Eventual. Of course it has its lowlights, if I may coin such a phrase - but their number pales in comparison to that of the countless wonders this edition presents. The author is a rare and comforting presence in the literary world of today, and Everything's Eventual offers yet another opportunity for the public to "discover" Stephen King all over again.

And believe me when I tell you he's worth discovering.