Full Dark, No Stars

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Craig Wasson, Jessica Hecht

Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger...." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up "1922", the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.

In "Big Driver", a cozy-mystery writer named Tess encounters the stranger along a back road in Massachusetts when she takes a shortcut home after a book-club engagement. Violated and left for dead, Tess plots a revenge that will bring her face-to-face with another stranger: the one inside herself.

"Fair Extension", the shortest of these tales, is perhaps the nastiest and certainly the funniest. Making a deal with the devil not only saves Dave Streeter from a fatal cancer but provides rich recompense for a lifetime of resentment.

When her husband of more than 20 years is away on one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she discovers the stranger inside her husband. It's a horrifying discovery, rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitively ends a good marriage.

Like Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight, which generated such enduring films as The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me, Full Dark, No Stars proves Stephen King a master of the long story form.

©2010 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)2010 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved

Critic reviews

"[T]hese tales show how a skilled storyteller with a good tale to tell can make unsettling fiction compulsively readable." ( Publishers Weekly)

"King has gone on record saying he believes that American readers should pay more attention to the virtues of short fiction... if anyone can get reluctant short-story and novella readers into the swing, he certainly can with this book." ( Booklist)

Great stories!!! King does it again!

I love all of the stories, especially Big Driver. I actually read the novel before buying the audible version. I would have loved to have heard Kathy Bates perform the two stories from the women's perspectives and I am still trying to decide if I like Wasson's narration. Having said that, I still highly recommend this book!

Loved it all - Sad it was over

I enjoyed all 4 stories and loved the narration. I was sad to read reviews saying people do not like Jessica Hecht's narration. I absolutely loved it. Her cheerful voice made the dark stories that much darker for me - the contrast added a creepiness for me. I actually came to audible tonight to search for other things she has narrated and was disappointed that there is only one other book. Given the poor reviews of her narration, I doubt I'll find others by her soon. Very disappointing for me. I love Craig Wasson's narration too. He was spectacular on King's 11.22.63 and didn't disappoint here. My favorite story here was A Good Marriage, but all were chilling. 1922 was a little overwrought for my taste - payoff didn't match the time invested. Big Driver was very painful content but so well told. I liked Fair Extension though it felt like another take on the idea behind Thinner. All good - worth your time.

Good Read

Would you consider the audio edition of Full Dark, No Stars to be better than the print version?

Did not have the print version, could not say

Who was your favorite character and why?

Wilf.....

What does Craig Wasson and Jessica Hecht bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Enjoy hearing the characters

If you could rename Full Dark, No Stars, what would you call it?

Rats of the Well

Classic Stephen King

Some of King's books are amazing, some are awful. And they range in style somewhat from his older books to the newer ones. This is classic King. I didn't realize that I'd already read this when I bought it. I rarely reread books, but I listened to it anyway. And I actually liked it better this time.

The female narrator makes the female character's voices sound like little girls which is a little annoying, but it's not too bad.

Thank you for not retiring

I am a King fan, but not always. The Dark Tower, at the end, let me down. I skipped a few books in that time where even King thought about retiring.

Perhaps it was a fog that a good truck upside the head had to clear. Regardless, both Duma Key and Full Dark NO Stars are great -though sometimes spooky - books. Though all stories in the book are pretty good. . .it is funny I find the two "guy" stories the least interesting of the bunch. The two stories that take place fro a girl's point of view are pretty damn interesting. . .

I would have gave it 5 stars

Where does Full Dark, No Stars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's extremely well written, and Stephen King at his absolute creepiest.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved Craig Wasson he is an excellent narrator. 1922 is one of the most haunting stories I have ever heard.

Have you listened to any of Craig Wasson and Jessica Hecht ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to several of Craig Wasson's books, I wish he did more audiobooks because he isa brilliant narrator. Jessica Hecht, on the other hand, is dreadful and nearly ruined her stories she read.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I have never been "moved" by an audiobook.

Any additional comments?

This is Stephen King at his absolute creepiest, there are several very uncomfortable scenes in the book. At times I had to take a break because the stories were very dark.

excellent read.

I am a huge Stephen King fan. I have read everything he's ever written, and own them all in hardcover. Even though I already read this one a long while ago, I wanted to listen to it in audio. I was not disappointed. Excellent performance, and I enjoyed the stories all over again!

the female narrator is horrible

i loved the stories as i do all Stephen Kings work but she was horrible at reading what is supposed to be scary or sad situations she seems to be smiling or laughing

Great story great narrators

These were four great stories although 1922 was my least favorite. Very hard story. And Stephen King tends to go on and on about a certain thing in that story that if you read it you’ll find out what I’m talking about. I thought the narrators were really. I thought they had good accents and good range and I can’t say enough about them.

One out of four ain't bad

Loved 1922 but the others didn't grab me. Fair Extension started out interesting but then it just sort of ended.