Just After Sunset

Stories

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, Jill Eikenberry, Holter Graham, George Guidall, Ron McLarty, Denis O'Hare, Ben Shenkman, Mare Winningham

Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

2010 Audie Award Finalist for Short Stories/Collections

Stephen King - who has written more than 50 books, dozens of number-one New York Times best sellers, and many unforgettable movies - delivers an astonishing collection of short stories. The stories in this collection have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Esquire, and other publications.

Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying -- journey.

Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable -- and resourceful -- as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark.

In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand.

For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.", which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.

Just After Sunset - call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.

©2008 Stephen King (P)2008 Simon & Schuster

Great Short Stories by Stephen King

Willa and N. were fantastic short stories. This is his best short story collection. JP

Good short stories.

I wouldn't call it Kings best. works but as always, I enjoyed every story. Definitely glad I listened!

Overall quite enjoyable.

As is always the case with short story compilations, some of these stories are better than others. That being said, I enjoyed the different tones of stories and variety of narrators in this book. Overall, a worthwhile listen. Stephen King knows his way around a short story.

LOVED IT

I loved listening to these stories, Stephen King hasn't disappointed me yet! Another goody for my collection.

Usually don't like this much music between chapter

I particularly liked the music this time. It made it easy to go back and forth to stories I either needed to and finish or listen to again.

Not the usual

I'm not a SK reader, but was intrigued by the short story premise and was not disappointed. Some were better than others, as is usual in a collection, but makes it easy to move on if you don't like one. Particularly enjoyed Things They Left Behind, Cat from Hell, Reststop, and the last one is not to be missed. The different readers provide variety and help separate the stories. If you want the usual SK, don't get this...if you want something different, give it a try. This is very long, so don't expect a quick listen. It is more a journey than a destination.

Just After Sunset

Great audio book loved the short stories and how they kept me engaged right to the end

King at his creepy best

These stories provided great company as I started a new commute. Some of them were classic King, but most of them just sort of stick with you. Found myself thinking about "The Things They Left Behind" and "Graduation Afternoon" for days after I read them. So glad Stevie baby rediscovered his short story groove.

I love me some short stories by Stephen King.

All of the stories were amazing. read this book about 15 years ago maybe...loved reading it the second time like visiting an old friend.

Not His Best Work

I love Stephen King's work, especially his short stories. However this is the worst collection I've read yet. Actually every short story collection of King's has been great except for this one. If it Bleeds is amazing by the way. The reason I don't like this collection is because it's just boring, and there's not much supernatural in it. For example one story is about a girl being kidnapped and escaping. That's it. Thats seriously it.. The stories that do have supernatural elements also tend to be dry and boring. There's one great story in this collection, however, about a man stuck in a Porta Potty. It has a very Hitchcock feel to it and I loved it because it grossed me out. It's not supernatural at all, but its amazing, and that's it. One great tale in a sea of mediocrity. It's quite sad. Before you read this. Read all his other collections first.