Mile 81

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Thomas Sadoski

Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Mile 81 is Stand by Me meets Christine - the story of an insatiable car and a heroic kid.

At Mile 81 on the Maine turnpike is a boarded-up rest stop, a place where high-school kids drink and get into the kind of trouble high-school kids have always gotten into. It’s the place where Pete Simmons goes when his older brother, who’s supposed to be looking out for him, heads off to the gravel pit to play “paratroopers over the side.” Pete, armed only with the magnifying glass he got for his 10th birthday, finds a discarded bottle of vodka in the boarded up burger shack and drinks enough to pass out.

Not much later, a mud-covered station wagon (which is strange because there hadn’t been any rain in New England for over a week) veers into the Mile 81 rest area, ignoring the sign that says “closed, no services”. The driver’s door opens, but nobody gets out.

Doug Clayton, an insurance man from Bangor, is driving his Prius to a conference in Portland. On the backseat are his briefcase and suitcase and in the passenger bucket is a King James Bible, what Doug calls “the ultimate insurance manual”, but it isn’t going to save Doug when he decides to be the Good Samaritan and help the guy in the broken down wagon. He pulls up behind it, puts on his four-ways, and then notices that the wagon has no plates.

Ten minutes later, Julianne Vernon, pulling a horse trailer, spots the Prius and the wagon, and pulls over. Julianne finds Doug Clayton’s cracked cell phone near the wagon door - and gets too close herself. By the time Pete Simmons wakes up from his vodka nap, there are a half a dozen cars at the Mile 81 rest stop. Two kids - Rachel and Blake Lussier - and one horse named Deedee are the only living left. Unless you maybe count the wagon.

©2012 The Storyville Company, LLC. (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Probably just me...

The narration was fine, no complaints there. Like most short horror stories, this one ended with no questions answered. I expected that, but my only real complaint is the language. I have no moral stance with it - it has it's place - I just can't take it seriously when used in excess. It takes me out of the foreboding atmosphere it's trying to create and puts me back in middle school where vulgarity was used as a pretense to maturity. Imaging putting the word "car" at the end of every other sentence. It has no meaning.
This actually contains two short stories. Mile 81 and The Dune. The Dune was much shorter, but I think I liked it much better. Like early 20th century horror, it was more subtle, slowly sneaking up instead of trying to shock you.

Suspensful..but once again the story ended oddly

The book starts out a little slow, the story is sort of disjointed, but once the story gets going however the suspense builds and you start to get into it. I was dissapointed in how the story ended. It really made no sense to me, it was a quick read (listen) and it left me wanting to know more. In some cases that could be considered a good thing in this case, I don't feel like it is.

It's Stephen King

What made the experience of listening to Mile 81 the most enjoyable?

It's a Stephen King story....
It is just what you would expect from him.
A good story with some very weird stuff in it.

Two Serviceable King Tales

These two stories are perfect for quick listens. Both move quickly, and the eponymous story is action-filled.
Having said that, I much preferred the second feature, "Dune," a much quieter story with a growing sense of the sinister and a definite touch of O. Henry.
Recommended for Stephen King fans, particularly those who like his shorter fiction.

A delightfully tasty morsel

Mile 81 is fun, engrossing short story. Its only detraction is in wanting more, wanting King to take us down one avenue before ending it.

Mile 81

Would you listen to Mile 81 again? Why?

Yes, in a heart beat. Interesting story line that kept you wanting to go further into the characters and to see what would happen to them.

What did you like best about this story?

Never a dull moment

Have you listened to any of Edward Herrmann and Thomas Sadoski ???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes and they are the frosting on the cake. Combine a good story with these two reading it and you have the best cake ever!

If you could rename Mile 81, what would you call it?

Wouldn't change it.

Any additional comments?

A good read and would recommend it highly

MILE 81

I wasn't sure when it started if I would like it or not, but it was wonderful as per King always is. Great listen.

Demon Station Wagon vs. Good Samaritans

From The Onion Book of Knowledge, A Definitive Encyclopaedia of Existing Information: "Literature, written works considered to be of lasting artistic merit that represent humankind's struggle to understand its essential nature and also there is Stephen King. Literature generally takes the form of fiction, nonfiction, and Stephen King's fiction..."
Well said, Onion, well said.

Mile 81 could be tucked into any collection of King's short stories, very classic King, including his familiar shout-outs to some of his previous works. He had me already smiling when the "station wagon" pulls into the closed rest stop; and when the first Samaritan, with the King James Bible as his co-driver, "the ultimate insurance manual," pulls over to help the stranded vehicle, I was doing that wicked chuckle of the absurd mixed with macabre that only King can inspire. Just like his demon station wagon, King ignores boundaries and rules; nothing is off-limits, safe or sacred. This isn't the more demure or sophisticated King--it is *Classic Stephen King Fiction*. Station Wagon 6; Good Samaritans 0.

So?

Great short story, fun listen. However, this one ended with no answers. Maybe, the kids in the story don't know anything more...but a hint would have been entrancing.

Short yet satisfying

Two short stories - worth my time and coin. "Mile 81" takes a while to start, but it was quite satisfying in the end. I'll say the same for the other short story "The Dune."