Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume I

Well, for whatever reason, there is no list of stories on any of the three Nightmares and Dreamscapes downloads. Anyway, I downloaded this one, Vol I, and to help future shoppers, here is the story list, in order, for this volume.

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN, read by Whoopie Goldberg.

CROUCH END, read by Tim Curry.

RAINY SEASON, read by Yeardley Smith. (If you are a Simpson's fan, you will recognize the voice of this reader. For me, a horror story read to me by Lisa Simpson isn't a horror story. I laughed more than anything! Don't get me wrong, I adore Yeardley Smith, however, this was not a story for her talents.)

DOLAN'S CADILLAC, read by Rob Lowe. (This one is my favorite story of the lot.)

THE HOUSE ON MAPLE STREET, read by Tabitha King.

UMNEY'S LAST CASE, read by ???

HEAD DOWN, read by Stephen King.

BROOKLYN AUGUST, read by ???

As with any collection of short stories, everyone's tastes will be different. Dolan's Cadillac is the reason I downloaded this volume. I remember reading this one YEARS ago and thought is was one of Mr. Kings best non-horror stories he had written to date. The other stories are very good as well, but for me, a couple of them are quite forgettable. Bottom line; if you are a Stephen King fan, you will enjoy this download.

I'm not a "BIG" book reader. Short stories are my cup of tea. This collection is awesome. Although I'm not a long story reader, I find myself reading 4,5 and sometime 6 stories at a pop. The second most popular book in the house!

I originally bought these books on tape years ago and used to listen to them on my commutes, but I've since lost them and none of my cars accept tapes anymore anyway! I was thrilled to see them on audible.com and plan to download all three volumes -- some of the best short stories ever written.

Have to disagree with the reviewer who said that "Head Down" was boring and didn't belong in this anthology. It was exciting, uplifting, and extremely well-written. The first time I heard it I was skeptical to see if King's exceptional horror writing abilities would translate well in a non-fiction story about baseball, but I was not disappointed. King could have written for Sports Illustrated....I don't know why I ever doubted him.

Some of my other favorites include: Night Flier (great story with a great narrator who really brings out the cynicism of the protagonist), Umney's Last Case (outstanding narrator you really believe is a private eye during The Great Depression), Popsy (evil story that actually makes you root for the vampire, Joe M does a great job with it too), Dedication (Weird and almost lewd story, but well told. I love that woman's voice; she's so versatile), and It Grows On You (King's voice took some getting used to, but the descriptions in his adjectives and his allusions really make you feel like you're in Castle Rock.)

I thoroughly enjoyed all these stories and if you stumbled upon them in your search here, I'm sure you will too. Nightmares and Dreamscapes is a MUST HAVE for any Stephen King fan!

I owned these three volumes on tape, and I am thrilled to see them on audible. The narration is engaging, and the story telling is excellent.

The stories might be all right but it hardly matters because the comically horrible musical track that plays at random intervals drowning out the speaker. The separate volumes of this book are overpriced considering how short they are. Adding insult to injury, the last few hours of the first volume are taken up by a boring baseball essay. That last bit brought me right back to my childhood, standing in the outfield ripping the grass out of the ground, waiting for hours for the torture to end.

I read these stories a long time ago. I thoroughly enjoyed them. Dolon's Cadillac was a favorite back then and I still like it. I don't remember Crouch End in the original book, but I liked it (as read by Tim Curry) as well. All the stories are good, these two just really stand out for me.

I enjoyed this more than I thought. I like Stephen King stories but not all of them. These, for the most part, are very good. Several great narrators. I liked most of them - eerie, interesting listens. Sorry to say this but the last story read by King himself, was not very good - long little league story that just was well, not interesting. Overall, worth the listen.

It will keep you entertained, but its not King's most creative work. The narrators are very expressive and keep the stories at a good pace. Satisfying and interesting.

I liked the stories and even the baseball essay even though I'm not a baseball fall. The reader of "Umney's Last Stand" was spot on while the one for "Rainy Season" sounds like she's on helium.

This volume contains many of the best stories from "Nightmares & Dreamscapes," and also features the best (or in some cases, "the least bad") readers.