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

Great short story

Would you listen to Mile 81 again? Why?

I wouldn't listen again. The story is short and I will not forget it.

What did you like best about this story?

King delights in this short story. As always...creepy and awesome!

What does Edward Herrmann and Thomas Sadoski bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is the first book I have listened too all the way through. I thought the kids voices were a bit too much, but over all a good listen.

If you could take any character from Mile 81 out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The car. I need to know it's story!

Great Story Poor Performance

What did you love best about Mile 81?

Mile 81 is a good short story, sure there are better King has out there but it's written well and moves quickly. King can always take something as basic as a car and make it super creepy, just wish the performance would live up to the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mile 81?

Cars going crunch crunch on humans, what's not to love?

What three words best describe Edward Herrmann and Thomas Sadoski ’s performance?

This is a story that has SO much creepy potential but Thomas Sadoski manages to make it sound like he's reading what paint would sound like drying. Seriously, this was quite possibly the worst person ever to read a King book! Edward Herman's reading was a delight! Wish he had read Mile 81 rather than Sadoski, would have made it great!

A Fun Listen

This was a fun listen. The mile 81 story was pretty good, but of the two, I really preferred The Island, both for the story and the narration. Worth a listen if you have just a couple hours to kill.

Typical Stephen King on autopilot

Stop me if you've heard this one: an evil car that can do things on its own. That's right - this was the inspiration for Bumblebee. All kidding aside, Mile 81 isn't a bad story, and while it explores similar topics to Stand by Me, Christine, and From a Buick 8, it does so in its own way. If you like Stephen King, you've already found a way to make piece with his retreading of old ground, so you will probably enjoy this one too. I can't vouch for The Dunes - I recall being disappointed by it, but YMMV

Didn't like Ending

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It's a short story but I would have liked it to have an ending

Would you recommend Mile 81 to your friends? Why or why not?

No, because it did not have an ending

Did Edward Herrmann and Thomas Sadoski do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, the differienation was obvious

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

NO

You can't go wrong with Stephen King

I soooo enjoy this book. Found my self listening to it again. Hope you like it as much as I did.

auto bite

Mile markers hold new meaning. Rest stops too. Sometimes you find things for reasons not immediately obvious. Loved it. 3rd reading.

This chiller took me a ride :)

Where does Mile 81 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really enjoyed Mile 81. Great narration, and I didn't have to put forth any effort to be carried along with the story.

What did you like best about this story?

Like many of King's stories, this one will also connect to your youth. I found it easy to relate to the characters and smiled often remembering doing many of those same things.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely

Any additional comments?

Great job! I listen to audio books most everyday while I work. Aside from a great form of self hypnosis, a great audio book will draw you in and transport you.

Jesus Rice Crispies Christ It's a Classic!

Would you listen to Mile 81 again? Why?

Boo-ya yes! Both stories (Mile 81 and Dune) are classic SK stories, short enough to listen to during a daily walk or while doing housework. When I heard "Jesus Rice Crispies Christ" in Mile 81 I just cracked up laughing. This book had me wondering, gasping, laughing, and feeling I was given a good book for my buck.
The first story regards three kids, a preacher, an ex- mud wrestler, a horse, a couple well off enough to own an Expedition, and a couple of cops.
The second story regards a retired judge, a Will, and writing in the sand.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mile 81?

The title of my review says it all...

Which scene was your favorite?

Slurp, slurp, pop. I won't provide any spoilers in my reviews!

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

I wouldn't !

Any additional comments?

A narrator’s performance can either make listening to a book a great experience or totally ruin the book all together. I was pleasantly surprised with both of these guys telling me the story of Mile 81.

Nailed it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I always recommend Stephen King to my friends. King, to me, is one of our most critically underrated American storytellers, even though he is a massive commercial success.

What did you like best about this story?

I've read a lot of King's body of work, but, I have come to get more and more excited with what he's written at this point in his life. Unlike some popular authors, he really seems to try to constantly improve his skills as an author and storyteller, always trying new ground rather than resting on his laurels. This was yet another crisp, well constructed short story by a short story master. Maybe what I liked best his how, in this short space, he surprised me. Without being specific as to spoil it for other readers, I'll just point out that you cannot take anything for granted. He'll pull the rug out from under your feet ... then do it again. And you can imagine him laughing at his keyboard while writing it.

Which character ??? as performed by Edward Herrmann and Thomas Sadoski ??? was your favorite?

Pete Simmons is the heart of the story. Not unlike Steven Spielberg, King does the perspective from a child's view very well. He never talks down to Pete, yet also does not idealize him. He's a real kid, but King finds in him his moment to shine.

Any additional comments?

I cannot imagine missing a new King creation, no matter what form it is, but a short story? Never. This is HIS format, no modern popular author can compete with King on this.