The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

Stories

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, Dylan Baker, Brooke Bloom, Hope Davis, Kathleen Chalfant, Santino Fontana, Peter Friedman, Cotter Smith, Will Patton, Edward Herrmann, Frederick Weller, Mare Winningham, Craig Wasson, Thomas Sadoski, Tim Sample

Winner of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award

Includes the story “Premium Harmony”—set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine

The masterful #1 New York Times bestselling story collection from O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King that includes twenty-one iconic stories with accompanying autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each one.

For more than thirty-five years, Stephen King has dazzled readers with his genius as a writer of short fiction. In this collection, he introduces each story with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it.

As Entertainment Weekly said about this collection: “Bazaar of Bad Dreams isbursting with classic King terror, but what we love most are the thoughtful introductions he gives to each tale that explain what was going on in his life as he wrote it."

There are thrilling connections between stories; themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. In “Afterlife,” a man who died of colon cancer keeps reliving the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again. Several stories feature characters at the end of life, revisiting their crimes and misdemeanors. Others address what happens when someone discovers that he has supernatural powers—the columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries in “Obits;” the old judge in “The Dune” who, as a boy, canoed to a deserted island and saw names written in the sand, people who then died in freak accidents. In “Morality,” King looks at how a marriage and two lives fall apart after the wife and husband enter into what seems, at first, a devil’s pact they can win.

“I made these stories especially for you,” says King. “Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.”

Stories include:
-Mile 81
-Premium Harmony
-Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
-The Dune
-Bad Little Kid
-A Death
-The Bone Church
-Morality
-Afterlife
-Ur
-Herman Wouk Is Still Alive
-Under the Weather
-Blockade Billy
-Mister Yummy
-Tommy
-The Little Green God of Agony
-Cookie Jar
-That Bus Is Another World
-Obits
-Drunken Fireworks
-Summer Thunder

A Little Supernatural, Horror, and Insight

Stephen King likens himself to a midnight street vendor peddling his tales, and if nightmares are what you seek than his short story collection “Bazaar of Bad Dreams,” delivers. This is an eclectic collection of some old favorites and new consisting of some real-life horrors, amazing supernatural fantasy, and even poetry Stephen King style. What makes these stories even more interesting, especially the Audio version, is each story is preceded by a few words of insight and inspiration from the author himself.
The ensemble cast of narrators does a great job bringing each story to life; which may or may not be a good thing since they are from Stephen King..

How to get 100% Enjoyment from This "Book"

First off, believe the hype - this collection of short stories is worth your credit and more. I am thoroughly pleased with the stories and selection.

I am also very pleased to have little snippets between each story, told to us from Mr. King as well, because it really is great to hear his insight into his writing process, thought process and all of that.

The ONLY downfall (and the only reason i gave the Overall a 4 star) is that the comments on each story should come AFTER the story is finished. The reason is that he often gives away plot points, some minor - others major, about the story you are about to listen to. After the third or fourth time i decided to skip his comments and then come back to them after i listened to the story. It made the process much better and if the book audiobook was produced that way it would be 5 star for sure.

A short story/A kiss in the dark from a stranger

I'm no Annie Wilkes from Stephen King's "Misery" (1987), but I am a Fan with a capital 'F'. A friend once noticed that I've got an entire tall bookshelf dedicated to King. The books are arranged by publication order, although the Bachman books and King's collaboration with F-Stop Fitzgerald "Nightmares in the Sky" (1988) always look out of place. I put the anthologies like "The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year" (2008) and "The Complete Masters of Darkness" (1989) in a separate section.

King's short story collections can be great. I read and reread "Night Shift" (1978) so many times the front cover of the paperback fell off. Personal favorite? "The Mangler", but "Graveyard Shift" is a close second. Both are stories of blue collar jobs gone horribly awry. And "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" (1993)? I've practically got "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band" (1992) memorized. I pull the book down and revisit the story every October - along with "The Ten O'Clock People." I smoked for years and that story gives valor to a bad habit.

This collection is okay, but not great. I'd already read or listened to some of the most memorable stories in "The Bazaar of Bad Dreams" (2015). "Mile 81" (2011) was first published as a limited edition Kindle book, and I downloaded the App special to read it. I drive a lot and pass closed rest stops, and I carefully look at them as I drive by now. Examine them, in fact. "Blockade Billy" (2010) was a Cemetery Dance limited edition. Unavoidable complaint about the listen: the cover artwork for "Blockade Billy" is nostalgic and intriguing, and it's too bad it's not with the Audible edition. "The Dune" (2011) is one of the great stories in "The Bazaar of Bad Dreams." I had chills running from my stomach up, and my hair tried to stand itself on end.

I didn't like Ur (2009 ebook) the first time I tried to read it, and didn't like it any better as an Audible - but I did at least manage to get through it. I wish I'd liked "Obits" (2015) more than I did - it echoes of Dinky Earnshaw in "Everything's Eventual" (1997, short story; 2002, collection of short stories), and the Dinkster is an interesting if uncurious character. And "Herman Wouk is Still Alive" (2011)? I didn't think I'd liked it - but I can't stop thinking about it. It did win the 2011 Best Short Fiction Bram Stoker Award for a reason.

There's a bonus to the Audible edition that every true King Fan with a capital 'F' will love. The introduction to each story is read by King himself. If you want to be truly surprised by new stories, though, I recommend listening to his introduction afterwards. There's a different narrator for each story. Edward Herrmann performs Mile 81", and he's quite good - and so is Will Patton, as usual.

The title of the review paraphrases a quote from "Skeleton Crew" (1985), another collection of King's short stories.

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Glocks have "safe action" not a safety.

Glocks have "safe action" not a safety. The first story and "The Walking Dead" can't seem to get this right. Other than that fact great stories.

The creepatorium is open!

Awesome per usual Stephen King!!!!! Always fresh never frozen! I'd love to visit that brain!