The Mist (Previously Published as a Novella in 'Skeleton Crew')
by Stephen King
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen KingEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-02
ISBN: 0451223292
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Signet
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780451223296
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Mist (Previously Published as a Novella in 'Skeleton Crew')
Book Review: "I seem to be running out of hope, David."
Summary: 5 Stars
More a novella than a novel, THE MIST gets you right in the stones and once more makes you afraid of those creeping things in the dark. Originally published in the great horror anthology Skeleton Crew (Signet), this terrifying little slice of apocalypse in a supermarket has lost none of its knack for keeping you up late in the dark. Just another one of Stephen King's disquieting little babies.
After a strange storm, various New Englanders converge on a supermarket to replenish their supplies, even as a wall of eerie mist rolls into their unassuming town of Bridgton. All too soon the already uneasy shoppers realize that monsters lurk in the mist...
Sometimes Stephen King falls prey to diarrhea of the typewriter, and then his novels tend to get long and all over the place. Not so with this taut stomach-knotter. No frills, no narrative passages segueing into the fat of the story. THE MIST is strictly lean, the fear is a driving, relentless thing, even though the action sequences and the big boo moments aren't that constant (but, whew, when they do crop up!). What King does is constantly steep you in ominous imagery and a near palpable feeling of foreboding and desperation. You feel the gnawing panic and despair of the characters. When several succumb to hysteria or catatonia or to a just plain case of the crazy, King makes you feel you're right there with them, the progression is so natural. It's a character driven plot, something at which King excels, and so, even in the moments in which nothing much is happening, you still can't wrench your eyes away from the pages.
An interesting psychological study is presented, a societal mini-deconstruction, as the various store patrons separate into different clumps, from the Flat Earth skeptics to Mrs. Carmody's zealots to Dave Drayton's more grounded bunch. The Flat Earthers vigorously refuse to buy into their new and suddenly horrific reality, and, inevitably, this denial costs them. It's the creepy Mrs. Carmody ("There's a poisonous feel to that woman."), consumed by over-the-top religous fervor and predicting doom and gloom, who seems to be built to last in this end-of-the-world setting. Mrs. Carmody is at first pooh-poohed by the crowd. But, as things continue to fall apart and the isolated supermarket loses all contact with the outside world (is there even an outside world now?), she begins to steadily sway the frightened survivors. The main character is David Drayton, who narrates the Armageddon in first person, and his tiny circle comes off as the most sensible, for all the good that does...
There's no devil here, no main baddie, no evil personified, no Randall Flagg. There's really not that much of an explanation, only a theory espoused by David, who halfway believes that the local Army base's mysterious experiments are the source of the mist. This lack of certainty adds to that sense of disorientation the reader feels. Too, no one in this story is safe. Really, go in this one knowing that anyone can buy it at any time. THE MIST is also very bittersweet and sad. And that one thread of hope at the end seems too fragile to hang one's hopes on...
Read this, and see how Stephen King, who tends to write these convoluted, stretched-out novels, can craft short masterpieces when the muse slaps him upside the head. Dear lord, I love The Stand (Modern Classics) quite a bit, but there's something to be said for THE MIST and its brevity without losing its impact, its foray into grocery store madness, and its Lovecraftian horrors. 20 feet has never seemed a more scary distance to walk. But, if you're touting a tennis racket and a can of Black Flag insect repellent, well, then, you just might come out fine...or not.
By the way, I do agree that, instead of purchasing THE MIST, just shell out an extra buck more and get your hands on Skeleton Crew (Signet). Then not only do you still get this same story, but also bonus cheek-clenchers such as "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet," "Gramma," "The Jaunt," "The Monkey," and the pretty gross "Survivor Type."
More The Mist (Previously Published as a Novella in 'Skeleton Crew') reviews:
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Newest Review
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