Listen free for 30 days
-
If It Bleeds
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Danny Burstein, Steven Weber
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Anthologies & Short Stories
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Outsider
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When an 11-year-old boy is found murdered, forensic evidence and reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town's popular Little League coach. But the jailed suspect, arrested in a public spectacle, has an alibi, and further research convinces Detective Ralph Anderson that the coach was indeed out of town. So how can he have been in two places at the same time?
-
-
The Outsider Stands Tall
- By Simon on 24-05-18
-
The Institute
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deep in the woods of Maine, there is a dark state facility where kids, abducted from across the United States, are incarcerated. In the Institute they are subjected to a series of tests and procedures meant to combine their exceptional gifts - telepathy, telekinesis - for concentrated effect. Luke Ellis is the latest recruit. He's just a regular 12-year-old, except he's not just smart, he's super-smart. And he has another gift which the Institute wants to use....
-
-
Another winner from The Master!
- By Kirsty on 17-09-19
-
Mr Mercedes
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Described as 'the best thriller of the year' Sunday Express, the No. 1 bestseller introduces retired cop Bill Hodges in a race against time to apprehend a killer. A cat-and-mouse suspense thriller featuring Bill Hodges, a retired cop who is tormented by 'the Mercedes massacre', a case he never solved. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of that notorious crime, has sent Hodges a taunting letter.
-
-
King on form yet again
- By T on 04-10-14
-
The Regulators
- By: Stephen King, Richard Bachman
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wentworth, Ohio: a small, friendly town where the Carver children bicker over sweets in the E-Z shop and writer Johnny Marinville is the only resident who minds his own business. On Poplar Street, apart from the impending storm, it's just a normal summer's day - with Frisbees flying, lawn mowers humming and barbeques grilling. As the paperboy makes his round, he is unaware of the chrome-red van idling up the hill....
-
-
Listen to this book but get Desperation first.
- By mustangclaire on 13-05-17
-
Elevation
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Castle Rock is a small town where word gets around quickly. That's why Scott Carey wants to confide only in his friend Doctor Bob Ellis about his strange condition: he's losing weight, without getting thinner, and the scales register the same when he is in his clothes or out of them, however heavy they are. Scott also has new neighbours, who have opened a 'fine dining experience' in town, although it's an experience being shunned by the locals; Deidre McComb and her wife, Missy Donaldson, don't exactly fit in with the community's expectations.
-
-
Pretty Long for a Short Book Cut Short!
- By Simon on 30-10-18
-
The Dead Zone
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: James Franco
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Johnny Smith. A young man whose streak of luck ends dramatically in a major car crash. Followed by blackness. A long, long time in cold limbo. When he wakes up, life has been turned upside down. His fiancée has met someone else. And Johnny is cursed with the power to perceive evil in men's souls. He's had these hunches since he had an ice-skating accident as a child. Now he has an ability to see into the future. An ability which will bring him into a terrifying confrontation with a charismatic, power-hungry and dangerous man....
-
-
The Bright Light of a Master Story-Teller!
- By Simon on 28-04-17
-
The Outsider
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When an 11-year-old boy is found murdered, forensic evidence and reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town's popular Little League coach. But the jailed suspect, arrested in a public spectacle, has an alibi, and further research convinces Detective Ralph Anderson that the coach was indeed out of town. So how can he have been in two places at the same time?
-
-
The Outsider Stands Tall
- By Simon on 24-05-18
-
The Institute
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deep in the woods of Maine, there is a dark state facility where kids, abducted from across the United States, are incarcerated. In the Institute they are subjected to a series of tests and procedures meant to combine their exceptional gifts - telepathy, telekinesis - for concentrated effect. Luke Ellis is the latest recruit. He's just a regular 12-year-old, except he's not just smart, he's super-smart. And he has another gift which the Institute wants to use....
-
-
Another winner from The Master!
- By Kirsty on 17-09-19
-
Mr Mercedes
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Described as 'the best thriller of the year' Sunday Express, the No. 1 bestseller introduces retired cop Bill Hodges in a race against time to apprehend a killer. A cat-and-mouse suspense thriller featuring Bill Hodges, a retired cop who is tormented by 'the Mercedes massacre', a case he never solved. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of that notorious crime, has sent Hodges a taunting letter.
-
-
King on form yet again
- By T on 04-10-14
-
The Regulators
- By: Stephen King, Richard Bachman
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wentworth, Ohio: a small, friendly town where the Carver children bicker over sweets in the E-Z shop and writer Johnny Marinville is the only resident who minds his own business. On Poplar Street, apart from the impending storm, it's just a normal summer's day - with Frisbees flying, lawn mowers humming and barbeques grilling. As the paperboy makes his round, he is unaware of the chrome-red van idling up the hill....
-
-
Listen to this book but get Desperation first.
- By mustangclaire on 13-05-17
-
Elevation
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Castle Rock is a small town where word gets around quickly. That's why Scott Carey wants to confide only in his friend Doctor Bob Ellis about his strange condition: he's losing weight, without getting thinner, and the scales register the same when he is in his clothes or out of them, however heavy they are. Scott also has new neighbours, who have opened a 'fine dining experience' in town, although it's an experience being shunned by the locals; Deidre McComb and her wife, Missy Donaldson, don't exactly fit in with the community's expectations.
-
-
Pretty Long for a Short Book Cut Short!
- By Simon on 30-10-18
-
The Dead Zone
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: James Franco
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Johnny Smith. A young man whose streak of luck ends dramatically in a major car crash. Followed by blackness. A long, long time in cold limbo. When he wakes up, life has been turned upside down. His fiancée has met someone else. And Johnny is cursed with the power to perceive evil in men's souls. He's had these hunches since he had an ice-skating accident as a child. Now he has an ability to see into the future. An ability which will bring him into a terrifying confrontation with a charismatic, power-hungry and dangerous man....
-
-
The Bright Light of a Master Story-Teller!
- By Simon on 28-04-17
-
Desperation
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 21 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to Desperation. Once a thriving copper-mining town in the middle of the Nevada desert, Desperation is now eerily abandoned. It's the last place that travellers like the Carver family, bound for vacation, and writer Johnny Marinville, astride his Harley, would expect to be stopped and charged. But Desperation still has a local cop - a unique regulator who patrols the wilderness highway. The secrets buried in Desperation are as terrifying as the forces summoned to encounter them.
-
-
AMAZING
- By Glen on 21-07-17
-
Skeleton Crew
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Dana Ivey, David Morse, Frances Sternhagen, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hold tight. We are going into a number of dark places, but I think I know the way. Just don't let go of my arm.... Unrivalled master of suspense Stephen King takes the unsuspecting listener on a fantastic journey through the dark shadows of our innermost fears.
-
-
Mixed bag, but worth revisiting
- By 451 on 12-09-16
-
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Matthew Broderick, Stephen King, Tim Curry, and others
- Length: 26 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A star-studded cast of readers presents unabridged tales of horror and suspense from master storyteller Stephen King. The Stephen King Amusement Park - an unnerving experience, with rides every which way to hell...and a few to glory. A solitary finger pokes out of a drain. Novelty teeth turn predatory. The Nevada desert swallows a Cadillac. Meanwhile, the legend of Castle Rock returns...and grows on you. What does it all mean? What else could it mean?
-
-
The soul of wit
- By Barbara on 04-11-17
-
11.22.63
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 30 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What if you could go back in time and change the course of history?11.22.63, the date that Kennedy was shot - unless.... King takes his protagonist Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, 2011, on a fascinating journey back to 1958 - from a world of mobile phones and iPods to a new world of Elvis and JFK, of Plymouth Fury cars and Lindy Hopping, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill who becomes the love of Jake's life.
-
-
Return to top form
- By John on 14-12-11
-
Needful Things
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 25 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There was a new shop in town. Run by a stranger. Needful Things, the sign said. The oddest name. A name that caused some gossip and speculation among the good folks of Castle Rock, Maine, while they waited for opening day. Eleven-year-old Brian Rusk was the first customer and he got just what he wanted, a very rare 1956 Sandy Koufax baseball card. Signed. Cyndi Rose Martin was next. A Lalique vase. A perfect match for her living room decor. Something for everyone.
-
-
On the whole, good...
- By T. Norman on 19-09-12
-
Devoted
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken a word in his eleven years of life. Not when his father died in a freak accident. Not when his mother, Megan, tells him she loves him. For Megan, keeping her boy safe and happy is what matters. But Woody believes a monstrous evil was behind his father’s death and now threatens him and his mother. And he’s not alone in his thoughts. An ally unknown to him is listening.
-
-
A doggy tale
- By Kindle Customer on 08-04-20
-
The Shining
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Campbell Scott
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions grow out of control. As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217, and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive?
-
-
A classic horror novel
- By Steve on 03-10-13
-
Bag of Bones
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Mike Noonan's wife dies unexpectedly, the bestselling author suffers from writer's block. Until he is drawn to his summer home, the beautiful lakeside retreat called Sara Laughs. Here Mike finds the once familiar town in the tyrannical grip of millionaire Max Devore. Devore is hell-bent on getting custody of his deceased son's daughter and is twisting the fabric of the community to this purpose. Three year old Kyra and her young mother turn to Mike for help. And Mike finds them increasingly irresistible.
-
-
Perfect! Well read and a great story.
- By Paula on 17-09-16
-
Revival
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: David Morse
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a small New England town, in the early '60s, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. Then tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, the preacher curses God, mocking all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town. Jamie has demons of his own. In his mid-30s, he is living a nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll. Addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate, he sees Jacobs again....
-
-
Kept me hooked
- By Jennifer on 17-07-15
-
Different Seasons
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 19 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this classic collection of four novellas, the grand master takes you on irresistible journeys into the far reaches of horror, heartache and hope. 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption' is the story of two men convicted of murder - one guilty, one innocent - who form the perfect partnership as they dream up a scheme to escape from prison. In 'Apt Pupil' a golden schoolboy entices an old man with a past to join in a dreadful union.
-
-
Great value!
- By james Moynihan on 23-09-18
-
The Stand
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 47 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First came the days of the plague. Then came the dreams. Dark dreams that warned of the coming of the dark man. The apostate of death, his worn-down boot heels tramping the night roads. The warlord of the charnel house and Prince of Evil. His time is at hand. His empire grows in the west and the Apocalypse looms. For hundreds of thousands of fans who read The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift.
-
-
a key Stephen King title
- By karen on 13-08-12
-
Everything's Eventual
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Arliss Howard, Becky Ann Baker, Boyd Gaines, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this eerie, enchanting compilation, Stephen King takes listeners down a road less travelled (for good reason) in the gripping 'Riding the Bullet'. Terror becomes déjà vu all over again when you get 'That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French'. 'LT's Theory of Pets' will make you stop and think before giving a dog to a loved one. And there are 11 more stories that will keep you awake until dawn.
-
-
amazing book!!!
- By Claudia Khatri on 06-05-17
Summary
A collection of four uniquely wonderful long stories, including a stand-alone sequel to the number-one best seller The Outsider.
News people have a saying: 'If it bleeds, it leads'. And a bomb at Albert Macready Middle School is guaranteed to lead any bulletin.
Holly Gibney of the Finders Keepers detective agency is working on the case of a missing dog - and on her own need to be more assertive - when she sees the footage on TV. But when she tunes in again, to the late-night report, she realises there is something not quite right about the correspondent who was first on the scene. So begins If It Bleeds, featuring the incomparable Holly on her first solo case - and also the riveting title story in Stephen King's brilliant new collection.
Dancing alongside are three more wonderful long stories from this 'formidably versatile author' (Sunday Times) - 'Mr Harrigan's Phone', 'The Life of Chuck' and 'Rat'. All four display the richness of King's storytelling with grace, humour, horror and breathtaking suspense. A fascinating author's note gives us a wonderful insight into the origin of each story and the writer's unparalleled imagination.
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about If It Bleeds
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Abrar
- 30-04-20
Good story, shame I couldn't continue
*** SPOILER ALERT *** I wasn’t sure if I should write this review but wanted to share my thoughts. I’ve read King’s works when I was younger and have recently been rediscovering them. I quite liked this story, having listened to The Outsider audio book. I then came across something that I found offensive. There’s a part where a character in a vulnerable position is described as ‘Muslim woman about to begin Isha’. I think it’s bad taste to draw such a parallel. I still have a lot of respect for this author. In his writing, you get a sense of the kinds of evil corrupt people justify with religion. I’m glad that he does this. But a Muslim woman who chooses to pray is not the same as a terrified woman who has soiled herself cowering on the floor. P.S. Isha is the last prayer of the day for Muslims. From the description, she could crudely be described as prostrating. The Arabic word for that is Sujud.
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ulla
- 13-05-20
Good story but terrible narrator.
As usual, Stephen King writes a really good story, but I had to give up halfway through because I cannot stand listening to Will Patton. I must remember not to buy books that he narrates. Nobody but nobody speaks the way he does when he narrates.
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rayed
- 09-05-20
A narrating dream team
I don't need to go into detail about how good this book is I mean Stephen king wrote it. What really added to the book value is the dream team narrator cast. Each narrator was smartly selected to each story and it was a very entertaining listen. Thank you for everyone who worked in the production.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- papapownall
- 25-04-20
Four great stories from Stephen King
I have to admit first of all that it is a long time since I have read anything by Stephen King. I have watched a few of the film adaptations of some of his famous books though. Having a spare credit this month and seeing this new release I thought I would give it a go. And I am glad that I did as this is a collection of four shortish stories all of which are great. No spoilers but here is an overview of each 1, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone in which a young boy introduces an old man to the joys of an early edition iPhone resulting in mysterious events 2. The LIfe of Chuck which is set in the near future and reminds me of a Black Mirror episode 3. If it Bleeds which is, apparently, a sequel to an earlier work Outsiders and tells the story of links between certain mass casualties over a 60 year period 4. Rat, my favourite of all in which a struggling author is haunted by a talking rat (Norwegian Brown) These are all unique and compelling and I will certainly go back and explore more of Stephen King's back catalogue on the strength of these stories.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- steven booth
- 04-05-20
Superb
Love Mr Kings lastest output. And this is up there with the outsider. Will patton narration kept me hooked. Best thing about lock down I could listen to this till the early hours. 10/10
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 15-06-20
Brilliant ... as always.
Another great book from S. King. Loved If it Bleeds. More from Holly please. Tnx
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Fair Play
- 28-05-20
Stories are Fine. Narration So-So.
I must confess it’s some time since I read any Stephen King. I read a friend’s review of this book and thought ‘yes.’ I was put off by the extraordinary (and ridiculous) price of the Kindle but serendipity came to the rescue – I had a credit for Audible so started listening to the audiobook version. I am going to tackle this review in stages: one story at a time starting off with Mr. Harrigan’s Phone in which a young boy introduces an old man to the joys of an early edition iPhone resulting in mysterious events. I enjoyed it. It did lag a bit for me when Craig, the main character, went off to middle school, then it picked up the thread again once he went to senior high. I nearly used ‘pace’ rather than ‘thread.’ That would be wrong because the story is quite pedestrian but nevertheless fascinating owing to the master’s storytelling expertise. I just love his prose and some of SK’s metaphors are outstandingly funny. The narrator was excellent too bringing to life Craig, his dad, and old Mr. Harrigan. What struck me more than anything else about this story was King making his points about the wide-ranging effects gadgets, and the Internet have had on society. He makes those points astutely and through his mastery of words, and his characters, he points out the internet is like a gushing water main but gushing information, not water. Now, poor Mr. Harrigan was amazed at this especially when he knew it was all for free. His business acumen found it hard to comprehend. Harrigan was thinking people get conditioned to ‘free.’ It’s not a good thing. [Note: this was before paywalls, subscriptions, and things like adverts on YouTube]. To be continued. Part Two The Life of Chuck First thing to notice is I have deducted a star from my rating because this second story ... well ... I just didn't 'get it.' It seems like three or four short stories all cobbled together in some kind of weirdly experimental style. Sorry, Mr. King, it doesn't work for me no matter you are such a talented writer. Once more, I liked the narration (different narrator, I think), and the prose is sometimes exceptional, almost poetic at times. To be continued ... Part Three If It Bleeds Yes, I did enjoy the story and it was my first encounter with the character Holly Gibney. I really must go on to read the The Outsider. One big criticism though. I did not like the male narrator's take on Holly. His "breathless" slightly higher-pitched voice was both rubbish and distracting from the story. I find this amazing because you would think SK's publisher would be able to find a good male/female narration team. Just started the final story, 'The Rat,' and it sounds good to me. One final thought before I conclude with Part Four after finishing the book, this audiobook does nothing to promote audiobooks. I would rather have read it than listened because in that way I could have heard Holly in my own head as opposed to a pantomime dame impersonation by the narrator. Part Four Finished 'The Rat.' I did enjoy it and do think it was possibly the best of all. It was conventional, well written and well narrated with undertones of the 'Shining.' I really liked SK's style in this one as for me, he strives in other stories, and at odd times to show us how clever he is. It irks me as it's not necessary. Conclusion: Overall 4 Stars for the stories. Three Stars for narration. It's put me off renewing my Audible subscription. I'll stick with eBooks and print in future. Side note: It took me so long to finish as I was distracted by the 'Outlander' series on Netflix. Loved it!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ella
- 13-05-20
All-male cast faking women's voices... really?
King is brilliant, he always is. So 5 stars for the story (in this case stories), and since story is what counts most of all, still 4 stars overall. But what's with the alll-male cast of narrators, faking the voices of female protagonists with irritatingly high pitched 'voices'? Bit like fingernails scratching over chalkboards. No actual women available for this job? Really? Such a shame, this could have been so much better.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 25-10-20
Short Stories
Really well narrated and most of the stories where good, but not sure if I would pick short stories again. I prefer picking a book up and staying with the characters till the end, not have to start to embrace new ones every few hrs of listening.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kaolin Maia Cash
- 10-06-20
Something for Everyone (no spoilers)
I would not say this is the best, cleverest, or even newest Stephen King publication-date notwithstanding-but I would say that it is a must-read for both new and Constant readers alike. First of all, I'm giving it five stars because it checks all the boxes of a good Stephen King release: - Culturally 'ept' - Spooky as all heck - Exploratory - Well written - Fun! To the new reader: These are four really good stories that will introduce you to the world of Stephen King. Stop reading this review now, enjoy the book, read a few more, then come back to this review if you even have the capacity to remember ;) To the Constant Reader: This has a bunch of stories that are a return to form for a god of horror, and there'll be something for you in here. If you aren't affected by any of them, you'll still enjoy reading each. This is not the quintessential King story, because there is no such thing; they each bring something new to the table, and this is four stories, each of which brings a different tupperware dish of maybe mac and cheese, potato salad, or some other traditional dish to the "Fun-neral". This is the quintessential King package. It has something for everyone who could possibly, in any world, like anything by Stephen King. The first of the four stories, Mr. Harrigan's Phone, reminded me a lot of the project I've been working on myself, a sort of "technology-gone-bad" tale. I'm not new to the horror scene; think of me as someone who scarfs down a vindaloo like it's a bhuna, so this story did not scare me. It did, however, make me really damn curious and I desperately want to know more after finishing it. Immediately after it ended, I paused the audiobook and went to read people's comments on it online. I'm a sucker for something spiritually-mechanical and no matter how much is elucidated in the text, I NEED to know more! The first of the four stories, Mr. Harrigan's Phone, reminded me a lot of the project I've been working on myself, a sort of "technology-gone-bad" tale. I'm not new to the horror scene; think of me as someone who scarfs down a vindaloo like it's a bhuna, so this story did not scare me. It did, however, make me really damn curious and I desperately want to know more after finishing it. Immediately after it ended, I paused the audiobook and went to read people's comments on it online. I'm a sucker for something spiritually-mechanical and no matter how much is elucidated in the text, I NEED to know more! The second, "The Life of Chuck", was my least favourite of the four. This is not because it was bad, but because it was the least succulent flavour to me as a consumer of horror and fantasy. It's the most high-concept of the four, though that's not really saying much; they're all completely accessible, and none use any particularly frivolous concepts, it's just a sort of "what if" brain-think story. I think the reason I didn't like this one so much was because it's something I've thought about and dismissed on my own time, so hearing King's rendition of what I thought of as a tired trope(by no means has this been fully explored by media, though shows like Black Mirror do a good job) didn't grip me as much as it perhaps could have done if I were just... someone else! "If It Bleeds", the collection's namesake, feels like a lovely return to form since the somewhat lackluster (but still worth reading!!) "The Institute" didn't grip me. I really, really, REALLY enjoyed "The Outsider", and its successor was well chosen to be the eponymous story. I loved getting back to Holly Gibney's world, and while at first I was happy to listen to what felt to me like an epilogue to "The Outsider", I was drawn in to something much more than that, more than the sum of its parts; it's an exploration of its characters and its world, a deeper dive into Holly's experience as a person, and her experiences as an investigator. I listened to this while converting my attic, and I can barely remember doing it. All I remember is being next to the elevator in the Frederick building, mentally biting my nails. What a fantastic several hours I spent listening to this one! What I first thought was a bonus chapter turned into a sequel, then more. While shorter than "The Outsider", it was well-paced and utterly thrilling. I had a literal yell-out-loud-while-driving-screws-into-the-attic-hatch moment toward the end, which may or may not have startled my housemate. Finally, "Rat" was the story that affected me the most. It shares many similarities with "The Shining". I found this rather amusing, as it's narrated by Stephen Weber in the audiobook version--Weber portrayed the only onscreen Jack Torrance that matters (The Shining - miniseries, 1997, screenplay by Stephen King). I wasn't impressed at first. Almost out of spite, because it felt like he was using tropes to shoehorn a fourth story in here. What this story actually is is an exploration of said tropes, and an expansion of them. It's comfortable to listen to at first, you get drawn in and--in fact, several parts reminded me of Salem's Lot. The fallen trees in rural Maine, for example, which make me feel like I'm entering familiar territory, tricked me into thinking King was retreading old ground. While I could more or less figure out what was happening next, it was powerful as an exploration of what it means to write, and write well. This one really got to me. I was in the shower at one point, hangover headache pulsating as I listened to Weber tell me of the protagonist's plight while trying to write his novel, struggling to pick the right words, and I felt like I was being personally talked down to by King; my own stories suffer in similar ways, and it genuinely upset me to think I may not be able to finish one without the help of some supernatural occurance! While it wasn't my favourite of the four stories (hands down, that honour goes to "If It Bleeds", though my favourite 'flavour' is "Mr. Harrigan's Phone"), it was the one that turned me inside out and made me look at myself long and hard. No matter what kind of horror you like best--Supernatural, Metaphysical, Mechanical, Magical, or most importantly, PERSONAL--this collection is quintessential in that there will certainly be something here to grip you, and what doesn't /exactly/ tickle your horror bone will still be... Fun!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kelly Broomhall
- 18-11-20
Mostly Great
Very enjoyable stories! The only thing is Will Patton's narration. It's mostly fine but I hate, and have always hated, his narration of Holly Gibney. Like why does he make her talk in such a weird cadence? Very off-putting. Anyway, The Life of Chuck is especially great.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Yumna
- 01-09-20
stephen king does it again
Brilliant, lapped up every minute of it. The stories, the narrators, it simply works. Can't wait for the next stephen king ride.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 07-05-20
Great little book(s)
Loved the first one, could see this being creepier branching into something else later. Enjoyed hearing another adventure with Holly. Thankyou Mr King :)
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Edith Soosaar
- 24-04-20
Modeller and dark dark dark
Is Stephen King a reincarnation of Cassandra or very sceptical person? Who cares. It's brilliant.