This collection of stories is typical King--you may not like every single one, but you're sure to find at least one that scares you and one that makes you laugh. My favorite was "Dolan's Cadillac," a chilling tale of painstakingly-plotted revenge. Also intriguing is "The 10 O'Clock People," a must-read for every smoker who has cut back but who just can't seem to quit completely.

What makes King's writing particularly effective is that he tells tales of common people (like you and me) experiencing extraordinary things. When you put this book down, you can't help but wonder if the same thing will happen to you.

Steven King wrote:
"When I was a kid I believed everything I was told, everything I read, and every dispatch sent out by my own overheated imagination. This made for more than a few sleepless nights, but it also filled the world I lived in with colors and textures I would not have traded for a lifetime of restful nights. I knew even then, you see, that there were people in the world--too many of them, actually--whose imaginative senses were either numb or completely deadened, and who lived in a mental state akin to colorblindness."

[ ADVISORY: Stories contain profanity and violence.]