Bazaar of Bad Dreams

3.14/5 (for reals -- I did the math!) This review refers to the audiobook version. The largest problem in this collection is that if you are a die-hard Stephen King fan, you are getting a lot here you already got elsewhere. Only 3 stories are truly new, though not all would have been read by all fans depending on their magazine subscriptions, but then again, if you are a die-hard Stephen King fan, you knew this going in. It is rather shocking how much is here that was already published elsewhere, but not all was available in easily obtainable audio versions and it is the audio here that makes this collection worthwhile even if you had already found your way to many of these stories in their written incarnations – though I would still only recommend it to those who are familiar with King's work since few of these stories number among his absolute best. However, for Stephen King fans, I think the audio is a must – King himself introduces each story with an anecdote and sometimes a bit more. He also reads one of the stories. The other narrators are also quite good, with the exception of Tim Sample who doesn't work for me – see more below. And for me, I still missed a lot of this work, so I appreciate the collection overall. THE STORIES Mile 81: Really just a poor-man's version of From a Buick 8. 3/5 (Ebook) Premium Harmony: Realistic tale giving one of glimpse inside a marriage. However, I missed some of the subtle beauty I think being distracted about the dog. 4/5 (New to me – New Yorker) Batman and Robin Have an Altercation: Affecting. 5/5 (Harper's) The Dune: Creepy, but sort of obvious, story. Really only works because it's from King. 3.5/5 (New to me) Bad Little Kid: This is literally a story about a little kid in a propeller hat wreaking havoc. Reminded me a lot of early King stories – particularly the ending. 3.5/5 (New) A Death: Will remind you of the Green Mile, sort of, but with a nice twist. 4/5 (New to me, the New Yorker). The Bone Church: A poem. I am not a fan of Stephen King as poet and this doesn't change my opinion one bit. Clunky. 1/5 (New to me – Playboy) Morality: A couple makes a devil's bargain. I thought it was obvious and the reactions wholly unrealistic, but maybe I am just a sicko. However, since the story hinges on concepts of morality and what happens when you abandon a moral code – articulated or unarticulated – the lack of realism here was bothersome. 2.5/5 (New to me – Esquire; also in some formats of Blockade Billy) Afterlife: It is about what it says it is about. Interesting. 4.5/5 (New to me – Tin House) UR: A lot of people seem to dislike this story about a man and a magical Kindle. I believe this was substantially re-written, but I don't have the patience to go back to the original (which I listened to as an audiobook) and find out. I like the story and it follows a typical Stephen King form – what I mean I guess is that absent an attribution to an author, people who have read Stephen King would know this is Stephen King. The appearance of the men in the long yellow coats is a great nod to the Dark Tower series and Hearts in Atlantis and for any fan of the Dark Tower, that bit alone should make this story a hit. It seems as if a lot of the hatred here was concerned with the idea that King sold out by writing a story just for Amazon. I really don't see why that is the evil in itself, but for those still put out by it, King gives a great indirect justification about his motivations for writing UR. 4/5 (Amazon) Herman Wouk is Still Alive: This was a moving story – another non-supernatural entry. However, I found the addition of the picnicking poets as counterpoint to the single mothers seemed a little forced. 4.8/5 (New to me – The Atlantic) Under the Weather: Eh. 3/5 (New to me) Blockade Billy: It's about baseball. I am obsessed with baseball. I may be biased here. 5/5 (Novella) Mr. Yummy: The descriptions of aging are well-done, but I thought the actual Mr. Yummy idea was sort of stupid. 3.5/5 (New) Tommy: Poem. Only made it halfway through. No Idea/5 The Little Green God of Agony: A study on pain and how much of it is real or just in one's head – or comes from somewhere else entirely. Nicely done. 4/5 (Book of Horrors) That Bus is Another World: 3.5/5 (New to me – Esquire) Obits: This reminds me of another Stephen King story, maybe a paler version of Everything's Eventual? Not sure, but it or something almost exactly like it has been done. 3/5 (New) Drunken Fireworks: The story is okay I guess, and it does have Maine going for it, but I just can't stand Tim Sample's reading of this story – it may have been intentional, but I couldn't help thinking the main character was intellectually challenged which made it uncomfortable to listen to. 2/5 (Audiobook) Summer Thunder: End of the world! 4/5 (Turn Down the Lights) Note: Shout-out to Shelby *Trains Flying Monkeys* from Goodreads for her review which I used for the original sources of these stories.