'Full Dark, No Stars' by Stephen King
Stephen King is the ultimate horror novel writer in the world. Basically everything he writes turns to gold with each word that is printed on the page. Nobody can deny that he is an extraordinary sculptor of the written word, and not many people can top his skill. He is now over fifty years old and still churning out novels of substance (unlike certain writers who have teams of people writing novels for them and releasing two or three a year like they're Superman *cough* James Patterson *cough*).
While Stephen King is most famously known for his novels such as It and Carrie, he is also the master of the novellas. Throughout his career King has released many collections of short stories, but I honestly believe that Full Dark, No Stars is his best collection. What I think makes this collection so darn good is the reality of it. What King does in this collection is explore the human mind and get to the bottom of retribution. He has truly never done anything like this or to this extent (Lisey's Story comes close), and that makes this magical. Before I go on with the review, here is a short summary of each novella contained in the book.
1922 -
The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father.
A Good Marriage -
Darcy Anderson learns more about her husband of over twenty years than she would have liked to know when she stumbles literally upon a box under a worktable in their garage.
Big Driver -
Mystery writer, Tess, has been supplementing her writing income for years by doing speaking engagements with no problems. But following a last-minute invitation to a book club 60 miles away, she takes a shortcut home with dire consequences.
Fair Extension -
Harry Streeter, who is suffering from cancer, decides to make a deal with the devil but, as always, there is a price to pay.
1922 -
This novella was my second favorite of the collection. Arlette inherits her father's farm land and wants to sell it because she wants to move to the city where she feels at home. Her husband Wilfred is a farmer and wants to have the land because his farm is not what it once was. Tensions escalate, and Wilfred decides that the only way he can secure the land is to kill Arlette. Before he does it though, he has to convince his son Henry to go along with it and even partake in the murder. Henry is slowly won over, and they do the dirty deed. The rest of the novel shows how both Wilfred and Henry's lives are affected by what they did. King depicts how the murder eats away at them and slowly drives them to insanity. I really felt connected to Henry and I felt sad for how his life turned out. He was the real victim in this novel, and King created a connection between the characters and the reader that cannot be broken. This is definitely one of my favorite things King has written.
A Good Marriage -
3rd favorite. This one was kind of interesting, and if you liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo then you'll probably like this one. This novella explores how you can be married to someone for thirty years and not realize that they have a dark secret they've been hiding. Darcy finds out her husband's secret, and tormented by the facts, she decides to kill him because she does not want to hand him over to the police. She thinks she's in the clear, but the detective who had worked on a case related to her husband twenty years earlier realizes what she has done. Again, this is another very introspective novella, and it makes you think about what secrets your friends or loved ones might be hiding from you.
Big Driver -
Big Driver is my favorite novella of the novel, mainly because the main character of the story is a writer and that fact that it has such a sick and twisted plot line. Tess is driving home from a book signing, she gets a flat tire and Big Driver helps her out. Little does she know that this is all a ploy for Big Driver to rape her. The unfolding of this story is quite riveting and the revelations are very unexpected. I also really like it because it explores the trauma that women suffer after rape and what women should do in those situations. If you decide not to read the entire book, definitely take a look at this novella.
Fair Extension -
This novella was my least favorite. It lacked originality and was the shortest of the four. There was no real plot progression, and it was severly lackluster. It deals with the bargains people make with the Devil and what consequences that has on people's lives. I guess it's a good summation of the other three novellas in that it brings the whole subconscience together and slightly explores the supernatural. It just wasn't the best way to end the novel, but it still makes you think, which I guess was the point of King's book.
Overall, I would rate the book a 7 out of 10, and definitely recommend it to all of you. If you love Stephen King I know you will love this, and if you don't, check it out anyway. It's not your average King novel, but I think it is something everyone can relate to in some way.
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