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You Like It Darker

You Like It Darker

Short storySeveral booksHorrorMystery
Pages
512
Published
2024
Language
English

Synopsis

Stephen King presents a new collection of stories that delve into the darker aspects of life. From a psychic flash that upends lives to a grieving widower's unexpected inheritance with major strings attached, these tales explore the thrills, joys, and mysteries found in the shadows. King reminds us that even a life marked by tragedy can hold meaning, inviting readers to experience the exhilaration of leaving the ordinary behind.

Prose complexity
3/10

Vibe

DarkTenseAtmosphericThought-Provoking
Morally GreyMultiple POVsMystery BoxSacrifice

Genres

Horror Mystery Thriller Fantasy Short Stories Psychological Thriller

About the author

S
Stephen King

Stephen King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author whose work has defined popular horror fiction for more than half a century. Born in Portland, Maine, he grew up in poverty after his father abandoned the family, and credits his mother's resilience and a voracious reading habit as the foundations of his imagination. He began selling short stories to men's magazines while working as a high school English teacher, and published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974—his wife Tabitha retrieved...

Characters

Danny CoughlinProtagonist

A man whose sudden, vivid dream sets off a chain of unnerving consequences for everyone around him.

Vic TrentonProtagonist

A grieving widower who returns to Florida decades after the events of Cujo and inherits a dangerous legacy from a troubled neighbor.

Laird CarmodyProtagonist

A retired author from Harlow, Maine, whose sudden mid-life literary success is tied to a lifelong secret shared with his friend Butch LaVerdiere.

Allie BellSupporting

An elderly widow on Rattlesnake Key who lost her twin sons to snakebites decades earlier and still speaks to their spirits.

Butch LaVerdiereSupporting

Laird Carmody's lifelong friend, a visual artist who experienced his own sudden creative breakthrough in his mid-forties.

All characters in You Like It Darker

Frequently asked questions

  • What is You Like It Darker?

    Published in May 2024 by Scribner, You Like It Darker is a collection of twelve Stephen King stories, several of them previously unpublished novellas. Individual stories first appeared in outlets including Esquire, Harper's Magazine and McSweeney's. The title reworks Leonard Cohen's song "You Want It Darker" and comes from King's own afterword, where he writes: "You like it darker? Fine, so do I."

  • Which stories in You Like It Darker have received the most attention?

    "The Answer Man" (a mysterious roadside stranger who will answer any question, at a price), "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" (a psychic dream with far-reaching consequences), "Rattlesnakes" (a long-awaited sequel to Cujo, following Vic Trenton to Florida), and "The Dreamers" (a Lovecraftian story tied to King's novel Revival) are frequently cited in reviews.

  • Is You Like It Darker a good starting point for King's short fiction?

    It is current and accessible but not necessarily the best entry point. Readers new to King's short fiction would get a wider range from Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, or Everything's Eventual. You Like It Darker is best appreciated by readers who already know what King does well—it plays to his strengths without introducing them. Long-term readers have cited it as one of his strongest late-career short work collections.

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