The cover says it all……  *****

The master storyteller does not disappoint in this collection of short stories.  The picture on the cover, showing inside a man’s head, is probably what you would see if you could open Stephen King’s head. King does not make excuses for what he writes nor does he question where he gets his ideas, so you either like him or you don’t. I do.

The stories in this collection range from weird, chilling, and politically incorrect, to humorous. Stories like the Obits and Ur, could have come right out of the Twilight Zone. King shows his humor and insight into human nature in stories like The Little Green God of Agony and Drunken Fireworks. He even reveals his poetic side in The Bone Church. That Bus Is Another World is a story most of us can relate to as who has not seen a bus go by and wondered about the people inside? The final story, Summer Thunder, is a look at a possible end times scenario, that is probably more like what could be than most apocalyptic stories.

My only semi negative comment is in the story The Obits. King is writing a fake obit through the character, Michael Anderson, and lists people who died at 27 of drug abuse.  He lists Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. How could he leave out Jim Morrison?

The stories are all excellent, and I enjoyed them even more because of the introduction by King to each story. Giving insight about the background for each story and how he came to write it reveals how King’s mind works.  It was as if we could see inside his head.

This gets five stars and is highly recommended.