Review: Full Dark, No Stars

2010

By Stephen King

Full Dark, No Stars is a collection of four novellas by Stephen King, and so each one must be discussed individually.

"1922" - an account told by a man who has just murdered his wife. It is grisly, and horrifying, and really quite creepy; it led me to wonder what was real and what was just the character being driven crazy by guilt. Fantastically written, and really stayed with me.

"Big Driver" - A revenge story where a woman who gets raped decides not to go to the police. I've read some reviewers who really didn't like this one. I thought it was okay, but not great.

"Fair Extension" - Cancer patient makes a deal with a devil-like figure where he gets better but his lifelong friend, who he hates, has everything terrible happen to him. Interesting, especially how heartless the main character becomes.

"A Good Marriage" - A woman learns her husband's dark secret and has to decide what to do with this information. I really liked this one; I understood her motivations and the ending was nice.

In conclusion: wonderful collection of novellas. I need to read the other collections of his; they say he's his best in novella format, and these did not disappoint.

Grade: B+/A-

Or, you know, you could just go read Neal Gaiman's review for this book.