I am a huge Stephen King fan and can’t even name a book that I haven’t loved. Sure I have read a few that weren’t his usual style but they were always very well written and enjoyable. I like every one of his books. Some better than others of course, but I have always liked them.
When I heard there was a new book by Stephen King I couldn’t wait to read it, then I heard it was an audio book. Well, that slowed me down a bit. I have never listened to an audio book before and wasn’t sure what I would think about it. When I came across the title in my local library I felt that I had to pick it up, after all I was trying it for free. Who could pass up a Stephen King story for free? So I checked the book out and brought it home.
Of course I had to wait until my children were in bed to listen to the book because Stephen King is a bit too mature for my 8 year old and 3 year old triplets. This usually wouldn’t be a problem because I could curl up in the corner of the couch and get all cozy with my book while the children played on the floor, only this wasn’t a book it was tapes. So as soon as they were in bed around 8:00 pm I put the first tape in and got ready for an entertaining night.
I was soon to be surprised by what I heard. Nothing exciting that is for sure. Stephen King’s style of reading makes the stories hard to follow. He has a monotone voice through most of it. There are parts of the book in which he tries to change his voice to suite the different characters but never really accomplishes what he is going for. At first I couldn’t follow at all. The only thing I could do is think, ’’This is Stephen King?’’ He certainly didn’t sound too scary, in fact he didn’t sound anything like I had imagined. The problem with hearing a book instead of reading it is that you just can’t continue to imagine anymore, you are stuck with what you actually hear. I think the audio cassettes would have turned out better if King had gotten someone else to read it.
After rewinding and starting the tape over again twice I finally was able to get my attention on the story and off of the way it was read. I got all the way through the first story which wasn’t bad at all. It certainly wasn’t as scary as I had thought it would be but it was still interesting. Then when I started the second tape I couldn’t have been 10 minutes into the story before I was dozing off. So I had to stop and come back to it a different day. Both of the other stories I listened to the next night. They were also decent stories that were totally ruined by Stephen King’s reading.
As a loyal Stephen King fan I say, don’t waste your money. On the other hand if you still would like to hear the stories contained in this audio book then here is a little more information.
First the cassettes come in a case that is made up to look like a cigarette pack (because the stories center around smoking) with the author’s name, picture and book title on the front of it. There are three tapes in the set (for each story). The cassette form costs $23.50 and the CD set costs $27.50. I listened to the cassette version because that is what was available at the library. I doubt there is any difference though. Unfortunately it is only available on audiobook. The book runs about 3 1/2 hours.
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe is the first story in the collection and is about a man who is in the process of a divorce and suffering withdraw from nicotine. He is suffering through a nightmarish life and things only get worse when he meets his wife and her lawyer at a Manhattan restaurant where a worker goes crazy.
1408 is the second story in the collection. This one is about an author who rights about real life ghost stories. The author decides to spend the night in a haunted hotel and write a story about it. But he has to make it through the night and without his cigarettes. Of the three this would have to be my favorite. I love it when King writes about writers, it often gives me the feeling that I am actually getting some insight into his life through the character.
The Deathroom is the final story in the collection. This is a story about a man being held in South America. He is kept in a small bloodstained basement. The man is tortured while being held captive. As an ex smoker his last request is a final cigarette and he realizes it may be his last chance at freedom.
Again, I would say this isn’t worth spending your money on. If you are interested in it you should check and see if your library has it.