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You Like It Darker: Stories Hardcover – May 21 2024

by Stephen King (Author)
Amazon Charts #12 this week
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From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
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  1. Print length
    512 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Scribner
  4. Publication date
    May 21 2024
  5. Dimensions
    15.56 x 3.81 x 23.5 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1668037718
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1668037713
  8. See all details
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  1. “When intelligence outraces emotional stability, it’s always just a matter of time.”
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  2. Well, I tell myself, we call it a gift and we call ourselves gifted, but gifts are never really earned, are they? Only given. Talent is grace made visible.
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  3. It’s all right to want what you can’t have. You learn to live with it. I tell myself that, and mostly I believe it.
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From the Publisher

You Like It Darker

Product description

Review

Praise for You Like It Darker

"A master class in tension and is full of King’s dark humor. He knows what we like, and he delivers. This collection proves King is still king." —The New York Times Book Review

“Stephen King knows You Like It Darker and obliges with sensational new tales… thoughtful… intriguing… surprisingly emotional… the author has a long history of exceptional short fiction… He proves once more that his smaller-sized tales pack as powerful a wallop as the big boys.” —USA Today

“What's obvious is that King's skills as a storyteller remain undimmed, and following him into the dark, the light or anywhere in between is never a bad bet. As if anyone could resist.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“The best of these stories, as is true with the best of King’s work, feature horror tempered with heart.” —Associated Press

“Stephen King is still writing with the giddy abandon of scribes half his age, and more than anything else, You Like It Darker is evidence of that joy.” —Paste

“Stephen King keeps it fresh… very entertaining… sometimes, good things come in small packages.” —Bangor Daily News

“Classic King, stories full of heart, horror, and humanity, each riffing on that eternal question: what if?” —Vulture

“The titular darkness promised is as riveting and all-consuming as ever.” —New York Magazine

"King is writing some of the best work of his long career." —Seattle Times

“King does it again in this collection of stories… there’s no doubt that King is still a master.” —AARP

“King proves he’s still a master of short fiction in his sterling seventh collection… This remarkably assured collection will thrill the author’s fans.” —Publishers Weekly

“King’s first book, Carrie, was published 50 years ago. You Like It Darker proves that he is still at the height of his powers. A triumph.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“Readers will be thrilled by these tales. They all have that King touch.” —Library Journal, STARRED review

“A dozen tales from the master will draw you in—page by page, horror by horror—and hold you fast.” —Kirkus, STARRED review

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner (May 21 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1668037718
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1668037713
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 685 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.56 x 3.81 x 23.5 cm
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Stephen King

Stephen King

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Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, MR MERCEDES, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both MR MERCEDES and END OF WATCH received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.

King co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game and It.

King was the recipient of America's prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
5,548 global ratings
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4 Stars
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Top reviews from Canada

Shelley B
5.0 out of 5 stars Stephen King is King
Reviewed in Canada on June 21, 2024
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Being a huge fan of Stephen King, this collection of short stories does not disappoint! Great beach reading!
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Sheldon A. Wiebe
5.0 out of 5 stars Stephen King Should Write More Short Fiction!
Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2024
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It's a complete mystery to me why Stephen King doesn't write more short fiction. He's so good at it.

You Like It Darker is a collection of stories that run the gamut from whimsey to outright horror and all the shadings between.

In some of the tales he spins, there are references that place them firmly in greater Kingverse - and one is a direct sequel to one of his best books.

An afterword doesn't place the times he wrote these tales - that would just be a list. Instead, he comments on a few stories that came to him in different ways. It's fascinating stuff.
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Julie Deforest
4.0 out of 5 stars Clearly entertaining
Reviewed in Canada on June 9, 2024
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I enjoy his writing and humour. Such an imagination. Each story is unique and interesting! Well worth the read!
One person found this helpful
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Lynne
5.0 out of 5 stars Was not disappointed in this collection
Reviewed in Canada on June 21, 2024
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I am a rabid fan of Stephen King - always have been. This collection of short stories was wonderful and not one of them disappointed me. I just ordered another collection that I came across - it is from several years ago and I'm hoping that I haven't already read it - but even if I have I will enjoy them all over again. King is an amazing story teller - his descriptive writing puts me right there and I am in the story from the get go.
Thank you Mr. K. - you are my absolute favourite author, bar none.......
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Ray K.
5.0 out of 5 stars High Quality Stephen King Style
Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2024
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This is an awesome collection of Stephen King at his best. Excellent short stories!
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Judith Bishop
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in Canada on June 18, 2024
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Stephen King never disappoints. Great stories!
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Karen H
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on June 17, 2024
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Gift for my husband for Father’s Day. Long time Stephen King fan. Started reading the book last evening and couldn’t put it down. King at his finest. .
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James Watson
4.0 out of 5 stars So you like it darker
Reviewed in Canada on June 1, 2024
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Short stories by Stephen King. Some very interesting stories including a sequel to cujo,good read for fans looking for something to read at their leisure.
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Cliente de Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars You must read!
Reviewed in Mexico on June 18, 2024
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First, I didn't know there was a story sequel of CUJO... surprised and happy, read it gladly. Second, apart from the sequel of CUJO, there were several stories that were just amazing, I think the "two talented bastids" story is my favorite so far, gave me "Dreamcatcher" vibes! This book is a must-read for every Stephen King fan, and I recommend it if you are new to his stories.
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A Constant Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A superb collection of a dozen stories, including some that are quite exquisite!
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024
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Most non-fans of Mr. King think of him as a horror writer (usually thinking of gore - which he does very well), and are unaware he gave the world The Green Mile, (Rita Hayworth and) The Shawshank Redemption, Dolores Claiborne, and (The Body) Stand By Me. When I was a bookstore owner, I used those as a comeback to the countless customers who told me they did not like King's writing. In this set of stories "Two Talented Bastids" is wonderful literature masquerading as a bit of SciFi. I wish I were very wealthy so I could buy movie rights to this one, as that would be an excellent investment.
I'm sure many "friends of Bill" will not like what Mr. King has done for the 12 Steps in "The Fifth Step," but I found it to be an extremely funny look at an idea. The main character here is going to have real problems when it comes to making amends, though.
"Willie the Wierdo" actually is a horror story, but it is also close to Jacob's hundred-plus year old classic "The Monkey's Paw".
"Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" is another I would love to have enough money to invest in the movie/TV rights. It is going to be an excellent production. I could see exactly the right actors for the cast all the way through it. It is also the second story here that felt to me like exquisite writing.
The story "Finn" reminds me very much of a Faustian idea I once had for writing a book, but I never got around to writing it. Thank you, Mr. King for doing the hard work for me.
There is no horror or supernatural in "On Slide Inn Road". It is just a very good, very tight action short story that is very satisfying. Mr. King gives a nod to O'Connor, so I guess I'll have to try reading some.
"Red Screen" is a brief glimpse into a world and some characters that you know how things are going to be, but you want it to go on anyway to find out how right or wrong you are.
I have to say "The Turbulence Expert" is one that just did not impress me all that much. It was an interesting idea, and I liked the characters, but it just did not take me anywhere.
"Laurie" is a nice story that moves a little slowly, but that's ok because it doesn't seem to have anywhere that it wants to go. It just introduces you to some diverse characters that are very much like people in your neighborhood and family. There is a bit of excitement, but no horror or supernatural to it.
"Rattlesnakes" is another that will be a good production, either movie or TV. Again I would be willing to invest in the rights for it. It comes with a tip of the hat to John D. McDonald, who is another writer whose every work I read voraciously. This one does drift into the world of supernatural and good versus evil, but not as heavily as some of Mr. King's gargantuan novels. It brings back a character from Cujo in a setting close-by Duma Key, but you don't need to have read either of those to enjoy it (to be honest, I did not recall the character actually making an appearance in Cujo). The TV/movie script will be enormously bolstered by the very real, likable ancillary characters that work throughout this novella.
"The Dreamers" was an interesting idea, but for whatever reason it did not do it for me. I really liked, and felt for the narrator, but the story left me flat. I did not grasp Mr. King's reference to Cormac McCarthy, whose beautiful prose in horrific, sometimes painful to read stories, I love.
The advice to performing artists is to "Always leave 'em wanting more." And Mr. King certainly does that with "The Answer Man" as the finale for this publication. As a better reviewer remarked this story "reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful." At the conclusion of this beautifully written piece, you definitely want more while at the same time it gives a great feeling of satisfaction. And that is good writing!
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Marcelo Cipullo Melani
1.0 out of 5 stars Péssima qualidade
Reviewed in Brazil on June 4, 2024
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Comprei um livro caríssimo de capa dura para dar de presente e achei o acabamento horrível. Além do livro chegar com uma das quinas amassada, a capa impressa é de uma folhinha de papel super frágil... a capa dura é preta e não impressa... realmente lamentável.
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Maria
5.0 out of 5 stars muy agradable
Reviewed in Spain on June 23, 2024
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S. King no te delude nunca más ... una colección de novelas (cortas y medias) perfecta cuando tomas el sol ...
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Chrille
4.0 out of 5 stars Så bra!
Reviewed in Sweden on June 16, 2024
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Jag har kommit till novell nummer 4 och har gillat varenda en hittills! Han kan än, Kingen! 😊
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