Different Seasons

Ok, I'm cheating slightly. This is a collection of four novellas, rather than a novel in its own right. My theory is that a novella is slightly too short to review and anyway, I don't think you can buy these separately, so if you're buying the whole collection you might as well have some idea about each novella.

Now, Stephen King may seem like a slightly odd choice to review - he's absolutely mainstream, and commonly considered to write trash. However, I have yet to meet anyone who's read this collection, and I can assure you, it's far from trashy. It is the only work by Stephen King I have read. I do not like horror stories.

I would go so far as to say that I am a complete wuss when it comes to horror stories of any kind. I had nightmares after a particularly scary episode of ER. That level of wuss. Anyway, I read this because I had heard that the original of 'The Shawshank Redemption' was in this collection, and I wanted to see if it was as good as the film. It was.

In fact, the film is a very faithful portrait of the original, in that, even if the details are not a hundred percent accurate, the atmosphere of the novella is identical to the atmosphere of the movie. I'm not going to describe it any more than than that. If you've seen it, you'll know what I mean. If you haven't, go watch it now.

'The Body' was the other novella I particularly wanted to read, having seen and loved 'Stand By Me', the movie it inspired. Again, I can say that the movie truly reflected the spirit of the story, keeping certain memorable scenes, such as the pie eating contest and THAT moment with the leeches. Again, if you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it for you. Just watch it. And then read it. Or the other way around.

The story I remember the least about is called 'The Breathing Method' and is a sort of tall story/horror story hybrid. It essentially tells the story of a young woman giving birth after death. I liked it, because it sends a little chill down your spine, while leaving you hopeful and cheered, but it didn't grip in the way all of the others did.

Last, but far from least, is one of the most disturbing stories I have ever read. 'The Apt Pupil' tells the story of a young American who discovers an old Nazi living in his town. He threatens the clearly haunted old man with the police unless he agrees to tell him stories of the War. In detail.

The stories gradually have their effect, and he is left with psychopathic urges he simply can't control. I won't go into it any more deeply, because it gives me the creeps. The loss of innocence in the most upsetting way possible was strongly reminiscent of 'The Lord of the Flies', which I also dislike, for similar reasons.

All in all, a gripping, brilliantly, beautifully written collection of stories, which put Stephen King up there with some of the best writers I have ever read. But all with an element of horror about them. Worth it, but don't read them alone. Really.