|
Night Shift (book)
''Night Shift'' is Stephen King's first collection of short stories, first published in 1978. In 1980, ''Night Shift'' won the Balrog Award for Best Collection, and in 1979 it was nominated as best collection for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award. Stories Details The back cover of the first edition of ''Night Shift'', thumb The book was published on the heels of '' The Shining'' (1977 Doubleday) and is King's fifth published book (including '' Rage'', which was published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman). Nine of the twenty stories had first appeared in issues of '' Cavalier Magazine'' from 1970 to 1975; others were originally published in '' Penthouse'', ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Gallery'', ''Ubris'', and ''Maine Magazine''. The stories "Jerusalem's Lot", "Quitters, Inc.", "The Last Rung on the Ladder", and "The Woman in the Room" appeared for the first time in this collection. King had wanted to cut "Gray Matter" in favor of his 1972 story " Suffer the Little C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery. Though known primarily for his novels, he has written approximately Stephen King short fiction bibliography, 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections.Jackson, Dan (February 18, 2016)"A Beginner's Guide to Stephen King Books". Thrillist. Retrieved February 5, 2019. His debut novel, debut, ''Carrie (novel), Carrie'' (1974), established him in horror. ''Different Seasons'' (1982), a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the genre. Among the films adapted from King's fiction are Carrie (1976 film), ''Carrie'' (1976), The Shining (film), ''The Shining'' (1980), The Dead Zone (film), ''The Dead Zone'' and Christine (1983 film), ''Christine'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Boogeyman (short Story)
"The Boogeyman" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1973 issue of the magazine ''Cavalier'' and later included in King's 1978 collection, ''Night Shift''. Plot summary The story takes place in the office of Dr. Harper, a psychiatrist, where a man named Lester Billings talks to the doctor about the "murders" of his three young children, describing the events of the past several years. His first two children died mysteriously of apparently unrelated causes (diagnosed as crib death and convulsions, respectively) when left alone in their bedrooms. The only commonalities were that the children cried " boogeyman!" before being left alone, and the closet door being ajar after discovering their corpses, even though Lester is certain the door was shut. Approximately a year after their second child's death, Lester's wife, Rita, became pregnant with their son Andy and subsequently moved to a different neighborhood, far from the old one. A year passes without in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Last Rung On The Ladder
"The Last Rung on the Ladder" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in King's 1978 collection ''Night Shift''. Plot summary Larry discovers that his estranged sister, Kitty, has died by suicide. He recounts a fateful day, when the two were children playing in their family's barn in rural Nebraska. With their parents not home, they play a forbidden game, taking turns climbing to the top of a ladder in their barn and leaping from a crossbeam in the air down into a haystack. The ladder is old and unsafe, but that is part of the thrill. On his last turn, Larry realizes that the ladder is on the point of letting go. By the time he lands in the hay, Kitty is already climbing up again. The ladder breaks, leaving her clinging to the last rung. Larry piles hay below her. When Kitty cannot hang on any longer, he tells her to let go, and she does. The hay breaks Kitty's fall and saves her life, leaving her with only a broken ankle. Larry is astonished when Kitty tells him tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Children Of The Corn
"Children of the Corn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of '' Penthouse'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection ''Night Shift''. The story has been adapted into several films, spawning a horror feature film franchise of the same name beginning in 1984. In 2009, the story was included in the book '' Stephen King Goes to the Movies''. Plot Burt and Vicky, a dysfunctional married couple, are driving through rural Nebraska when they accidentally run over a boy with a slit throat and a suitcase containing a crucifix made of corn husks. Burt and Vicky agree to report the incident to the police in Gaitlin, the nearest town over, and place the body in their car's trunk. When they arrive, Burt wants to visit a church vaguely familiar to him while Vicky becomes unnerved by the town. After arguing, Burt locks Vicky in the car and proceeds inside the church. Inside, he finds the keys and stops of the pipe organ ripped out and its pipe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
''Cosmopolitan'' (stylized in all caps) is an American quarterly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, since 1965, has become a women's magazine. ''Cosmopolitan'' is one of the best-selling magazines. Formerly titled ''The Cosmopolitan'' and often referred to as ''Cosmo'', ''Cosmopolitan'' has adapted its style and content. Its current incarnation was originally marketed as a woman's fashion magazine with articles on home, family, and cooking. For some time it focused more on new fiction and written work, which included short stories, novels, and articles. Now it is more targeted towards women's fashion, sports and modern interests. Eventually, editor-in-chief Helen Gurley Brown changed its attention to more of a women's empowerment magazine. Nowadays, its content includes articles discussing relationships, sex, health, careers, self-improve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Know What You Need
"I Know What You Need" is a fantasy/ horror short story by American writer Stephen King, first published in the September 1976 issue of '' Cosmopolitan'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. Plot summary Elizabeth Rogan, a popular college student, meets social outcast, Ed Hamner, when she is cramming for a sociology final. Ed offers to buy Elizabeth a strawberry ice cream cone, which was on her mind, and offers her exam notes to the final, claiming he had already completed the class. She gets an 'A' on the final, saving her scholarship, but informs Ed that she has a boyfriend, Tony Lombard. What Elizabeth anticipated to be a great summer turns out to be anything but, as tips at her job at a seaside resort are sparse due to a combination of poor weather and high gas prices. At the same time, Tony is pressuring her to get married, claiming his construction job can provide for them both. Tony dies one week later while performing road work when he is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quitters, Inc
"Quitters, Inc."King, S. (1978). ''Quitters Inc.''. Doubleday. is a short story by Stephen King published as part of his 1978 short story collection ''Night Shift''. Unlike most other stories in this book, "Quitters, Inc." had been previously unpublished until February 1978 under Doubleday Publishing. It was featured in Edward D. Hoch's 1979 "Best detective stories of the year" collection. The plot follows Dick Morrison's discovery of the brutal enforcement methods used by Quitters, Inc., the firm which he enlists to aid him quit smoking. Like much of Stephen King's work, this short story exhibits elements of horror fiction and gothic fiction. The tale was adapted in the 1985 American anthology horror film ''Cat’s Eye''. Plot Richard "Dick" Morrison, a middle-aged smoker, is at John F. Kennedy International Airport when he encounters Jimmy McCann, his old college roommate and advertisement agency coworker. McCann, who had been a heavy smoker in college, credits a fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lawnmower Man
"The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, first published in the May 1975 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later included in King's 1978 collection ''Night Shift''. Plot summary Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mowing service. The summer before, a neighbor's cat was accidentally killed when another neighbor's dog chased it under the mower. Harold has been putting off hiring new help for the summer, but when he sees an ad for a mowing service, he calls. A van reading "Pastoral Greenery" soon pulls up to his home. The man working for the service, a hairy, pot-bellied fellow, is shown the overgrown back lawn and is hired. Harold is enjoying a rest as he reads the paper, wondering about the lawnmower man mentioning Circe, when he hears the lawnmower outside. Startled, he races to the back porch and sees the lawnmower running by itself and the naked lawnmower man following it on all fours and eating the grass. The lawnmower seemingly deliberately chases a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penthouse (magazine)
''Penthouse'' is a List of men's magazines, men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione and published by Los Angeles–based Penthouse World Media, LLC. It combines urban lifestyle articles and Softcore pornography, softcore pornographic pictures of women that, in the 1990s, evolved into Hardcore pornography, hardcore pornographic pictures of women. Although Guccione was American, the magazine was founded in the United Kingdom in 1965, and first published simultaneously in the UK and the U.S. in March 1965. From September 1969, an "American Edition" was made available in the United States. Since 2016, ''Penthouse'' has been under the ownership of Penthouse World Media (formerly known as Penthouse Global Media Inc.), which filed for bankruptcy in 2018. Its assets were subsequently acquired in June of that same year by WGCZ Ltd., the owners of XVideos, when it won a bankruptcy auction bid. Later on, Penthouse Global Media was spun off from WGCZ and rebranded as Penthouse World Media. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ledge (short Story)
"The Ledge" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the July 1976 issue of '' Penthouse'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection ''Night Shift''. Plot summary King employs a first person narrator and opens with the protagonist, Stan Norris, in the clutches of Cressner, a wealthy, cruel criminal overlord. Cressner intends to get revenge on Norris, who has been having an affair with his wife. Instead of killing him outright, Cressner reveals his penchant for striking wagers, and offers a chilling ultimatum: if Norris is able to circumambulate the 5-inch ledge surrounding the multi-story building where Cressner lives in his penthouse, he can have his wife and $20,000 (). If Norris refuses, he will be framed for heroin possession and never see his lover again. Cressner also reveals that he has done this to six others, three professional athletes who crossed his path and three ordinary people who got into serious debt with Cressner. Not once has Cressner lost th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strawberry Spring
"Strawberry Spring" is a horror short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the Fall 1968 issue of '' Ubris'' magazine, then republished in the November 1975 issue of ''Cavalier'' magazine, and, heavily revised, collected in King's ''Night Shift'' in 1978. Plot "Strawberry Spring" takes place at a fictional New England college, New Sharon College. The main setting for the story is March 1968, specifically starting on March 16, 1968. An unnamed narrator sees the words " Springheel Jack" in a newspaper. It rekindles memories of a time about eight years previously when he was at New Sharon College. His recollections are nostalgic, almost melancholy. It was March 16, 1968 when the strawberry spring, a "false" spring much like an Indian summer, arrived. It brought a thick fog that covered the campus at nighttime, providing perfect cover for a serial killer called "Springheel Jack". The body of a girl was found in a parking lot, the first murder in a series. Seve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sometimes They Come Back
"Sometimes They Come Back" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1974 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later collected in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. Plot summary In 1957, nine-year-old Jim Norman and his twelve-year-old brother, Wayne, walk to the local library to return Jim's books. They are attacked by a gang of local greasers. Wayne is stabbed to death by two of the older boys, but Jim escapes. Throughout his life, Jim is haunted by nightmares vividly reenacting the murder. In 1974, Jim is married and starts a new job as a high-school English teacher. All seems to go well until after the Christmas holiday. Jim learns that one of his students was killed in a hit and run accident. A new student is added to Jim's class. Jim recognizes the boy as Robert Lawson, one of the greasers who killed his brother. Lawson appears to be the same age as he was in 1957. Another student falls to her death a week later, and another of the greasers, David Garcia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
