The Last Rung on the Ladder

[Tombrun]

The last rung on the ladder...such a sad story. I read that one and "woman in the room" for the first time before I went to sleep last night. I was so depressed when I put the book away. Whoever said that King is a horror writer couldn't be more wrong.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

I know exactly what you mean, but I think the two you mentioned are REAL horror stories!

Long days and pleasant nights

[bopropadop]

Thanks for you post and I couldn't agree more. I was so moved by The Last Rung on the Ladder that I moped around that afternoon after reading it. When my wife asked me what was wrong, I read it aloud to her as she prepared dinner one evening. Then we both moped around that evening... Pulls on the heartstrings, doesn't it!?!?

[Dallas Riley]

I made my girlfriend read "The Last Rung on the Ladder" and i read the last paragraph or so of it for my lit class presentation.

[JRLauer]

I can't say that I was as moved by that story. Yes, it was sad, but I don't let it get to me. I can't say that I even thought about it much after reading it. Maybe I'm insensitive.

[michal]

This story really touched me. I have 4 brothers myself so I know quite alot about the brother-sister connection and of how they try and do their best to keep you from getting hurt. Families are the strongest connections we have in this life, and when we drift apart that tie, whatever you want to call it, still remains.

[GirlfriendInAComa]

I cry nearly every time I read this one. We all get complacent and take people for granted. It always serves as a reminder for me to communicate with my loved ones and to give as much attention to what they have to say as I would want them to give to me.

[strange]

Out of all the stories in this collection I got to admit that this one and the one that followed (sorry I can't reamember what it was called) took the biggest risks as they sort of pushed outside of King's usual realm of horror and made connections within us that we could all understand. I think this story really marked early on when King was more than just a writer of "horror".

[futuramaguy07]

Yikes...I have four stories left in Night Shift, starting with The Last Rung on the Ladder, ending with The Woman in the Room.

[vinividivicci]

I found "last rung" really powerful

[travis]

Has Stephen King ever released in print, or spoken about the thought, or ideas that made him take the time to write this work?