Favorite Story in Just After Sunset

[theviaster]

What is your favorite story in Just After Sunset?

My answer: Harvey's Dream.

[bopropadop]

The Things They Left Behind.

[sknut70]

tough call between Willa and N
Runner up is A very tight place

[dejolane]

Haven't read this new book yet but I will.

Debbie

[Gris]

I'm currently only up to The Things They Leave Behind.

So far, I'd have to say it's a toss up between Willa and Graduation Afternoon.

I guess if I was to go impact/word count, Graduation afternoon would win. So short and so BAM!

[Cowboy]

Wow....tough to pick, but I will say Gingerbread Girl today.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

I'm with Cowboy on the toughness of the question.

And as Gris said, pound for pound, Graduation Afternoon REALLY kicks some a*s IMO.

But really they're all excellent IMO (and A Very Tight Place must be his flat out grossest story to date).

Andandandand........

Long days and pleasant nights

PS I take it we're all agreed it's a great collection though?

[Lizard slushie]

Mute.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Oh, and Pee Ess.

We can continue this discussion after hours in the the eponymous Social Group.

All more than welcome!

Long days and pleasant nights

[Cowboy]

Hi,

I'm with Cowboy on the toughness of the question.

And as Gris said, pound for pound, Graduation Afternoon REALLY kicks some a*s IMO.

But really they're all excellent IMO (and A Very Tight Place must be his flat out grossest story to date).

Andandandand........

Long days and pleasant nights

PS I take it we're all agreed it's a great collection though?

Absolutely a great collection....some of his best writing IMHO.

[Beatbox]

I am only half way through the book but so far Stationary Bike stands out as my favorite.

[Ubasti]

The Things They Left Behind. :biggrin2:

[SWNH1980]

I thought all of them were equally excellent, but one of my favorites was also Harvey's Dream "If you tell your dreams they won't come true." I love that.

-Sen
"And it always, at the end, came round to the same place again."

[lilredkdn]

My favorites were Gingerbread Girl, Willa, and N. I also really liked Stationary Bike.

[pixiedaark]

I liked The Gingerbread Girl the best. Willa is a close second. The funniest, grossest story ever in a SK collection would have to go to A Very Tight Place!

[aimeeleanne]

"N" most definitely :)

[Matthew.Degnan]

I'd agree with Cowboy- Gingerbread Girl is my favourite

Matthew.

[mystic heart]

N. was particulary good....also liked Gingerbread Girl and A Very Tight Place

[devious1]

hmmm... The Gingerbread Girl, Mute and A Very Tight Place were my favorites... but there are so many runner-ups! The Things They Left Behind just missed 3rd place lol.

[fenrislupus]

Gingerbread Girl, N., and A Very Tight Place.

In that order.

[Jax]

N. or Harvey's Dream

[Stacey B]

Graduation Afternoon

[blunthead]

I haven't read Stationary Bike and A Very Tight Place, yet; that said, three of them stand out: The Gingerbread Girl, which was pleasantly reminiscent to me of Gerald's Game; Willa, which I enjoyed very much, a kind of mystery written so very well; and Mute, which was such an original, clever idea.

[crazycrashink]

1. Gingerbread girl -- made me want to start running 2. Stationary Bike 3. Willa..... but I really enjoyed all the stories... picking favorites is SO hard!

[Stacey B]

I might have to read Willa again. I read it in hospital the night my daughter was born and was still a bit drugged up to the eyeballs so can't actually remember what it's about!

[chopsaw]

My favorite was N. I know I'll read all the stories in the collection over and over again.

[randallFlaggfan1]

Without a doubt, my favorite would have to be "A Very Tight Place."

[karend3]

I really enjoyed the Ginger Bread Girl. What a psycho for a rich man.

[JRLauer]

Damn near all of them, but if I had to choose I'd pick... N, or A Very Tight Place, or Gingerbread Girl, or Mute, or The Things They Left Behind, or Rest Stop, or... Oh hell, all of them.

[tillyn]

I liked a Very Tight Place, what an imagination!

[daffyrocks]

Harvey's Dream, Mute, Harvey's Dream and Harvey's Dream for me!! :biggrin2:

[psj77]

I'll say Willa. Mr. King & I have smiler taste in music, but I had never given The Derailers a chance until after I read it. Now there one of my favorite groups. I'll say Willa. Mr. King & I have smiler taste in music, but I had never given The Derailers a chance until after I read it. Now there one of my favorite groups.

[RandomMan]

Willa was awesome for me. Made me think about the after-life on a personal level, and although I believe in heaven...if given a choice I would prefer what they got. Eternity with the woman I love...simplistic and romantic!

I also thought N was off-the-hook!!!

[farmgirl]

I liked N and the Gingerbread girl

[Jax]

Harvey's Dream, Mute, Harvey's Dream and Harvey's Dream for me!! :biggrin2:

I'm in total agreement with you. Harvey's Dream was my favorite followed by N.

[finalfantasyVII]

:blush: So far for me it's "N.", but haven't finished it..been skipping around..will let U know..Good reading...Mark FFVII

[petalpea]

Stationary Bike. Although I may be the only person on here who wasn't in love with J.A.S.

[lesaleer]

I loved N., that one was my favorite. But I also loved A Very Tight Place, Mute and Rest Stop. The whole book was delightfully entertaining!:grinning:

[Q'smum]

Stationary Bike. Although I may be the only person on here who wasn't in love with J.A.S.

No you are not the only one short on love for JAS. It's at the bottom of my SK list, or darn close.

[Antony butterworth]

Hello fans of the king

stationary bike the gingerbread girl mute

[Terry B]

I had to bring this thread back since I just finished Just After Sunset. Remember I am a slow reader. I can't really choose a favorite story but just say that it's a tie between Gingerbread Girl and A Very Tight Place. That last one cracked me up. Yes it was a gross out but done in a "sofisticated" way. :glare: Mostly, it was one of the best short story collections I've ever read. I hope he puts together another collection in the near future.

[karend3]

Gingerbread girl.

[marie96]

N., A very tight place and the cat from hell

[IUSMPhD]

The one where the guy was trapped in a pit toilet. Everytime I have gone into one of those in my ENTIRE life, I have thought to myself "This is disgusting. Imagine somehow falling into that slop!"

[Wendy Capps]

Only in mid-book. So far "The Gingerbread Girl" -- "N." -- "Stationary Bike" -- & "The Cat From Hell"!!!

[aullori]

I'd go Gingerbread Girl then N..

I agree with many here who say it's his best work to date.

[Mattislegion]

N. ftw

[mojomofo]

The Things They Left Behind and A Very Tight Place.

I was moved to tears with both of them, although for very different reasons. :grinning:

[Dhasek]

for me personally I would have to say "Harvey's Dream" or "Mute." All of them are great tho.

[Teddy Duchamp]

Ive actually just finished reading this book - for me an absolute favourite was the Gingerbread Girl

Followed by "In a very tight place"

And I was surprised that I loved the book so much - as Ive not been "clicking" with some of what SK has recently written - I did love Duma Key but actively disliked Liseys Story - so J A Sunset was a pleasant surprise for me!:biggrin2:

[Jake Featherston]

I have yet to read "The Gingerbread Girl" (sometime during the late 1990s, I stopped reading collections & anthologies in the order the stories come in), but I've read all the others, and "N." is far and away my favourite. I'd give Honorable Mentions to "Graduation Afternoon" and "A Very Tight Place."

[Dark Reader]

Wow my favourite hasn't been mentioned at all :eek2:

The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates is my favourite. The emotion flows so strong in that story

[Sms231]

I just finished Just After Sunset, and my favorite stories have to be A Very Tight Place and The Cat From Hell. The Things They Left Behind a very close second, and the rest of the collection tied for third place. I really enjoyed them all.

Much thanks to Ms. Mod for asking if The Cat From Hell was finally going to be included (if Ms. Mod is the same 'long-time assistant' Mr. King mentioned in the Sunset Notes) in a short story collection. This is the first time I read this particular story (I've never seen the film version either,) and just loved how the confrontation between the cat and the hitman ended. Makes me want to be very careful of pissing my own cat off LOL.

[Perse]

Hi all

I am glad some people finally said Cat from Hell.

It may not be the most thought provoking story in the book, but i love it for that reason!
Sometimes i find reading SK really quite taxing, he is very intense and this story just gives you that bit of blatant disgustingness you want from reading a horror story.

I can quite honestly say that it's the first story of his that's made me gag in a while, hurrah! :biggrin2:

[Speedygi81]

Mine is Mute. Firstly because it has that cool Twilight Zone/Outer Limits feel to it, lots of mystery, lots of that weirdness and tenderness those shows had. Secondly it has a very interesting plot. I mean, a guy walks into a confessional and he talks about a supposedly mute (and dumb) guy, and the story goes back and forth between the confessional and the recount of his meeting with this mute man. How interesting is that?

[constantreader85]

hi

My favourite story was Willa, i love a ghost story and it was so cool.

[danicus]

"N."

Tough call though. I really liked “Rest Stop” and “A Very Tight Place” as well. The book was a very good read, as usual. :grinning:

[Jake Featherston]

I have yet to read "The Gingerbread Girl" (sometime during the late 1990s, I stopped reading collections & anthologies in the order the stories come in), but I've read all the others, and "N." is far and away my favourite. I'd give Honorable Mentions to "Graduation Afternoon" and "A Very Tight Place."

In retrospect, "The Gingerbread Girl" is probably the 3rd best story in the book, after the two I noted above.

[Leighjavu]

"The Cat from Hell " my fave classic-style horor tale.
"Things they left behind"a great read delivering messages of everlasting love.
" In a very tight place" It takes the most talented of all writers to make me sqirm through this gross little tale!
As long as I broke out 3 faves, I gotta say I enjoyed the intro and the "Sunset Notes"
very much too!

[constantreader85]

Willa

[teejay17]

Hands down my favourite is "Willa."
The runner up is "Stationary Bike."

[The Outsider]

IMO, they are all amazing, definitely a hard decision. Its a hard three-way tie between Willa, N., and The Things They Left Behind for me. If I had to say, I'd say N was just for my love of psychology and closely followed by The Things They Left Behind.

If I didn't have to choose I'd say I loved them all in their own special way (I'd make a great kindergarten teacher lol).

[M-O-O-N SPELLS MY NAME]

Just finished "Just After Sunset".....Personally, I'm a big fan of the story collections. Thought this one was on par with the rest, full of suspense, emotion, ick, and all the other good stuff that make SK's books amazing! I didnt really have a favorite, I thought that each story added its own flavor to the mix.....all in all a great read!!!

[constantreader85]

Great story collection, but I was grossed out with the story about the evil cat. I believe he wrote this when he was younger.

[roblov89]

I love all of them genuinely they all served a purpose, what i really enjoyed was how he ended his stories, with King you never know what may or might happen to the characters.

[K4driver]

Willa was amazing...Nice use of a train
The Things they left behind really stung to read...but it was a great story nonetheless
Tight Space:ICK! but it was really good

[Patricia A]

I'm thinking probably Willa because I'm a sucker for a good ghost story. I read the book when it first came out and I love it. It's actually my favorite book ever.
I'm currently listening to the Audio Book. The readers have all been great so far, and that would include Stephen King reading Harvey's Dream, that was a treat.
But I have to mention how freakin' good Mare Winningham was reading The Gingerbread Girl, she nailed it IMO.

[linkinjen2001]

A very tight place! loved it, maybe one of his best short stories. Also N, interesting twist on OCD.:biggrin2:

[Joiki]

I can't get over N and The Things They Left Behind...
But I have to admit, all of them are really good...
The stories are like brain tumor..
*shiver*