You Like It Darker

'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.

'As classic as King's novels are, his shorter fiction has been just as gripping over the years' - USA Today

'One of the great storytellers of our time' - Guardian

One of the great storytellers of our time Guardian
As classic as King's novels are, his shorter fiction has been just as gripping over the years USA Today
Vintage King brings fate and luck into dark relief . . . among his best New Zealand Listener
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 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
A dozen tales from the master will draw you in-page by page, horror by horror-and hold you fast Kirkus
Displays his familiar, unmatched ability to embed moments of fantasy or horror in otherwise social-realist tales Sunday Times
One of my favourite writers New Scientist
King demonstrates once again why he reigns supreme in the realm of suspense and terror ... With his signature blend of vivid imagination and psychological depth, King delivers a riveting reading experience that will haunt readers long after they've turned the final page Glamour
'You like it darker? Fine, so do I", the master of horror writes, and in these 12 stories, which delve into the darkest corners of humanity, King delivers The i
Entertaining Daily Mail
King is still the King Guardian
These 12 stories will have you on the edge of your deckchair. He's a genius at dialogue, mixing the mundane and the macabre, the bog-ordinary and the bizarre Saga Magazine
King explores the darkest aspects of human existence through metaphorical monsters and psychological thrills (and sometimes pure realism) while demonstrating how morality always has a chance to prevail Evening Standard

STEPHEN KING is the author of more than seventy books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His crime thrillers featuring Holly Gibney include Mr Mercedes, winner of the Edgar Award for best novel, and The Outsider, both of which were adapted into successful TV series, as well as Finders Keepers, End of Watch and the title story from If It Bleeds.

Many of his titles are the basis for major motion pictures including IT, Stand By Me (adapted from The Body) and The Shawshank Redemption, which is IMDb's top-rated movie of all time.

King is the recipient of The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence 2022, 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 Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

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