Skeleton Crew: Stories

I have read a good deal of King's novels and this is one of my favorites. His best work is his short stories, and this is the best collection of them. Variety is the name of the game: it starts off with The Mist, a schlocky B movie of a tale. We get some science fiction (The Jaunt, Beachworld), standard horror (the raft), and even some modern fantasy (Mrs. Todd's Shortcut). Survivor Type is on of the most truly horrific stories I have read. Others are just plain fun such as Typewriter of the gods or Here There be Tygers.

This is one of my favorite collections of short stories ever, not just from King. Highly recommended!

My first collection of Stephen King's short stories was his 1978 release "Night Shift" and I thought it was very good for the most part, and so I bought "Skeleton Crew" right after I bought "Night Shift".
The one main difference from "Skeleton Crew" compared to "Night Shift" is there are more sceens of drama than sceens of horror in "Skeleton Crew", but that's the case through the whole book. Some of my favorite stories out of here are "The Mist", "Monkey", "The Raft", "Nona" and "Paranoid: A Chant". Paranoid is probally one of the most creative short stories from The King I have ever read. "The Mist" is probally the longest storie in the book.
Thier are about 20 short stories in Stephen King's "Skeleton Crew" with a new Into and Outro(there intro's a lot of the reissued edition of King's older, but the Into's new) so its a very soild work, and it should keep the reader sucked in for awhile.

What can I say about this book? Well, it's Stephen King and it's really good! Short stories can have a slew of omissions and too much condensing often to be engaging - not so for this master of story telling.

There is not a bad one in the bunch, but of course I have my favorites. If you are new to Stephen King and want to test the waters, this is as good as it gets. If you are a diehard King fan, keep them handy to whet your whistle.

I don't consider King to be a horror writer, but more of a character study who puts folks into some hellacious situations that can only exist in the realm of 'what if'. The man spins a tale like nobody else and will forever be the King of spinning a web of fantastic fiction.

Better than Nightshift this collection of short stories is a must just for one story alone. That story is The Mist about a strange mist engulfing a small town which makes bugs and other things which used to be small huge. Read and see if the meek shall inherit the earth. It's a shame this one wasn't made into a full length novel as it's sensational.
Like in Nightshift there are great stories but also average ones. Other people however think the ones I think are average are great so maybe you will too. I liked The Raft, Uncle Otto's Truck, Cain Rose Up and The Monkey. Telling what each story is about will give away too much of the plot and the surprises you want to encounter. If you liked Night Shift then you'll like this collection. King does have a bit different style with short stories but even if you don't really like them you've got to at least read The Mist.

I have not read a lot of Stephen King novels and I
actually don't like scary movies but somehow I found
the short stories in here enjoyable.

King has a cultural shorthand, a sort of jivey patter
that substitutes for real characterization - his writing
here is full of references to rock and roll songs of the
period. If you know and like the song this creates
a sense of identification with the character.

I'm not really sure how you define horror fiction. Perhaps
King has defined his own brand of it. It's sort of
working-class folk in a world of hidden supernatural
dread.

I read this a long time ago. I think the story "The Mist"
was recently made into a film. It's a novella and it's
the part of the book that stayed with me the longest.

Skeleton Crew is the third story collection released by Stephen King in 1985, three years after the classic Different Seasons, and seven years after his first collection Night Shift. While Night Shift comes close as far as quality goes, ultimately Skeleton Crew, with it's added supernatural horror novella The Mist included, wins the prize in my opinion. It simply had the highest amount of good stories. I know that Stephen King is often stereotyped as a horror writer, but personally I just see him as a writer who has a fondness for horror. He has proven time and time again that he can write more dramatic, thrilling, or even comedic stories, and succeed at it. Maybe early in his career he was a "horror" writer, but definitely not anymore, and for quite a long time too. The varied stories in this collection range from horror, to sci-fi, fantasy, and even poetry. Obviously some are better than others but only a small minority did I dislike completely.

The Mist starts of the collection and is one of the best, scariest stories in the collection, it's also the longest, and deals with people trapped inside a supermarket while being terrorized by giant otherworldly monsters. However, in addition to the menace from outside, there is also the menace emanating from within the hearts and minds of the humans trapped within, as they become increasingly frightened and paranoid. 4 stars

Here There Be Tygers is one of the shortest tales in the collection and one of the few I didn't like at all, it was completely illogical and not scary or suspenseful at all. It was just weird. It dealt with a tiger in a school bathroom, I'm not even joking. 1 star

The Monkey is another good, scary story that dealt with a sinister toy monkey that caused people to die whenever it clanged it's cymbals and the effect it had on a man back when he was still a kid. It had an especially creepy, but predictable ending. 4 stars

Cain Rose Up is another clunker that didn't really connect with me or interest me, it deals with a depressed, suicidal college student who goes on a shooting rampage out of his college dorm. It was pretty dark though and written well so I'll give it 2 stars.

Mrs. Todd's Shortcut is a fantasy story that deals with a woman who finds an odd shortcut into another reality which makes her grow younger and more beautiful, it is told by a man who knew the woman and who went on one of her odd car rides herself through the otherworldly shortcut. Great, Slightly Creepy Story. 4 stars

The Jaunt is a horror/sci-fi story and quite possibly one of the best stories, if not the best story, in the collection. It takes place in the future and deals with a man explaining to his family the history of the teleportation device they're getting ready to ride to Mars. It follows a scientist who invents a teleportation device but is strangely unable to sent living creatures through it without them dying. Eventually he discovers they have to be asleep in order to do it or else something horrible occurs. Has a shocking ending. 5 stars

The Wedding Gig is a crime story that takes place in the 1920's and deals with a band hired to play at a the wedding of the daughter of an Irish mobster. It has a sad ending, 3 stars.

Paranoid: A Chant is a creepy poem written from the perspective of a paranoid man. It's surprisingly good. 3 stars

The Raft is another great classic horror story that deals with a bunch of college students who drive out to an isolated lake in Pennsylvania and while on a raft in the lake they are stalked or hunted by an amorphous blob-like creature that begins devouring them one by one. One of the best and goriest stories. 5 stars

Word Processor of the Gods is another fantasy story, although this one is far less creepy than Mrs. Todd's Shortcut and deals with an enchanted word processor that can grant wishes. Really Good Story. 4 stars

The Man who would not shake hands is a great horror story that deals with an elderly man recalling a game of poker he played as a young man back in 1919 where he met an odd man named Henry Brower who refused to shake anyone hands. He soon discovers why and learns the awful truth when his friend Jason shakes Henry's hand in a gesture of gratitude. 4 stars

Beachworld is another sci-fi horror story although this one isn't nearly as good as The Jaunt King still clearly put his trademark eeriness in this futuristic tale of two astronauts marooned on a planet composed entirely of malevolent living sand. 3 stars

The Reaper's Image is a relatively short horror tale but is nonetheless incredibly creepy and frightening, revolving around a mirror haunted by the grim reaper. 3 stars

Nona is a psychological horror story and one of the best stories in the book, it revolves around a college student who meets a beautiful girl named Nona in a restaurant where he is bullied by a bunch of drunken rednecks and the two subsequently go on a killing spree together, only to find out, when he is in prison, that she may not even be real at all! 4 stars

For Owen is another poem but not as good or even creepy as Paranoid: A Chant. It's a poem King wrote about his son Owen. It's decent. 2 stars

Survivor Type is a grisly, messed up horror story that is told through the diary of a former surgeon named Richard Pine who is marooned on an island in the pacific with no food to eat and little supplies, most notably the heroin he was smuggling on a cruise ship before tragedy struck. The diary records the horrifying lengths he goes through in order to survive, resorting to amputating and eating his own body parts to survive, and using the heroin as a crude anesthetic. Very nasty, but utterly fascinating. 3 stars

Uncle Otto's Truck is a very scary horror story which revolves around an old truck which appears to be alive and evil, in this regard it is somewhat similar to Christine, Trucks, and From a Buick 8. The notion is of course a bit silly sounding but the story itself more than makes up for it. 4 stars

Morning Deliveries (Milkman No.1) is a relatively short but sinister horror tale that follows a milkman who does his daily routine around a neighborhood, putting poisons and other horrid things into the bottles of milk. Oddly Effective tale. 3 stars.

Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman No.2) is another relatively short horror tale that starts off almost humorous but quickly changed in tone to a frightening psychological horror story. 3 stars.

Gramma is a horror story that apparently was inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos, as the titular grandmother or "Gramma" invokes the Lovecraftian deity Hastur. It follows a boy staying at his Grandmother's house during the night who apparently was a witch who had like ten children or something after several miscarriages and cast "bad spells" on certain people after obtaining "books". Creepy story. 3 stars.

The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet is a horror story that actually had me laughing more than being frightened. It involved a crazy man named Reg Thorpe who created a wonderful story called "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" and the author's correspondence with a magazine editor telling a story at a barbecue who began to share the man's delusional fantasies. 3 stars.

The Reach is the last tale in the collection and it follows the oldest living woman on an island off the coast of Maine named Stella Flanders who never once left the island to go to the mainland in her entire life she is 95 years old and is suffering from cancer. As her death draws near she begins to see apparitions of her dead friends and relatives and realizes and comes to peace with the fact that she will soon die. Before dying, she crosses "the reach", or the stretch of water separating the island from the mainland, which in the winter has frozen over as a snowstorm begins. While crossing the reach she sees her deceased loved ones who sing with her as she crosses over, both physically and spiritually. Not really a horror story, but lovely and fascinating. 5 stars.

I could write a detailed review of each story, but those reviews tend to get rejected due to length. Thing about this book, Stephen King's "Skeleton Crew," the short stories can all be pretty much divided into four categories. I'll comment on those that warrant commenting.

GREAT
+ The Raft: All out horror without being gratuitous
+ Word Processor of the Gods: One of the most innovative ideas I've read--it's outdated, yes, but the sense of bitter loneliness the main character has rings very true
+ Nona: Beautifully frightening
+ Survivor Type: Gross... but captivating
+ Gramma
+ The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet: Hilarious, sad, and scary glimpse at how little it takes to set a man on the path towards insanity

GOOD
+ The Mist
+ Mrs. Todd's Shortcut
+ The Jaunt: King handles the flashbacks with the 'real time' narrative masterfully
+ The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands: King has an excellent handle on the tension of this story, forcing the reader to turn the page to find out what happens next

OKAY
+ Here There Be Tygers: Weird little story. Not really that entertaining, though nothing--other than the sheer absurdity--sticks out as being bad
+ The Money: Interesting horror, though it drags on way too long
+ The Wedding Gig
+ Reaper's Image: Very slow build-up to a so-so twist ending
+ For Owen
+ Morning Deliveries: Milkman #1
+ Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2): Both Milkman tales are taken from a novel that King never completed, and it's pretty obvious. These read like chapters taken out of context. They almost work as standalones... but almost isn't enough
+ The Reach: The final 1/4th of this story puts the rambling beginning and middle to shame. It's sad that the entire story doesn't have the greatness of the last few pages, as this had the potential to be a great and poignant tale of accepting death.

BAD
+ Cain Rose Up: Meaningless violence. A plotless exercise in having a character--whose psychology isn't delved into--kill his dorm mates. This is like the Hostel of short stories. Never before this has King's work disgusted me, but he really crossed the line with this one.
+ Paranoid- A Chant
+ Beachworld: A failed attempt at a sci-fi/horror tale that tries to make a monster out of sand. If anyone could have done that, it's King. Oddly, this one falls flat.
+ Uncle Otto's Truck: An editor would have cut 3/4ths of this story out. That might have made it better.

It's worth a read for the good stuff, and you should probably give the okay and bad stuff a shot too, because it's Stephen King. He truly is one of the best writers, both now and back when this collection was first published. He's also one of the most helpful and interesting writers, shown by the really cool "Notes" section he provides at the end, for those interested in more insight into some of the stories.

6/10

Unusually for genre authors, King has managed to master the short story as well as novel-length fiction. "Skeleton Crew" isn't one of those cash-in collections where the publisher throws together some old crap the author spun out twenty years ago, usually amounting to 300 pages of mediocre stories. Although some of the tales here are as old as King's first novels, the collection is a vast one with well over twenty stories, forming a heavy tome well worth the couple of quid you can get it for now.

It includes some great stories that have earned their fame elsewhere, such as "The Raft", "The Monkey" and "The Mist", the last of which is possibly the best example of rising terror I've ever read, and recently made into a film (which I haven't yet seen - it's probably rubbish anyway). As in most collections of this size there are a few less inspiring stories, but most are short and even if they don't give you the chills you were after, you'll never feel like you wasted your time reading them. King's narrative style and dialogue are as good as ever--

A great collection, dirt cheap now online so pick it up!

If you're the sort of person who likes the best story in the least amount of time, then this book is an excellent anthology of some of King's greatest short stories. The flagship story is "The Mist", which starts innocently enough and builds (in typical King fashion) to absolute terror. Don't read "The Mist" before you go to sleep.
Oftentimes, while reading this book, you'll think to yourself "where does this guy come up with these ideas?" The plots of such stories as "here there be tygers" and "morning deliveries" will leave you scratching your head until it is raw and bleeding.
Of special note is the story "Survivor Type". Here, a man washes up on the shore of a tiny, barren island, and his struggle to survive always leaves you guessing as to what's coming up next. Great stories, and a great book. Another excellent job by Stephen King.

Skeleton Crew is Stephen King's second collection of short stories, a follow-up to the also-excellent Night Shift). It contains many haunting, gripping tales, although those who are familiar with King's short story style will know that while some of his stories are amazing, some will leave you wondering "huh?" For King fans, however, this book is a must-read.

As in King's other collections, the best stories here are the longer, almost novella-type works. Tales such as "The Mist" and "The Jaunt" combine the horror and sci-fi traditions to perfection. Other excellent eerie stories are more in the psychological suspense genre, including "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" and "Survivor Type." Finally, this collection includes some true horror tales which will bring a chill to your spine, particularly "The Raft" and "The Monkey."

Although some of these stories come off a bit dated for today (e.g., "Word Processor of the Gods"), this is still a classic collection which should not be missed. Highly recommended for King fans and others with a taste for the macabre.

Stephen King is an excellent short-story and novella writer. Skeleton Crew contains one novella--The Mist (150 pages long or so), 20 or so short stories, and some throw-away 2-3 page bumpers included so the publisher could say that there was new material, since most of the short stories had previously been published in magazines.

Since many of the stories come from the late 70s/early 80s and a few from the late 60s, you get a good dose of King's paranoia about the government, and especially government experiments gone wrong. But even if you find the subject-matter of such stories laughable, the stories themselves are a great read. The novella among the books, The Mist, is an example of this. An ordinary storm that hides extraordinary, and quite imaginative, horrors.

I particularly enjoyed the story of The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands, in which King takes us to the eerie story-telling club that we also visit in Different Seasons, the Ballad of the Flexible Bullet, in which King speculates on what it is like to lose your mind, and Mrs. Todd's Shortcut, in which King indulges in the perculiar New England fascination with road directions. The science fiction stories provide a nice change-up.

If you like King or, indeed if you like short stories at all, you'll like this book.

First off, read "The Monkey", especially if you have the paperback version that has the creepy monkey toy with the glowing eyes. Then you'll understand something about Stephen King. I remember the immense gratitude that I felt as a teen when I first read this story. He too has shuddered at the sight of those googly eyed toy monkeys! What sadist manufactured these horrific objects? Nevermind, they exist, and now, thanks to Mr.King, they serve a greater purpose, to become themes and storylines of some of the most terrific and terrifying stories King ever wrote. These are some of his greatest masterpieces of shorts in this collection, and if critics generally dissaprove of King's short stories I cannot imagine why. "The Mist" is one of his best works, and includes such psychological introspections of human reactions to unimaginable situations that one wonders exactly how much time he has devoted to picking apart the many varied personifications of humanity. In "The Mist" the story begins with a man and his young son, waving goodbye to the lovely but doomed wife and mother as they both go to the local grocery store. As this is happening a strange fog rolls over into the town, presumably from a secret government testing facility allegedly called The Arrowhead Project, of course the "project" being testing atomic particles and radioactive materials. No one yet knows the strange fog that rolled in during a thunderstorm carries within its bowels bizzarre, tentacled, flesh devouring creatures that can only be partially seen as they carry their victims back into the misty veils of death they crawled out of. Mayhem ensues as those trapped in the grocery store reveal their true character as all struggle to stay alive. Delicious and gruesome deaths occur as the beasts that never should have been, both outside and inside of the store, collide with each other, the instinctual inclination of both beast and man strugge each to survive. For those who saw the movie, get thee to a time travel device and have it so that you never did! The ending of the movie is so far removed from the ending of the story that it completely changes the nature of the tale. "The Raft" is a great one, notching out a sordid tale of college kids stranded on a creaky raft on a lake trying not to be consumed by the oily but seductive black creature that (you guessed it!) dissolves flesh right off the bone, eating them alive one by one, think "rolled roast of beef" and you're starting to get the picture. This tale is particularly gory yet irresistible as the creature become more and more inventive as it tries to get the kids off the raft and into its amoeba-like body. One of the unluckiest guys gets sucked through a half inch crack between the rotting wood of the raft, as the soon to be also eaten watch in horror. Then, God knows why, the two remainig couple decide that it might be a good idea to lie down and have sex, I guess watching your two best friends skin dissolve as they scream in agony would get anyone in the mood, and the ever increasing appetite of the oily creature pulls down deadgirl#2 down by her face. The lone survivor is left, stranded and exhausted, unable to sit down as the thing under him waits...there was a film version of it somewhere where the last guy somehow makes it to shore and the black thing lunges out of the lake to pull him back in, but the readers of the original story know better.
If you loved science fiction as a child, "The Jaunt" is a hearty tale of the consequences of breaking the rules of nature, a theme that runs throughout the book's series of ever increasingly perplexing situations. Several bouts of malevolent poetry, better left to Tabitha his wife, interrupt the rest of the horrific tales, including my ever favorite story of precious "Gramma", a demented and senile old woman who happens to be a powerful witch in the throes of death. Little George is left alone in an isolated house with an old lady with an agenda, that is to remain alive, however and whatever form she can. Survival and desperation seep through the entire series of seemingly unconnected stories, but as a whole, the book remains of the most cohesive collections of stories King ever wrote, some of the stories dating back to his own teenage writing years. You can sense the evolution of his writing as the stories progress, King explains in the forward that some of these stories date back to the beginning of his career as a writer. These are the "hungry" Stephen King stories, as opposed to the slower paced and more opulent writing of his later years. They are less refined, more frenetic, and even a bit juvenile in nature, but the intensity of his work is at its peak in this staple of horror enthusiasts. This is King at his rawest, least refined nature. It is harsh, brutal, and entirely delicious.

While not as overly strong as King's earlier short fiction collection, Night Shift, there is ONE GREAT REASON that everyone should read Skeleton Crew...THE MIST!

The Mist is such a powerfully gripping monster novella, that it will give you goosebumps. It serves as a terrific homage to drive-in horror films of the 60's and 70's while perfectly blending in science fiction and the powers of human paranoia when science and explanation fail us. I love this book and Frank Darabont did a sensational job translating it into a movie. The Mist is such solid entertainment that it's worth the price of purchase all by itself.

Skeleton Crew does offer up a wide assortment of other tales (not all of them horror). The other two strong stories (in my humble opinion) are Survivor Type and The Raft. One involves a man standed on a deserted island with nothing to eat...but himself. The other revolves around teens trapped in a remote lake by a shapeless monster. Both are scary...and fun. And isn't that what Stephen King delivers best in his short fiction...scares and fun!

This one was good. Definetely shows how his writing has gotten to over time. Some of the best stories in this collection were The Mist, The Monkey, Mrs. Todd's Shortcut, The Jaunt, The Raft, The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands, Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game, The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet, Word Processor of the Gods, Nona, Survivor Type, Uncle Otto's Truck, anf Morning Deliveries. About every one of the stories was good. The ones that werent on my favorites list were either just okay stories or "ehh" stories.

From start to finish, this book is just full of lasting images. The parts that affected me most were the ending of "The Jaunt"; the plot twist at the end of "Gramma"; and the entire story "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet", which in its own way is the scariest and saddest story in the collection. I also liked the recurring theme of "Do you love?" which showed up in "The Raft", "Nona", and "The Reach" to tie together the three completely unrelated stories. The only complaint I have with this book are the few stories that seemed rather pointless; namely, the Milkman stories (although the first one was chilling, the second went nowhere) and "The Reaper's Image" (I expected more than a predictable cursed-object story from this imaginative writer). All in all it is an excellent book.

I read this book over fifteen years ago and only read it once. I have read many novels since then (including most of what Mr. King has put out), but without even checking the table of contents I can vividly remember The Mist, Survivor Type, The Raft, The Jaunt, Wordprocessor of the Gods, Uncle Otto's Truck, Mrs. Todd's Shortcut and The Monkey. These stories have really stayed with me.

The novella The Mist alone is worth buying the book. I've always been a fan of horror stories involving a group of people in a confined space. Here you'll hole up with people who were just grocery shopping before the mist rolled in...

If your not sure you want to read Stephen King, read these short stories and I'm sure you'll love his books. It has everything. It starts out with the Mist, which is a very freaky story about people locked in a supermarket because a strange Mist is outside that kills anyone who goes out. The Monkey is a scary story about, you guessed it, a monkey. My favorite story in this is The Jaunt. It is the only Stephen King story that I have ever been scared of. It's about a device(The Jaunt) that teleports you from one place to another.

Cain Rose Up is scary because you draw connections between it and the Virgina Tech Tragedy. The Raft is about 4 friends getting on a raft in the middle of a lake, only to be attacked by a dark monster in the water.

Word Processor of the Gods is about the only story to have a happy ending. The Man who would not shake hands is a strange tale about its namesake. The Reaper's Image is an excellent story about a painting. I also Highly Reccomend: Uncle Otto's Truck, The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet, and Gramma.

As popular as Stephen King is as a novelist, he is actually at his best and scariest writing stort stories. The medium reduces his ides to the initial visceral horror that inspired them. On "Skeleton Crew," (his second short story collection after the superb "Night Shift") he starts out with a novella, "The Mist," which is one of his best ever ideas. The rest of the stories are almost uniforly excellent, but the best are probably "The Raft," "Beachworld" and "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut." This is a book that allows King to be mentioned with the likes of Edgar Allan Poe and one of the best horror writers ever.

...

In his second and comparatively subdued anthology of short stories, King's distinctive prose comes off as more haunting than all-out horrifying; a deliberately paced walk through a haunted mansion rather than an amusement-park simulation thereof. The stories are no more or less effective for the wear, but <i>Skeleton Crew</i> doesn't so much grab you by the lapels and order you to be frightened as shrewdly offer you the option to be...and, should you accept it, you are methodically jangled from gut to psyche, and left to reverberate once the last word glides across the page. This is something an evolutionary jump for the Stephen King anthologies, somehow darker and far more intimate than its predecessor. Self-image, paranoia, and survival are recurring themes (The open-ended question "Do you love?" is sprinkled throughout the book like an ancient yet timeless chant of infinite power and potential)...whereas <i>Night Shift</i> focused primarily on society's external structure and surreality overlapping the real world. In these writings, you'll find only what you choose to take with you.

THE BALLAD OF THE FLEXIBLE BULLET: A poignant and complex tale with massage both universal and deeply personal.

BEACHWORLD: Science fiction as interpreted by King; somewhat superficial in contrast to other stories, but can easily get under your skin. The futuristic pidgin lingo is a tough go, but I gotta admire the man for having the patience and skill to create a universal dialect in the first place.

BIG WHEELS: A TALE OF THE LAUNDRY GAME (MILKMAN #2): Something of a day-in-the-life that abruptly crescendos into a revenge drama. Not the best this collection has to offer, but solid entertainment.

CAIN ROSE UP: An unnerving tale of cynicism, disenchantment and impulse, eerily foreshadowing the acts of school violence prevalent from the late twentieth century to now.

FOR OWEN: A breezy and touching poem dedicated to his youngest son, showcasing King's elusive sentimental side.

GRAMMA: A harrowing tale focusing on youth and the unknown, raw and evocative.

HERE THERE BE TYGERS: A strange, juvenile but effective mini-study on the parallels between a child's everyday concerns versus the perils that could potentially befall us out of the clear blue nowhere.

THE JAUNT: Another slice of sci-fi a la King, every bit as twisted as Beachworld, but far more purposeful/cautionary overall. Tinges of Cronenberg's <i>The Fly</i>. This one scared the [daylights] out of me--I thought about it for literal DAYS afterward.

THE MAN WHO WOULD NOT SHAKE HANDS: A brief meditation on paranoia; it seems alost satirical to me.

THE MIST: An apocalyptic novella that takes the classic final-showdown-of-mankind scenario and transports it into a most unusual locale. Hints of <i>Jurassic Park, Dawn of the Dead</i> and John Carpenter's <i>The Fog</i>.

THE MONKEY: A classic horror story, and as close to vintage King as you'll find in this anthology. The angel of death manifests itself in the form of a mechanical monkey-doll.

MORNING DELIVERIES (MILKMAN #1): A conceptually interesting kind of horror farce, more a hypothetical situation than a telling of actual events...as with Ellis' <i>American Psycho</i>, the reader is almost led to believe the scenario exists only within the wishful thoughts of the main character. Flawed, but readable.

MRS. TODD'S SHORTCUT: A woman's desire to save time and resistance to change leads her life into a series of strange events. Deep.

NONA: Almost a love story, it seamlessly fuses the mythic images of the anima and the succubus...a theme that's been touched upon in modern literature, but not fully or effectively explored until now.

PARANOID--A CHANT: Another poem, this one brimming with kinetic imagery and dark satiric humor. A personal favorite.

THE RAFT: Another straightforward horror story featuring what could best be described as the Blob's bastard cousin, with strong subtexts of post-adolescent angst, envy and sexual (im)morality.

THE REAPER'S IMAGE: Haunting and original, yet strangely anticlimactic. Not my favorite.

SURVIVOR TYPE: A survival tale with a shocking--and sickening--twist. By no means superficial, though.

UNCLE OTTO'S TRUCK: A wealthy elderly eccentric is driven literally crazy and to poverty by his Cresswell truck. An odd premise with a webwoven theme of irony and gossip.

THE WEDDING GIG: A sad tale set in the Prohibition era, representing a refreshing change of venue in King's world. A provocative look at, of all things, family ties and prejudice.

WORD PROCESSOR OF THE GODS: An interesting take on the nagging what-ifs of life and the hypotheticals of reversing personal regrets...both disturbing, yet not without a strange sweetness.

Read this book if you have any interest in King what-so-ever.
His short stories...though many aren't all that short...each have a different flavor, a different set of characters, and range from touching to chilling.
Some favorites: "The Mist", (could have been sold by itself) "Word Processor of the Gods", "Survivor Type", "Gramma", and, of course, "The Raft".
For some reason, I remember seeing The Raft, or a version there-of, on cable TV years and years ago as a kid. Scared me then, scared me more now reading it!
A few of the stories fall somewhat flat (Uncle Otto's Truck...lame...sorry...), but you get something different with each...including a writing style. I bet Koontz wishes he could say that.
This indeed ranks up among King's best. Just read it already.

Skeleton crew is a highly recommendable collection of short stories by Stephen King, including a large variety of little masterpieces that are worth reading more than once. More than anything, the novella "The mist" makes this book a must-buy for any serious horror fan. It is not typical Stephen King, miles away from "Christine", "Cujo", "Salem's Lot" and even "The Shining", it is, apart from some short stories, Stephen King's darkest, most hopeless, and most cosmic story ever.
It is in every sense lovecraftian without even mentioning one of the usual prerequisites, but combines Lovecraft's concept of cosmic alienation with all the merits of Stephen King's fine writing: a detailed and sympathetic characterisation of his protagonists and antagonists, a good sense of black humour, an action-packed plot and some delvings into the funny horror of old school splatter movies (among many others).
"The mist" tells about the dire adventures of a bunch of Mainers (of course) caught in a supermarket and confronted with the unknown and utterly alien, told from the perspective of a family father. The horror is generated on several levels, by the mysterious "mist" that traps the people (and for which a good 1950'ies horror movie explanation is provided) which creates an eerie atmosphere of constant threat, by the creatures that inhabit it (which range from the ridiculous to the awe-inspiring), and particularly by the behaviour of the people that are confronted with supreme horrors, and which slowly but constantly go nuts one after the other.
It is easily one of Stephen Kings masterpieces and easily outshines any of the other stories in the collection -well done as they are. It is more lovecraftian than anything Derleth, Carter or Lumley ever wrote, because it understands the cosmological concept. H. P. L. always raged about what would happen if the gates to the outer spheres are opened. Stephen King shows it and leaves no (or, at best, a pathetic) hope for mankind.
To put it in one word: brilliant. If King wouldn't have written anything else, this book would secure him a place among the masters of weird fiction.

If you like other short story compilations by Stephen King (Nightmares and Dreamscapes, The Bachman Books), you will probably like these stories too. SK without the long characterizations that he usually does in his novels. Contains "The Mist" which was made into a movie. I enjoy his short stories, but, I enjoy his novels more. I am currently reading "Under the Dome" and it is very good.

I guess there's something for everyone in "Skeleton Crew," - or at least for most people. The book contains a few tales where, as King himself puts it in one of his other short-story anthologies, "things happen just because they happen." In other words, impossible (or maybe just improbable) things become possible, and even frequent. Stories like this in "Skeleton Crew" include "The Mist," "Here There Be Tygers" and "The Raft."
Interestingly enough, these are three of my favourites. I was a bit disappointed by the end of "The Mist," with a proper ending and more detail in between, it could've been a standalone novella. As it is, the ending leaves a lot - too much, in my opinion - to the imagination. We want to know what happens in the end, but that's largely unexplained. Still, it's a great story. "The Raft" is simply King at his gruesome, unforgiving best.
Stories like "Here There Be Tygers" and "Cain Rose Up" held my interest, but at the end I found myself thinking "What's he trying to say with this?"
In my opinion, there are no outright stinkers in the bunch, although I would say my least favourite is the sci-fi attempt "Beachworld." Another that I liked less was "The Reach."
On the other hand, my favourite story of all is the other one with a sci-fi feel, called "The Jaunt." Some have called it a cautionary tale, I call it just plain brilliant. In my opinion, it's got some of the funnier moments of the whole book, but these are contrasted with some of the most frightening, which is what makes the story superior. Highly recommend it.
In fact I highly recommend the whole collection.

Skip "The Mist," it had a lot going for it until we started seeing what all was in the mist - then it got goofy. Plus, there was no resolve, nor any definitive connection to the supposed military project. The best stories were "The Monkey" and "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut," both on their own making the purchase worth it. Honorable mention goes to "The Jaunt," "Word Processor of the Gods," "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands," and "Gramma," though their endings were all lacking. The rest of the stories were quite lame.

In my opinion "Skeleton Crew" is even better than "Night Shift" was, and Night Shift has the possibility of giving you awful Kafka-like dreams.
Among my favorites are: the Jaunt, Gramma, the Mist, Survivor Type, Vain Rose Up, and many others make up this book.
Each story is frightening in its own way. For mist, it's because of that "survivor" stance- people having to survive some cataclysm. King has a way of bringing terror out of you slowly, progressively, and then hitting a climax that knocks your socks off.
I enjoyed almost every story, and have read every one except "The Reach" which, I admit, doesn't appeal to me as a 17 year old as much as Survivor Type or Jaunt.
For someone debating whether or not to buy the book, buy it. Some have criticized the book's diversity but I applaud it. There is something for every genre of the literary world- science fiction, Jaunt and Beachworld cataclysm survival, Survivor Type and the Mist simple horror, Gramma People going insane, Survivor Type, Cain Rose Up and Ballad of the Flexible Bullet and many more. Readers who aren't strictly horror story lovers will find a great diversity in the book which is also found in "Night Shift."
I recommend buying it. King fans and simple horror fans will love it.

If you are a fan of King or short stories in general you definitely don’t want to miss this collection. It’s a little dated (i.e., 1986), but still good. The great thing about short story compilations is that you may love some and hate some, but there seems to be a tale for suits everyone’s needs. I personally enjoyed The Mist. Feel free to check it out and decide for yourself.

King at some of his best! But definitely not for the faint-hearted. There were some real gems in here. One in particular was possibly the most outrageous thing I've ever read in all my life. I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone, though, because it really did take me by surprise! And I loved his personal biographical piece at the end about stealing traffic cones in his college days.

The first story (or rather novella) in this books, 'The Mist' is amazing. Brilliantly scary, horrific and with the kinda of downbeat ending you love to hate it would make a brilliant straight to video B-movie! The rest of the stories are so-so. The Monkey is really a predictable, sentimental piece of cliche, Gramma is actually superb and very very frightening (it kind of reminded me of Georges Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl for some reason...) ummm Survivior Type is bleakly funny but the rest of the stories are bland and forgettable. However the Mist is worth the cover price alone and then some.

I've never read a book before in my life that ACTUALLY scared me. Most of the stories in here to me are just very interesting, but the one story, forgive me for forgetting the name, about future space travel, actually terrified me, actually raised my heart rate and made my hair stand on end. Anyway, I think Stephen King is an extremely brilliant story teller and I highly reccommend this AWESOME book of his scary short stories.

The novel Skeleton Crew by Stephen King was a collection of several stories. It mixes the realities of science fiction with the terror of a horror story. The novel challenged the reader to use their mind to either figure out several unanswered questions in the book and to use the imagination to create certain endings for many of the stories. Although, King in many of the stories seems to unclearly end a story, leaving many readers hanging or unsatisfied.
In one particular story "The Mist" King leaves the ending unsaid. The characters in the story are at conflict with the creations of a military experiment gone terribly wrong. The characters are trapped in a super market through out most of the story. Yet as the story comes to an end King never directly reveals the fate of the surviving characters. This really leaves an enormous gap in the readers mind as to what will become of the characters. King should have ended the story on a more clear note in which a reader would be able to know and understand what happens to the characters. He really doesn't use many literary divices in this story, there are many situations in which King could have used forshadowing or the use of irony to help readers understand events in the story a little better.
In another story "The Monkey" King shows the reader, a grown man who comes in contact with a childhood fear, a fur toy monkey with clanging symbols. In the story the man remebers the fear the monkey stuck in his heart and how every time somthing bad would happen the monkey was always there. King really tells this story well. There is great suspense in the story that always keeps the reader second guessing and thinking of what will happen next. He does a much better job in this story of letting the reader know the ending. He also uses forshadowing in this story to give hints as to what might happen on the next page. King also used dramtic and situaltional irony in "The Monkey." He leads readers to belive one thing will happen only to find out King had pulled a complete 180 and somthing the exact opposite happens.
Over all Skeleton Crew was a good book. It made me think and have to use logic to understand many of the situations in the novel. I would recommend this novel to any reader who enjoys a collection of horror stories, mysteries and stories that flat out make you think.

Summary
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King is a collection of short stories. They range from horror to unrealistically frightening fantasies. At the end of his introduction King suggests to the reader, "Grab onto my arm now. Hold tight. We are going into a number of dark places, but I think I know the way. Just don't let go of my arm."
"The Mist" is the first of these short stories and is one hundred thirty pages long. It is about a gigantic storm which brings a mysterious mist to a small town in northern New England. The mist has a life of its own. It spreads and inexplicably produces creatures that are beyond the imagination. Several people become trapped in a grocery store. One by one they are preyed upon by the creatures of the mist. Six main characters eventually plan an escape. Only three of them survive the twenty foot scramble to the car. The mist's range and area of coverage is unknown. Driving at five miles per hour they come upon an abandoned Howard Johnson's hotel. The story ends in a cliffhanger leaving the reader wondering how three ordinary, simple people will overcome all odds.
Commentary
"The Mist" was my favorite short story. It is a wonderfully gruesome page-turner. It is written for an adult audience. The vocabulary challenged me at times, but not too much. This story is for people who enjoy horror and extreme fiction. There are moments of acute suspense, but there are also parts that are slow and unexciting. There was clearly no way out of the grocery store except through the front door and twenty feet through the mist to the car. Some readers may not enjoy the characters because they appeared unsure and unstimulating. The creatures on the other hand were intriguing. This contrast, however, is what made the story more frightening. Finding temporary safety in an abandoned Howard Johnson hotel for three of the main characters is indicative of Stephen King's writing style. The characters escape one trap only to find themselves in another one. I found myself speculating for days about how one man and two women would overcome the creatures of the mist; whether the mist had overtaken the entire nation or world; and whether there were any other humans alive. Sometimes I still think about it.

Skeleton Crew along with Night Shift are my favorite short story collections by King. I really liked "The Mist", "The Jaunt", "The Raft" and especially loved "Word Processor of the Gods" and "The Reaper's Image". My very favorite story is "Nona", it freaked me out for days! Another reviewer compares these stories to a Tales From the Crypt episode. I would really agree, they are great, suspensful, and full of horror and twists. This is a fabulous read.

Here we see Stephen King at the height of his powers. In 'The Mist', perhaps his best ever novella, the horror is unremitting - King leaves us no way out. I was afraid to go to sleep the night I read it, and I was only halfway through. 'The Raft', however, is a mere gore laden exercise in grand guignol. Delicate constitutions stay clear. Otherwise, there's so much more going on in here, from poetry, to science fiction, horror, mystery, moving, and the outright strange. One of the best grab bags you'll ever see

I always enjoy Stephen King, but this was the first book of short stories I read by him. King conjured up fright inside of me like none other with stories such as "The Monkey", "Gramma", "Ballad of the Flexible Bullet", "Survivor Type"... this book is amazing! I would have to say that two of my favorite stories, not including the ones I just mentioned, don't even ebb into horror - "The Reach" and "Mrs Todd's Shortcut". In "Mrs Todd's Shortcut", Stephen King reaches out to the reader with a strong explanation of the female need to drive. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from that story!
If you get the chance, this book is definitely worth having. After reading this book, I have carried "Night Shift" around with me with much loyalty. Both books are great for a semi-quick story (in most cases) that leaves you feeling fulfilled.

Stephan King's Skeleton Crew is the best book ever. You cannot compare this book to any other book. Skeleton Crew is the best thrilling story. This book surprises you in so many different ways. The birds in the story just pop out and scare you. David and Stephanie are the best characters in the book because they are such good actors and actresses. If you want thrill you should read this book. This book will scare you and make you want to watch the movie. I recommend this book to all students and adults.

I started reading Stephen King at a very early age, and fell in love with his dark worlds immediately. This collection still reigns as the quintessential batch of short stories for me. Each is chilling and bizarre in its own way. I won't dissect each one, picking a favorite is like picking a favorite child as a mother. Suffice to say I revisit this work at least annually and it's been a lotta years for both of us since 1985.

Skeleton Crew is second only to Night Shift as my favorite among King's short story collections, and it's second by about inches. Great book! The novella "The Mist" starts this anthology off with just the right tone, and then tales like "Nona" "The Reaper's Image" and "The Jaunt"--the only King story that ever really scared me--continue that nice touch of unreality. This is among King's best books of all time and would be a bargain at many times its price.

Most book critics are less than enthusiastic over Stephen
King's short story collections; but if you're a fan, you
probably don't much care. If you haven't read any of King's
books, then this collection is the perfect medium for an
introduction not only to the Master of Horror, but also to
fiction writing at its finest. Whether you're looking for
entertainment, or for a crash-course in superior
writing technique, Skeleton Crew is well worth a look. The
stories range from the eerie to the unsettling to the downright terrifying. What makes them so effective is their
believability; the mundane "family-next-door" quality that
so many of King's characters possess. These are not the
brilliant lawyers, hard-boiled private eyes or blushing
debutantes that form the character base of so much of today's
popular fiction. King's characters are regular folks
conducting their day-to-day lives in the same way we all do,
and it is this quality which reaches into your imagination
and takes hold of your personal fears with a grip hard to
shake loose.
"The Mist" is the signature piece of this collection. More
of a novella, it is so poignantly authentic in its creation
that you cannot help seeing your own family, summer cottage
and small town as the cast and character of the tale. The
pace of the story is akin to the snowball rolling downhill;
slow and benign at first, speeding up to a pitch that is
maniacal and devastating, testing the limits of your sanity.
Whether you're looking for your next Stephen King fix, or
just a shot of pure adrenaline riding the crest of crisp
prose, this book is for you!

If you really want to read Steven King, you're definately better off sticking to his short story collections. Though I preferred Night Shift, I got some real scares from Skeleton Crew. I almost couldn't breathe while reading Gramma; Survivor Type and The Jaunt also made a lasting impression. Steven King's novels tend to get a bit out of focus and the end, and I think he fares much better when he is forced to limit himself, as in this short story collection

Do not be fooled. Just because this is a Stephen King book does not mean it is a good book. I don't even know where to begin.
First off, there aren't too many happy endings, something I look forward to after spending (wasting?) my time reading these stories. For example, "The Jaunt" could have been one of the best and most enjoyable stories until you get to the last two pages, which in my opinion, were just plain cruel to the readers. Some, like "The Mist", just leave you hanging.
This is also the only time literature has ever grossed me out, and this is not my first King book. Probably the most aclaimed story was "Survivor's Type." It was gut-wrenching gross! I later told some friends about it, and they were getting a little sick, too. "The Raft," one of the better stories, was piled with blood and goo in morbid detail.
Yes, the stories are often violent. "Cain Rose Up" was the worst story about senseless (and storyless) violence.
But, there are also some stories that I really enjoyed. My favorite was "Here There Be Tygers". I had a friend read it too, and she really enjoyed it. Then, there was "The Reaper's Image", which reminded me of a really good "Tales from the Crypt" episode.
But those are only two stories, definately not worth the 8 bucks I spent for it. I honestly expected better.

I learned a couple things from reading this book of short stories. For one, I don't care for short stories. I prefer the novel where characters can be developed and stories flushed out. I found the ideas of some of the stories like "The Jaunt" and "Word Processor of the Gods" to be very interesting, but that's basically all they were...ideas...short Twilight Zone episodes that would have been so much more interesting as part of a larger narrative. The second thing I took from this book is that I'm not all that fond of King's writing style. I'm sure part of the problem was that this book contained some of King's very early work, but much of it didn't seem polished. I even had to back-track and re-read several sections to figure out what he was trying to get across. The last thing I will take with me after reading this book is that horror stories aren't for me. I love horror movies, but the last thing I want after reading something for several days is a cold, depressing ending. Half the characters in these stories end up dead or crazy at the end.

I'm not a big Stephen King fan but Skeleton Crew is spectacular. I worked for three years as a summer camp counselor and when you have a group of 15 year old boys, they don't want to hear cheesy ghost stories or little kid stories. I read them a few of King's short stories and they LOVED them. While his Novels tend to drone on a bit too much for my taste, his short stories are just right. Check out "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" too.

"The Mist", from Stephen King's Skeleton Crew, is a riveting short story about an eerie mist settling on a small town in Maine. The mist creeps over the town, and brings with it mysterious animals that feed on humans. A small group of locals are trapped in a grocery store, and to exit means certain death. They must fight for their lives in the uncertain danger of the mist.
King keeps the reader suspense with eerie settings, tense situations, and foreshadowing. There seems to be no point of rest in the story, because the action never ceases. King is very descriptive, and uses similes, metaphors, and vivid imagery to describe settings and the strange creatures from the fog.
Personally, I found "The Mist" to be a fun read, but it was a little too corny for my taste. I realize that thrillers have to sometimes stretch the boundaries of reality, but monsters from a fog is slightly ridiculous. Despite this flaw, I think "The Mist" could make an excellent movie.

From the chilling uncertainty of "The Mist" to the creepiest toy monkey story you'll ever read, King takes you to all the strange but familiar places inside your head and heart, alternating shades of light and dark. As a writer, King first makes me want to give up in frustration, then delights and inspires to continue. This may be the best story collection of the latter half of the 20th century.

! am a lifelong SK fan and this was a re read as i read it when it first came out sometime in the late 70's early 80s. I was aware of the fact that the some of the details were now dated. (No technology in site). This does not change the fact that there are fantastic short stories and novellas that grip you from start to finish. The Mist was made into a movie which was an under rated but great little film, too. There was also a great story about a toy monkey that heralded death when it banged on its cymbals. I am a big short story fan as they are great for dipping in and out of. For me, a short story and Stephen King is a perfect combination.

Sean Howell 2/27/06

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, 0-451-16861-5

Are You Scared?

"Good food good meat good god lets eat." This statement comes up several times in this suspense novel. They all end in the same way death and insanity. But that doesn't mean that the stories are all the same. These stories range from school shootings to eating you self alive!

This book is a page turner because the writing is so intense that you feel like your going through the same events as the character. The writing is so detailed that you get shivers down your spine and the stories hit you like a drug, you can't stop reading. When I was reading the book it felt like the characters were real and I was concerned for them so I couldn't rest until I found out what happened. I enjoyed this genre because it is the only way to get a realistic story because the stories always have a powerful evil and the hero doesn't always win. The author writes in an unusual style to confuse the readers and I love that. The way the book misleads you and then all the sudden surprises you is why I like suspense/horror stories. But this book shouldn't be for kids under 12 because there is a lot of swearing and adult content. I would recommend book for people who don't get grossed out easily or people who enjoy getting scared. There were lots of surprises in this book and I found them very interesting because they are the keys to what's going to happen next. A great example of a surprise is in the story called Cain rises up the surprise is that this kid who cleaning out his dorm is actually going to go on a shooting rampage. In the story this kid seems normal but when he is alone he is a psychopathic murderer

Skeleton Crew is another fine collection of short stories from Stephen King. The biggest stand out is the novella that starts off the book, The Mist. The rest of the tales range from a variety of subjects such as crime, fantasy, horror and science fiction. Homages are paid to his idols Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft is the stories Beachworld and Gramma.

I highly recommend this book.

I read this years ago and reading it again is a great experience. Since it's a collection of short stories, you can skip around and find the stories that will be your own favorites. "The Raft" has always been the one that stands out for me.

Practically every single story makes you look at innocuous things in a fresh and mostly macabre fashion. His voice is conversational and his way of telling stories is exceptional. His success is well-warranted.

Skeleton Crew is another great collection of short stories by horror master Stephen King. Every original story is premised on ideas that would scare the pants off any child: from freaky death monkey toys to witch possessed grandmas to flesh-consuming oil spills. The overall atmosphere of unbridged terror is, of course, executed to perfection by King.

While this collection of Stephen King tales may not be up there with the monumental collection NIGHT SHIFT, there are enough macabre pleasures to make this worth reading.
By far the best of the tales is the first, the novella length THE MIST, a claustrophobic story of the survival of a small group trapped within a mist that contains creatures out of a Lovecraftian nightmare. A real page turner, which would make one hell of a movie. Other stories worth reading are the sci fi tale THE JAUNT, which has a cracking ending and THE BALLAD OF THE FLEXIBLE BULLET, a moving story of madness. Many of the others are good, but just do not come up to the standard of those three - and the poetry sections are something that I'm afraid we can do without.

A really nice collection of stories by Stephen King (although the best is the novella collection "Different Seasons), this is your typical Stephen King, with a little surprises thrown in for a measure. The real surprises are the quiet stories like "The Raft". The best though, is one that is not for all tastes: the blackly comic "Survivor Type", about a man stranded on a desert island with heroin who, in order to keep from starving, eats himself. The last line had me rolling on the floor laughing

This is a great collection of short stories from the Master of Horror. My favorite was The Jaunt, which was sort of a sci-fi thriller. The Raft was in the movie Creepshow II. Also good were Gramma, The Myst (more like a novella at 100+ pages), Survivor Type and The Ballad of Flexible Bullet which is a story about going insane. If you enjoyed Night Shift you'll love this.

The book Skeleton Crew by Stephen King is a fiction horror novel with ideas so fresh and original that It will keep you in your seat until your done with it. Rather then being one long story, the book is composed of several short stories. Some of the stories can span over almost 30 pages, while some are maybe as little as three or four pages.

The Fog, which is the first story in the book, it is also the longest one. The story is about a man and his family living on their lake house. The story starts of slowly discussing what the dad is doing and following him around town. Then one night a huge storm hits the lake and all the residence flee for their homes. Rain crashes down on them and trees get pulled out of the ground as the family huddles together in their house. In the mourning the family awakens to a strange fog out on the lake. The fog seems solid almost like a wall. Eventually the dad goes to the market were the fog seems to have almost creped up over the whole town. But when people start disappearing in the fog the family has to fend for their lives as the ever-consuming fog rolls in all around them.

Another great story is The Monkey. The story is about a toy monkey that seems to follow the main character everywhere always seeming to bring bad luck wherever he goes. As the main character tries to get rid of him the monkey always seems to find a way back

The last story ill talk about is titled The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands. The whole story takes place around a card game. As the men are playing a stranger wanted to sit in with them. The mean allow him to play but they notice that the man never makes human contact. This story was short but had a very interesting end.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The great ideas and concepts that made you ask yourself if this could actually happen. I would recommend this book to any one that would be interested in talking a walk on the other side.

When I first read this book, I was definitely not a horror fan. I am not now either, but regardless, this a can't miss book. Every story tinges with excitement, is filled with terror (although only "The Raft" will genuinely haunt you), and sparkles with good writing. I did not read a bad story in the entire book. Also, another amazing element of this book is the way it does not rely on gore, violence, or serial murderers, but rather on the strange and supernatural hidden behind our most treasured things. The standouts of this book are "The Raft", the evil computer, the self-eating deserted island resident, the evil milkman, and the creepy "Grandma"

I'm a great fan of all Stephen King books. I've read more than 20 titles. Being an admirer of King's terror implies also that I really like thrilling stories. And that's this book's all about. You can really feel the taste of the old terror tales of Stephen King, the kind of flavor I think has been lessened within the years. Considering it's composed of a series of short stories, there aren't weak points when compared to full stories like Cemetery. The fellings and sensations are the same.

What really atracted me to buy this book was the first story, "The Mist". After I watched The movie "Silent Hill", I found out that movie is inspired by this tale, because both o them, the story "The Mist" and the movie, have this thick and gory fog. Considering that I love Stephen King, that really suited me up.

But, in the end, all the stories turned out to be as good as the first. That's the reason you shouldn't miss it, especially if you are a fan.

Every story in Skeleton Crew is terrifying in it's own way. Survivor Type is not for the squeamish. The Jaunt is classic sci-fi/ horror. The Raft is horror/suspense. The Mist is one of the most terrifying works that Stephen King has ever written in my opinion. King is a master of character development. There isn't a dull moment in Skeleton Crew.

This is the book that got me totally hooked on Stephen King. I grew up in the US, but have now moved to Norway. I have every book he has ever written in hardcover, it has become a tradition, of sorts, to buy a new hardcover Stephen King book every time I am back in the states.
I find reading Stephen King very comforting, like being with a good friend. I love his books!

I read this book maybe a year or two ago so I am trying to be as objective as possible. Frankly, I totally enjoyed this book. I would rank "The Raft" as my all time favourite mainly because it appealed to me at that time, being a teenager then. The thing that caught me most with this book is the way that the plot developed from an apparent simple situation and escalated to one of extreme terror. The monster or whatever it was somewhat strange but likeable also. "Survivor Type" really, really had me.There was something darkly humorous about it, the fact that the character had to resort to feeding off his own body to stay alive.I especially admired this and at the end of the story I found myself laughing, horrible as it may sound. The Jaunt was also great and I must say that I also enjoyed it.

I know King can write better than this. There are only a couple good short stories in this:The Mist, which isn't that short, and a poem called Paranoid:A Chant. I like it, you might not, but I thought it was very interesting and creative. A couple others are OK, but drag and are very boring at many times. If you want a good short story book by King, I recommend Night Shift.

Minimum Maturity Level - Adult
Strong Language. Sexual Situations.

Previous Reading Required - None
Stands alone. Many short stories put into this book.

Reading Level - Average
Easy to follow. Very descriptive.

Rate of Development - Fast
Since these are mainly short stories, there isn't much time for much character development. So everything is quickly plot driven.

The Story - Horror, Thriller
My main read was the Mist. A town has recovered from a freak storm which practically demolishes the property around David's home. He goes into town with his son, leaving his wife at home. Meanwhile, a creepy mist is approaching their home town. David and his son get into the marketplace and the mist appears before them. A man runs into the store yelling, "There's something in the mist!". After that, it becomes a survival mission for all within the market.

My Suggestion - Recommended
The Mist was an excellect read. Even just for that story, I would recommend getting the book. I also read a few other of the stories. A couple were so-so. Another that was pretty good was "The Monkey". It's about a toy monkey which whenever it claps it's miniature symbols, something dies. If you were to get this book, read The Mist and The Monkey and you would at least be happy with that.

If you like action,and suspense read Stephen King's "Skeleton Crew".My favorite story in this book is "The Mist".I loved that story.You never know what will happen next.If you didn't want to read this book or just didn't then you should have second thoughts about it because it is the best Stephen King book I've read so far!

My first collection of Stephen King's short stories was his 1978 release "Night Shift" and I thought it was very good for the most part, and so I bought "Skeleton Crew" right after I bought "Night Shift".

The one main difference from "Skeleton Crew" compared to "Night Shift" is there are more sceens of drama than sceens of horror in "Skeleton Crew", but that's the case through the whole book. Some of my favorite stories out of here are "The Mist", "Monkey", "The Raft", "Nona" and "Paranoid: A Chant". Paranoid is probally one of the most creative short stories from The King I have ever read. "The Mist" is probally the longest storie in the book.

Thier are about 20 short stories in Stephen King's "Skeleton Crew" with a new Into and Outro(there intro's a lot of the reissued edition of King's older, but the Into's new) so its a very soild work, and it should keep the reader sucked in for awhile.

While this isnt as scary as The Shining or as disturbing as It this book is good because it keeps you guessing as to how each story will end.Also this book has stories in the style of Night Shift and ones in a non horrific style like Different Seasons.It can be pretty hard at first to know what to label a story as.

the inventive stories here are more inventive than "before" and "after". very professionally written. a great deal of psychology. great descriptions (esp. the mist, mrs. todd's shortcut). great ideas. there were some stories here that didn't deliver. but all in all, you can't expect more.

The only stories in here you should read are, The mist, Cain rose up, Mrs. Todd's shortcut, The Raft, Gramma, *Ballad of the flexible bullet,*

If you just read these and ignore the other ones you wont be missing much. They are nice in their own ways but nothing that will really stick with you. At the very least you should read Ballad of the Flexible Bullet.

This book was a great read from front to cover. a few stories i wasnt into as much as others however you cant always be perfect!(although King comes very close!) This book has my favorite short story of kings in it "The Mist"! im sure the title of this article already gave that away though! many wonderfull stories that make you wonder where the ---- King gets his ideas from! another personal favorite story to mention would be "The Raft"! rather than waste time writing about i just recamend you buy it and get ready for a wonderfull ride!

Once again, he had me spellbound. This book was exciting and every story had some sort of twist. I would love to know where he comes up with his story ideas. He must have quite the imagination. He really is an extraordinary man and his writings in this book prove that once again.

"Skeleton Crew" is an amazing collection of some of Stephen King's best short stories. These twenty-two stories are really exciting, gruesome, and very interesting. One story takes you to a deserted island where a man has to struggle for his life without food. Another is set at a supermarket, where people have to worry about being killed if they leave. Stephen King takes you into other worlds you would not even dream. His style just takes you in and you can not take your hands off the book! These short stories will make you think differently about every situation you are in. The New York Daily News says, "It is stunning, ingenious...Stephen King at the very top of his talent!"

The Mist was good but the best short story of all time (sorry Edgar Poe) has to be Survivor Type.
Think about it, you are a top surgeon stranded on a rocky island with nothing but pidgeons, your medical gear and lots of Cocain. What do you do?
Read and weap.

It is really great novel. If you enjoy thrill and some creepy story.

I don't know how can author think like that and show a object like that.

Look into his story, sometime he bring out some weird thing make me horror, otherwise, he also use to familiar things to make me fear.

On the other hand, let talk about this book, this book is compose to short story, so if a reader do not familiar to read long story or do not know

this author, readers can enjoy stories.

I loved this book. The Mist was an excellent novella, the best in the book. the best short storie was probably the Jaunt, closely followed by, the ballad of the flexible bullet. I read it while camping and i had dreams causing me to get up and walk around the tent. Superlative.

This is one of the best Stephen King books I have ever read.And trust me,I have read them all!My favorite is "Survivor Type'',a story witch main question is ''how much does the patient want to live?''.I am only 12 years old and my class mates frown upone seeing me read S.K's books every spare moment I have.I belive Mr.King is the greatist writer who ever lived.IT is his best book.

This has to be my favorite book by Stephen King. The first time I read it, I was stunned by the sheer imagination displayed by Mr. King. I read this one every few years, and every time is just like the first.

By far the best story in this book is "The Mist". Detailing a town run over by fog and danger lurks inside. "Gramma" is frightfully chilling because you get the idea of your grandma leaving you! This book is delightful! I recommend it!

If you're looking for a few great spooks, some high tension and not a small amount of humor, do this book up. Also: if you want to know anything about Maine's Lakes Region, you could do worse than this.

This book has so many amazing stories in it, but my favorite is The Mist. When King was writing this he was in top form. Other writers can't compare to King when he's in top form. This is a must read book if there ever was one.

Stephen King's best book yet! One of the stories in the book, "The Mist", is the best short story I've ever read! King is a genius story-teller, and any Stephen King fan will love this book!
5 stars all the way!

I recommend this book because it includes my favorite King short story, "The Mist". A film based on this story is coming out this year. The other stories are pretty good too but "The Mist" totally rocks.

This is the first Stephen King book I have read. I am a fan of his movies, (It, Needfull Things, Stand by Me, Creepshow, etc.), and I decided to read one of his books. It was terrific. My favorite stories were Nona and The Mist. I deeply recomend that you read it if you are a first time Stephen King reader or a devoted fan. Now that I read this book, I think I'm hooked on Stephen King. I am now going to Carrie, and I am going to get 'Salem's Lot and The Shining,

Mainly good stuff, but I particularly liked The Running Man. The film was a travesty compared to the source material which had real emotional depth and made a political statement without being preachy. The Long Walk was also very forward-looking in terms of our current reality TV obsession. King may have his detractors, but he has an awesome imagination.

A good book, some of the stories I found either downright no good or just plain boring (Here there be tygers for example). But the ones that were good, were GOOD, such as, the mist, an excellent story (dont read it when it's foggy out!) and, the monkey (Scared the heck out of me and I was afraid of wind-up monkeys for a week.)

I have read through this book and I really think that it deserves 2 stars.
We seem to give too much credit to Stephen King (we have to remember, every book that he has ever written has become a bestseller). This book (like most of this author's) seems to show promise, and then waste it.
NUMBER 1- The Mist (Which starts the book) has a good idea behind it. However, Stephen King (as he does in ALL his books) turns simple things into complete perversity. A perverted part would be when the main character was "making love" with a woman in the store, while at the same time, thinking about his son and dead wife. The whole pathetic sexual scenes ruin the plot. The vulgarity of his novels also make you realize that there really isn't much to it. Sure, if he developed it, it MAY become something interesting, but it seems that the only reason that people read Stephen King, is to "get off" on some kind of cheap porn. I have read most of his books, and none of them have been any less perverted. Some of them get going well, but its just those small moments that make you sick. In MISERY he was just thinking and then all of a sudden he 'though' "Jerking off to your own masturbatory thoughts". This came out of nowhere. It really makes you wonder what kind of a pervert Stephen King really is.
NUMBER 2- Stephen King is expected to be good. And even if he isn't, there are still those "porn" and pedophiliac fanatics who will defend him.
Overall, it was hard to give this book 2 stars. Most of the other stories lacked many things. Stephen King is far from original. His ideas are taken from Edgar Allen Poe and Shirley Jackson. It's amazing that people still want to read his works. Oh well.

I bought this as a hardcover years ago and it has always been one of my favorite collections along with Night Shift and more recently Deepest Fears - A Collection of Horror Stories. "The Mist" alone is worth the purchase.

This is pretty good. Not as good as Night Shift, but still better than Nightmares and Dreamscapes. The Mist is outstanding, poosibly the best short story he's ever written. Other bright spots are 'Cain Rose Up', 'Gramma', 'The Wedding Gig', 'Nona' and 'The Monkey'. I would reccomend this to anyone who likes horror or anyone who likes good, interesting books.

This book is a very good book the ability of Steven King in this book is the best out of all followed by Bags of Bones and The Green Mile. But beware if you buy this book you better look under your bed for the main clown.This book is full of bone chilling events and basiclly another Bride of Chucky book. If your're a Steven King fanatic you will love this book.

I love this book bigtime. The Mist, The Raft, The Monkey, and Here There Be Tygers are the best stories in it. A warning to those who have not yet read it: If you have a weak stomach, DO NOT READ 'SURVIVOR TYPE'! It is rather... dissecting to read.

I just recently began reading Stephen King again. After finishing "Cell" and having my King obsession growing again, I picked up "Skeleton Crew." Some of my favorites would include "The Mist," "The Raft," and "The Jaunt." I would recommend this collection with the disclaimer that not all of the stories are great. However, if you just read the aforementioned three stories, it would be worth your time.

I have always loved Stephen kings short stories and this book is no exception. my favourite being the reach. Mr King has away of making you forget your reading it, and makes you feel like you're living it.

If your looking for some good short stories, forget this book and check Night Shift. There are some good stories, though, like "the monkey" and "The Mist" , but if you want King's best work go with Night Shift.

It is an amazimg read. However, many spelling errors. Bacom and bologna spelled "pacon" "pologna" for example. Im the Reapers Mirror the glass was reffered to as both deIver and deLver at one point. Names would not ne capitalized at times. etc

Beware, the description for this new release (1/1/16) of Skeleton Crew lists all 22 stories as included in the original version, the download/audio file contains only 5 'Selections'.
Maybe they will get this straight at some point, but for now if you are only interested in the full version, this isn't it,

A quite strong collection, especially for 20 stories, averaging 3.58. The long novella to begin with is the standout, and a great story, indeed. Just about worth the price for that alone.

There are a couple of dodgy stories, but closer to half of this is 4 star work, with three of these to finish.

The majority is horror, of course, even when it is science fiction like the excellent 'The Jaunt' and maybe even Beachworld.

The odd crime story and fantasy to be found, too, for variety, although what different people see as horror stories will vary, I suppose.

Skeleton Crew : The Mist - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Here There be Tygers - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Monkey - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Cain Rose Up - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Mrs. Todd's Shortcut - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Jaunt - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Wedding Gig - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Raft - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Word Processor of the Gods - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Beachworld - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Reaper's Image - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Nona - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Survivor Type - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Uncle Otto's Truck - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Morning Deliveries - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : Gramma - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - Stephen King
Skeleton Crew : The Reach - Stephen King

Extradimensional army experiment mistake monster siege mayhem breakout.

5 out of 5

Big Cat Piss boy loss.

2.5 out of 5

Getting rid of an evil toy at the bottom of Crystal Lake? Wouldn't be the first location i would chose. Actually, it'd be really close to the bottom. Arkham, Dunwich, 'Salem's Lot, down around there somewhere.

3 out of 5

Flunked Going Postal.

3.5 out of 5

Holey bits.

2.5 out of 5

Long Time My Destination.

4.5 out of 5

The Big Fat Kill.

4 out of 5

Screwed, then eaten, alien symbiote style.

4 out of 5

Family addition by deletion.

4 out of 5

Death touch self.

3.5 out of 5

Exit Sandman.

3 out of 5

Mirror, Mirror, you dead next.

3.5 out of 5

Crazy for rat girl.

4 out of 5

Autocannibal.

3.5 out of 5

Is gonna get me.

3 out of 5

Milk, cream, bugs, poison...

3.5 out of 5

Pulled over better than evil milkmanned.

2.5 out of 5

Ding dong, the Elder Gods spellcasting old bag is dead. Or supposed to be, so that walking around and grabbing me stuff is a worry. Learned some cool tricks though.

4 out of 5

Typewriter elf massacre.

4 out of 5

Mainland ghost, gran.

4 out of 5

I thought the book was not very good at all. The worst thing was it was boring. It was boring because there was not alot of action. It also was disgusting some what.The part that was disgusting was when the guy was dreaming about his wife and his kid getting cut by the window shattering in the store. The way he described it made it seem disgusting. I did not like the book.