Book 18 1/2

"Everything's Eventual" by Stephen King

I haven't read much Stephen King for a while, and thought I'd jump in and look over this short story compilation (what I bought on my trip to Melbourne). There's the usual mix of very good and just okay to be had between these two covers. Some of the stand-out stories include "The Little Sister of Eluria" is a story featuring the Gunslinger from the Dark Tower series (about which, more later). It's kind of a "where was he before the first novel" tail featuring creepy bugs and even creepier nuns.

"The Road Virus Heads North" has a demonic painting as its central theme, with - and isn't this unusual for King - a writer being pursued across country by an ee-ville force. King builds the tension really well in this one, and the dude in the painting is just nasty.

"Everything's Eventual" is the story of a young man who can kill people by drawing pictures and is, if not the smoothest of the bunch, certainly one that features the most imaginative premise. This young lad is hired by a shadowy agency to use his talent against targets they identify and he starts to feel uncertain about it. A great story, in a clear - if not always smooth - voice.

I was less impressed by "LT's Theory Of Pets", not 'cause it was crap, but because it wasn't as smooth as it could've been.

I fair powered through this collection, with only a few speed bumps, and I reckon it's worth about a three and a half creepy bugs out of five.