Often things will enter a person’s life either exactly when they need it or exactly when it’s capable of taking on another meaning, one so subjective and personal that it is almost impossible to be impartial. I’m not here to write impartial reviews, so it appears we are all in luck then. What I will do is give you my honest opinion sandwiched between a whole lot of neurosis and quite possibly an out of control foot fetish, but I digress. I wanted to dislike Full Dark, No Stars. I wanted to dislike it in the most pompous, holier than though, “what ? that must be your shit or possibly your dog’s, because mine simply doesn’t stink” kinda way. King’s latest is actually quite good. Good in an unexpected way, and good in a very subjective way.
King channels his inner Poe in the opener and lets a little of the ole supernatural into the second story, Fair Extension. It is the suspense and drive of his characters in the latter tales that shine here though. For those of us who are examining our own human condition a little too thoroughly those are the ones with the “sticky”, the ones that linger, and the ones that are shockingly probable, maybe even right next door to our little yard gnomes, lawn jockeys and pink fucking flamingos.
