Stephen King's latest short story collection is... Stephen King! I wouldn't recommend it as someone's first King, but, if, you're already a fan of his style, then this will give you more of what you like. It doesn't rise to the heights of some of his classics, even as the concepts for some of these short stories (and one novella) really feel like they could have. The Life of Chuck, in particular features two separate high concepts, each of which could make for a brilliant horror short story, but they are both given up on after the first (of three) sequences. The Rat and Mr Harrigan's Phone both provide the classic Stephen King spooky elements of troubled writers and boys coming of age while horrible things happen to them, and the eponymous novella, a standalone sequel to The Outsider, unsurprisingly given its higher page count, provides the most fleshed-out plot, characterisation, and horror of the lot.

It's Stephen King! If you like Stephen King, here is some Stephen King. Enjoy!