This is the first collection of short stories by Stephen King, first published in 1978. In 1980, it received the Balrog Award for Best Collection, and in 1979 it was nominated as best collection for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award.
The first story of this post is also the eleventh of the Night Shift collection. This story is called, Strawberry Spring. It is narrated by a man who we are never really introduced to. He went to New Sharon College in New England where there happened to be a string of murders that went on. These murders were taking place during what the locals call a “strawberry spring” where the fog rolls in so heavy that you can hardly see at all. The perfect cover for a killer. This serial killer gets labeled as Springheel Jack who only attacks on the schools campus. The narrator is reading a paper about how there had been a recent murder during yet another strawberry spring that seemed linked to those of Springheel Jack from when he went to school there. He then begins to think back and tell his story from when all of this had happened before. This was a good story but a little too predictable for me. It has been used a few times to make short films for college students but there hasn’t been a feature length film adaptation as of yet.
The twelfth story is called, The Ledge. I first encountered this one when I was younger and watched the anthology movie called Cat’s Eye.
Cat’s Eye had three short stories in it and one was The Ledge. I loved it then and I love it now. Especially being old enough to understand the circumstances more. In The Ledge, we learn about how our main character and narrator has fallen in love with a woman you just so happens to also be married. But not just married to anybody, married to a big time mob boss with a crazy streak in him. Stan Norris gets a phone call to come and meet Cressner at his penthouse apartment uptown to talk. Stan understands that Cressner must have found out about the affair with his wife but decides to stand up to Cressner anyway, for love. Once there, Cressner plays with him a bit, just testing his edge. He then makes Stan an offer. One he would have refused if he were allowed to. Cressner’s offer is that if Stan can walk completely around the penthouse on its 5 inch ledge and make it back to the patio then he can have Cressners wife along with $20,000. This story is so intense with the way its told and the details of the things that goes on while he’s walking the edge of the building. From the book to the screen, this story is defiantly one of my absolute favorites in this book.
The next one up is famous for all the wrong reasons and is called, The Lawnmower Man.
This is a very strange and off putting story to say the least. I didn’t like it at all and the film that was made after its name literally has absolutely nothing to do with the book. At all. Some guy got the film rights to the story and title. Stephen King actually sued this guy and had his name removed from the film title. He had a completely different film written about technology and virtual reality and nothing to do with King’s story. He used the title to trick people into seeing his film… dirty right? The story is about this man who’s yard has overgrown itself so badly that he feels the need to call a lawnmower man to take care of it (lazy right?). Well the man shows up and is very odd. Chubby and extremely hairy, he takes a look at the yard and accepts the job. From there, things get so freaking strange that I had to laugh through it. I would almost guarantee that King was probably a little more that a bit high when he wrote this one.
The next story is another of my favorites and its called, Quitters Inc. Dick Morrison is a business man, an husband, a father and a smoker. He runs into an old colleague from a few years ago who had always been a very heavy set guy and not the least bit healthy. When he sees him, He almost cant believe who it is. 
He looks amazing and in terrific shape. Dick asks him what his secret is and he only gives him a business card for a company called Quitters Inc. Dick rolls the idea around in his brain for a bit before deciding to give them a shot. He goes to the address on the card and then the story take its typical twisted turn. Things seem all well and good until Dick realizes that the company’s methods are a little bit more unusual then he could have ever expected This one is so well done that I cant say enough about it. From beginning to end, it keeps you nervous and looking back over your shoulder every time you get the slightest feeling someone is watching you. This is another of the short films that is in the movie Cat’ Eye.
The fifteenth story is called, I Know What You Need. Elizabeth Rogan is the popular girl in school. She has the world at her fingertips and everyone wants to be with her or be her. One day, she starts to realize that she suddenly has started to have feelings for a guy at school. This guy is Ed Hammer and the odd thing about this is that he’s the school outcast. The weirdo that just doesn’t fit in to any group. 
But for some reason, she’s falling for him. Her friend also notices this and thinks its pretty odd. Somehow, he always knows exactly what Elizabeth likes or wants or needs without her ever telling him anything. After a while her friend decides to do some digging and finds that Mr. Hammer has a very dark and unusual past. This is another story that I felt could have been added to and turned into a much longer one. It has a lot to it and the fact that its so short actually makes it feel a bit rushed. But besides that, I really enjoyed this one a lot. It left me wanting more which is a pro and a con.
The sixteenth story and one of the more popular ones due to the many movies made based off of it is, The Children of the Corn. So personally, I think that the film is super outdated and needs to be made by someone who can actually make it as terrifying as the story truly is. This one stuck with me. I live out in the mountains where there are farms on every corner and at the time I read this one, down the road there was a massive corn field growing and at a rapid rate. 
I had never noticed how fast it grows until this story. And then I was constantly waiting for a kid to jump out in front of me out of the corn becoming a hood ornament for my Jeep. In this one, Burt and Vicky are driving to California on vacation, trying to save their marriage. They are fighting and arguing the entire trip. They end up taking a road less traveled believing it to be a shortcut and this road leads them to the abandoned town od Gatlin Nebraska. As they are driving by a huge cornfield, they are yelling and not paying attention to the road when a young boy runs out of the corn and into the road. Before Burt can brake or turn, he hits the boy. Not knowing what else to do, he decides to head to the nearest town with the boys body. That town being Gatlin. If you aren’t that big on kids then this story will make you never trust them again. If you love them, you’ll probably never turn your back on them again. I loved it because it never slowed down. Constantly upping the ante. The movies somehow find ways to take away the horror of this story. They ended up being more corny (pun intended) than scary.
The seventeenth short is called, The Last Rung on the Ladder. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I can be a bit of a softy at times.
This story got me. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t upset me so much that I cried at the end. This story is so different from the rest in the book because it isn’t a horror story or science fiction. It’s very real and very emotional. Larry gets word that his younger and estranged sister has committed suicide. This brings him to think back about an event that happened when they were kids. They would go out to the hay barn and climb the ladder up to the top rung high above. They would walk it like a tight rope and then jump off, falling into the huge mound of hay at the bottom. This one time, his sister went for one more climb and the ladder broke from beneath her and she was hanging from the last rung. From there, King tells a story so tragic and heart wrenching that it resonated with me. I have a sister twelve years younger than me so as I read this all I could see was my sisters face. As sad as it is, it stands as one of my favorite stories in this collection.
The eighteenth short is called, The Man Who Loved Flowers. I loved this story for its simplicity. There isn’t a lot of details or over writing done at all.
We are following a man who is walking down the streets of New York with a smile on his face. Everyone that he passes notices him and how happy he seems. He brings a smile to each person as he walks on this beautiful day. He stops at a flower vendor on the road and buys a bouquet of roses and while doing so, the radio that the stand owner is listening to is reporting about a recent string of murders that haven been happening. Our man tells the vendor he is on his way to see his girlfriend, Norma. He walks on and eventually he sees her and yells her name. The woman turns and says, “You must be mistaken sir, my name isn’t Norma.” I’ll leave it right there. I enjoyed this a lot. Just a simple tale, almost like something you would tell sitting around a campfire at night.
The nineteenth story is called, One for the Road. Again, King hits us with another short about Jerusalem’s Lot. This one really creeped me out. Booth runs a bar in a neighboring town near Jerusalem’s Lot. 
Him and his friend Tookey are drinking and chatting while a snow storm blows heavily outside. Then, a man bursts in begging for help. His car had gotten stranded in the snow in the town down the road and his wife and daughter were still there waiting for help in the car. That town is Jerusalem’s Lot. They load up and head out into the storm to save the mans family before the creatures that live there get to them first. The way this one is written and the timing of how everything unravels is just terrifying. The way King describes the characters, the snow, the roads. Everything is just so easily seen in your minds eye. Another wonderful addition to the lore of Salem’s Lot. This has been made into a few short films but no feature length as of yet.
Last but not least, the twentieth short story of Night Shift is called, The Woman in the Room. This one, like The Last Rung on the Ladder, isn’t a horror story but more of a real and heart breaking tale.
This tells the story of a man who is burdened with the decision to continue his mothers treatments even though she is clearly in pain 24/7 or instead to let her go by overdosing her with pain pills. Its a hard one to read. I work in healthcare and in the ICU on a regular basis. I can tell you that I see patients families drag them through every kind of treatment there is even though they are clearly tired and having a very hard time holding on anymore. It’s extremely sad. I tried to relate to him and thought about what I would do. That’s seriously a hard place to be. A dark place. King puts your mind there and then you’re trying to help this guy choose as you read. It’s a very well written story but one I don’t think I’d like to read again. Once was plenty for me.
Well, we did it. We made it through all twenty stories in the amazing collection of Night Shift. I highly recommend this book especially if you’re a fan of anthology style story telling like I am. I have to give this novel a 4 out of 5 stars. The next book up for review is King’s second go at writing under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Next up is, The Long Walk. If you have ever read a book that stuck with you, made you think, and actually changed you in some way, then you’ll enjoy this one. Until next time, leave your comments and thoughts below and happy reading everyone!
Keys to the Kingdom 