The Sci Fi Guy

Whenever I travel, I try to take at least 1 or 2 good novels that I’ve been meaning to read or re-read, but I just took a trip where I wasn’t able to figure out what I wanted to take with me. I’ve cracked open an ancient Arthur C. Clarke book that’s sitting on my nightstand, but I just couldn’t figure out if I wanted to take it with me – so I wandered in to an airport bookstore and perused the shelves. While there, I faced the conundrum that’s faced millions of American travellers… Dean Koontz or Stephen King. Well, this time around, I opted for Stephen King, if only for the fact that the main book represented on the shelves was an anthology of short stories by him, titled Everything’s Eventual. Within this book are “14 Dark Tales”, including 1408, which is being made in to an upcoming movie starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. So, being the type of person that enjoys being able to say “oh… I read the book – and it’s better,” I decided to give it a shot.

The story itself is rather short spanning a mere 54 pages (and essentially 3 chapters), but as per King’s standard: it picks you up and doesn’t let go until you’re scared. The main character, Mike Enslin, is a man seeking supernatural events for his own success. Again, like many of King’s stories, the main character is a writer. I tend to believe that King truly enjoys fictionalizing himself and what he would do when presented with some of his own terrifying events. The character discovers the rumor of the Dolphin hotel in New York, that features a single room that has been home to numerous suicides and unexplainable phenomenon. The maids turn down the room once a month – and most that enter try not to be there for more than a fast turnaround.

When Enslin enters the room, at the sincere opposition of the hotel manager, he first chooses to believe that everything that is attached with the room is superstition. But within minutes he discovers that, while perhaps a ghost itself doesn’t reside in the place – the room itself doesn’t want him to live – to survive the night.

I don’t read much horror – I’m more of a space-travel scifi or post-apoc guy myself, but I will always commend King for his ability to give a reader goosebumps. The only other title of his that I’ve actually read from start-to-finish is Dreamcatcher, and even that I only saw after seeing the movie. Suffice it to say that the hollywood version of the story actually looks pretty good, and I’m also a fan of John Cusack – so that helps. If you’re looking for some great quick reads that can send some shivers down your spine, King’s Everything’s Eventual book of short stories might be worth your time.

Edit: Here’s the trailer for the upcoming movie… Releasing July 13th.