# Best story in Stephen King's Skeleton Crew? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793 "2010-09-15T01:26:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/41 "2012-09-25T14:45:06Z")
I voted for The Mist and The Raft because I’d have a hard time picking between them, although I like lots in this collection. But The Raft is King might edge out The Mist because of the echoes of The Colour Out Of Space & other Lovecraft stuff, for me. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/42 "2012-09-25T14:51:28Z")
The Jaunt, though I loved a lot of the stories in this collection, including Gramma (brr) and The Raft. I’m not actually that fond of The Mist. I don’t like crazy maniacal religious screamers, in fiction or IRL. It gets better once they finally leave the store, but she annoys the piss out of me. “Longer than you think, dad! Longer than you think!” Oh, and Survivor Type! Wow. I hate Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut. And as to the Word Processor of the Gods, I was struck by a lot of things in that story, and I liked it a lot - a feel-good story until you look at it deeper and realize no one is really very good in that story. Not even the kid. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/43 "2012-09-25T16:42:04Z")
Since this is back from the sematary, and I missed it the first time around, I’ve voted now. It’s hard to say which story is “best”–my favorites are not necessarily the best-written stories, technically. I think “The Reach” and “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” were my favorites, followed by “The Mist” and “The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands”. I think the endings (or non-endings, in some cases) are what make them appeal to me, but I’m not sure I could tell you why. I didn’t care for “Word Processor of the Gods”. It’s an interesting idea to play with, but I don’t think King did anything interesting with it. The idea isn’t particularly original, either–and I say that having used it in a horror story myself. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/44 "2012-09-25T19:05:07Z")
I liked The Jaunt, The Raft and The Mist but The Raft has to have had the worst movie adaptation ever. The plastic black bag floating around the raft was hardly menacing, just some trash that was a bit out of place. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/45 "2012-09-25T20:14:48Z")
A Stephen King zombie thread. How appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/46 "2012-10-25T09:30:33Z")
Mrs Todd’s Shortcut; The Jaunt; The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet. I know the last one has its flaws, but it just caught me and took up residence. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/47 "2012-10-26T03:19:57Z")
The Jaunt by a Green Mile. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/48 "2012-10-26T04:48:45Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > This is my favourite collection of Stephen King books. _The Mist_ is one of my favourite short stories, and I think the ending is fantastic. King gets a lot of flack over his endings, but this one hits exactly the right note for me. It gives me goosebumps every time. > > The other stories I like in this collection are _The Jaunt_, _The Raft_,\* Survivor Type\*, _Beachworld_ and _Gramma_. I remember one Halloween a local radio station played the audiobook version of, “The Mist.” LOVED IT. I hated the crazy religious woman, but that was the only bad part. She was just really hateful, and there was nothing humanizing or moderating about the character, so one-dimensional. I guess he wanted to show how even crazy, hateful people can be charismatic and sway people to their worldview when things start going bad, but that character was just nails-on-a-chalkboard for me. I only remember this story and, “Survivor Type”, from that book. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/49 "2012-10-26T04:54:38Z")
_The Mist_ & _The Jaunt_ are my top picks; _Survivor Type_ a bit behind them. Those are the ones that even though it’s been quite a few years since I read the book (I ought to go dig it out again sometime), when I think “good King stories” they come to mind. Longer than you think, Dad! Longer than you _think!_ ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793/50 "2012-10-26T06:30:47Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > And as to the Word Processor of the Gods, I was struck by a lot of things in that story, and I liked it a lot - a feel-good story until you look at it deeper and realize no one is really very good in that story. Not even the kid. Well, yeah, if you think about it, it’s about a ghost who convinces a man to murder his wife and son. Thing is that I don’t feel that King was being ambiguous when he wrote that one. I read it as a completely straight tale: the character’s brother, wife and son are 100% Bad with a capital B, his sister-in-law and nephew are Destined to be his… nobody is responsible for that twist of fate, neither the woman who keeps on loving an abusive man, nor him for failing to properly raise his son. Just… a weird one. Survivor type has to be the story with the most powerful imagery. I had forgotten most stories on Skeleton Crew, but the creepyness of Type remains fresh in my mind like I read it an hour ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-story-in-stephen-kings-skeleton-crew/553793.md?page=2)