# Stephen King's "You Like It Darker" (mild spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [May 29, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242 "2024-05-29T20:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/1 "2024-05-29T20:45:00Z")
Grabbed Stephen King’s new collection of short stories (and some longer ones), and I’ve already finished it. King has been hit or miss with me lately (I didn’t finish “Fairy Tale,” for instance, because I got bored as soon as it left the real world), but I really enjoyed this one. For me, the best story was “The Answer Man” (which had a lovely “Twilight Zone” feel to it), along with “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” “On Slide Inn Road,” “Laurie,” and “Rattlesnakes” (which is a many-years-later sequel to “Cujo,” which it’s been so long since I read that I don’t remember any details except the rabid St. Bernard). The others were mostly good, too. I didn’t like “Finn,” but I have a feeling I was missing something about it because it seemed really pointless to me. One thing I noticed was that, for a book with the title “You Like it Darker,” the stories were mostly not all that dark, at least not compared to some of King’s older stuff. I also found it amusing that, in several of the stories, the protagonist was a man in his seventies. I see King has moved on from his “middle-aged author recovering from a horrific accident” period, which has to be healthy for him. Loved the cover, by the way. I didn’t catch on to the “trick” until somebody mentioned it, and then I wondered how I’d missed it. Nicely done! ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/2 "2024-05-29T20:58:23Z")
I am about three stories into this one. It appeared magically already purchased and downloaded on my Kindle… Not ominous at all. So far I like it. I just read the one about weird Willy… Creepy AF. But also kind of moving, in a way. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/3 "2024-05-29T21:00:31Z")
I had preordered and just received it on my Kindle. I’m only halfway through the first story and I am loving it. I agree, this one at least, isn’t particularly dark. It does have a touch of supernatural that is so easy to buy into because of King’s “voice”. I haven’t seen the cover; can you please spoiler what the “trick” is? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/4 "2024-05-29T21:05:22Z")
I enjoyed the collection immensely, particularly the story “Fifth Step” (having done a few 5th steps in my time, but NOT like in that story). He rarely disappoints. The only thing by him I never finished was “Sleeping Beauties”, which he co-wrote with his son. Otherwise, I really enjoyed “Rattlesnakes” with its sort of follow-up bits from both “Cujo” and “Duma Key”. “Two talented Bastids” was fun too. Frankly, they were all enjoyable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/5 "2024-05-29T21:07:04Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > “Two talented Bastids” It was fun, but it also gave me a lot to think about. I’m a writer. I keep thinking about his quote that you can make a good writer great but you can’t make a bad writer good. I love Stephen King short stories. I think he’s really at the top of his game in this medium. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/6 "2024-05-29T21:11:46Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > It was fun, but it also gave me a lot to think about. Yeah, me too. Especially how the noise and worry of life and the world can get in the way of expressing talents and creativity and the satisfaction derived therefrom. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/7 "2024-05-29T21:17:09Z")
I know a lot of my writing problems would be solved by less thinking. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/8 "2024-05-29T21:22:04Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > One thing I noticed was that, for a book with the title “You Like it Darker,” the stories were mostly not all that dark, at least not compared to some of King’s older stuff. The title is a reference to the title cut from Leonard Cohen’s last album. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/9 "2024-05-29T21:22:52Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > I haven’t seen the cover; can you please spoiler what the “trick” is? On first glance, the cover image looks like a peninsula sticking out (probably from the Florida coast) with a couple of palm trees growing out of it. But if you look closer, it’s actually the toothy head of a floating alligator. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/10 "2024-05-29T21:24:14Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > The only thing by him I never finished was “Sleeping Beauties”, which he co-wrote with his son. Oh, god, yes. That thing was terrible (at least as far as I managed to get - I gave it 50 pages in deference to the fact that I usually love King’s work, but that was all I could manage. His kids aren’t nearly the writer he is. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/11 "2024-05-29T21:25:13Z")
I was kind of proud of myself that I caught on to the whole Jalbert/Javert thing in “Danny Coughlin” before I read the Afterword, where King states it explicitly. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/12 "2024-05-29T21:27:05Z")
Me too! IIRC, he did a few similar things in a few other tales in that volume, but damned if I can recall them at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/13 "2024-05-29T21:29:21Z")
One story reminded me of A Good Man Is Hard To Find, and at the end it was confirmed that it was done on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/14 "2024-05-29T21:30:58Z")
My recent post in the Whatcha Readin thread: Finished Stephen King’s latest collection, You Like It Darker. I really enjoyed it. His “voice” was familiar and good, he stayed away from some previous pitfalls in his writing (male gaze, being overly political). I did catch a couple of errors, I think. They were things like, “He put the beer in the fridge” and then a few paragraphs later, “he took a sip of beer”. He does still have editors, right? Anyway, Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, and The Answer Man were my favorites. Least favorite: Rattlesnakes. The main character of that one is Vic Trenton, the father from Cujo. I don’t think that connection helped the story, and also, Cujo is a bucketload of human misery. I don’t revisit it. I re-read this and it sounds like a lot of bitching, but I don’t mean it to be. I’ve been very happy the last few days to find that King still has the gift. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/15 "2024-05-29T21:31:08Z")
Fun, thanks. I think I made myself finish Sleeping Beauties(?) Really couldn’t summarize the story or how it ended. As for his kids, Joe Hill and Owen King, I see a lot of SK in their style. I was reading Owen’s novel _The Collector_ until I set it aside to read YLID. Also like their father, they seem to do better with short stories. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/16 "2024-05-29T21:39:03Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > His “voice” was familiar and good, he stayed away from some previous pitfalls in his writing (male gaze, being overly political). Yes, agreed. I’m a classical liberal who can’t stand Trump, but even _I_ thought he went overboard with the politics in _Holly_ (which I otherwise liked a lot). I read escapist literature to get _away_ from today’s political hellscape, not to stoke the Outrage Machine even further. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/17 "2024-05-29T22:00:58Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > He does still have editors, right? Judging by some of his doorstop novels, I’m not too sure about that. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/18 "2024-05-30T01:32:28Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > I think I made myself finish Sleeping Beauties(?) Really couldn’t summarize the story or how it ended. I can’t either, but my take-away is that Stephen King loves his children very much. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/19 "2024-05-30T01:48:55Z")
Burn! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242/20 "2024-05-30T12:07:31Z")
I like Joe Hill’s writing. I wish he’d do more books and fewer graphic novels. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-kings-you-like-it-darker-mild-spoilers/1002242.md?page=2)