Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King

 I AM not really into horror stories because I feel like it’s a little too childish to believe in those stories. But Stephen King’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes made me realize that it feel good to be childish sometimes.

THE BOOK AND ME. My old friend in college gave this to me as a gift together with three other books. It’s my first Stephen King. I doubted if I would like it when I first got hold of it. But after reading the Introduction, I got a little bit excited to read the stories. The fact that it’s collection of short stories encouraged to read it because it means that I would be exploring plenty of plots and style.

This book had also been adapted into the forms. The most famous of which is the multi-awarded TV series in the US, Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.

SYNOPSIS. I would only be including the one’s I liked.

Dolan’s Cadillac. This is the first story and I loved it for Stephen King attempts to please his nerdy readers with some application of physics. It’s about revenge and one man’s toiling to stage his bloody vengeance.

The End of the Whole Mess. This one broke my heart. It’s about two brothers and their magnanimous dream of saving the world but only to suffer from a depressing side effect.

Chattery Teeth. This is about an enchanted set of teeth that is supposed to be a toy but it suddenly becomes alive to get back at malevolent hitchhiker. It’s odd but very nice to read. There’s a feeling of excitement as to whether the good will triumph over evil.

Moving Finger.  I couldn’t believe it but this story scared the hell out of me and put an end to my habit of peeing in the sink of my apartment at night. Kidding. This is funny but really makes you feel creepy.

Sorry, Right Number. This story is not written in the usual paragraph from but in teleplay format. This, too, is really very creepy. The ending is quite a shock.

The Ten O’Clock People. The story is quite dragging but I can relate to the characters and to the things going on in the story. This is the bit that you can get a lot of insights.

The Beggar and the Diamond. This is not really part of the book, I think, but this is how Stephen King ended the book. This is based on a Hindu tale. I could feel my hair raised after reading the story.

READ IT. If you are more into short stories, this is best for you. You can opt to read one story each, or each night, so you can digest everything because King’s mind  wander into the realms of the irrational.