Everything's Eventual

Title: Everything's Eventual

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 2002

Date read: 15th May 2021

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Psychological

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Everything's Eventual" by Stephen King is a collection of fourteen short stories and novellas, showcasing his diverse range as a writer beyond just horror, though many stories retain his signature unsettling tone. The collection was published in 2002.

Here's a brief overview of some of the notable stories:

Autopsy Room Four: A man wakes up on an autopsy table, completely paralyzed but fully conscious, listening in horror as doctors prepare to dissect him. It's a terrifying exploration of being trapped within one's own body.

The Man in the Black Suit: An elderly man recounts a childhood encounter with a demonic figure in a black suit while fishing, a chilling tale reminiscent of classic folklore and the devil.

All That You Love Will Be Carried Away: A suicidal traveling salesman records his thoughts and observations in a notebook while contemplating ending his life in a desolate motel room, reflecting on the small details of human existence.

The Death of Jack Hamilton: A historical crime piece set in the 1930s, narrated by a member of John Dillinger's gang, detailing the agonizing death of fellow gang member Jack Hamilton from a gunshot wound and their desperate attempts to get him medical help.

The Little Sisters of Eluria: A dark fantasy novella following gunslinger Roland Deschain (from The Dark Tower series) as he recovers from a serious wound in a seemingly benevolent but sinister hospital run by vampiric "nurses" who prey on the dying.

The Road Virus Heads North: A horror story about a successful horror writer who buys a disturbing painting at a yard sale, only to discover it's alive and changing, slowly depicting a terrifying figure getting closer and closer to his house.

Lunch at the Gotham Café: A darkly comedic and surreal horror story about a man whose estranged wife wants a divorce, leading to a bizarre and bloody confrontation with a demonic maitre d' at a fancy restaurant.

That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French: A psychological horror story about a woman trapped in a recurring time loop of a plane flight, experiencing the same moments over and over with growing dread.

1408: A classic King haunted house (or in this case, haunted hotel room) story, where a cynical author who specializes in debunking supernatural phenomena decides to spend a night in the notoriously evil Room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, only to face true, mind-bending horror.

Riding the Bullet: A young man hitchhiking to his mother's deathbed is picked up by a ghostly figure driving a classic car, forcing him to make a terrifying choice between his own life and that of another.

Coin Locker Babies (translated from a Japanese novel): This is a brief introductory essay by King, discussing a Japanese novel by Ryu Murakami that inspired him, rather than a story by King himself.

Harvey's Dream: A man wakes from a disturbing dream that feels intensely real and recounts it to his wife, only for the dream to slowly and terrifyingly begin to manifest in reality.

The Library Policeman: A librarian warns a young boy about the titular "library policemen" who punish children for overdue books, a seemingly innocent threat that takes on a horrifying, supernatural reality.

Everything's Eventual: The titular novella introduces Dinky Earnshaw, a seemingly ordinary young man with an extraordinary and dangerous psychic ability: he can mentally kill anyone he chooses, a power he uses for a mysterious organization in exchange for a comfortable life, until his conscience begins to stir. This story connects to the Dark Tower universe.

The collection as a whole demonstrates King's mastery of the short story form and his ability to explore a wide range of human experience, from the mundane to the terrifyingly supernatural.

Comments:
Instantly a hit with me because Roland Deschain is in it, but the story is great as well. There is really something for everyone in here (if you like King's work). The quality of his writing is further highlighted as these short stories are his ideas that were "not good enough" or not long enough to be developed into a full book.

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)