Full Dark, No Stars

Title: Full Dark, No Stars

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 2011

Date read: 12th July 2021

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Supernatural

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King is a collection of four dark novellas, published in 2010. Each story explores themes of vengeance, justice (or the lack thereof), morality, and the darkness that lies beneath the surface of ordinary lives. The collection is notable for its unflinching look at human depravity and the often brutal consequences of extreme situations.

Here's a brief summary of each novella:

1. "1922": This novella is told from the perspective of Wilfred "Wilf" Leland James, a farmer in Hemingford Home, Nebraska, in 1922. Struggling financially and resentful of his wife Arlette's plans to sell her inherited land to a pig company, Wilf manipulates his teenage son, Henry, into helping him murder Arlette and dispose of her body in a well. The story chronicles the horrific aftermath of their crime, as Wilf is tormented by guilt, paranoia, and a terrifying infestation of rats (both real and imagined) that seem to be agents of Arlette's vengeful spirit. It's a grim tale of descent into madness and the inescapable consequences of evil.

2. "Big Driver": Tess, a successful mystery novelist, is driving home alone after a book signing in rural Massachusetts. Her GPS leads her down a remote dirt road where her tire is punctured by a strategically placed piece of wood. A seemingly helpful man stops, only to brutally rape and assault her, leaving her for dead in a culvert. Tess, deeply traumatised but resilient, manages to survive. Torn between going to the police (which would expose her ordeal to the public) and seeking her own justice, she ultimately chooses a path of methodical, cold-blooded revenge against her attacker, learning disturbing truths about the nature of evil and herself in the process.

3. "Fair Extension": David Streeter, a middle-aged man dying of cancer, makes a literal deal with the devil – or rather, a mysterious "Extension Man" named Elvid. Elvid offers David a "fair extension" of his life, but at a terrible price: David's bad luck and suffering will be transferred to someone else, specifically a person he chooses whom he genuinely hates. David chooses his lifelong frenemy and former best friend, Tom Goodhugh, a man whose life then rapidly spirals into escalating misfortune and tragedy, even as David's health and fortunes miraculously improve. It's a dark fable about the allure and consequences of selfish desires and the disturbing reality of transferring one's suffering.

4. "A Good Marriage": Darcy Anderson, a seemingly ordinary suburban wife, stumbles upon a hidden box in her husband Bob's garage containing damning evidence: a driver's license belonging to one of the victims of a serial killer known as "Beadie," whose gruesome murders have plagued the region for years. Darcy's perfect marriage is shattered as she realises her seemingly loving and conventional husband is the monstrous Beadie. Faced with the agonising choice of turning him in and destroying her family, or protecting her children from the fallout, Darcy makes a chilling decision to handle the situation herself, meticulously covering up his crimes and silencing him forever. The novella explores the terrifying intimacy of evil and the extreme measures taken to protect one's family and preserve a facade.

Overall, "Full Dark, No Stars" is a powerful and unsettling collection that explores the darker facets of human nature and the unsettling reality that true horror often comes not from supernatural monsters, but from within ourselves.

Comments:
Great stories, I particularly liked 1922. I have not seen the TV adaptation yet but will comment later when I have.

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)