Night Shift

Title: Night Shift

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 1978

Date read: 24th January 2021

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Night Shift" by Stephen King, published in 1978, is his first collection of short stories and a foundational work that solidified his reputation as a master of modern horror. It gathers twenty short stories, many of which had previously appeared in magazines like Cavalier, Penthouse, and Cosmopolitan, or in various anthologies.

This collection is a showcase of King's early brilliance and his ability to find terror in both the mundane and the utterly fantastical. The stories vary widely in their subject matter, tone, and the type of horror they explore, ranging from quiet psychological dread to full-blown grotesque creature features.

Many of the stories in "Night Shift" would go on to be adapted into films, television episodes, or form the basis for later novels, cementing their iconic status in the horror genre. Some of the most famous tales include:

"Jerusalem's Lot": A chilling epistolary prequel to King's novel 'Salem's Lot, set in the 19th century, detailing a family's encounter with an ancient, vampiric evil after inheriting a deserted mansion. It has strong Lovecraftian influences.

"Graveyard Shift": A group of mill workers discovers a terrifying, rat-infested ecosystem in the unexplored depths beneath their factory.

"Battleground": A hitman receives a package containing a toy soldier set that comes to life and attempts to kill him.

"Children of the Corn": A classic horror story about a couple who stumble upon a desolate Nebraska town where the children have murdered all the adults and worship a malevolent entity in the cornfields.

"The Mangler": A possessed industrial laundry press comes to life, gruesomely killing workers.

"Quitters, Inc.": A man trying to quit smoking discovers a sinister, highly effective organization that uses extreme and violent methods to ensure compliance.

"The Ledge": A mob boss forces a man to walk around the narrow ledge of a skyscraper in a terrifying gamble for his wife's freedom.

"The Lawnmower Man": A man hires a peculiar, possibly supernatural, lawnmower service with shocking results.

"Trucks": All machines, particularly trucks, come to sentient life and turn against humanity, trapping a group of survivors at a roadside diner.

"Sometimes They Come Back": A teacher is haunted by the vengeful spirits of bullies who murdered his brother.

"Gray Matter": A man consumes contaminated beer and begins to transform into a grotesque, protoplasmic horror.

"Strawberry Spring": A mysterious fog descends upon a college campus, signalling the return of a serial killer.

"I Am the Doorway": An astronaut returns from space with a horrific alien entity living inside his body, forcing his hand to commit murders.

King's introduction to the collection, titled "Foreword," provides fascinating insights into his own views on horror and the process of writing. "Night Shift" establishes many of King's signature themes: the horror lurking beneath the mundane, the fragility of sanity, the monstrousness of everyday objects or people, and the unsettling nature of the unknown. It remains a powerful and enduring collection of terrifying tales.

Comments:
What a brilliant collection. I loved this because of the links to his other stories such as 'Salem's Lot and The Stand. Much better collection than Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Give it a go.

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)