Full Dark, No Stars

Written by Stephen King

Narrated by Craig Wasson and Jessica Hecht

“The pages practically turn themselves” (USA TODAY) in this collection of four “disturbing, fascinating” (The Washington Post) novellas centered around the theme of retribution from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King.

“1922” (also a Netflix original film): A violence awakens inside a man when his wife proposes selling off the family homestead, setting in motion a grisly train of murder and madness.

“Big Driver”: A mystery writer is brutally assaulted by a stranger along a Massachusetts back road and plots a revenge that will bring her face-to-face with another stranger: the one inside herself.

“Fair Extension”: Making a deal with the devil not only saves a man from terminal illness but also provides rich recompense for a lifetime of resentment.

“A Good Marriage”: The trust forged by more than twenty years of matrimony is irrevocably shattered when a woman makes a chance discovery leading to the horrifying implications of just who her husband really is.

Like the #1 bestselling novella collections Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight, Stephen King’s Full Dark, No Stars is “gripping storytelling” (People) and “an extraordinary collection, thrillingly merciless, and a career high point” (The Daily Telegraph, London).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Nov 9, 2010
• ISBN: 9781442335776

Stephen King

Stephen King es autor de más de sesenta libros, todos ellos best sellers internacionales. Sus títulos más recientes son Holly, Cuento de Hadas, Billy Summers, Después, La sangre manda, El Instituto, Elevación, El visitante (cuya adaptaciónaudiovisual se estrenó en HBO en enero de 2020), La caja de botones de Gwendy (con Richard Chizmar), Bellas durmientes (con su hijo Owen King), El bazar de los malos sueños, la trilogía «Bill Hodges» (Mr. Mercedes, Quien pierde paga y Fin de guardia), Revival y Doctor Sueño.La novela 22/11/63 (convertida en serie de televisión en Hulu) fue elegida por The New York Times Book Review como una de las diez mejores novelas de 2011 y por Los Angeles Times como la mejor novela de intriga del año. Los libros de la serie «La Torre Oscura» e It han sido adaptados al cine, así como gran parte de sus clásicos, desde Misery hasta El resplandor pasando por Carrie, El juego de Gerald y La zona muerta. En reconocimiento a su trayectoria profesional, le han sido concedidos los premios PEN American Literary Service Award en 2018, National Medal of Arts en 2014 y National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters en 2003. Vive en Bangor, Maine, con su esposa Tabitha King, también novelista.

Reviews for Full Dark, No Stars

[Maro Maro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just the best short story collection by Stephen King, scary,raw,shoking!!!

[zoneseek-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Yep super dark

[SarahMariePutnam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very well written. It will make you think, shutter but it is not for the faint of heart. Definitely King at his psychological best.

[jbreedlove_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The last story saved the collection. Truly SK at his best. Delving where few think or want to go. The other three lacked in various areas. 1922 had too much foreshadowing. Big Driver was good but could have been better and Fair Extension didn't really end. A parable? However a good mariage kept my attention the whole way through. Kept me thinking that I want to read an SK novel again.

[mstrust · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Four extra long short stories. "1922" is the story of a long-married Nebraska farmer who learns that his combative wife has taken steps to leave him in financial ruin. To keep his farm, he enlists their young son to help with the murder."Big Driver" is about a successful writer of knitting mysteries who is sent home from a speaking engagement via a short-cut that turns into a nightmare and changes her life forever. This one shifts suddenly from cozy into extreme brutality."Fair Extension", along with "1922" were my favorites. Streeter has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer but only he and his wife know. Pulling over one afternoon to check out a roadside merchant turns out to be serendipitous for Streeter, but his good fortune is very bad for someone else."A Good Marriage"- Darcy and Bob have been happily married for nearly 30 years. They have a nice home, a business and two grown kids. Then Darcy searches around the garage for batteries and finds out that she really doesn't know Bob as well as she thought.It's been so long since I've picked up King, and this was a good one to return with. The plots are imaginative and the twists come out of nowhere.

[tabatha014 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dark, twisted, and shocking. Stephen King at his best! There are four short stories in this book and I can't pick a favorite because their all good. Although at times, parts made me cringe it was worth the read. Definitely a page turner.

[aliceoddcabinet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't normally care that much for Stephen King. Not that he's not good at what he does, but that I like something different. There have been exceptions. This is one of them. His work, especially of late has seemed overwrought, inefficient, uninteresting. Like the editors were afraid to make edits (Wouldn't you be?) But these four novellas show a darker, sleeker side to his work. Especially disturbing for me was "1922", a long confession of almost epic proportions in a relatively small space. These stories are less supernatural, on the whole, which is generally a disappointment for me. I love supernatural. But here the terror comes from real people, the darkness and the Other inside us. Suspenseful and consuming, even if there were still some parts that needed trimming.

[madamxtra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Steve did it again. Made me love him even more. Thank you, Steve for the way you depict your women: strong, apt...ready to make things right...SMILE*

[bookworm_naida · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full Dark, No Stars is a collection of four short stories by Stephen King that had me up all night reading. 1922, Big Driver, Fair Extension and A Good Marriage are the stories featured in this thrilling set. The common theme in each of these stories are the monsters that sometimes hide behind seemingly normal facades as well as the acts some people will commit when faced with harsh realities and uncovered secrets. As usual, King taps into our deepest fears. Do we really know everything about our spouse? Can we really trust someone who is offering help? Should we be careful what we wish for? What kind of evils are seemingly normal people capable of? This is a collection of truly messed up stories. The shortest of the bunch was Fair Extension and King interspersed humor with extremely screwed up circumstances. "How many unsuspected selves could a person have, hidden deep inside? She was beginning to think the number was infinite." p.313, Full Dark, No Stars I love it when King writes short stories. I think it's because his full length novels sometimes tend to be wordy, so when he writes shorts, he packs the punch in a smaller amount of time. He hits the nail on the head with this collection.In my opinion, King saved the best for last here. I was hooked on A Good Marriage from start to finish. This gem revolves around a woman who discovers a deep, dark secret about her husband. She then wonders what she should do now that she has uncovered this monstrous secret. I can see this one made into a mini-series or a full length film.King writes so very well. He makes these circumstances and these characters seem real. I enjoyed the afterword by the author as he discusses his inspiration behind the stories. I recommend this collection not only to fans of King's work, but to those who might be looking to read this author but may not know where to start.Disclaimer:This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of Full Dark, No Stars.

[lloyd1175 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

excellent!

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The British paperback has an extra story, Under the Weather, which isn't in the first editions, so unless you're set on a first, this is the one to go for. I has ISBN 978 1 444 75366 0 on the back but that doesn't seem to appear in the databases. Inside it has two ISBNs for A and B format copies: ISBNs 978 1 444 712575 & 71256 8.A really good collection with some fine writing and flawless story telling. All the stories are themed on crime and revenge.

[fergster73 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesomely dark, harrowing tales.

[ilkkursunuzay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fair Extention was kinda meh. A Good Marrige was quite good, but it was Big Driver and especially 1922 that made me love this book. Big Driver was so nicely short, gripping. And 1922 was actually the best 157 pages I've EVER read. 8.5/10 book.

Stories Ranked
1. 1922 10/10
2. Big Driver 8/10
3. A Good Marrige 6.5/10
4. Fair Extention 5/10

[sarah meyer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Steve explores the darkness in humanity and is able to create characters that are believably realistic. This allows for a deep dive into the stories, they are much more terrifying this way and exciting keeping you on your toes until the very end. It was horrible but in a way that made you keep reading because you had to know what would happen next. King took advantage of the short story format and packed so much drama and madness into each one keeping me coming back for more every day until I finished the stories. Great book I am sufficiently disturbed forever. Thanks Steve. Can't wait to sink my teeth into the next one.

[Jennifer Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Every story in this collection is an absolute masterpiece. Five stars.

[Nancy Harvey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Masterpiece! Truly brilliant! Each story better than the last, but all brilliant!

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Indeholder "1922", "Big Driver", "Fair Extension", "A Good Marriage", "Afterword", "Under the Weather"."1922" handler om ???"Big Driver" handler om ???"Fair Extension" handler om ???"A Good Marriage" handler om ???"Afterword" handler om ???"Under the Weather" handler om ???

[Russell Ballou · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Some of King’s best short stories in my opinion. Enjoyed every one of them.

[daynawinters · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full Dark, No Stars (978-1439192566) by Stephen King, is a hardback book consisting of 384 pages; the book was released by Scribner as a first edition in 2010. This book contains four short stories including ?1922,? ?Big Driver,? ?A Good Marriage,? and ?Fair Extension.? In ?1922,? the story revolves around a farmer who convinces his son to help murder his wife, and the tragic consequences that follow. ?Big Driver,? is a story where a woman ends up taking a dangerous back road on her way home from a book lecture, only to wind up with a flat tire. A man seems to offer her help, only to end up raping her and leaving her for dead. ?A Good Marriage is the story of a woman who discovers she is married to a serial killer; this story allows the reader to consider how well you can really know someone, even if that person is close to you. Finally, ?Fair Extension,? is a story of a man filled with jealously and resentment, so much so that he is willing to make a deal with the devil to pass on his perceived misfortunes to another. Full Dark, No Stars is definitely entertaining, and despite the fact that the book contains four shorts, you won?t want to stop reading when you reach the end of a single story.

[amieg_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A book of short stories that places ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances and shows what happens. It is very interesting to see how Stephen King decides everyday people will act in these instances. Each story also shows how each person might have another type of person living within them, a person they never realized they could be. NOT multiple personalities, but someone they never thought they could actually be. Very good book.

[bookmarque · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full Dark is right. These stories are dark, and yes as Steve says in the afterword, sometimes hard to read. I'm relieved though that they aren't grim like Under the Dome was. At no time while I read these four did I feel like I was having the will to live crushed out of me. While each person does a morally reprehensible thing on the surface, underneath there is reason to at least understand why he or she did it, even if we can't condone it. 1922 is told with a distinctive voice which only falters here and there. It's the one that reads the least like King's typical story. The time and circumstances come through strongly and I especially liked the haunting madness as aftermath of Wilfred's crime. It's true he doesn't get caught, but he does pay. His downfall is complete, but not without pity.Paying is what Big Driver is all about. For me it was the hardest to read. Probably men didn't have as much gnashing of teeth about it because what is rape to them except an impossibility, but King did a decent job trying to get into the mind of his victim. When the full conspiracy flowered in all its poisonous glory, I felt Tess's rage and rooted for her. Realistically though, her successful revenge was a bit too easy and complete for me to swallow, but I did enjoy it.Fair Extension captures the secret glee of the vengeful. Rightfully or wrongfully it was fun to read about Goodhugh's downfall. At first. Then as the bad luck spread it became a lot less fun. I was surprised Streeter could stick it since his perceived bad luck never touched his kids or his wife and I was equally surprised at how King just let the revenge be. It worked and Streeter was happy and there were no consequences pulled out like a rabbit from a hat.The interior of a marriage has been a King hobby horse for decades now and he's always coming up with new angles. This time he wonders what a woman will do when genuinely surprised by her discovery of her husband's secret life as a serial killer. So many wives are suspect after he's caught; she MUST have known what he was. Darcy didn't, and she handled it in a way that was technically wrong, but morally right (in an old testament kind of way).None of these tales has any major supernatural element; three of them don't at all and they reminded me of Different Season's stories in a way. Darker surely and more of a kind. Purposeful. After reading them and evaluating them in my mind, I thought of when Gordie (or maybe it was Chris) reminded the rest of the boys that maybe they shouldn't be having too much fun on their way to see a dead kid. These stories are like that. There isn't a lot of levity in them, but there is hope. No need to run a bath and bring a razor blade along this time.

[manda87_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very entertaining book, but I thought 1922 (the first story) was the only part that I would re read. 1922 had a great Southern Gothic feel, even though it was set in the Midwest, and had a truly grotesque ending. Fair Extension was by far my least favorite story. It's theme and plot are tired and predicatable.

[santhony_35 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I?ve been waiting for Stephen King to finally return to the style of writing that I, and apparently many others, having been missing for so long; the style that was so well represented in The Bachman Books, The Shining, Misery, Dolores Claiborne, Cujo, Gerald?s Game and a handful of others. In those masterpieces, and in this book, King enters the human mind and demonstrates the horror in each of us. He does this by creating realistic circumstances that we can all relate to, and demonstrating how terrifying events can ensue. He does this without resort to corporeal beings that have become increasingly silly and absurd over time. After all, isn?t reality so much more potentially horrifying than the ?over the top?, stupid happenings in so many of King?s works?Duma Key is a perfect example. The first two-thirds of the book are a fine example of King?s ability to get inside the head of a damaged human being and write masterfully. The final third of the book is simply too bizarre for words and, in my opinion, ruined what could have been an excellent book. The Gunslinger books are just unreadable (at least to me). Even in books such as The Dome, with unbelievable and impossible sets of events, King?s ability to examine the working of the human mind (especially in those that happen to be defective) is what sets him apart from his contemporaries.The four novellas contained in this collection bring to mind the Bachman Books, and that is a very good thing. Stick to realism, Stephen King. It is far more terrifying than fantasy.

[Passi · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was to be expected. It was alright I guess

[Lyn Davis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved Stephen King's short stories, absolutely real! Trying to navigate back to a place where I left off was hard the site needs a little fine-tuning.

[Tonya Pinkney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first audio book. I think I liked Big Driver the best.

[Dineen Nazarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Like all King books it keeps you on edge till the end!!!!
Well done Mr. King

[Mark · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Best stories were the first two, after that it kind of became bland and mundane.

[diana l · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very different stories but equally wonderful. Couldn’t put it down.

[sandraf_84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ho Hum. No building suspense; often no explanation for certain desvelopments in the various stories. Not classic King.