Here’s another column of short story collections, with two of the books being from pretty big names in genre fiction, while the third is based around a long-running comic-strip character with a strong chin and a fetish for yellow.
SKELETON CREW by Stephen King — That one episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE is the cause for me starting to reading some King. The episode was “Word Processor of the Gods,” based upon the story of the same name here, which deals with a machine that our narrator is given, made by his genius nephew. The machine is able to either delete or bring things back into the world, and the narrator figures out a way to make things better for his life before it goes kaput.
“The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands” is a reworking of the King Midas tale, but of course, with that King touch. The collection is not all horror — there is a bit of science fiction with “Beachworld,” which deals with a crashed spaceship and the dune-like planet. Then there is “Jaunt,” which is set in the future and deals with a transporter device that people need to be asleep to use. A father explains the history of the device, with the horror side of King shining through by the end.
There is even a crime tale called “The Wedding Gig,” about a band playing for a mobster’s daughter’s wedding, and then her rise of power. Then there is what has to be the most over-the-top story King has ever written. He actually admits he might have gone a bit too far with “Survivor Type,” about a doctor who ends up marooned on a desert isle. The doctor goes to great lengths to survive — maybe “extreme” is a better description. The whole story is told diary-style and the writing slowly becomes a gibberish mess by the end.
“Cain Rose Up” seems to be a sort of riff on RAGE, one of his Richard Bachman novels, since both leads take out their aggression on their fellow students the only way they know how. This 1986 collection also has one of King’s novellas of note in “The Mist,” which deals with a weird fog that engulfs a small Maine town, leaving people stranded in a local market with weird creatures attacking anyone who dares to leave. It’s pretty hard to read this one today without thinking of the movie version. Also, the ending is vastly different, being not as bleak.
I’m actually a bigger fan of King’s short story work and novellas than some of those daunting bricks he pops out like they were nothing. I read NIGHT SHIFT years ago and should probably look into reading that one again.
THE BEAST THAT SHOUTED LOVE AT THE HEART OF THE WORLD by Harlan Ellison — Forty years ago, this groundbreaking collection came out. Ellison is not only known for his writing, but also his sweet disposition. I was more familiar with the works that were based on his writing than his actual work — namely, that episode of THE OUTER LIMITS and that certain STAR TREK episode which has been discussed ad nauseam even in a pre-Internet day. I’ve always wanted to read the source material for A BOY AND HIS DOG, finally coming across it in a cheap copy of this collection.
“A Boy and His Dog” is the story of a rover named Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood. These two have a strong bond, being together these past three years and relying on each other to survive. Vic stalks a woman, rapes her, defends her against roaming scavengers, and then follows her to the underworld. Once he arrives, it’s obvious it was a trap from the start — they want to use Vic to repopulate this town, since all the men have become sterile. Vic stays down there for a week until he has had enough. He escapes with the girl in tow, only to find Blood on the edge of death, and there is only one thing Vic can do. Sure, the ending is about as chauvinistic as they come, but what do you expect from Ellison? Feminist literature?
The book actually starts out with a total mind-fuck of a read in “The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World.” It’s not a sequential story, but more an experiment, as Ellison calls it. It deals with various little threads that somehow feel like a spider web. I can’t really give a synopsis; you just have to read it for yourself.
“Along the Scenic Route” deals with traffic in the future, where cars are equipped with weapons to not only protect themselves, but also to make sure they can get the jump on others. DEATH RACE is like Hot Wheels compared to this one. But the one story that really made me laugh, although it’s a bit dated, is “Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R.” You ever wonder what Santa does during his downtime? Well, this story portrays him as a James Bond-esque spy who faces certain political figures of the time this story was written, all of whom are working for the secret organization of the title.
I’ve only touched upon a few of the stories of this top-notch collection, which is well worth seeking out. I’m hopeful that Ellison does not come across this review, even though it’s positive, because he’d write a 20-page tirade.
DICK TRACY: THE SECRET FILES edited by Max Allan Collins and Martin H Greenberg — This anthology was published in 1990, the same year that Warren Beatty’s vision of DICK TRACY hit theaters. Collins was writing the Dick Tracy strip at the time, so no one better could have been chosen to put this together. Most of the names will be familiar to most readers of this column.
Mike Resnick’s “Origins” tells of a young comic writer named Chet, whose crime strip’s one real fan is his neighbor Nimrod. So when certain crimes read exactly like his previous strips, Chet goes to the police for help, where he meets an officer who will have a huge effect on his future. It’s a fun little story. Most readers will see where it’s going and just revel in the idea that Tracy was based on a real cop.
Rex Miller’s “The Cereal Killer” deals with a series of deaths, for which a young kid figures out a huge clue, only to find that the police themselves reached the same conclusion. “Rockabilly” by F. Paul Wilson is a fun one about the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, with the return of one of Tracy’s deadly but hard-to-understand enemies.
Ed Gorman’s “The Curse” comes off like a shoot-out from the start, only for Tracy to hear the truth from beyond the grave, thanks to a tape recording. Barbara Collins’ “Homefront” deals with Tess Trueheart and the young Tracy while Dad is not around, but showing that the kid is chip off the old block when it comes to standing up for himself. “Living Legend” by Stephen Mertz moves things to a more current time period, as Tracy takes part in a crack raid, only to find out there might be a crooked cop in the midst.
Closing out the collection is Collins’ own “Not a Creature Was Stirring,” which deals with a serial killer who might resemble a certain figure of that season, with Tracy finally getting what he really wanted for Christmas. This book is filled with some other great pieces that stick Dick Tracy into the hard-boiled world of crime. It’s well worth seeking out.
Next time: Marvel Comics said it best. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF MAX ALLAN COLLINS:
• THE BABY BLUE RIP-OFF by Max Allan Collins
• BLACK HATS by Patrick Culhane
• BYLINE: MICKEY SPILLANE edited by Max Allan Collins and Lynn F. Myers Jr.
• DEADLY BELOVED by Max Allan Collins
• DICK TRACY by Max Allan Collins
• DICK TRACY GOES TO WAR by Max Allan Collins
• THE FIRST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
• G.I. JOE: ABOVE & BEYOND by Max Allan Collins
• THE GOLIATH BONE by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
• A KILLING IN COMICS by Max Allan Collins
• THE LAST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
• MY LOLITA COMPLEX AND OTHER TALES OF SEX AND VIOLENCE by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens
• QUARRY’S LIST by Max Allan Collins
• RED SKY IN MORNING by Patrick Culhane
• ROAD TO PARADISE by Max Allan Collins
• STRIP FOR MURDER by Max Allan Collins
• TOUGH TENDER by Max Allan Collins
• THE WAR OF THE WORLDS MURDER by Max Allan Collins
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF STEPHEN KING:
• CELL by Stephen King
• THE COLORADO KID by Stephen King
• CREEPSHOWS: THE ILLUSTRATED STEPHEN KING MOVIE GUIDE by Stephen Jones
• CUJO by Stephen King
• DUMA KEY by Stephen King
• HAUNTED HEART: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF STEPHEN KING by Lisa Rogak
• JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King
• THE SECRETARY OF DREAMS: VOLUME ONE by Stephen King
• STEPHEN KING GOES TO THE MOVIES by Stephen King
• STEPHEN KING: THE NON-FICTION by Rocky Wood and Justin Brooks
Related posts:
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Spillane-a-Mania
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> I’m Gifted
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> These Colors Don’t Run
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Double Your Pleasure
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> False Identities
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
A brand-new hardback of SKELETON CREW was the only thing I asked for in Christmas 1986. Luckily, I got it.
Ellison is hit or miss with me, but I highly recommend his DANGEROUS VISIONS anthology.
That DICK TRACY book, I found a couple years ago at Dollar General, of all places. Haven’t yet read it, though.
I also like King’s short work better than most of his novels. “The Last Rung on the Ladder”, collected in NIGHT SHIFT, is my favorite short story of all-time.
Don’t forget “Gramma”, a great short story and an excellent episode of The New Twilight Zone tv series from the 80′s.
Troy
My favorite short story of his is “The Boogeyman” from Night Shift, the ever growing despair of the father as he realizes how his children are dying. And the ending not to be missed…..
Troy
I really do need to revisit Night Shift since I read it while in High School.
As many do, you misunderestimate Harlan Ellison. And I suspect he knows of this review.
“The Boogeyman” was one of my favorites too. Night Shift was one of the first adult books I read, back when I was 12 or 13. I’ve reread a few of those stories, but I should really just reread the whole book. I’ve read almost every book by King, but Night Shift seems to be one of the few that deserves rereading. Same thing with “Salem’s Lot,” which I read so long ago I can barely remember now. Those two books helped to really hook me on reading.