Stephen King | Book Chatter

The End of the World As We Know It
By Christopher Golden (Edited by), Brian Keene (Edited by). Stephen King (Introduction by)
Gallery Books, August 2025, 800pp.

The Short of It:

If you hold The Stand near and dear to your heart, this anthology inspired by this beloved book, will not disappoint.

The Rest of It:

I am picky, really picky when it comes to anthologies but this one holds up. Thirty-six of horror’s finest writers came together to create this, well, masterpiece.

The collection opens with a real banger of a story. It puts you right back into the pandemic. That fear of catching it, the fear of what comes after. As you can imagine, a world wrecked by a pandemic quickly deteriorates. Resources become scare, people become desperate, fast. In a world gone to hell, who can you trust?

Each story intentionally walks down that path. Who can you trust? What would you do in a situation like that? Fight to survive, no matter what that means? Or end it?

I really enjoyed this particular collection because it was easy to dip in and out of. Some of the stories are a little longer but still readable in one sitting, which I like. My issues with short fiction, typically, is that there isn’t enough time to pull me in. Not the case with this batch.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Never Flinch
By Stephen King
Scribner, May 2025, 448 pp.

The Short of It:

Holly Gibney is back.

The Rest of It:

When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty” in “an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man,” Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realizes that the letter writer is deadly serious, and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help. ~ the publisher

This is a slow burn read. It’s a little different from his other books. This story is definitely more nuanced and paced but still captures the essence of one of his most beloved characters, Holly Gibney.

However, it was painfully slow in the beginning. There is a lot going on. New characters, a crazy killer, police involvement and Holly moonlighting as a body guard. This was plenty, but then a musical band is introduced as well as a women’s rights speaker. There are competing events to contend with. Honestly, it didn’t feel all that authentic to me.

Barbara. Beloved Barbara writing her poems abut also singing? Holly, oogie Holly as a bodyguard? The villain? Pretty good. Well fleshed out with a decent backstory and setup.

Never Flinch is the product of the current world we are living in. The Presidency, although just a tiny mention, the women’s rights stuff tossed in, the need for substance abuse support and programs. I feel like King was trying to say a whole lot with this story but the plot suffered for it.

I read to escape and this installment didn’t have that classic King stamp that I enjoy so much. The ramped up ending made up for a lot of it because it’s a knuckle-biter but did I want to spend time with these beloved characters? Not really.

I am a huge King fan so don’t come at me in the comments. I gotta tell it like it is. Will I read him again. Damn straight I will and I will clear my calendar just like I did for this one.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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