Read Instead #9 -- an alternative to a Stephen King story collection -- Garbo

I've read lots of Stephen King. But he's not the only spooky writer around. 

I tend to like King's novels better than his stories, aside from a couple of real gems. He's a stretch-out kind of writer, i think, best when allowed to ramble and find his way to where he wants to go. 

 Book to skip

Night Shift by Stephen King

  Why to skip it

In the same way that I suggested swapping out one big Isaac Asimov story collection for a shorter one to which the reader could add a collection by a lesser-known writer, prolific writers like King can be a bit like Amazon or Walmart -- easy to accdess even if you aren't quite getting what you really wanted. And while I enjoy King's storytelling, I sometimes see the ending coming sooner than I wanted to, and I'm also occasionally annoyed by what seems like sloopy no-need-for-a-second-draft prose. This makes Night Shift a collection somewhat uneven in quality. 

Fancies and Goodnights by John Collier

Why to read it

Collier's British and English writers can bring a whole new level of subtle creepiness to their work. More history means more sources for the imagination to draw from, I suppose, though of course Stephen King does have Maine. 

 Reading Times Compared

Night Shift     9 hours

Fancies and Goodnights    7 hours, 20 minutes

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The 35-cent paperback version of Collier's book:

The YouTube video from which the top image was taken can be found here.

Disclaimer:  I suggest skipping books, but there's always a substitute offering in these posts. I never suggest skipping a book and playing more video games or spending more time doomscrolling. And I am not banning, condemning, harming, or trashing the books I recommend skipping. There's nothing wrong with the titles I suggest skipping; it's just a matter of making choices with limited time to read in a busy, busy world. 

Garbo