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Short story collections can be an easy way for an established author to fulfill a publisher’s contract or make some quick money. All he or she has to do is gather stories previously published in magazines and journals or other collections. For most readers, these stories will be entirely new, for only the most rabid fans pick up these writings in their disparate places. (For me, the only author I do this for is Don DeLillo, and he has yet to publish his short stories or essays into a book. Although the stories are often incorporated into his novels.)

Although I am a fan of Stephen King’s work, I don’t go out of my way to find his stories in other publications, generally figuring (and for the most part correctly), that they will eventually be collected. I do however make a point of at least making a decision on whether or not to pick up any publications that he releases regardless of format. So I look at the novel, e-book, audio book, comic book, or screenplay and then decide whether to buy it or order it from the library.

Everything’s Eventual is a partial disappointment for me because five of the fourteen stories collected were published in other formats in the last three years and I had already encountered. More importantly, these five stories were published by King in other formats and received significant promotion surrounding their releases. Three were released in an audio book collection, Smoke and Blood. Another “LTs Theory of Pets” was also released as an audio book. “Riding the Bullet” was given mainstream attention by the press when it was released as an e-book and was hailed as possible changing how books are published.

So, Everything’s Eventual needs to be evaluated keeping in mind that only about 70% is new material. Even so, King delivers, but you may not want to pay $28 bucks if you have already shelled out the dough for the previously published stories.

A highlight of King’s collections is often the introduction and this is no exception. In all of his writing, King has the ability to sound conversational and intimate, as if he is writing especially for you. The introduction discusses his love for the short story form despite its lack of commercial success in America, except for his collections. He also writes a short bit, either before or after each story, which I enjoy, although they were often too short. These brief pieces give insight to the writing process and where King gets his ideas.

The best stories are ones in which King avoids or subverts the horror categorization that he is often labeled with. “All That You Love Will Be Carried Away” is a subtle story of a traveling salesman who is about to commit suicide. There are no supernatural forces or great evils working on the man; he is just living his life. “The Death of Jack Hamilton” is King’s take on 30s gangster John Dillinger and his running mates. The aforementioned audio stories “LTs Theory of Pets,” “Lunch at the Gotham Café” and “In the Deathroom” work because of their realism.

Other strong stories include a reimagining of the buried alive story, “Autopsy Room 4”; a nod to Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” where a young boy meets the devil, “The Man in the Black Suit”; and an airplane accident story about déjà vu, “That Feeling You Can Only Say What It Is In French.”

Where the collection is weak is when King tells stories that have been told better before, often by him. So you get the somewhat humorous title story about a teenage slacker with the power to kill individuals from great distances and is used by the government (see Firestarter); a person in a portrait that comes to life and kills in “The Road Virus comes North” (see “The Sun Dog” in Four Past Midnight); a haunted hotel room in “1408” (see The Shining). “Riding The Bullet” is also a bit contrived and a story that will be of interest only to fans of King’s epic fantasy The Dark Tower is also included.

Still if you haven’t encountered most of these stories before or if a 60% return on investment is good for you, buy the book. Or, be cheap like me and check it out from the library.

SCFM -- May 2, 2002