The Langoliers
by Stephen King
"Deep in the trenches carved into the floors of the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, there are fish which live and die without ever seeing or sensing the sun. These fabulous creatures cruise the depths like ghostly baloons, lit from within by their own radiance. Although they look delicate, they are actually marvels of biological design, built to withstand pressures that would squash a man as flat as a windowpane in the blink of an eye. Their great strength, however, is also their greatest weakness. Prisoners of their own alien bodies, they are locked forever in their dark depths. If they are captured and drawn toward the surface, toward the sun, they simply explode. It is not external pressure that destorys them, but its absence."
Why I read this story: It was in the book of Stephen King stories, "Four Past Midnight". I bought to book to read the story behind the movie "Secret Window", and started flipping through some of the other stories. To be honest I read this story because of the title. I love that word. It just feels really nice to say. It flows!
What's the story?: Brian Engle is an airline pilot riding as a passenger. He has just gotten the news that his ex-wife has died in a fire. He goes to sleep on the flight and has a very vivid dream ans when he wakes up, almost everyone on the plane is gone. Where the other passengers sat, only tooth fillings, pacemakers, and jewelry remains. He takes control of the plane and he and the other passengers try to understand what happened to the other passengers and where they are.
What did I think about it?: The story wasn't all that great. I was a little bored with the plot before I was halfway through. Even in the end when I understood what happened, it just wasn't all that stimulating. However, what this story lacks in plot it makes up in characters. Good characters can make or break a story. Anyone who has seen the TV show Six Feet Under knows what I'm talking about. The characters in this story are just GOOD. If they hadn't been I probably wouldn't have finished it. The pilot, the british equivalent of Jack Bauer, a teenage violin player who is way cooler in his mind, and a blind child with a lot of intiution, and a stressed to the breaking point businessman just make the story worth reading.
Would I recommend it?: Tough call... It's not the best Stephen King story I've read, so if you like him go ahead and give it a try. But if you're new to Stephen King, read the short story, "Lunch at Gotham Cafe", in Everything's Eventual.
by Stephen King
"Deep in the trenches carved into the floors of the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, there are fish which live and die without ever seeing or sensing the sun. These fabulous creatures cruise the depths like ghostly baloons, lit from within by their own radiance. Although they look delicate, they are actually marvels of biological design, built to withstand pressures that would squash a man as flat as a windowpane in the blink of an eye. Their great strength, however, is also their greatest weakness. Prisoners of their own alien bodies, they are locked forever in their dark depths. If they are captured and drawn toward the surface, toward the sun, they simply explode. It is not external pressure that destorys them, but its absence."
Why I read this story: It was in the book of Stephen King stories, "Four Past Midnight". I bought to book to read the story behind the movie "Secret Window", and started flipping through some of the other stories. To be honest I read this story because of the title. I love that word. It just feels really nice to say. It flows!
What's the story?: Brian Engle is an airline pilot riding as a passenger. He has just gotten the news that his ex-wife has died in a fire. He goes to sleep on the flight and has a very vivid dream ans when he wakes up, almost everyone on the plane is gone. Where the other passengers sat, only tooth fillings, pacemakers, and jewelry remains. He takes control of the plane and he and the other passengers try to understand what happened to the other passengers and where they are.
What did I think about it?: The story wasn't all that great. I was a little bored with the plot before I was halfway through. Even in the end when I understood what happened, it just wasn't all that stimulating. However, what this story lacks in plot it makes up in characters. Good characters can make or break a story. Anyone who has seen the TV show Six Feet Under knows what I'm talking about. The characters in this story are just GOOD. If they hadn't been I probably wouldn't have finished it. The pilot, the british equivalent of Jack Bauer, a teenage violin player who is way cooler in his mind, and a blind child with a lot of intiution, and a stressed to the breaking point businessman just make the story worth reading.
Would I recommend it?: Tough call... It's not the best Stephen King story I've read, so if you like him go ahead and give it a try. But if you're new to Stephen King, read the short story, "Lunch at Gotham Cafe", in Everything's Eventual.
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