Darker than darkness

From legendary storyteller and master of horror Stephen King, comes a A brand new collection of twelve stories, including some of the best he has ever written.

• #1 best celery of New York Times
• #1 bestseller in USA Today
• Prize Goodreads 2024 in the Best Horror Book category.

"So you like the deep dark? Well, I do too," writes Stephen King in the epilogue to this wonderful new collection of twelve short stories that delve into the dark side of life—figuratively and literally. For half a century, King has been a master of the genre, and these tales of fate, mortality, luck, and life, where anything can happen, are as full and gripping as his novels, full of meaning and a delight to read. King writes with the goal of feeling "the euphoria of leaving the everyday behind," and in this book readers will feel that euphoria too, again and again.

"Two Talented Bastards" explores the long-hidden secret of how these two men acquired their talents. In "Danny Coughlin's Nightmare," a previously unseen metaphysical flash turns dozens of lives upside down, most devastatingly Danny's. In "Rattlesnake," a sequel to the iconic Cujo , a widower still in mourning, goes to Florida seeking temporary relief, but what he finds is an unexpected inheritance—with heavy commitments. In the short story “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam veteran answers a job ad and learns that some corners of the universe are best left unexplored. The short story “The Answer Man” asks the question of whether knowing the future is good or bad, and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still have meaning.

King's ability to surprise, amaze, and simultaneously terrify and comfort us remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories hides anguish, joy, and mystery, and all seem emblematic. Do you like deep darkness? Here it is.