Review: Your basic excellent King short story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 10, 2011
"Mile 81" is the most recent (Kindle edition released September 1, 2011) short story by Stephen King.  It will no doubt be included in his next or one after next anthology of short stories/novellas, but for now this e-book release is the only place you can get it.  And if you are an SK fan, you should.  I find the complaints that releasing short stories or novellas individually for $2.99 is a "rip-off" tiresome and silly.  If you'd rather wait (months or years) for a complete anthology to come out and then pay $18.99 for it - fine.  But quit yer moaning about paying $2.99 for a short story.  No one had a gun to your head, did they?"Mile 81" is classic King, a blend of horror and SF and children.  Most of the characters are just sketches except for Pete, whose story is told at the beginning, disappears for the middle and reappears to and play a key role as a hero at the end.  But even as brief sketches, SK's characters are interesting.  And like Spielberg, King is often at his best when writing about kids. "Mile 81" is no exception.  If I had to manufacture a criticism, it would be that Pete and Rachel, 10 and 6 years old respectively, are just a little too clever and precocious and have it a little too much together for their ages.  But that is a minor quibble.  If you liked any of SK's short stories or novellas, you'll like "Mile 81".Recommended.JM Tepper