Review: A CLASSIC FROM THE MASTER!!!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 15, 2014
It is not until the very end of part one of this gruesome short story, written by the master of the macabre, that the reader finds himself looking behind his shoulder, and feeling the need to lock the doors and make sure the windows are shut before they settle down for the night.  This is the effect Mr King has on your consciousness when he is in top form.  And he is certainly back to his best in Mile 81.To be honest, the story starts off slowly.  A group of school aged boys head off to explore the local town boundaries as well as some metaphorical ones, leaving the younger brother of one exposed to the ills of isolation.  Following his heart instead of his head, said boy finds himself breaking into a closed down restaurant, drinking some left over alcohol and falling asleep.  The chills for the reader arrive when Mr King decides to play on your emotions as well as bring in some delightfully effective tools used in manipulating your brain cells.Parts two and three of the story are less chilling but we witness the first visitation of  hard core horror.  We witness Mr King enjoying himself by killing off two (somewhat short lived) cast members in very gruesome and original ways and it is here that the reader begins to wonder how the story will end.This is a great purchase.  Like I have already mentioned, it is gruesome, chilling and only a little violent.  Everything is handled in a very sophisticated and intelligent manner.  Mr King has been known for decades as the master of the horror novel, and Mile 81 is a fine example at what he can do with the novella, as well.Four stars from me, and of course highly recommended.BFN Greggorio!