description: Many people who write about horror literature maintain that mood is its most important element. King disagrees: "My deeply held conviction is that story must be paramount...All other considerations are 2ndary--theme, mood, even characterization &amp; language."These fine stories, each written in what King calls "a burst of faith, happiness &amp; optimism," prove his point. The theme, mood, characters &amp; language vary, but throughout, a sense of story reigns supreme. Nightmares &amp; Dreamscapes contains 20 short tales--including several never before published--plus one teleplay, one poem &amp; one nonfiction piece about kids &amp; baseball that appeared in the New Yorker. The subjects include vampires, zombies, an evil toy, man-eating frogs, the burial of a Cadillac, a disembodied finger &amp; a wicked stepfather. The style ranges from King's well-honed horror to a Ray Bradbury-like fantasy voice to an ambitious pastiche of Raymond Chandler &amp; Ross MacDonald. And like a compact disc with a bonus track, the book ends with a charming little tale not listed in the table of contents--a parable called "The Beggar &amp; the Diamond."--Fiona Webster
language: English
title: Nightmares and Dreamscapes
titlecomplete: Nightmares and Dreamscapes
characters: Richard Rubinstein, Frank Daggett, Amigo Bill, Lewis Evans, Graf Dracula, William Weiderman, Mama Delorme, Clive Banning, Selida McCammon, Douglas Keefer, Paul Jannings, Fred Moore, Mrs. Dattlebaum, Oliver Stanley, Lonnie Freeman, Ron St. Pierre, Ezra Hannon, Katie Weiderman, Constable Vette, Mike Wentworth, Briggs Sheridan, Clark Willingham, Carlton Gagnon, Ramu, Nick Trzaskos, Candi Pulsifer, Dave King, Merton Morrison, Old Clut, Robbie Delray, Doris Freeman, Phil Tarbox, Reverend Chadband, Officer O'Bannion, Candy Kane, Jagger Barney, Gary Martin Paulson, Matt Hoyt, Lester Olson, Cameron Stevens, Bedelia Aaronson, Phil Budreau, Johnny Rosewall, Cora Leonard, Vernon Klein, Lou Reed, Reverend Johnson, Georgie Ronkler, Gloria Demmick, Dennis Feeney, Mr. Slattery, Duke Rhineman, General Mercantile, Andy Estes, Carlton Cagnon, Lenny Partridge, Samuel D. Landry, Mr. Oliver Stanley, Mrs. Scooter, Mr. Lathrop, Kate Weiderman, George Sullivan, Maddie Sullivan, Lord Albert Hull, Lady Hull, Orrin Campbell, Joe Wilcox, Ray Sarch, Carl Stowe, Peoria Smith, Mrs. Hemphill, Violet Mitla, Ryan Stretton, La Plata, Clem Upshaw, Harris Burdick, Polly Weiderman, Suzanne Holding, Richard Bachman, Boxcar Willie, Richard Dees, Ryan Iarrobino, Peter Rosewall, Miss Rotrock, Alden Osgood, Janet Brightwood, Andy Kingsbury, Tim Flanders, Matt Arsenault, Matt Knaide, Johnny Brinkmayer, John Squales, Ching-Ling Soong, Casey Kinney, Henry Eden, Sissy Thomas, Claire Bowie, Mr. Jefferies, Jory Hull, Burt Dorfman
genres: Suspense, Anthologies, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Supernatural, Short Stories, Fantasy, Horror, Collections
ratings_count: 81395
places: London, England, The United States of America, Las Vegas, Nevada, Willow, Maine
publisher: Demco Media