Skeleton Crew

ReviewI'm not generally a fan of short stories, but I am a big fan of Stephen King. I've read two collections by him prior to this one: [b:Hearts in Atlantis 11602 Hearts in Atlantis Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374048926s/11602.jpg 3166850] and [b:Different Seasons 39662 Different Seasons Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329662611s/39662.jpg 2248680]. I thought both of them were stronger collections. The main difference is those contain fewer, but longer stories I think.This one has been on my radar for a long time, in particular because of The Mist, which is the first (and longest) story. It's actually a Novella, where the rest are short stories. It's supposed to have “major” ties to his Dark Tower series, and one of the few in that category I haven't read already. Personally I found it being a “major” connection to be a stretch, especially compared with most of the others. So if like me, you're wanting to read all the associated works, I personally think you can skip this one without much issue.There are 3 stories worth calling out for this collection of 22 (although calling 2 of them stories is overly generous). The best story was probably Mrs. Todd's Shortcut. I thought it was fantastic. I also really enjoyed The Monkey and Gramma.Paranoid: A Chant and For Owen round out the bottom. I guess if you have little fragments of writing you think are interesting, sticking them in such a large collection is the best way to publish them, but I think the collection would have been stronger without them personally. As to the rest you can consult my list of ratings below.AudioThis book has 13 unique narrators, some of them reading several stories. Will Patton, Frances Sternhagen, Paul Giamatti, and Norbert Leo Butz were the best narrators of the group. None of the narrators were bad, but most of them were unmemorable. You can see my full ratings below for each performance.RatingsStory - Story Rating - Narrator - Narrator RatingThe Mist - 3 - Will Patton- 4.5Here There Be Tygers - 2.5 - Kyle Beltran - 3The Monkey - 4.5 - Matthew Broderick - 3Cain Rose Up - 1.5 - Kyle Beltran - 3Mrs. Todd's Shortcut - 4.5 - Dana Ivey - 3.5The Jaunt - 3 - Robert Petkoff - 3The Wedding Gig - 2.5 - Paul Giamatti - 4Paranoid: A Chant - 1 - Will Patton - 3The Raft - 3 - Stephen King - 3Word Processor of the Gods - 3.5 - Norbert Leo Butz - 3.5The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - 2 - Paul Giamatti - 4Beachworld - 2.5 - Michael C. Hall - 3The Reaper's Image - 2 - David Morse - 3Nona - 3 - Norbert Leo Butz - 3.5For Owen - 1.5 - David Morse - 3Survivor Type - 2.5 - Norbert Leo Butz - 3.5Uncle Otto's Truck - 3 - David Morse - 3Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1) - 3 - Dylan Baker - 3Big Wheels: A Tale of The Laundry Game (Milkman #2) - 3 - Dylan Baker - 3Gramma - 4 - Frances Sternhagen - 4.5The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - 3.5 - Michael C. Hall - 3The Reach - 2.5 - Lois Smith - 3