In the afterword for Different Seasons, Stephen King talks about why these four stories hadn’t been published before. He riffs about the decline of the long story (also known as novellas). Stories that are too long to be short story, but not long enough to be a novel used to be a part of the literary scene. But the markets have dried up. So when King found himself with four novellas and no place to to put them, he decided to put them together in a book and see what happened. Little did he know that half the stories would become classic movies (and probably the two best movies ever made from Stephen King stories). So, what makes this collection of novellas so special?

The book starts off in prison where Andy Dufresne (who swears he’s innocent) asks Red (the local market within the prison) for a Rita Hayworth poster. And in less than 100 pages, we get to know these two friends and the circumstances that led to Andy becoming a prison legend before making an improbable escape. The story was adapted into a movie which didn’t do much on the initial release, but became a classic on TV and DVD. The simple story of a prison friendship and a quiet man who changes the lives of everyone he touches is exciting and honest and true.

The third story is about a group of young boys who go on a weekend camping trip to see a dead body. The story is almost autobiographical with the main character a writer (including samples of his stories within the larger story). Gordie is a great storyteller who feels lost in his family since his brother died, since his parents are still grieving. Chris is a thug in a family of thugs who has dreams of doing so much more, but isn’t sure his family or society will let him. Teddy and Vern are along for the hike and the group is faced with dangers from trains, dogs and older thugs who are after the same body. The movie is arguably the second great Stephen King movie (first is obviously The Shining).

The second story deals with a teenage boy who finds a hidden nazi. The discovery leads both of them to darker and darker places. A movie was made, but it disappeared fairly quickly. The last story is a ghost story (in the traditional sense) and known because it’s the only one of the four books that hasn’t been adapted into a movie.

The two best stories in the book were adapted into great movies and rightly so. The tales they tell are universal truths about friendship and life. The other two stories are decent to good. But the two best stories are ones that will stick with you for awhile. They are amazing stories that bring out the best of Stephen King and make you remember why he’s so loved as a writer. Few other writers have the ability to touch your emotions (and not in a cheap manipulative way) and create stories and characters that feel so real that you swear you know them. All in all a wonderful set of stories. Highly recommended.