It is no secret that I love horror novels, especially from Stephen King. His were the first books I enjoyed in elementary school (yes, elementary school) but surprisingly, have yet to give me nightmares. I look forward to every one of his releases and my home library is filled with most of his books, especially the short story collections. I even have “The Bachman Books;” if you’re a Constant Reader, you get it. So today, I’m pleased to share that the Master of Horror has a new book coming out next month: “You Like It Darker.” Enough said.

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection “Holly,” “Fairy Tale,” “If It Bleeds,” “The Outsider,” “Sleeping Beauties,” (cowritten with his son Owen King) and the Bill Hodges trilogy: “End of Watch,” “Finders Keepers,” and “Mr. Mercedes.” His epic works “The Dark Tower,” “It,” “Pet Sematary,” “Doctor Sleep,” and “Firestarter” are the basis for major motion pictures, with “It” now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. His new book “You Like It Darker: Stories” will be released on May 21 and is available for pre-order on Amazon. It is an exciting new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER. (Amazon, 2024)

“You Like It Darker” – “You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that dig into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in “You Like It Darker,” readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.