Genre: Horror Fiction.
Publication Date: November 2010
Number of Pages: 364 plus the Afterword
Subject Headings:
Revenge --Fiction
Retribution --Fiction
Short stories --American
Synopsis:
Full Dark, No Stars is a collection of four novellas: 1922, Big Driver, Fair Extension and A Good Marriage. The common theme that binds these four stories is that of retribution.
1922 is Wilfred Leland James’ confession to the murder of his wife, Arlette, and the heavy price he must pay for both the murder and his manipulation of his son into becoming an accomplice to this crime.
Big Driver relays the story of meek mystery writer Tess who takes her revenge after a vicious assault by a stranger.
Fair Extension is the shortest story in the collection that tells the tale of David Streeter’s deal with the devil.
A Good Marriage describes the dissolution of a seemingly happy twenty-year marriage after Darcy Anderson accidentally discovers a horrifying secret about her beloved husband and his activities when he is out-of-town on “business.”
Appeal Factors
Characterization
All four stories feature protagonists that are haunted or vulnerable. The protagonists of 1922 and Fair Extension are this way because of their own actions while the protagonists of Big Driver and A Good Marriage become haunted due to the actions of others.
Frame/Setting
The setting for each story is described with much detail to evoke a menacing atmosphere. Much care is taken to describe the remote Nebraska farm found in 1922, the isolated backwoods road travelled by a woman alone in Big Driver, the deserted road by the airport where the devil can be found in Fair Extension and the garage where a wife learns about the true nature of her husband in A Good Marriage.
Storyline (specifically the ending)
These stories do not have endings that are completely resolved. There is a feeling of vagueness or lurking menace after the story is finished.
From the Afterword:
“The stories in this book are harsh…I felt that the best fiction was both propulsive and assaultive. It gets in your face. Sometimes it shouts in your face.”
“…but as both a reader and a writer, I’m much more interested by ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I want to provoke an emotional, even visceral, reaction in my readers.”
Similar Authors
Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Dan Simmons.
Just as King does, these three authors write across genres and incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, psychological suspense and science fiction into their stories. The “horror” found in their stories can be either supernatural or found in everyday life.
(as recommended by NoveList, Reader’s Advisory Online and Amazon.com)
Odd Thomas (series) by Dean Koontz
A Dark Matter by Peter Straub
Flashback by Dan Simmons
Horns by Joe Hill
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro
Hell House by Richard Matheson
Mailman by Bentley Little
Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon
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