Night Shift was Stephen King’s first published collection of short stories. As someone who only relatively recently became a King fan, I was especially curious to explore his short fiction — often cited as where he truly shines. The collection contains twenty stories in total: sixteen previously published in magazines and four original to this volume.
I won’t go through every story — otherwise we’d be here all day — but I do want to highlight a few standout hits, along with a few that didn’t quite work for me.
Interestingly, two stories are directly connected to King’s earlier novel ‘Salem’s Lot. “Jerusalem’s Lot” functions as a loose prequel, while “One for the Road” serves as an almost direct sequel. Both add texture to the world of that novel, though my enjoyment of them differed. “Jerusalem’s Lot,” told through letters and journal entries, was only okay as a story, but extremely well written — it genuinely felt like it came out of the 1860s, in a way that struck me as almost Crichton-esque. “One for the Road,” on the other hand, was a real hit: creepy in all the right ways and fully embracing the vampire trope.
“Children of the Corn” was familiar to me by reputation thanks to its long-running film franchise, though I’ve never seen any of the adaptations. Long story short — kids are creepy. King’s world-building here is excellent, and it’s easy to see why this particular story has inspired so many films over the years.
“The Last Rung on the Ladder” is a perfect example of why King shouldn’t be boxed in as just a horror or thriller writer. This is a deeply touching story. While I had a sense of where it was headed, it was still easy — and enjoyable — to sit with its nostalgic reflection on childhood invincibility. Unsurprisingly, though, it ends on a tragic note.
Another standout was “Quitters, Inc.” In some ways, it reminded me of the film The Game with Michael Douglas. A man desperate to quit smoking enters into a contract he doesn’t fully understand, and things escalate quickly — and brutally. It’s unsettling, clever, and darkly entertaining.
Not every story worked for me. A handful veered into territory that felt almost too weird — and that’s saying something. “Battleground” and “Trucks,” both centered on inanimate objects taking on a life of their own, didn’t fully land. I could understand the internal logic of “Battleground,” but “Trucks” leaned too heavily on mystery without enough grounding. That story eventually became the film Maximum Overdrive, and it also made me wonder if it planted early seeds for Christine, which I haven’t read yet but plan to someday.
“Gray Matter” feels like a clear allegory for alcoholism and addiction — topics King explored even more explicitly elsewhere, most famously in The Shining. While I can appreciate what the story is doing thematically, the heavy body-horror elements just didn’t work for me. I tend to prefer a bit more clarity about why something is happening, beyond the idea that a man drank a “bad” beer.
Finally, “The Lawnmower Man” was simply bizarre. I honestly can’t believe it was adapted into a movie — though now I kind of want to watch it just to see how they managed it. Still, it wasn’t what I was expecting, and it didn’t resonate with me.
Overall, Night Shift contains a lot of excellent short fiction, with stories ranging from roughly ten to thirty pages. I’d agree with the common sentiment that Stephen King excels in the short story format. If one story doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t derail the entire collection the way a disappointing novel sometimes can.
I ended up giving Night Shift 4 out of 5 stars. Even the weaker entries often deliver solid ideas and memorable twists. I’m especially excited to continue exploring King’s short fiction — and I’m very much looking forward to reading the novellas in Different Seasons.
