News and Speculation

(Feb 06) All right, here we are with, finally, a confirmed title for the new collection. It's called Just Past Sunset, and I'm here to initiate the fun little guessing-game I partake in every time King releases a collection: namely, what's going to be in it? (Yes, I'm that kind of fan.) Here we go!

The Definites

King would be absolutely foolish not to include "The Gingerbread Girl," his long short story published in Esquire last year. I think it stands as the strongest of his currently-unpublished short fiction, and it would make a hell of a lead-off story for a new collection (it may not have the scope of, say, "The Mist," but it works in a down-and-dirty way that actually betters "Dolan's Cadillac".) Not only that, but it's King's first extended work set in Florida, creating a bridge from his mostly-Maine work to stuff like Duma Key. While we're talking about his Florida stories, it seems as if the upcoming "A Very Tight Place" is set there as well, and might make for a nice companion piece.

King's been productive lately: "Ayana" and "Mute" also came out last year, and I can't see any reason why King wouldn't include them. ("Memory" was published in Tinhouse last year, as well, but as it's the opening chapter of Duma Key, and was already spotlighted in the paperback printing of Blaze, I can't see King releasing it seperately.)

A couple of King's more experimental pieces - "Willa" and "Harvey's Dream" might make for a nice "mood" pair in the middle, despite the fact that they are nothing alike in content. "Stationary Bike" seems pretty solid, in part because King is really behind it, already releasing an audio performance of it on iTunes. It's almost as weird as "Willa" and "Harvey's Dream," but it's got some rooting in King's themes of recovery and self-preservation - it might make a good closer.

My choice to end the book? "Rest Stop." It might not be my favorite of King's uncollected stuff, but it's got a creepiness to it that a lot of King's longer work doesn't really touch. There's a definite "Bachman" feel to it, and it might make for an unsettling finale, the way I had hoped "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away" would end Everything's Eventual.

The Maybes

"Graduation Afternoon," which I wasn't able to procure, is described as a very short story, but one that packs a wallop. I would love to get a chance to read this.

On the other hand, there's the case of "The Things They Left Behind," which may have had too much exposure at this point. As a short story in the popular Transgressions, it may have been published in enough of a mass-market capacity that it doesn't need to be re-collected. That being said, I think King will include it. It's stirring but simple, and it's interesting to see King take on the horror of 9/11 head-on.

The No Ways

King published a story segment called "The Furnace" early last year, but I think that stands as much chance of seeing a legitimate collection release as "Skybar" does. And while we can continue to hope for "Squad D" and "Pinfall" to finally see print, or "The Cat From Hell" to finally be collected, I'm not really holding my breath.

So, what's the verdict on Just Before Sunset? Let's see:\

1. The Gingerbread Girl
2. A Very Tight Place
3. Harvey's Dream
4. Willa
5. Ayana
6. Mute
7. Graduation Afternoon
8. The Things They Left Behind
9. Stationary Bike
10. Rest Stop

Plus, of course, any surprises he might have for us along the way. Yey new collection!