Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Different Seasons (Signet)
by Authors:
Stephen King
Mass Market Paperback
Different Seasons (1982) is a collection of four novellas, markedly different in tone and subject, each on the theme of a journey. The first is a rich, satisfying, nonhorrific tale about an innocent man who carefully nurtures hope and devises a wily scheme to escape from prison. The second concerns a boy who discards his innocence by enticing an old man to travel with him into a reawakening of long-buried evil. In the third story, a writer looks back on the trek he took with three friends on the brink of adolescence to find another boy's corpse. The trip becomes a character-rich rite of passage from youth to maturity.
These first three novellas have been made into well-received movies: "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" into Frank Darabont's 1994 The Shawshank Redemption (available as a screenplay, a DVD film, and an audiocassette), "Apt Pupil" into Bryan Singer's 1998 film Apt Pupil (also released in 1998 on audiocassette), and "The Body" into Rob Reiner's Stand by Me (1986).
The final novella, "Breathing Lessons," is a horror yarn told by a doctor, about a patient whose indomitable spirit keeps her baby alive under extraordinary circumstances. It's the tightest, most polished tale in the collection.
Average Customer Rating:
Well Written Yarns
"Different Seasons" contains four short stories by Stephen King. I have not read any of his horror books (The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is my only previous foray besides "On Writing"), but these stories feature horrible happenings instead of pure horror.
The first, "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," is superb. A story of hope and will, it features excellent characterization and a description of the brutality and banality of prison life that will fascinate. The two lead characters are each survivors in their own right, and form a bond stronger than friendship that aids each in surviving -- and thriving.
The next story, "Apt Pupil," is a fascinating tale of a teen who discovers an old Nazi, and unlocks a future he could never imagine. This book has some of the most grisly scenes of any of the four -- with descriptions of WWII atrocities and real horrors. The young teen undergoes a remarkable transformation when he embraces knowledge and curiosities that end up being more than he ever could have bargained for.
The third, "The Body," is a journey (literal and figurative) by a group of twelve year old best friends to view the body of a kid their age -- a kid who has been missing while picking blueberries and was struck by a train in the back woods of Maine.
The fourth, the shortest of the bunch, is a suspense story spun at Christmastime by a (member is the wrong word) associate of a most unusual men's club.
The writing is very good. King features wonderful descriptions and quickly succeeds in identifying each character for the reader -- and in drawing the reader into the story. These are all page-turners.
"Another good thing."
Until I started reading King myself, I had always thought of him as a horror writer. The first book I read by King was IT. After reading that, I realized that he wasn't just a horror writer, but was a good writer who happened to write supernatural tales. Then I read DIFFERENT SEASONS and I realized that King wasn't just a good writer, but is one of America's greatest living authors. King doesn't write to impress the acadmia of America. Instead he writes to tell a story. However, like all great writers, he manages to tell his story, yet subtlely examines social issues all while exploring the different sides of human nature and without distracting from the story.
I consider DIFFERENT SEASONS to be some of King's best work. Four novellas are contained within this book, each one examining a different season of the year and a different view of human nature: from the uplifting RITA HAYWORTH AND THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION to the terrifying APT PUPIL to the loss of innocence in THE BODY to the winter's tale of THE BREATHING METHOD. Each story offers a unique perspective at the nature of humanity. My favorite story in the collection is Shawshank and my least favorite is Apt Pupil. Many people do not like The Breathing Method, but that has to do more with the style than the story (out of the four tales it is the one that would be most difficult to turn into a film) and it is the only one with any supernatural undertones. Like all of King's writings, this was a fast read and quite entertaing. However, it is also the most enjoyable King work and one of his most thought-provoking. It's not just a "good thing", it's one of the best of things.
The proof that Stephen King is a great writer...
Different Seasons is perhaps the best Stephen King book with which to initiate the neophyte who says, "He can't be a good writer - he writes HORROR." This is King's first, greatest take on the mainstream. Each of the four offerings could be textbook examples of the perfectly written novella. Not coincidentally, this book has inspired three of his best movie-adaptations.
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption: Yes, even if you have seen the movie, you should read this. It tells the story of how an innocent man is able to keep hope alive in prison.
Apt Pupil: This, it can be argued, is really a monster story; the monsters however are all too real. A teen-aged boy obsessed with the holocaust discovers his own pet Nazi in the neighborhood.
The Body: The inspiration for the wonderful film Stand by Me, it is a heartbreaking coming-of-age tale and the power of friendship.
The Breathing Method: The book's one true horror story. I won't try to attempt to explain what it is about.
In the Afterward, King commits his worst sin by famously referring to his own work as "the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and a large fries from MacDonald's." Not only does that cut himself short, it is an insult to us, his readers, who think his stuff is pretty darn good. Want proof? Read these stories.
Can't find what you're looking for? Then try Google.
DVD's
Well Written Yarns 
