Blood and Smoke by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Reviews from Audiobook-Heaven

Title: Blood and Smoke
Author: Stephen King
Narrator: Stephen King
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audiobooks
Duration: 3 hours, 50 minutes
Copyright: 1999
Genres: short fiction, horror, supernatural
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.

THE GIST: Stephen King enjoyed narrating the audiobook release of his novel “Bag of Bones” so much, that he decided to do it again. The very next year, in 1999, he published “Blood and Smoke”, which was available only as an audiobook. Two of the stories contained in the audiobook, “1408”, and “In The Death Room”, were written specifically for “Blood and Smoke”, and were available nowhere else. The third story, “Lunch at the Gotham Café” had previously been published in a 1995 horror anthology called “Dark Love.” The three stories are loosely connected by a cigarette theme, hence the title, “Blood and Smoke.” All three stories are narrated by Stephen King himself. When King published a collection of short stories in 2002 called “Everything’s Eventual”, all three of these stories were included, and they are also now available in the audiobook releases of that anthology.

HIGHLIGHTS:
“Lunch at the Gotham Café”
narrated by Stephen King
Steven comes home from work one day to find the ever-dreaded Dear John letter from his wife of two years, Diane. Completely baffled, Steven agrees to give her some space and time to figure things out. It is two weeks later when Diane’s lawyer suggests that it is time they all sit down to lunch at the Gotham Café.
Lunch doesn’t go quite the way the lawyer planned, however. Shortly after they all arrive at the café, a maitre ’d goes berserk with an enormous butcher knife. Steve and Diane quickly realize that they may not live long enough to see each other in court.
In “Lunch at the Gotham Café”, I believe Stephen King delves into the topic of pressure; how it builds in people slowly over time, and eventually manifests itself in different ways. It’s not a great story, but the maitre ’d makes it a worthwhile read. King nailed this character perfectly, from his physical appearance, to his behaviour and mannerisms, right down to the gibberish he begins to spout as his internal pressure boils over.

“1408”
narrated by Stephen King
Mike Enslin is a professional debunker of ghost stories. He tracks down the most popular ghost stories in the world, then spends a night in the haunted house, or castle, or whatever, and then writes about his completely uneventful time in the so-called “spirit world.” It was not making him rich by any means, but it was a lucritave enough career
When Mike finally came to the Hotel Dolphin in New York City to spend a night in haunted room 1408, something felt different right away. First of all, hotel manager, Mister Olin, seemed genuinely frightened of the room and tried hard to talk Mike out of his overnight stay. Mike is not to be deterred, however. He takes the antique-looking brass key and enters room 1408. His overnight stay ends seventy minutes later.
“1408” is narrated by the author, Stephen King. King narrates better than most authors who try to narrate their own audiobooks, but I still wish he had let a professional handle this one. “1408” is a good, creepy tale, and a professional audiobook reader could have made it even better.

“In the Death Room”
narrated by Stephen King
In a small province of Mexico, Fletcher has run afoul of the local authorities. Now he finds himself in a locked room with two interrogators and an armed guard. Also in the room is the sadistic Doctor Heinz who seems very anxious to try out his latest invention, a small box with several knobs and dials on it, attached to a car battery. It’s every tourists nightmare, but Fletcher is not your average tourist. The local authorities may have finally met their match ”In The Death Room.”

complete list of stories on this audiobook:
“Lunch at the Gotham Café”
“1408”
“In the Death Room”

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
Everything’s Eventual, Volume 1 by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)
Everything’s Eventual, Volume 2 by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)
Everything’s Eventual: 5 Dark Tales by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)
The Man In The Black Suit, 4 Dark Tales by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)
Blood and Smoke by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)

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This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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