Mile 81 meets “N.” in this eBook collaboration between Stephen King and Joe Hill. As USA TODAY said of Stephen King’s Mile 81 “Park and scream. Could there be any better place to set a horror story than an abandoned rest stop?” In the Tall Grass begins with a sister and brother who pull off to the side of the road after hearing a young boy crying for help from beyond the tall grass. Within … crying for help from beyond the tall grass. Within minutes they are disoriented, in deeper than seems possible, and they’ve lost one another. The boy’s cries are more and more desperate. What follows is a terrifying, entertaining, and masterfully told tale, as only Stephen King and Joe Hill can deliver.
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If you watched a movie and considering reading the book (or listening to an audiobook as it was in my case) don’t hesitate and dive right into it – the book is much more atmospheric and will answer a lot of questions that the movie didn’t. The audiobook was super spooky and so very addictive, I hated pausing it because I just had to know what happens next and what exactly is going on. Even if you didn’t like the movie (I felt kind of meh-ish about it), don’t feel discouraged – the book is awesome, I promise! I can definitely see myself re-reading (re-listening?) it again in the future.
In The Tall Grass is a short story from Stephen King and Joe Hill that will leave you with the creepy crawlies. I quickly read this in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down! I definitely recommend it for anyone wanting a quick thrill and some shivers down the spine.
You’d think after all the decades I’ve spent reading King’s books, he be unable to scare me anymore, but he still does it. Loved this story!
This is not the best Stephen King book I have ever read. But this story chilled me. If you fear being trapped by anything at all, if that’s a phobia for you, don’t read this book. That’s the part that got me the most, the hopelessness of being stuck with no way out. The things that happen in the tall grass, still make me shudder internally and I won’t be rereading this book like ever. If you like unsettling stories that give you pause you will like this book.
Very suspenseful
Ok. . .I’m afraid of tall grass now!!!
In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill is a 62-page Kindle Single on sale at Amazon for USD 3.99. No option for a free Kindle Unlimited read. However, there is life before, during and after Amazon. I read this short novel as part of my Scribd subscription. The immediate attraction for me was the name Stephen King, a guarantee of good writing. The same is true for Joe Hill and I was curious to see how two excellent writers would collaborate in a mix of writing styles.
I am always pleased to get new information from reading, even when it might be the meaning of an offensive term. In this story, we learn that Calvin and Becky were called Irish Twins because they were both born in the same year and therefore less than twelve months apart. I had no idea why that was offensive. A quick check of Google put my Politically Correct Police on alert. I use them not to defend politically correct speech but to call out the ridiculousness of the doctrine/practice/belief system wherever I come across it. Basically, I am a “Sticks and stones …” type person and feel people should get over themselves.
For Becky, there was another social faux pas, getting pregnant while still unwed at age nineteen. What disturbed Cal and Becky’s parents was not the pregnancy … so much. It was Becky’s dismissal of the baby father as a “fool.” Becky decided it would be better to live in California with an aunt and uncle until the baby was born. She asked brother Cal, a university student to take time off to drive her to California. Cal was pleased to do so and even volunteered to temporarily leave school and stay with her in San Diego. A Road Trip was on.
It had to be Kansas. The AC was off, the windows were down, the radio was off. Cal and Becky were enjoying nature. (A note to self: When traveling through Kansas, turn the AC on, keep the windows up, play heavy metal music on the radio. That is what I will do after reading this story). Because of no distractions, Becky and Cal heard the calls for help from fields adjoining the roadway. Fields which had grass of amazing height. It was a young boy calling for help; both Becky and Cal could understand a boy getting lost in such tall grass. Their humanitarian concern forced them to try and help. Even when a woman’s voice also called out from the grass telling the boy, Tobin, to shut up.
What Cal and Becky could not understand was how they had gotten lost in the tall grass as well. They couldn’t find the boy. The woman had tried once more to scream “Get out now,” but was then silent. Cal and Becky even lost each other. And then they began to lose their minds. In attempting to get a fix on their positions, each of them had tried to jump above the height of the grass to focus on a landmark such as their car, the road, or a nearby church. The problem was that although they jumped from their same positions to examine their surroundings several times, the surroundings changed. One time they were looking at the front of the church, another time there would be a side view. One time they would see the front of a road sign, the next time the back.
And the grass became a malevolent entity. Could they still save the boy? Could they save themselves? Could the boy save them? This is a fun short read by two talented authors. I would give it five Amazon stars but I am not posting this review on Amazon as they don’t seem to like reviews which were not of a verified purchase from Amazon. Highly recommended, though.
Fantastically Creepy!
I loved this tale. As the story progresses, the creepy factor continues to rise and rise!
I have two negatives about this tale, but neither make it a bad read.
1- King already did Children of the Corn. While this is completely unrelated, I felt a familiarity of the setting of “tall grass”.
2- Length. I felt the story had a few places it could have went, and with it just being a Novella, I was bummed that it ended so fast!
Overall, a very engaging read!
must read!
Reminds me of the Stephen King of old. Back when he wrote creepy stories. Would have fit perfectly in the Nightshift collection.
Terrifying.
Good Read!
Any Stephen King fan should read it. Very good.