Stephen King Different Seasons Review

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.

"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" Wily old Red, a lifer who has seen it all, tells the story of Andy Dufresne, an innocent man who is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy gradually wins the respect and finally awestruck admiration from the cynical Red by his patience, determination and understated kindness and true sense of self. As I approached the end of this story, I could think of at least six awful ways clever and manipulative King could end the story. I caught myself saying "not this time--please!" knowing that I was firmly caught in any web King cared to devise.

"The Apt Pupil" is a psychological thriller at its finest. Todd is frighteningly enough, every parent's dream child. Modest, polite, handsome, gifted student and athlete with a winning grin that melts teachers and friends alike. At 13, he has the world in front of him. He also has a peculiar interest in what went on in concentration camps in WWII. By sheer chance he discovers a neighboring old man, Mr. Henker aka Dussander is in fact one of the most brutal Nazi war criminals and who has been living under an alias for all these years. Rather than being shocked, Todd wants to hear all about it. Dussander does all he can to drive the boy away, but finally gives in from the very justified fear that Todd will turn him in. Thus begins a descent to the depths with Dussander's depravity reawakening and Todd's symbiotic parasitism of Dussander's soul. The novel is so well done, it gives you a series of small shocks until you are so weakened, the huge momentum of last big horror about does you in. What is interesting is you can't decide who is the more depraved, Dussander or the boy. Brilliantly conceived and executed.

"The Body" made into that sleeper hit, "Stand By Me," is a coming of age story of one Labor Day weekend in the lives of four 12-year old boys.King states that some of the experiences of the boys was of his own when he was growing up. A corpse of a 12-year old boy has been discovered and abandoned by the "big" boys of Castle Rock who fear they will get in trouble. The four youngsters decide they will "discover" the corpse themselves and become famous heroes in the local TV and newspaper. The boys are not morbid, and it is clear they see this as an adventure, camping out in the woods, hiking, and then their just rewards. The body is just incidental or a means to an end.

"The Breathing Method" . Old men gathering in a strange club telling chilling tales to one another. The title tale was almost comic in its horror, the type that makes me want to go, "Oh puh-leez."

This is a 5-star book. By all means, get the book, read it and then rewatch the DVDs.

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