Stephen King: Horror stories are most appreciated by compassionate people.

Stephen King has released a new collection titled Darker Than Night, featuring twelve short stories he wrote in 2024. The book, translated into Croatian by Damir Biličić and published by Znanje, explores themes of darkness, fear, and human empathy. Despite its ominous title and cover image evoking a chilling scene from The Shining, not all stories are overtly terrifying. Instead, they offer a wide range of horror, ranging from unsettling twists to deeply emotional narratives, catering to readers of all ages and backgrounds. In his introduction, King reflects on why so many of his stories focus on dark subjects. He questions whether he should apologize for writing such content, suggesting that those who value empathy and emotion are the ones who truly appreciate the depth of his work. He describes this as a paradox yet an undeniable truth. According to him, much of the world’s suffering can be attributed to individuals who lack imagination or fail to recognize the darker aspects of fiction. Through tales involving the supernatural and the paranormal, King aims to reflect the real world as it is, offering truths about America that he knows and loves, some of which are painful, but ultimately reveal beauty through love. Among the stories, some shock readers with unexpected turns, while others drain them with the emotional weight of their protagonists' struggles. For instance, one story follows a man trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare, while another presents multiple possible outcomes for a dire situation. However, in most cases, readers simply lament that the stories are too short. Although the collection is brief, King includes several stories that are officially “shorter,” yet long enough to convey everything he intends to say, such as Langoliers. For fans seeking comfort, there are stories like The Grafters and Sanjay’s that evoke nostalgia. These stories draw readers deeper into familiar settings, such as the neighborhood of Dumpling Key, a place well-known from his novel of the same name. Though the town no longer exists, having been submerged, Rattlesnake Key still thrives. The island once hosted snakes that killed two boys, leading locals to drive them off and kill them. Their mother continues to push her children’s wheelchairs along the beach, pretending they are still alive. The protagonist of these stories is Vic Trenton, the father of young Teddy, who died in the novel Cujo. Like his neighbor, Vic suffers from the loss of his son. Years have passed, but the pain remains. When his neighbor dies suddenly of a heart attack and leaves him everything, things become complicated. Not only does the police immediately suspect him because he found the body, but the neighbor also left behind something else, a pair of baby carriages, and someone inside them who might enter his mind. Another story takes place near Castle Rock, the setting of King’s latest novel Things We Need. Here, an unusual experiment unfolds nearby a lake, where participants must dream and enter a house to lift a floorboard. Beneath it lie strange things, and trouble arises when these entities cross over into our world. The main character was a veteran of the Vietnam War, a motif King often weaves into his storytelling. Each story offers its own unique appeal. Some deal with isolation, others with extraterrestrial visitors, and still others with a peculiar man who knows answers to all questions. This man is also the author of these lines.