Night Shift (1978 Collection) | All 20 Short Stories RANKED! | A Great UndertaKING

[@jeremyadams1521]

My first King book… read it when I was 12 and it still means a lot to me. Thanks so much for doing this video 😃😃

[@agreatundertaking]

What a great place to start! Night Shift covers such a broad spectrum of the styles and genres King writes within. Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for checking it out, Jeremy!

[@longfootbuddy]

im really nostolgic about this book, as soon as i see the cover it takes me right back to being a kid in my grandparents attic, imagination fresh and ready to see where king and his little black book with the hand of eyes would take me on a friday or saturday night.. why was it bandaged up? is there a boogieman in one of the large closets up here watching me with a small beedy eye in the dark? was that sound of grandpa downstairs him turning into grey matter? lights a candle and sneaks a few sips from a long forgotten whiskey bottle opened before i was born..sniffs the slightly darkened pages

[@andrew2nasty867]

Quick review 👍fast easy to follow and great opinions thank you so much

[@agreatundertaking]

Thanks, Andrew! I’m afraid “fast easy to follow” is rare on this channel though, so apologies in advance if you check out my other videos… 😂

[@smittenforfiction]

My top 5 are Jerusalem's Lot, I am the Doorway, The Mangler, The Ledge, and Quitters Inc.

[@agreatundertaking]

Excellent! I love seeing how different everyone’s lists are. Thanks for sharing, Smitten!

[@j.j.5731]

It's a great collection of short stories. I wished I could find this one short story of King's that I read in a magazine at a laundromat. I can't remember the name of the story but it's about a advertising executive who's flown into New York City for a big meeting. The gist of it is he's stuck in traffic in a taxi running late and he witnesses something that happens on a bus and he's not sure if it really happened.

[@agreatundertaking]

I believe the story you’re referring to is entitled, “That Bus Is Another World”. It has since been published in King’s short story collection, “The Bazaar of Bad Dreams”!

[@agreatundertaking]

stephenking.com/works/short/that-bus-is-another-world.html

[@j.j.5731]

Thank you

[@agreatundertaking]

@@j.j.5731 you got it!

[@nursemain3174]

My two personal favourite collections are nightmares and dreamscapes and everything’s eventual

[@toughbutsweet1]

Great summaries. Night Shift is the first SK book I read by myself (my mom read The Shining to us on a road trip), and The Boogeyman scared me the most. The poor baby. I also enjoyed Sometimes They Come Back, One for the Road and Night Surf the most.

[@agreatundertaking]

Thanks! Honestly, The Boogeyman and the way it is written is a unique approach to an old folktale. After revisiting the story I would have prob ranked it higher. I wish they had stuck to the basics of the short story with the new movie, but I haven’t seen it myself yet and have only checked out a few reviews, so I’ll reserve judgement for now.

[@jaymckay4086]

This is probably my favorite short story collection because my mom gave me this book and 10 years later I finally read it, which started my Stephen King obsession. I am the Doorway, Jerusalems Lot, one for the road, and Grey Matter were great. Last Rung on the Ladder was so well written too! I could go on forever about how I love this book. Cheers 🍻

[@agreatundertaking]

Yes! Those are all of my favorites as well! Such a great collection. I’ve been looking forward to getting to Skeleton Crew so I can revisit all of those stories again.

[@jaymckay4086]

@@agreatundertaking yes! Although I'm nostalgic for nightshift I do almost like Skeleton more. The Mist is so underrated and things like The Jaunt and Ms. Todd's Shortcut is so fun.

[@wiintergirl]

loved it!! i'm obssesed with his books

[@RooTheSailor]

My personal favorite has always been the graveyard shift. I remember listening to it on KZbin in the backseat on a long drive for the first time and thinking it was really cool. The Graveyard Shift started a 10 year obsession with king’s works that’s still going on today.

[@agreatundertaking]

That’s awesome! For me it was The Shining. I had an old, yellowed paperback that I got from my dad. It sucked me right in.

[@dylanallen2499]

Totally agree with your top 2, I think about quitters Inc and I am the doorway quite often, they definitely stuck with me. The end of I am the doorway had my jaw dropped. Personally, the mangler really scared the hell out of me which was surprising because on paper the idea sounds quite silly. Just found your channel, love your commentary! Keep it up :)

[@agreatundertaking]

Hey Dylan! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and for checking out the channel! I Am The Doorway gets me every time. It’s a terrifying concept. Thanks again man!

[@infinite_vortex]

This was an excellent ranking. I have watched all your Night Shift series of videos, and ended with the book review last. All were fantastically done, as always. I just finished Night Shift this morning. I've only got about 6 or 7 King books under my belt but this one is up there. Certainly, the best short story book of his I've read so far. As a teacher, Sometimes They Come back really stayed with me. The Last Rung on the Ladder at times, reminded me of my sister and I when we were younger. I am glad the ending won't turn out the same. I LOVE the world building with Jeresolum's Lot and One for the Road. He literally had hundreds of years of history for a town he created, that is mindblowing. I have to check out the Chapelwaite series, I'm a few mins into the first episode but never have the time to sit down and watch it. Maybe tonight! Keep up the great work as always. PS- Decided to use the random King book generator to determine my next read...it's From A Buick 8...sigh. But, the generator is a cool fun way to decide what to read next!

[@agreatundertaking]

Thanks so much, Sean. I’m glad you enjoyed Night Shift. Sometimes They Come Back was an excellent story and definitely takes a dark turn at the end. I can relate to Last Rung, as well. My sister and I were very close growing up and did a lot of dangerous nonsense together. I have to multi-task in order to watch movies or tv series these days. I watched the majority of Chapelwaite while on the treadmill, mainly due to the fact that if I get comfortable on the couch I’ll likely fall asleep mid episode. 😂 I didn’t know about the random King book generator! That’s fantastic! From A Buick 8 doesn’t get a fair shake. It’s a fun premise and a weird, unusual story! It may not be King’s best work, but I found it kept my attention nonetheless. Thanks again for watching the vids and for interacting with me, Sean!

[@davidj.thompson]

I agree that "I Am the Doorway" is the best short story in this collection.

[@bighuge1060]

Brian Henson directed a wonderful version of Battleground for the nightmare and Dreamscapes miniseries. The lack of spoken dialogue along with the music gave Battleground such a surreal atmosphere. Out of all the short stories, I Am The Doorway is the one I think of best. It also helps it's the basis of the illustration on the paperback but the story itself stuck with me; that feeling of having something happen to one's body it can't control no matter how you try to cure it. Until now I had not realized how the story has a similarity to finding out one has a disease or incurable medical condition. My least favorite was probably Night Surf because of the violence but it did remind me a little of some of the scenes in the 1981 movie, Dead and Buried. What your video really has done was make viewers want to race out and track down a copy of this book. There are so many that are familiar to movie and television viewers and it has a wonderful array of different topics...and some connected. Excellent video and channel. Thank you!

[@agreatundertaking]

I did a vid for that Battleground episode! Such a killer adaptation! I really appreciate the kind words and the comments!

[@descheers2217]

I made my way here after listening to the audio book of Jerusalem's lot and was curious to see which of the other stories I may be interested in. I love the background music you used here, it just blends in to the background superbly. 👍

[@agreatundertaking]

Thank you so much! That is an original composition I put together for the channel. You are the first person to comment about the music and I really appreciate the feedback!

[@descheers2217]

@@agreatundertaking my pleasure. I've been decorating alot of rooms at work this week and have listened to 2 different audio books of Jerusalem's lot many times. 1 of them I got on the night shift collection which brought me to your countdown to see if which story I should listen to next. I have to say I was gutted to find on the night shift audio book not all of the 20 you listed are there, only 16. Anyway dude I did end up listening to all your salems lot videos and found them most entertaining and hope the steak didn't give you heart burn, lol. Keep up the good work 👍

[@agreatundertaking]

@@descheers2217 I’m not sure which ones you’re missing, but search them on KZbin! I found a few of them on here myself! And you’ll be relieved to know that I have made a full recovery from the steak. 😂

[@bobbyhextall9334]

Great ranking 👍🏻 I ordered the book earlier and it’s coming tomorrow. I thanks for helping me choose what to read first. I did think the children of the corn would be good tho 🤔

[@agreatundertaking]

Hey Bobby! I hope your experience with Children of the Corn is better than mine. Who knows, you may enjoy it a great deal more than I do! Enjoy the book and let me know what stories are your favorites!

[@braddurian]

“Night Surf” is the best given what happened in 2020. Some of these stories are directly reminiscent of old “Twilight Zone” and “Outer Limits” episodes.

[@agreatundertaking]

Yeah King has the occasional story that seems like it was some sort of premonition. “Night Surf” is definitely one of those.

[@williamboyette2374]

Love it More King lol

[@Monsterblood]

Cool video! I'm going to attempt ranking all of SK's short stories at some point. My favorites from this collection are Jersualem's Lot, Graveyard Shift, and the Last Rung on the Ladder. I didn't care much for Battleground, Strawberry Spring or the Man Who Loved Flowers

[@agreatundertaking]

You channel name INSTANTLY caught my attention. Subbed! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I look forward to watching all your vids!

[@Monsterblood]

@@agreatundertaking thanks and same to you!

[@liam_wasnt_found8957]

WAIT ITS HAS SHORT STORIES??? HOW DID I NOT RECOGNIZE THAT???

[@juliannaking4473]

Not on my top 10... but Love Quitters Inc.

[@agreatundertaking]

Such a good story!

[@mtwice4586]

1 Graveyard Shift 2 I Am The Doorway 3 Gray Matter 4 Sometimes They Come Back 5 Quitters, Inc. 6 Jerusalem's Lot 7 The Ledge 8 I Know What You Need 9 The Boogeyman 10 The Mangler 11 Strawberry Spring 12 Trucks 13 The Lawnmower Man 14 Children of the Corn 15 The Man Who Loved Flowers 16 Night Surf 17 The Woman in the Room 18 One for the Road 19 The Last Rung on the Ladder 20 Battleground

[@agreatundertaking]

Nice! Thank you for sharing your ranking!

[@mtwice4586]

@@agreatundertaking I just finished Night Shift last night, and I was ranking them as I read. I saw the title for your video a week or so ago and was really excited to compare lists. Great video sir.

[@agreatundertaking]

I appreciate that you came back to compare, M. And thank you! Are you a big King reader?

[@mtwice4586]

@@agreatundertaking I started reading King a couple of years ago. I have read 36 so far. I am about to start the Bill Hodges trilogy, Outsider, and then If it Bleeds. Looking forward to checking out the rest of your channel.

[@agreatundertaking]

I love the Hodges trilogy! I hope you do as well. They’re not for everyone, but I liked the fusion of King’s “cold case crime” style and the more supernatural elements. Enjoy!

[@vatofdread1468]

I interpret the Boogeyman as a manifestation of Lester’s frustration. My basis for it is Secret Window, Secret Garden.

[@agreatundertaking]

Jonathan! You MUST elaborate! I need to know your thoughts!

[@vatofdread1468]

@@agreatundertaking Well I’ve been listening to a lot of King on audible. I’ve listened to both 4 Past Midnight and Boogeymen. Given the stuff Lester says to the shrink, like “if you think of something long enough, it becomes real”. I think that the Boogeyman is a manifestation of Lester’s frustration and guilt. Frustration because of his situation with his life (mom not agreeing with his marriage, working real late, wife and kid being kind of a pain, and his less than politically correct viewpoints) and guilt because he allowed his children to die at the hands of the monster. Perhaps he wanted to die, at least subconsciously, and the Boogeyman comes for him. Similar situation happened to Mort Rainey in Secret Window, Secret Garden. SPOILER ALERT!!!! Mort stole a story from a student in college and he felt great guilt over it. The shock of the deed wore off of course but it never really left. And then Mort discovered his wife was having an affair and then they divorced. Add in the stress of a movie adaptation of one of his novels and you get a great mental strain. As a result of all that and the isolation of his summer home, Shooter comes knocking. No one actually came calling about the story he stole in college, so Mort inadvertently creates a character to punish him for his theft. Granted most of Shooter’s doings was actually Mort’s, at least till the revelation at the end of the story. My theory may not sit well for everyone but hey it’s why we discuss these things.

[@agreatundertaking]

Bravo! That is a fantastic theory and comparison. I don’t think it’s at all a far fetched idea and the similarities between the two story arcs when you lay them out like that make sense. Thank you for taking the time to thoroughly explain your comment!

[@vatofdread1468]

@@agreatundertaking Thank you. I listen to King a lot so I sometimes find connections to other stories, as faint as it is.

[@agreatundertaking]

There are a lot of obvious links in a number of King stories that have been discussed constantly online, but these more subtle, nuanced similarities and theories are more of interest to me these days. Thanks again for sharing, Jonathan!

[@TheAtl198]

Mr. Doyle, you are one fine looking man.

[@agreatundertaking]

Awww shucks. You’re making me blush! ☺️

[@KardboardKenny]

commenting for the simple fact that i don't wanna be stabbed.

[@agreatundertaking]

You’re safe, Kenny. For now.

[@KardboardKenny]

@@agreatundertaking it's not you i fear, it's the beard. i know it has a life of it's own...lol

[@agreatundertaking]

😂😂😂 Sometimes I wake up and there are dead birds, sharp objects and miscellaneous debris in there, so yeah your fear is not unfounded.