JUST AFTER SUNSET

u003cbu003eu003cbu003eSubtle, haunting, terrifying—this astonishing collection of short stories from #1 bestselling author Stephen King includes the short story “N.”u003c/bu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003eStephen King—who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one u003ciu003eNew York Timesu003c/iu003e bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies—delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first since u003ciu003eEverything's Eventualu003c/iu003e six years ago. As guest editor of the bestselling u003ciu003eBest American Short Stories 2007u003c/iu003e, King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His renewed passion for the form is evident on every page of u003ciu003eJust After Sunsetu003c/iu003e. The stories in this collection have appeared in u003ciu003eThe New Yorkeru003c/iu003e, u003ciu003ePlayboyu003c/iu003e, u003ciu003eMcSweeney'su003c/iu003e, u003ciu003eThe Paris Reviewu003c/iu003e, u003ciu003eEsquireu003c/iu003e, and other publications.u003cbru003e u003cbru003eWho but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating—and then terrifying—journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, “The Gingerbread Girl” is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable—and resourceful—as Audrey Hepburn’s character in u003ciu003eWait Until Darku003c/iu003e. In “Ayana,” a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, “N.,” which broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient’s irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.u003cbru003e u003cbru003eu003ciu003eJust After Sunsetu003c/iu003e—call it dusk, call it twilight, it’s a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It’s the perfect time for Stephen King.