Monday, November 1, 2010

The Langoliers

Four Past MidnightThe Langoliers – Stephen King
Evan’s ESS = 9 out of 10
Erin’s ESS = 7 out of 10
Content = R (Violence, Adult Concepts, Language, Scary Flashbacks)

Why: This novel scared the bejepers out of us, although it didn’t help that at fourteen one of our moms thought it would be funny to throw mulch at our bedroom window as a practical joke.  Real funny.  This might explain our current reluctance to spread mulch around the house; of course, it’s probably more of an insight into our dislike of physical labor.         

The Langoliers is one of four short stories found in the book Four Past Midnight.  The plot follows several travelers, all with questionable backgrounds, through an unfortunate time anomaly.  There, the group is brought face to face with the Langoliers.  You may be asking yourself, “what exactly is a Langolier?”, but the only way you’ll find out on this blog is if you read the book.  As an added tease, you get to observe the complete physiological downfall of an ill-tempered businessman and learn about the consequences of wasting time.  Like most Stephen King novels, The Langoliers takes a completely fictional concept and forces the reader to invest emotionally in such a way that the story seems real (we’re at least reasonably sure that the concepts presented in The Langoliers are unreal, however, we have modified our own airline travel habits just to be on the safe side).  Also, for maximum effect, we recommend reading this novel at four past midnight-ish.

Editor’s Note:  If you get a chance catch the made for TV miniseries.  The movie’s average at best, but for the most part true to the novel.  Plus, you’ll get to experience a Balki performance post Perfect Strangers.

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