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The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Dylan Baker, Brooke Bloom, Kathleen Chalfant, Hope Davis, Santino Fontana, Peter Friedman
- Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins
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The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
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Publisher's Summary
The short story 'Obits' won the 2016 Edgar for best short story. Featuring introductions to each story, read by Stephen King.
A thrilling collection of 21 stories - some brand new, some published in magazines, all entirely brilliant and assembled in one collection for the first time - with a wonderful bonus: in addition to his introduction to the whole collection, King gives listeners a fascinating introduction to each story with autobiographical comments on their origins and motivations.
The number one best-selling writer has dazzled listeners with his genius as a writer of novellas and short story fiction since his first collection Night Shift was published. He describes the nature of the form in his introduction to the work: 'There's something to be said for a shorter, more intense experience. It can be invigorating, sometimes even shocking, like...a beautiful curio for sale laid out on a cheap blanket at a street bazaar.'
In The Bazaar of Bad Dreams there is a curio for every reader - a man who keeps reliving the same life, repeating the same mistakes over and over again, a columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries, a poignant tale about the end of the human race and a firework competition between neighbours which reaches an explosive climax. There are also intriguing connections between the stories; themes of morality, guilt, the afterlife and what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. Effervescent yet poignant, juxtaposing the everyday against the unexpected, these stories comprise one of King's finest gifts to his constant listener as well as to those fascinated by the autobiographical insights in his celebrated nonfiction title On Writing. 'I made them especially for you,' says King. 'Feel free to examine them, but please be carefuly. The best of them have teeth.'
- 'Introduction' read by Stephen King
- 'Mile 81' read by Thomas Sadoksi
- 'Premium Harmony' read by Will Patton
- 'Batman and Robin Have an Altercation' read by Santino Fontana
- 'The Dune' read by Edward Herrmann
- 'Bad Little Kid' read by Dylan Baker
- 'A Death' read by Cotter Smith
- 'The Bone Church' read by Cotter Smith
- 'Morality' read by Mare Winningham
- 'Afterlife' read by Dylan Baker
- 'Ur' read by Holter Graham
- 'Herman Wouk Is Still Alive' read by Brooke Bloom and Kathleen Chalfant
- 'Under the Weather' read by Peter Friedman
- 'Blockade Billy' read by Craig Wasson
- 'Mister Yummy' read by Peter Friedman
- 'Tommy' read by Stephen King
- 'The Little Green God of Agony' read by Hope Davis
- 'Cookie Jar' read by Santino Fontana
- 'That Bus Is Another World' read by Fred Weller
- 'Obits' read by Fred Weller
- 'Drunken Fireworks' read by Tim Sample
- 'Summer Thunder' read by Will Patton
What listeners say about The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-08-2020
Maybe not for me
I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped I would. Maybe short stories just aren't for me; I often finished wanting to know more.. Which I realise is probably the point. Some of the more "human element" stories were great, but not what I'm used to with SK so I felt a little bored in places waiting for the "action". Majority of narrators were brilliant (always enjoy Fontana) but a couple I just couldn't listen to - one being drunken fireworks. I struggled to get to the end, and found myself wanting it to end. Not my favourite, but some quality and thought provoking stories in here nonetheless.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ehhylhzuc
- 22-07-2024
Will Patton narrating Uncle Steve is a match made in heaven
I’d be happy if all Stephen King books are henceforth narrated by Will Patton. There’s something about the Patton/King combo that just takes it to the next level. The other narrators do a great job also - but Will Patton just hits it right in the sweet spot.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lauretta Robertson
- 16-05-2019
Stories aren't too bad, but language is foul!
I've given up with this book mostly because I can't stand all the filthy language. F's and C's all over the place! I can tolerate a little here and there, but this is beyond reasonable. The story about the car on Highway 81 (or whatever it was) was very interesting, but I didn't enjoy the next few at all. I'm sorry I chose this as my free trial, because I've essentially wasted it. I would love to have exchanged it, but can't do that without being a paid member first. The narrators were good though.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlottedv
- 12-02-2016
a wonderful group of stories
I Love the final story...it was a great painted picture of the end of the world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Josephine
- 31-12-2015
Perfect for walking the dogs
Loved the stories and the variety. Interesting how they came about and why he wrote certain ones. More please.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tita
- 01-02-2016
Ending
The audio ended mid-sentence?? Love the rest if the book. What happened? Guess I'll have to get the physical book! Loved the rest of it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kimberley Connery
- 23-08-2016
An Interesting Compilation
An interesting assortment of stories. Some I enjoyed more than others, some got me thinking more than others, and I guess that's the case with any compilation of tales. Overall I enjoyed this book, but calling it a Bazaar was a wise choice - its an ecclectic mix which covers the full spectrum of topics and characters that King does so well. Recommended for fans of King's style, but don't expect stock standard horror a la The Shining or It.
I really enjoyed that each tale was narrated by a different voice actor. It broke them up into individual entities and gave each story more character unto itself.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- 31-01-2016
An interesting collection
When I used to have time to read 'real books', and this was often on flights, I loved reading Stephen King short stories. This audio book brought back all those memories, and I enjoyed almost all the stories. The narration between stories, giving background to the next was a nice touch. The only story I didn't get in to was based around baseball, and I think you needed to fully understand American baseball to really appreciate it. Overall, well done Stephen, and for the record, I'm not going any where near abandoned cars on the side of the freeway!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Allison
- 22-03-2016
Great mix
Fantastic mix of stories and narrators with an introduction to each story by Stephen King.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa M Hayes
- 08-04-2016
Awesome
Drunken Fireworks, what a superb story and brilliantly read, worth it just for that. A great insight into a legend author.
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