“Weeds” by Stephen King in DARK SCREAMS: Volume One
Hi Folks!
Just a little side note about a Stephen King story that we won’t be reading as part of Stephen King Revisited because King has never collected it in one of his short story collections.
Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman have joined forces with the cutting edge team at Hydra, a division of Random House, to launch a series of horror eBook anthologies called Dark Screams that will feature the best horror authors working in the business today. Volume One is now available for download immediately!
About the Book:
Stephen King, Kelley Armstrong, Bill Pronzini, Simon Clark, and Ramsey Campbell are the first contributors to a mind-bending new series of short story collections that push the boundaries of horror and dark suspense to the bleeding edge. From Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the acclaimed Cemetery Dance Publications, Dark Screams: Volume One reaches across genres to take readers beyond the precipice of mortal toil and into the glimmering void of irreality and beyond.
Purchase the eBook:
Amazon.com • Amazon.ca • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • iBookstore • Kobo
WEEDS by Stephen King
When a meteorite lands on his property, Jordy Verrill envisions an easy payday. Unfortunately for Jordy, this is no ordinary rock—and the uncompromising force inside has found its first target.
THE PRICE YOU PAY by Kelley Armstrong
Never pay more than you owe. Sounds like easy advice to follow. But for Kara and her childhood friend Ingrid, some debts can never be repaid . . . especially those tendered in blood.
MAGIC EYES by Bill Pronzini
Edward James Toliver has found a weary sort of asylum among the insane. He knows he’s not one of them—but how can he tell anyone about the invaders without sounding that way?
MURDER IN CHAINS by Simon Clark
Imagine awaking to find yourself in an underground vault, chained by the neck to a murderous lunatic, a grunting goliath who seems more animal than man. What would you do to save yourself?
THE WATCHED by Ramsey Campbell
Little Jimmy gets a glimpse of the cold truth when he finds out that it’s not always what you see that can get you into trouble; it’s who knows what you see.
Purchase the eBook:
Amazon.com • Amazon.ca • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • iBookstore • Kobo
My preordered copy downloaded this morning!
Thank you!
Wasn’t it featured on in Twilight Zone style short film compilation? I think it was titled ‘The Lonely Death Of Jordy Veril’ or somthing like that. I think the star of the show was one Stephen sombody-or-other.
“Meteor Shit!”
Could be wrong….
Yes, it was one of the segments in CREEPSHOW! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083767/
I got mine delivered to my Kindle today.
Many years ago Stephen King published a segment called Weeds and sent it to people who volunteered to pay$1 per chapter. We downloaded it from the computer but he never finished because he didnt get enough money. It was sort of like his short segment books as in the Green Mile. I might even still have that partial story. Does anyone remember this and was it the same story?
That wasn’t Weeds — that was The Plant. He didn’t stop because he wasn’t making enough money (he made a ton of money, by his own accounts). He stopped because he ran out of story.
Oh yes. Now I remember. Sorry you are right. I wonder if he ever finished it.
Not that he’s ever said. He quit it twice, once in the mid-80s and once in the late 90s.
I have the story “The Plant” Great read!
Am reading “Dark Screams: Volume One” now. Another great read!
Dark Screams Volume One
Dark Screams awaits you at an unbelievable price for five ways to ensure a great scare. James Freeman and Richard Chizmar have come together to introduce us to a short but power-packed volume of escalating terror.
Who better to start these five stories off than Stephen King? With a touch of The Tommyknockers, and a dash of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, King introduces us to Jordy in his short story Weeds. Jordy is a mentally challenged farmer who believes that the meteor in his backyard will soon become his cash cow. Unfortunately for Jordy, the green that he encounters is not a bankroll, but a intergalactic menace with a very wicked green thumb.
Kelley Armstrong is our next author as we plunge deeper into the abyss of horror with her tale The Price You Pay. The two main characters give friendship a whole new dimension. It is often said that we can never escape our past, but when the past slithers and intertwines around Ingrid and Kara like a giant boa, they are willing to create their own little hell to escape incarceration. It seems you can really hurt the ones you love… or maybe even kill them, at least for Ingrid and Kara.
Next up is Bill Pronzini with Magic Eyes. Edward, the main character in this short story, that is sure to catch your eye, is doing time for killing his wife. It seems Edward truly believes that the eyes are a window to one’s soul… or maybe a window to something much more threatening and other worldly. Join Pronzini as he takes us on a rollercoaster ride into the mind of a paranoid, unrelenting killer.
Simon Clark invites us underground with Murder in Chains. Clark takes us to a hideaway that is reminiscent of Dante’s inferno. The true mastermind in this tale remains a mystery. John York, the main pawn in the snare of gore and torture is in for one hell of a ride. As John tries to be a knight in shining armor for a damsel in distress, he finds himself in a series of life menacing games. Clark shows us that games may not always have victors. Sometimes games are just for fun!
Lastly on the list of grizzly delights, we meet Jimmy in The Watched. Ramsey Campbell shares new insights on what it might be like living with grandma. Jimmy is recruited to spy on his neighbors by a community policeman. Suspecting the worst about his neighbors and the intimidating policeman, Jimmy worries about his and his grandmother’s safety. Fear permeates this short story, and eases into the mind of the reader like a spider motionless in its web waiting for anticipated prey. Jimmy becomes a part of something more sinister that he could ever dream.
Bravo! Freeman and Chizman of Cemetery Dance Publication. I’ll be shivering with fear and anticipation for Dark Screams Volume Two.
I read Weeds last night. As soon as I read the first sentence I thought of Creepshow (early 80s?), the movie with short movies within the movie — all King’s. I saw it in the theater upon its release. This movie-ette (?) was brilliant, and Jordie was played by our very own Uncle Stevie! Forgive me if this has been mentioned already…