The song of the dead

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The Song of the Dead is a collection of German versions of short stories by the US writer Stephen King from 1986, published by Heyne Verlag , Munich. The American short story collection Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, published in 1985, was first published in Germany in three separate volumes and later in a volume called Blut . The Song of the Dead was one of these three volumes, the others are called Im Dawn and Der Fornit .

The stories

The Song of the Dead contains nine stories of the type Classic Horror (four times), Psycho Horror (once), SciFi Horror (once), Mystery (once), Crime (once), Parable (once).

  • Mrs. Todd's Shortcut (Engl .: Mrs. Todd's Shortcut )
The sexy car racer Mrs. Todd (in her mid-forties) has the playful ambition to always find a shorter route for every car journey. Eventually she even discovers an abbreviation that is shorter than the straight line - the abbreviation leads through other dimensions and makes Mrs. Todd younger and more attractive. (Mystery)
  • The Wedding Reception (Engl .: The Wedding Gig )
The story of a vengeance takes place in 1927 in the American gangster milieu of prohibition and jazz parties. At his sister's wedding reception, a gang boss dies in the hail of bullets from the competition. The overweight sister takes over the gang, takes revenge and works her way up to become the nationwide notorious gang leader. (Crime thriller)
  • Travel (English: The Jaunt )
Engineer Mark is transferred to Mars from his company. The journey there is routinely done by teleportation. In order to make his children fearful, he tells them how scientists developed teleportation. It can be used to beam people and objects through the room. However, it is absolutely necessary for humans and animals to sleep during teleportation. Otherwise they will die. The 12-year-old son Ricky tricks and stays awake out of curiosity: He experiences the trip from Earth to Mars, which lasts only seconds, like an eternity, ages mentally and collapses gone mad. (SciFi horror)
  • Cain's rebellion (ger .: Cain Rose Up )
A US student goes crazy, locks himself in his campus room as a gunman and fires at other people at random from the window. (Psychological horror)
  • The raft (Engl .: The Raft )
After a beer party, four teenagers take a car ride to a remote swimming lake. They swim to a small bathing raft. There she attacks a being that moves in the water like a living oil stain and hypnotically casts its victims under its spell. Rachel, fascinated, reaches into the water and is drawn into it. In the most brutal scene, Deke is dragged into the water through a raft crack for hours. Randy pushes LaVerne into the water when the creature enters her hair through a raft crack. Now Randy is alone and falls more and more into the monster's hypnosis. Will he jump and make it to shore? (Horror)
  • The singing of the Dead aka The Straits (Engl .: The Reach )
95-year-old Stella has never left the tranquil village community on the island off the American coast in her life. When the strait (called the Reach ) freezes over in a harsh winter , the cancer-stricken woman goes to the mainland for the first time. In the snowstorm, she meets her husband and the villagers she has grown to love, whom she survived. (Parable)
  • The Grim Reaper (Engl .: The Reaper's Image )
A grim reaper lives in a precious, but cursed mirror, who will soon die all those who see it in the mirror but do not believe in it. Antique collector Johnson Spangler has the mirror shown. (Horror)
  • Nona (English: Nona )
A murderer remembers his deeds in prison: As a failed but peaceful begging student, he fell victim to the adorable Nona, who seduced him into excesses of violence and a series of murders. The police finally pick him up at his parents' grave. There is no trace of Nona. It exists in the mind of the murderer, who soon gives in to suicidal thoughts. (Horror)
  • Uncle Otto's truck (ger .: Uncle Otto's Truck )
Uncle Otto is haunted by his old wrecked truck, which he leaves to rot in a meadow near his apartment. Otto once used the truck as a murder weapon to kill his business partner (the original owner of the vehicle). Now he is convinced that the vehicle is getting closer and closer to him in order to take revenge. Otto actually dies - the autopsy shows that he drowned on engine oil. Otto's nephew, who is telling the story, finds a piston in his throat. (Horror)

useful information

literature

Stephen King: The Song of the Dead , Ullstein, 2006, ISBN 978-3548263298
Stephen King: Skeleton Crew , Hodder, London 2007, ISBN 978-0340952054

Footnotes (citations, notes)

  1. ↑ Note: This story is one of six selected for the first special issue, The Secretary of Dreams .
  2. ↑ Note: This story is also one of six that were selected for the first special edition The Secretary of Dreams .

Web links

Stephen King's works
Novels

Must Burn Salem • Carrie • Christine • Colorado Kid • Cujo • The Picture • The Buick • The Girl • The Monster - Tommyknockers • The Black House • The Game • Dead Zone - The Assassination • The Talisman • Desperation • The Arena • The Eyes dragon • Dolores • Dreamcatcher • It • Firestarter • Pet Sematary • Love • Needful Things - In a small town • pulse • Sara • Sleepless • Shining • you • Stark - the Dark Half • the Green Mile • the stand - the last Skirmish • Madness • The Dark Tower (Novels) • Black • Three • Dead • Glass • Wolf Moon • Susannah • The Tower • The Attack • Wind • Joyland • Doctor Sleep • Mr. Mercedes • Revival • Finder's Reward • Mind Control • Sleeping Beauties • The Outsider • The Institute

Bachman books

Amok • The Curse • Manhunt • Agony • Regulator • Explosives • Death March

Stories and
collections

Nightmares • Atlantis • The fornite • The song of the dead • Spring, summer, autumn and death • In the cabinet of death • At dawn • Langoliers • At night • Night shift • Sunset • Between night and dark • Bazaar of bad dreams

Other publications

Danse Macabre • The Life and Writing • The Storm of the Century • The Year of the Werewolf