 First edition cover | |
| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror,science fiction |
| Publisher | Putnam |
Publication date | June 21, 1985 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 512 |
| ISBN | 978-0-399-13039-7 |
| Preceded by | Different Seasons |
| Followed by | Four Past Midnight |
Skeleton Crew is a short story collection by American writerStephen King, published by Putnam in June 1985. A limited edition of a thousand copies was published by Scream/Press in October 1985 (ISBN 978-0910489126), illustrated by J. K. Potter, containing an additional short story, "The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson", which had originally appeared inRolling Stone magazine (July 19 – August 2, 1984), and was later incorporated into King's 1987 novelThe Tommyknockers.[1] The original title of this book wasNight Moves.[2]
| # | Title | Originally published in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mist | Dark Forces (1980) | Novella |
| 2 | "Here There Be Tygers" | Spring 1968 issue ofUbris | |
| 3 | "The Monkey" | November 1980 issue ofGallery | |
| 4 | "Cain Rose Up" | Spring 1968 issue ofUbris | |
| 5 | "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" | May 1984 issue ofRedbook | |
| 6 | "The Jaunt" | June 1981 issue ofThe Twilight Zone Magazine | |
| 7 | "The Wedding Gig" | December 1980 issue ofEllery Queen's Mystery Magazine | |
| 8 | "Paranoid: A Chant" | Previously unpublished | Poem |
| 9 | "The Raft" | November 1982 issue ofGallery | |
| 10 | "Word Processor of the Gods" | January 1983 issue ofPlayboy | |
| 11 | "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands" | Shadows 4 (1981) | |
| 12 | "Beachworld" | Fall 1984 issue ofWeird Tales | |
| 13 | "The Reaper's Image" | Spring 1969 issue ofStartling Mystery Stories | |
| 14 | "Nona" | Shadows (1978) | |
| 15 | "For Owen" | Previously unpublished | Poem |
| 16 | "Survivor Type" | Terrors (1982) | |
| 17 | "Uncle Otto's Truck" | October 1983 issue ofYankee | |
| 18 | "Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1)" | Previously unpublished | |
| 19 | "Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2)" | New Terrors (1980) | |
| 20 | "Gramma" | Spring 1984 issue ofWeirdbook | |
| 21 | The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet | June 1984 issue ofThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction | Novella |
| 22 | "The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson" | Summer 1984 issue ofRolling Stone | Featured only in the 1985 limited edition[1][3] |
| 23 | "The Reach" | November 1981 issue ofYankee |
The collection features 22 works, which include 18 short stories, two novellas (The Mist andThe Ballad of the Flexible Bullet), and two poems ("Paranoid: A Chant" and "For Owen"). In addition to the introduction, in which King directly addresses his readers in his signature conversational style,Skeleton Crew also features an epilogue entitled "Notes" wherein King discusses the origins of several stories in the collection. The stories are collected from science-fiction and horror anthologies (Dark Forces,Shadows,Terrors, andNew Terrors), genre magazine publications (Twilight Zone,Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine,Startling Mystery Stories,Weirdbook andFantasy and Science Fiction), and popular magazines (Redbook,Gallery,Yankee andPlayboy).
Although published in 1985, the stories collected inSkeleton Crew span 17 years from "The Reaper's Image" (King's second professional sale when he was just 18 years old) toThe Ballad of The Flexible Bullet which was completed in 1983.[4]
The collection also features more personal works, including "For Owen", the poem he wrote for his son, and "Gramma", a horrific tale from an 11-year-old boy's perspective that seems to recall King's horrors living with his invalid grandmother.[5]
Of one of the stories in the collection, King says: "As far as short stories are concerned, I like the grisly ones the best. However, the story "Survivor Type" goes a little bit too far, even for me."[6]
"The Raft" was adapted as a segment of the 1987New World Pictures anthology filmCreepshow 2, with a script byGeorge A. Romero, and directed by Michael Gornick.
"Word Processor of the Gods" (1984 Laurel TV, directed by Michael Gornick) was a 22-minuteepisode ofTales from the Darkside.
"Gramma" was adapted into an episode of the 1985 iteration ofThe Twilight Zone, written byHarlan Ellison. In 2014, it was loosely adapted into a film calledMercy, starringChandler Riggs andDylan McDermott.[7]
"The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson" was adapted into a June 1995episode of the television seriesThe Outer Limits;Brad Wright wrote the teleplay, andSteven Weber directed.[8]
The Mist was adapted into the filmThe Mist (2007The Weinstein Company, written and directed byFrank Darabont), which was released on November 21, 2007; it was later adapted as a 2017SpikeTV series.
"Survivor Type" was adapted as an animated segment for a special episode of the 2019Creepshow TV series with the main character voiced byKiefer Sutherland.
"The Jaunt" will be made into a feature film by production companyPlan B Entertainment, withAndy Muschietti set to direct.[9]
Afilm adaptation of "The Monkey" directed byOsgood Perkins withJames Wan as executive producer through hisAtomic Monster production label was released byNeon on February 21, 2025.[10]
The following stories have been adapted asDollar Baby short films:
The Mist was adapted as a 90-minute full-cast audio recording in 1986 in "3-D Sound" from ZBS Productions, released bySimon & Schuster, Inc.
In 1985, theAmerican Library Association issued a series of posters that featured celebrities encouraging Americans to patronize their local libraries. In one of these,Michael J. Fox holds a copy ofSkeleton Crew while a skeletal hand rests on his shoulder.
Neil Gaiman reviewedSkeleton Crew forImagine magazine, and described it as "500 pages of gorious goodies."[11]
Skeleton Crew is critically held as showing King as a maturing writer[12] with greater breadth and depth than his previous short works.[13]
Skeleton Crew won theLocus Award for Best Collection in 1986.[14]
This special edition has one extra story, "Becka Paulson," not found in the trade edition wowza.
