""You like it darker? Fine, so do I," writes Stephen King in the afterword to this new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life--both metaphorical and literal. "Two Talented Bastids" explores the secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream," a psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny's most catastrophically. In "Rattlesnakes," a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and receives an unexpected inheritance -- with major strings attached. In "The Dreamers," a Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. "The Answer Man" asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by tragedy can still be meaningful.

Two talented bastids --The fifth step -- Willie the weirdo -- Danny Coughlin's bad dream -- Finn -- On Slide Inn Road -- Red screen -- The turbulence expert -- Laurie -- Rattlesnakes -- The dreamers -- The answer man -- Afterword.