The Losers reach the end of the beam -- for now -- as they unlock their book episode for Stephen King's 2025 novel Never Flinch. This is it, Constant Listeners, we're officially caught up now. Note: This episode was recorded in May 2025 for patreon.com/thebarrens. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our latest book episode, which was recorded in Summer 2024 and had previously been exclusive to the Barrens, the Losers head to the tropics to rank all 12 stories within Stephen King's 2024 collection You Like It Darker. Spoilers within, so please read before you stream. You've been warned. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Check it, there's a dead guy over there. He's talking to us. His mouth and his words don't match up entirely, but if you just listen, he's not hard to follow. Get used to it. They're everywhere. The dead. And they have a lot to say before they're gone forever. The Losers visit New York City and stop by The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind to pick up Stephen King's third hardboiled crime novel, Later. Join Losers Randall Colburn, Michael Roffman, McKenzie Gerber, and Rachel Reeves as they discuss the new rules of the dead, the book's ties to King's Dominion, and whether or not the twist works or flops. Note: This episode was recorded in Spring of 2021. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers hole up in their local grocery store to evade Stephen King's 1985 novella, The Mist. 

Chapters include: Intro/History The Hook (22:00), Structure and Format (29:00), Heroes and Villains (33:00), Misery (1:09:30), The Sematary (1:12:30), Word Processor of the Gods (1:37:00), Poundcake (1:47:30), King's Dominion (1:49:30), Overall Thoughts (1:54:30), Adaptations (2:01:00), and Outro (2:41:00) 

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The Losers finally found a diet that works for them: Richard Bachman's 1984 thriller, Thinner. 

Chapters include: Intro/History, The Hook (28:00), Structure and Format (49:25), Heroes and Villains (102:15), Misery (1:39:15), The Sematary (1:53:00), Word Processor of the Gods (2:07:20), Poundcake (2:16:25), King's Dominion (2:27:45), Overall Thoughts (2:33:30), and Outro (2:40:00).

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The Losers journey through the American heartland and the Territories within Stephen King and Peter Straub's 1984 fantasy novel, The Talisman. 

Chapters include: Intro/History, The Hook (21:30), Structure and Format (39:15), Heroes and Villains (58:45), Misery (1:48:20), The Sematary (2:09:30), Word Processor of the Gods (2:37:45), Poundcake (2:49:25), King's Dominion (3:01:50), Overall Thoughts (3:17:00), Adaptations (3:23:30), Outro (3:34:00) 

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The Losers step into the Kingdom of Delain and come face to face with Stephen King's 1984 fantasy novel, The Eyes of the Dragon. 

Chapters include: Intro, History (15:45), The Hook (12:30), Structure and Format (23:30), Heroes and Villains (35:05), The Sematary (1:12:00), Word Processor of the Gods (1:20:50), Poundcake (1:30:00), King's Dominion (1:35:50), The Humiliation of Stephen King and Peter Straub's Children (1:49:00), Overall Thoughts (1:51:00), Adaptations (1:57:00), and Outro (1:59:00) 

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The Losers keep digging into Stephen King's 1983 novel, Pet Sematary.  

Chapters include: Intro, The Sematary (2:00), Word Processor of the God (47:45), Poundcake (102:30), King's Dominion (1:16:00), Final Thoughts (1:30:00), Outro (1:40:30) 

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The Losers grab their shovels and head into Stephen King’s 1983 novel, Pet Sematary. 

Chapters include: Intro, History (15:45), The Hook (40:40), Structure and Format (57:00), Heroes and Villains (1:19:15), Outro (2:46:00).

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Things get hairy for the Losers as they head to Tarker’s Mills and tear through Stephen King’s 1983 short horror novel, Cycle of the Werewolf. 

Chapters include: Intro, History (4:20), The Hook (10:30), Cycle Breakdown (30:20), Month 12 (34:20), Month 11 (42:18), Month 10 (50:08), Month 9 (55:22), Month 8 (1:04:40), Month 7 (1:20:00), Month 6 (1:31:25), Month 5 (1:34:50), Month 4 (1:42:17), Month 3 (1:48:35), Month 2 (1:55:15), Month 1 (2:00:25), Overall Thoughts (2:07:00), Silver Bullet (2:15:00), and Outro (2:39:30). 

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The Losers hit the gas on Stephen King’s 1983 novel, Christine. 

Chapters include: Intro, History (12:30), The Hook (26:00), Structure and Format (38:30), Heroes and Villains (1:02:15), The Sematary (1:57:20), Word Processor of the God (2:12:44), Poundcake! (2:24:15), King’s Dominion (2:34:25), Overall Thoughts (2:43:30), John Carpenter’s Christine (2:48:00), and Outro (3:14:35). 

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The Losers reach the end of Stephen King’s 1982 collection, Different Seasons, with The Breathing Method. 

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook (2:45), Structure and Format (18:25), Heroes and Villains (30:00), The Sematary (40:25), Word Processor of the God (53:30), Poundcake! (55:52), King’s Dominion (59:25), Overall Thoughts (1:05:45), Potential Adaptations (1:10:35), Final Word on Different Seasons (1:20:30), The Writers’ Club (1:24:30), and Outro (1:38:40). 

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The Losers go looking for a dead body as they hit the third novella in Stephen King’s 1982 collection, Different Seasons.

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook (8:00), Structure and Format (25:00), Heroes and Villains (30:00), The Sematary (1:43:00), Word Processor of the God (1:51:00), Poundcake! (2:14:00), King’s Dominion (2:17:00), Overall Thoughts (2:31:00), Adaptations (2:40:00), and Outro (3:22:00).

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Play ball! The Losers hit the green with Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan as they revisit their two baseball books: 2004's Faithful and 2012's novella "A Face in the Crowd". For more baseball coverage, head to The Barrens (patreon.com/thebarrens) for Faithful, Too, which sees Justin Gerber journaling this year's season of the Chicago Cubs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers stumble upon a former Nazi as they keep flipping through Stephen King’s 1982 novellas collection, Different Seasons. 

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook/Structure and Format (09:25), Heroes and Villains (23:00), The Sematary (1:24:42), Word Processor of the God (1:35:41), Poundcake! (1:41:23), King’s Dominion (1:48:00), Overall Thoughts (1:58:00), Adaptations (2:04:00), and Outro (2:31:45). 

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The Losers get locked up in Shawshank as they journey through Stephen King’s 1982 novellas collection, Different Seasons. 

Chapters include: Intro/First Experiences, The Hook/Structure and Format (11:35), Heroes and Villains (30:51), The Sematary (1:07:20), Word Processor of the God (1:20:04), Poundcake! (1:30:26), King’s Dominion (1:32:59), Overall Thoughts (1:36:44), Adaptations (1:42:03), and Outro (2:03:34). 

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The Losers head to Mid-World as they begin their epic quest with Stephen King’s 1982 novel, The Gunslinger. 

Chapters include: Introductions and History, The Hook (18:00), Structure and Format (25:00), Heroes and Villains (35:30), The Sematary (1:52:00), Word Processor of the God (2:02:00), Poundcake! (2:13:00), King’s Dominion (2:20:00), Things We Glean Along The Beam (2:23:00), Overall Thoughts (2:27:00), Adaptations (2:33:00), and Outro (3:11:00). 

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The Losers -- Randall Colburn, Allison Shoemaker, McKenzie Gerber, and Justin Gerber -- head straight into the dystopian world of Richard Bachman’s 1982 novel, The Running Man.

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook/Structure and Format (9:05), Zeroes and Villains (35:00), The Sematary (1:05:30), Word Processor of the God (1:16:00), Poundcake! (1:22:00), King’s Dominion (1:34:29), Overall Thoughts(1:39:50), Adaptation (1:46:00), Outro (2:15:35). 

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The Losers run out of gas outside Castle Rock as they discuss Stephen King’s Cujo.

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook/Structure and Format (8:00), Zeroes and Villains (1:03:50), The Sematary (2:10:00), Word Processor of the God (2:26:30), Poundcake! (2:36:00), King’s Dominion (2:51:00), Overall Thoughts(2:54:00), Adaptation (3:03:00), Outro (3:30:35).

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Losers Randall Colburn, Justin Gerber, McKenzie Gerber, and Mel Kassel take a dance of death with Stephen King’s Danse Macabre. In addition to takes on King’s expansive book on horror’s history, the Losers relate King’s findings/feelings to all things horror after the book’s publication, reveal what scares them, and discuss some essential pieces of horror cinema from the ‘80s to today.

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The Losers -- Justin Gerber, Allison Shoemaker, McKenzie Gerber, and Melanie Kassel -- discuss Richard Bachman’s 1981 energy crisis novel, Roadwork. 

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook/Structure and Format (10:00), Zeroes and Villains (30:00), The Sematary (1:20:00), Word Processor of the God (1:24:00), Poundcake! (1:38:00), King’s Dominion (1:49:00), Overall Thoughts/Adaptations (1:53:00), Outro (2:03:00). 

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Losers Randall Colburn, Dan Caffrey, McKenzie Gerber, and new member to the Club Melanie Kassel discuss Stephen King’s Firestarter. 

Chapters include: Intro/Meet the New Loser!, The Hook/Structure and Format (25:00), Zeroes and Villains (52:00), The Sematary (1:27:00), Word Processor of the God (1:48:00), Poundcake! (1:55:00), King’s Dominion (2:10:00), Overall Thoughts (2:18:00), Adaptations (2:26:00), Outro (2:49:00). 

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The Losers head to Castle Rock and discuss Stephen King’s The Dead Zone.

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook (17:00), Structure and Format (31:00), Zeroes and Villains (45:00), The Sematary (2:00:00), Word Processor of the God (2:14:30), Poundcake! (2:30:30), King’s Dominion (2:38:00), Overall Thoughts (2:45:30), Adaptations (2:55:00), Outro (3:28:30).

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The Losers takes a deadly stroll through Richard Bachman's 1979 dystopian survival tale, The Long Walk.

Chapters include: Intro, The Hook (4:00), Structure and Format (33:15), Zeroes and Villains (1:02:20), The Sematary (1:44:30), Poundcake! (2:11:05), King’s Dominion (2:23:50), Overall Thoughts (2:29:45), Producer’s Chair (2:41:45), Outro (2:47:35)

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“If it bleeds, it leads.” In the second of two episodes dedicated to Stephen King's 2020 novellas collection If It Bleeds, Losers Randall Colburn, Michael Roffman, Dan Caffrey, and Jenn Adams discuss the titular and final novella, "If It Bleeds". Together, they parse through King’s true crime era and what the future of Holly Gibney might bring, be it on the page or in another season of HBO’s The Outsider. Note: This episode was recorded in 2020 and is being dusted off for our proper chronological re-read. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers reach the end of Stephen King’s The Stand. 

Chapters include: Remastered Intro, Losers Intro (4:15), The Hook (05:55), Structure and Format (55:00), Heroes and Villains (1:11:00), The Sematary (2:13:45), Poundcake! (2:32:30), King’s Dominion (2:41:00), Final Thoughts (2:46:30), and Outro (02:59:00)
 

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The Losers continue walking through Stephen King’s The Stand as they look into the second book: "On the Border". 

 

Chapters include: Remastered Intro, Losers Intro (4:15), The Hook (8:55), Structure & Format (23:24), Heroes and Villains (1:03:00), The Sematary (2:09:00), Poundcake! (2:37:00), King’s Dominion (2:56:00), Room 237 (3:03:35), Final Thoughts (3:08:00), and Outro (3:20:00) 

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The Losers start walking through Stephen King’s The Stand with the novel's first of three books: "Captain Trips". 

Chapters include: Remastered Intro, Losers Intro (04:05), History (17:56), The Hook (31:00), Structure & Format (55:50), Heroes and Villains (1:36:00), Sematary (2:35:00), Poundcake! (2:51:35), King’s Dominion (3:12:20), Final Thoughts (3:23:00), and Outro (3:34:00)

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The Losers discuss the good, the bad, and the (mostly) ugly film and TV adaptations of Stephen King’s first short story collection, 1978’s Night Shift. 

Chapters include: Intro, Graveyard Shift (7:41), The Mangler (19:17), "Battleground" (33:57), Maximum Overdrive (39:45), Trucks (58:53), Sometimes They Come Back (1:10:28), "The Ledge" (1:23:39), The Lawnmower Man (1:34:33), "Quitters, Inc." (1:51:04), "The General" (2:00:02), Children of the Corn (1984) (2:04:05), Children of the Corn (2009) (2:16:58), Dollar Babies (2:24:39), Adaptations We’d Like to See (2:43:21), Watch or Don’t Watch (2:45:05), and Outro (2:49:06).

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The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King’s Night Shift in the second installment of this three-part series. 

Chapters include: Intro, Needful Tweets (4:45), Jerusalem’s Lot (37:10), I Am the Doorway (47:11), Children of the Corn (1:00:18), The Woman in the Room (1:13:24), The Ledge (1:28:37), Quitters, Inc. (1:39:21), Night Surf (1:49:19), The Boogeyman (1:59:41), The Last Rung On the Ladder (2:12:33), One for the Road (2:18:55), Overall Thoughts (2:41:34), Outro (2:48:54). 

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The Losers dust off Stephen King’s Night Shift in the first installment of this three-episode series. 

Chapters include: Intro, Needful Tweets (11:47), Sometimes They Come Back (33:02), The Lawnmower Man (48:57), Battleground (1:00:51), The Mangler (1:12:11), Trucks (1:21:02), Graveyard Shift (1:33:51), The Man Who Loved Flowers (1:44:55), Strawberry Spring (1:57:40), I Know What You Need (2:07:23), Gray Matter (2:18:55), Poundcake! (2:33:38), Outro (2:36:19). 

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The Losers crack open The Bachman Books for the first time for 1977's Rage.

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The Losers head to The Overlook Hotel to dissect Stephen King’s 1977 ghost story, The Shining.

Chapters include: Remastered Intro (00:31), The Losers Intro (04:15), Needful Tweets (04:53), First Experiences (11:25), Synopsis (22:30), The Hook (23:30), Structure and Format (42:15), Heroes and Villains (58:25), The Sematary (1:42:00), Poundcake! (2:04:00),King’s Dominion (2:11:00), Room 237 (2:19:00), Adaptations (2:22:00), Overall Thoughts (3:10:00), and Outro (3:25:00). 

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The Losers head to Jerusalem’s Lot to dissect Stephen King’s 1975 vampiric masterpiece, 'Salem's Lot. 

Chapters include: New Intro (00:31), Salem's Lot / Losers Intro (04:05), Needful Tweets (9:34), History / Hook (18:00), Structure & Format (35:00), Heroes and Villains (49:25), The Sematary (1:15:20), Poundcake! (1:26:00), King's Dominion (1:34:00), Adaptations (1:42:30), Overall Thoughts (2:35:00), and Outro (2:43:00) 

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For the inaugural episode, the Losers go back to the very beginning with Stephen King’s 1974 debut novel, Carrie. 

Chapters include: New Introduction, Meet the Losers (4:18), History/Hook (18:30), Structure and Format (32:00), Heroes and Villains (42:00), The Sematary (1:05:00), Poundcake! (1:15:00), Final Thoughts (1:21:35), King’s Dominion (1:29:00), Adaptations (1:35:00), and Outro (2:16:00). 

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“When an old man dies, a library burns.” Join Losers Randall Colburn, Michael Roffman, Dan Caffrey, and Jenn Adams as they take a call from the grave, busk on the streets of Boston, and abscond to a rustic cabin upstate. In the first of two episodes dedicated to Stephen King's 2020 novellas collection, they review three out of the four stories: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”, “The Life of Chuck”, and “Rat”. Be sure to continue their coverage with Pt. 2 that sees them visiting Finders Keepers to reunite with Holly, Jerome, and the rest of the gang. Note: This episode was recorded in 2020 and is being dusted off for our proper chronological re-read. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A scoop of Firestarter, a dash of IT, and just a soupçon of Carrie and The Shining — Stephen King’s novel The Institute is like a bowl brimming with the author’s greatest hits. But does it go down smooth? That’s what the Losers’ Club asks in their episode about the 2019 tome, which takes readers inside the eponymous Institute where a mysterious gaggle of doctors, scientists, and thugs subject psychically-touched children to terrible tests, many of which border on pure torture. Join the gang as they dissect what the story has to say about friendship, U.S. foreign policy, and the youth of today. Questions abound! Can King write modern kids as well as he can those of the ‘50s and ‘60s? How does the paranoia of early books like Firestarter and The Stand factor in here? Does adding “-ster” to someone’s name make for a good nickname? They also comb through the book’s reviews and King’s pre-release interviews to puzzle over the relentless comparisons to the crisis at the Southern border. Weird stuff. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers return to Castle Rock, Maine to dine at a hot new enchilada spot, only to learn about the craziest diet of all time. You see, there's this guy in town who keeps losing weight. And no, his name isn't Billy Halleck. Join the gang as they flip through 2018's quite slim novella Elevation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers head to Flint City, Oklahoma to record a full-fledged book episode on Stephen King's 2018 novel The Outsider. Together, they weigh in on the balance between true crime and the supernatural, whether Holly Gibney adds or detracts from said balance, and the post-MeToo era's influence on the story.

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The Losers spend their Thanksgiving weekend in Dooling to discuss Stephen and Owen King's Sleeping Beauties.

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The Losers turn the clock back half a century and return to Castle Rock for Stephen King and Richard Chizmar's 2017 collaboration Gwendy's Button Box. Together, they discuss the timeline of the book, the implications of the titular box, and the ways it may or may not dovetail with what we know of Mid-World. It'll take longer for you to finish this episode than to finish this book.

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Stephen King is no stranger to murderous cars. From Christine and From a Buick 8 to the malevolent Goblin truck haunting the roads of Maximum Overdrive, the master of horror knows his way around gory gear shifts, sinister steering wheels, and dangerous drivers. In 2014, he released Mr. Mercedes, a crime novel pitting Bill Hodges, a retired detective, against Brady Hartsfield, a criminal mastermind disguised as the ice cream man. Both survive the novel’s explosive conclusion, though Brady is left in a vegetative state. After a brief detour into the world of rare publications with the 2015 sequel Finders Keepers, King catches up with the disabled criminal and his newfound psychic powers. End of Watch sees Hodges once again match wits with his old nemesis aided by partners Holly and Jerome. 

Hosts Randall Colburn, Jenn Adams, Rachel Reeves, and Ashley Casseday hop back into the blood-soaked Mercedes to conclude their coverage of this confounding trilogy. They’ll discuss King’s swerve into supernatural territory while puzzling over the story’s bizarre tech. Does this 2016 novel elevate the trilogy as a whole? How does King handle the story’s suicide themes? Does Jerome have any flaws and what’s up with all the Zs? The Losers reach the end of the road as they say goodbye to one of King’s most autobiographical characters

In case you missed it, they recently covered Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers within the last few months. Be sure to stream those episodes before you dive into this one.

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Once again, we're back on the Beam to close out the King catalogue. In our latest book episode, which has been exclusive to the Barrens since 2023, the Losers hang out with Holly. Together, they discuss why Stephen King loves this character so much, the political overtones that ostensibly fuel the narrative, the macabre villains at the center of the story, and whether or not this feels like Holly's story. One of our most divisive outings to date. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There are 20 stories in Stephen King's The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. In the second of two episodes dedicated to the 2015 collection, Losers Dan Caffrey, Jenn Adams, Michael Roffman, and Dan Pfleegor rank their 10 favorites. Don't miss the first part of our series from last week in which they rank the bottom 10.

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There are 20 stories in Stephen King's The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. In the first of two episodes dedicated to the 2015 collection, Losers Dan Caffrey, Jenn Adams, Michael Roffman, and Dan Pfleegor rank all 20 tales, starting at the bottom. These aren't necessarily their least favorite. They're just ranked as such. Stay tuned next week for the concluding coverage with the top 10.

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Constant Listeners, yes, we originally planned to drop our Bazaar of Bad Dreams coverage this week. However, given Sai King’s renewed interest in Hearts in Suspension, we opted to unlock our coverage of the collection from The Stephen King Archives.

For those not in the know, The Stephen King Archives is our Patreon exclusive imprint in which your Losers search the vault of Stephen King material – dusting off unpublished short stories, long-forgotten interviews, coffee-stained manuscripts, and alternate versions of your favorite tales.

This particular entry was recorded in December 2021 - in conjunction with our Hearts in Atlantis coverage - - and sees us discussing Hearts in Suspension in full.

Published in 2016 and edited by King's longtime mentor Jim Bishop, the book features an original essay by King entitled "Five to One, One in Five", four installments of "King's Garbage Truck", a reprint of King's novella "Hearts in Atlantis", 12 essays by fellow students and friends from King's college days, and a gallery of period-specific photographs and documents.

We time travel back to UMO and talk about it all. 

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After taking a quick (and bleak) detour with the macabre Revival, Stephen King returned to the characters he introduced in 2014’s Mr. Mercedes with 2015’s Finders Keepers. The second in a trilogy of novels about aging detective Bill Hodges, Finders Keepers follows a young boy whose discovery of a trunk filled with cash (and moleskin notebooks) puts him in the crosshairs of a psychopathic bookworm. 

In this episode of The Losers’ Club, hosts Randall Colburn, Jenn Adams, Rachel Reeves, and Ashley Casseday slip on their pocket protectors and duct-taped specs to discuss King’s return to the obsessed fan archetype. Along the way, they touch on parasocial fandom, rare book dealers, butts, and whether the story even needs Hodges and co.

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In 2014, Stephen King took a turn toward the macabre with Revival. A sprawling opus about the intersection between faith and science, the novel has since become a favorite amongst Constant Readers, who all consider it to be one of his modern masterpieces with an ending that haunts you forever. Today, the Losers step up and prepare to be healed by Minister Charles Jacobs as they discuss the unnerving novel. Together, they weigh in on the themes, how they relate to King's own beliefs in god and the afterlife, and whether or not this is the most harrowing ending King has put to paper.

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After releasing The Colorado Kid and Joyland via the Hard Case Crime imprint, Stephen King made his grand debut into the world of hard-boiled crime fiction with Mr. Mercedes. The first in a trilogy, the 2014 novel introduced readers to Bill Hodges, a crusty, retired detective who finds his golden years interrupted by the taunts of a psychopathic killer he failed to apprehend. 

Join the Losers as they detail the book’s origins, how it differs from the author’s previous forays into crime, and the ways in which it reflects evolving societal fears about domestic terrorism. They also discuss the book’s messy vision of a post-recession America and its musings on class, second chances, and the nature of evil. It’s also one of King’s poundcakiest books, so prepare to blush.

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The Losers head to Frazier, New Hampshire to review Stephen King's novel Doctor Sleep. Together, they weigh in on the True Knot, dirty dozens of dishes with poundcake, and argue whether King should have ever burned down The Overlook Hotel. Note: This episode was recorded in Fall of 2019 and is being re-published for our chronological read through.

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