Different Seasons - by Stephen King (Paperback)

About the Book

A "hypnotic" (The New York Times Book Review) collection of four novellas from Stephen King bound together by the changing of seasons, each taking on the theme of a journey with strikingly different tones and characters. The wondrous readability of his work, as well as the instant sense of communication with his characters, are what make Stephen King the consummate storyteller that he is, "hailed the Houston Chronicle about Different Seasons. This gripping collection begins with "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," in which an unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge--the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award-nominee The Shawshank Redemption. Next is "Apt Pupil," the inspiration for the film of the same name about top high school student Todd Bowden and his obsession with the dark and deadly past of an older man in town. In "The Body," four rambunctious young boys plunge through the facade of a small town and come face-to-face with life, death, and intimations of their own mortality. This novella became the movie Stand By Me. Finally, a disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death in "The Breathing Method."

Book Synopsis

Includes the stories "The Body" and "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"--set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine

A "hypnotic" (The New York Times Book Review) collection of four novellas--including the inspirations behind the films Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption--from Stephen King, bound together by the changing of seasons, each taking on the theme of a journey with strikingly different tones and characters.

This gripping collection begins with "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," in which an unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge--the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award-nominee The Shawshank Redemption.

Next is "Apt Pupil," the inspiration for the film of the same name about top high school student Todd Bowden and his obsession with the dark and deadly past of an older man in town.

In "The Body," four rambunctious young boys plunge through the façade of a small town and come face-to-face with life, death, and intimations of their own mortality. This novella became the movie Stand By Me.

Finally, a disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death in "The Breathing Method."

"The wondrous readability of his work, as well as the instant sense of communication with his characters, are what make Stephen King the consummate storyteller that he is," hailed the Houston Chronicle about Different Seasons.

Review Quotes

"A horror quartet by a spellbinding storyteller, master of suspense who leads you into plots like a guide through minefield."-- "Portland Oregonian"

"A spellbinding storyteller... A feast of horror fit for a king."-- "San Diego Union"

"Buy Different Seasons. I promise you'll enjoy it... King creates people who are so alive, you can almost sense them."-- "Minneapolis Star-Tribune"

"Cause for rejoicing."-- "Washington Post Book World"

"Clever and triumphant... Stephen King remains a master."-- "The New York Times"

"Enjoyable...filled with surprise, humor and insight."-- "Wichita Falls Times"

"Fast-paced page turners...an unqualified success."-- "People"

"Hypnotic."-- "The New York Times Book Review"

"No demons chortle from the closet, no vampires droll beneath the moon. Instead King's ragged claws reach from ambush into the wholesome light of daily life--what could be more frightening than that?"-- "Cosmopolitan"

"Ok, let's face it, the man is good...wondrous reading."-- "Denver Post"

"Riveting, irresistible... a zestful delight to read."-- "Los Angeles Herald Examiner"

"The wondrous readability of his work, as well as the instant sense of communication with his characters, are what make King the consummate storyteller that he is."-- "Houston Chronicle"

"To find the secret of his success, you have to compare King to Twain and Poe, with a generous dash of Philip Roth and Will Rogers thrown in for popular measure. King's stories tap the roots of myth buried in all our minds."-- "Los Angeles Times"

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch (May 2025), the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.