Night Shift

Night Shift, compiled in 1978, provides a portrait of King’s progression as an early writer. The collection is a crucible for the novels that followed King’s early success of Carrie (1974). Two of the stories in the collection share a common origin with ’Salem’s Lot (1975)—King’s second novel and one he still considers a favorite. “Jerusalem’s Lot” is a distant prequel to King’s novel, establishing the founding of the town and the origin of its vampires. “One for the Road” provides a vague resolution to the novel. With Jerusalem’s Lot’s burnt down, Ben and Mark’s decision to destroy the town at the end of the novel is validated.

“Night Surf,” written in 1969, is a prelude to one of King’s most enduring works, The Stand (1978). “Night Surf” is the first work in which King mentions the Captain Trip virus, which is the same disease that later wipes out global populations in The Stand. The short story explores the horrors that could sweep across the planet and the various situations survivors might find themselves in. King expands the universe in his novel but allows the short story’s fundamental themes—group paranoia and individual survival—to drive the longer work.