The King Is Dead

Stories

By: Walter Tevis

Narrated by: Christopher Grove, Lee Osorio, Max Meyers, Philip Hernandez, Mark Bramhall

For the first time ever, a complete collection of short fiction the New York Times bestselling author of The Queen's Gambit

Walter Tevis is widely regarded as a master for both his gritty poolhall novels and his brilliant rendering of the world of competitive chess. This long overdue collection establishes Tevis's rightful place as a maestro of the short form, as well. Bringing together the 1981 short story collection Far From Home with a host of other previously unpublished stories from journals and magazines, this entertaining collection showcases Tevis's characteristic perceptiveness, empathy, and range.

In one story, a man receives a phone call from his future self and follows their instructions to unpreditcable, calamitous results. In another, a famous actor and a young actress showcase their talent for acting both on and off the stage. Here also are five short stories set in poolhalls, including one that features Fast Eddie Felson and another that was the basis for the novel The Hustler. Here also is his first fictional foray into chess, with a ranked chess player finding fellowship in the prison yard with another player.

In all of them, Tevis reminds again and again why his writing has long been revered for its roving curiosity and innate humanity.

Critic reviews

Praise for Walter Tevis's The King is Dead

"A glorious book. . . . As a plotter, Tevis was an efficient storyteller: he didn’t usually go in for wild twists and big shocks. As a stylist, he was remarkably subtle; his prose was lean and unadorned, his characters sketched in a few well-chosen words. But there is a dramatic weight to his stories that makes them deeply satisfying—small moments that make us take a second look at a character, or a slight shift in tone that changes the direction of a story. A fine introduction to Tevis’ masterful writing.” —Booklist [starred review]

his full books are better than short stories

I've listened to his books The Man Who Fell to Earth, Mockingbird, and The Queen's Gambit, and liked them all. Did not listen to The Hustler, since I didn't like the movie and don't care for pool. About a third of the stories in this collection are about pool, so they didn't appeal to me. There were a couple of stories that did appeal to me, but overall I recommend the books listed above instead of this collection. This collection is just ok.