10 Stephen King Stories That Haven't Been Adapted Yet (But Should)
4. Summer Thunder
Over the years, King has dealt with the apocalypse in a variety of ways, from the epic (The Stand, Cell) to the more understated (Sleeping Beauties), but never with such visceral intimacy as his short story Summer Thunder, the closing chapter of his collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.
Set during a mysterious nuclear war, the story follows its mourning narrator, Robinson, as he befriends his elderly neighbour, adopts a stray dog, and waits for the inevitable radiation poisoning in the air to take its hold and kill him.
Bleak but thoughtful, Summer Thunder certainly won't make for a cheery comedy, but its meditative musings on death and companionship do give the whole sorry state of things a hopeful lilt, as Robinson finds peace in his final days and learns to live with the grief of losing his family.
A tender, heartbreaking, oddly beautiful tale, Summer Thunder is King as his most atmospheric and vividly imaginative, its images bursting off the page with unforgettable intensity.