Phil's Reviews > New Stories From the Twilight Zone

Another six stories from The Twilight Zone, but rather a mixed bag as collections of stories often are. "The Whole Truth" (3.5 stars) involves an unscrupulous used car salesman who receives a trade in, an old Model A Ford, but the owner tells him it is cursed. Thinking nothing of it, he takes the car, but suddenly finds out he cannot tell a lie...

"The Shelter" (4.5 stars) I found to be the stand out. Picture an average suburban street with neighbors having a dinner together. Suddenly, the radio announces it looks like the Ruskies launched some ICBMs. Only one family has a bomb shelter, and it only fits the four of them (mom, dad, two kids)....

"Showdown with Rance McGrew" (2 stars) features a cowboy TV star who suddenly finds himself back in a real Western town and real outlaws. Rance as a character-- what an asshole.

"The Night of the Meek" (2.5 stars) has an older, depressed guy playing Santa, getting drunk before work. After being fired, he finds in an alley an old burlap bag that seems to have just what everyone asks for...

"The Midnight Sun" (4.5) proved to be another stand out here. A lady in NYC and her landlord across the hall are trying to deal with the dramatic change in weather patterns when the Earth suddenly moves closer to the sun. The city is dying, everyone fleeing north, but everyone also knows it is futile. Awesome twist!

Lastly, "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" (3 stars) consists of four dubious but smart robbers how heist a train of gold going to Fort Knox. They take it and place themselves in suspended animation for 100 years ('no use in gold if we get caught!') and when they wake up, we have a classic greed and human condition tale.

I could read these all day!!