<i>Night Shift</i>—Stephen King's first collection of stories—is an early showcase of the depths that King's wicked imagination could plumb.  In these 20 tales, we see mutated rats gone bad (“Graveyard Shift”); a cataclysmic virus that threatens humanity (“Night Surf,” the basis for <i>The Stand</i>); a smoker who will try anything to stop (“Quitters, Inc.”); a reclusive alcoholic who begins a gruesome transformation (“Gray Matter”); and many more.  This is Stephen King at his horrifying best.<br><br><br><i>From the Paperback edition.</i>