My Long Walk Through Stephen King's Lot

Stephen King released a new book the day before Halloween, and guess what?  It's not a bit scary.  I find that kind of amusing. It's also billed as a "novel," but it's just a slim little thing, clocking in at a mere 144 pages.  I don't know if that's amusing, but it is certainly peculiar. What King delivers here is a book that defies expectations.  Elevation is a light book, both in weight and message.  This is a story about love, tolerance, community, and hope.  It is a book that ponders the value of empathizing with, and helping, those unlike ourselves, and why the challenge is worth embracing.  This is, if you get right down to it, a book with--if not a liberal agenda per se--certainly a liberal perspective.  It is not overly political, but yes, it has its biases.  King himself is outspoken enough that the ideas and opinions inherent in the story should not be surprising.  I have on real objection to the underlying message, w...

Of all of Stephen King's "classic" books, 'Salem's Lot is the one I've historically been least enamored with.   I know it's a favorite of many fans.   But me?   I was always underwhelmed by it.   But leading into Halloween, I decided to give it another read, given that it's been years since I first read it (probably fifteen or so), and since I always like to observe the spooky season by reading something of King's in the "horror" realm. Folks, let me tell you: I was dead wrong about this book.   This is a great novel.   I'm a much bigger, and more knowledgeable, King fan than I was when I first encountered the book.   So I now realize that 'Salem's Lot was only King's second published novel.   Of course I also know King had been writing for a while before publishing Carrie (and that some of the books released later were actually written prior to 'Salem's Lot ), but regardless, Lot is still an ear...