My Long Walk Through Stephen King's Lot

The new "Pet Sematary" film will soon be hitting theaters, and I'm feeling pretty excited.  I actually just finished another read-through of the novel, in part to prepare for the movie's release, but also because I hadn't read the book in years and felt I was due to revisit it.  I liked it as much as I always have, but I think my admiration for it has grown.  Folks, this novel is an absolute must-read.  It is one of King's finest, a definite masterpiece, and perhaps as close as he's come to writing a flawless book. It is well known that King has often referred to this book as the one that caused him to feel he'd finally gone too far.  Apparently, upon first writing it, he ended up locking it away in a drawer, expecting never to publish it.  My understanding is that he submitted it, at his wife's urging, to Doubleday in order to satisfy a multi-book contract.  I am immensely grateful that he did.  I shudder to think that this...

It took me longer to get through the second half of Rose Madder than I anticipated.   This is not so much a criticism of the book as it is a reflection of my busy life at the current time.   Lately, I’ve had to put reading on the back burner more than I like to.   My hope is that once my internship is finished in May, I’ll be able to dive back into reading to the extent that I really enjoy.     That said, while my schedule was the primary hindrance, I confess that I did lose a bit of interest in the book as it progressed.   The funny thing is, at least in its broad strokes, the story actually evolved the way I hoped it would.   The supernatural elements of the novel don’t play (quite) as big a part as I suspected they might, and the suspense/thriller aspects essentially drive most of the latter part of the book.   I very much liked the grounded nature of the early sections of the novel, and I was pleased that a lot of that is r...

Stephen King is not just an author who churns out a ton of stories—although, yes, he certainly does do that.   King is an author who has created (and is still creating ) a vast, interconnected literary universe.   One of the greatest pleasures in being a devoted fan is in finding how often King references, and connects to, characters, story elements, and locales found throughout his literary canon.   King often refers to his most ardent fans as “Constant Readers.”   It is a term he uses to regard those readers who’ve put a lot of money into his pockets and faithfully stayed the course with him over numerous decades, reading everything he’s published.   I imagine King is flattered by such commitment from his audience, and counts himself blessed.   But the truth is, he gives his most faithful readers a lot to enjoy on the other end, and rewards their diligence with special insight into his fictional landscape that many casual readers are not privy to. ...