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...

I am finding that Skeleton Crew contains some very good stories.  I just read two stand-outs, "The Monkey" and "The Raft."  The original cover image for this collection features an image of "The Monkey," so how could I not read that one?  And "The Raft" is apparently a fan favorite, because I hear it mentioned a bit more often than a lot of King's other short fiction.   I found both of these stories to be entertaining, creepy, well-written works.  One thing that stands out about them is that both stories center on premises that, in the hands of a lesser writer, would likely come off as absurd.  But in King's hands?  They are effectively unnerving. One of the reasons they work is that King elects to regard the evil entities as mysterious and unexplained.  (The black, oily monstrosity in "The Raft" is described at one point as an "unknowable thing.") The less-is-more approach is generally an effective one whe...

  The latest story I finished was another first-time read: "The Langoliers," one of four novellas contained in Four Past Midnight .  This is one I didn’t have much expectation about going in, since it doesn’t seem to be one of King’s most talked-about stories.  I had been aware of the horrendous 90s TV miniseries of course.  I haven't seen the thing in full; only parts, thank God.  But would a bad adaptation ever put me off to reading a King story?  Certainly not.  Some of King’s absolute best novels have been given deplorable treatment when adapted for TV, so as far as I’m concerned, that is hardly a deal-breaker.     Having read the novella, I think it's a shame about the miniseries, because the story itself is definitely an intriguing and exciting one.  King is working with a great premise here.  It’s a story with such an audacious set-up that you get both thrilled and worried about what’s to co...

      Since this book is still fairly new, I’ll do my best to share my thoughts without divulging too much about the story, especially the ending.           My initial feeling upon finishing it is that it’s a perfectly decent novel, but nothing special.  It is crisply written and a fast, easy read, but ultimately this is a fairly thin story that lacks a solid payoff.  I hate to describe it that way, but given its intriguing premise and set-up, it’s hard to see it any other way. The Outsider is not a scary novel.  It's dark and grim, like much of King's work.  It's disturbing, for sure, but not frightening.  I didn't care that it didn't creep me out; that is a quality I always view as a bonus in King's writing, but hardly ever the primary thing I seek.  The trouble for me is that the novel is also neither terribly thrilling nor emotional.  This fact is a bit peculiar, esp...

  The book I’ve primarily been focused on reading over the last few weeks is Stephen King’s newest, The Outsider .   More to come on that soon!   But while doing that, a funny thing happened: I also ended up completing a rather quick re-read of Misery .   When I go to the gym (which is basically now just on weekends), I like to take a paperback with me, for those long slogs on the exercise bike or treadmill.   Sometimes I try to read my psych books to enhance my studies, but isn’t it much more rewarding to read something fun?     At any rate, Misery was the latest book I brought with me, and I burned through it in no time.   I’ve read it once before, as a teenager.   It was a book I’d always intended to revisit at some point, given that it shone in my memory as one of King’s finest novels.   Boy, is it ever!   Misery is compulsively readable, the true definition of a page-turner.   It moves with impressive mom...

Prior to beginning the next Stephen King novel I plan to dive into (which is one I am very excited about), I got the idea to pause and do a quick re-read of 1922 .  I wanted to finally watch the recent Netflix adaptation, which I heard was quite good, and figured it would be fun to get a refresher on the story and then see how the movie version measures up. The novella, one of four excellent stories that comprise Full Dark, No Stars , is one I hold in high regard.  Reading it again definitely affirmed my appreciation for it. 1922 is one of King’s absolute darkest stories.  It is an interesting work; uncompromisingly bleak and disturbing, yet deeply moralistic at its core.  Because it is so stark and grounded in its realism, it serves as an effective cautionary tale. (At least three of the four stories in Full Dark, No Stars are more or less realistic, devoid of much in the way of supernatural elements.  The “haunted” as...