I've talked about Stephen King before. Specifically, how it took me a ridiculously long time to read anything by him, because I always imagined that Stephen King = Horror with a capital H. And I was a scaredy-cat.
The first truly scary movie I ever watched was "Carrie". I was not supposed to be watching it, but that good old "return" button helped me out. I remember being horrified, but more than just grossed-out and yes, scared, as I was in all the scary movies I later watched in my teenage years, I was unnerved.
I suppose that was my first real introduction to King.
And then, years and years later, my now-husband recommended, then lent, me a book.
(Ladies and gentlemen, marry someone who recommends you books.)
Anyway, he lent me "Different Seasons", a compilation of four short stories, beginning with "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption". The movie is amazing. The story is even better. I read that and was blown away. "Apt Pupil" and "The Breathing Method" I also liked. "The Body", which became the movie "Stand By Me" also left me with my mouth popped open in awe.
I had always thought King could scare. I didn't know the man could write like that!
Then, a year or two ago I started reading the Dark Tower series. Again, my husband recommended them. He was moving me towards the scary side of King, and the Dark Tower series was a step toward the supernatural.
And me, who is not typical fan of science fiction or series, was again, engaged, pouring through the books. (Until the end, but that's another story.)
Next I finished The Stand. Wow, I loved that almost as much as my first introduction to King's books. The man can develop characters, worlds... I was so hooked. (My review for that is here.)
Then I was ready. With the movie coming out, I picked up It. (You can read my review of it here.)
So, that was horror. And again, I was in turns impressed, shocked, and uncomfortable.
I picked up his text On Writing, which I have referred to already again and again.
So now apparently I am a Stephen King fan.
My husband recommended 'Salem's Lot next, and this October I finally read it. I actually borrowed my mother-in-law's copy that still had her name - her maiden name - inked on the front page. Don't you love the life that books lead, being loved and cared for and shared?
Before vampires sparkled, before they were brooding and misunderstood (sorry, I love you, Spike, but you know what I'm saying here...), they were terrifying.
Those are the vampires King writes about in 'Salem's Lot. The story is about a town that is dying; or rather, a town that is becoming undead.
“But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.”
It's a slow burn, like so much of King's work. Sure, there is gruesomeness and murder and all that good stuff, but there is also a whole heck of a lot of character development (and the town is almost a character itself). Subplots are developed fully or partly but always effectively, because sometimes subplots end when the characters in them "die".
“The town has a sense, not of history, but of time, and the telephone poles seem to know this. If you lay your hand against one, you can feel the vibration from the wires deep within the wood, as if souls had been imprisoned in there and were struggling to get out.”
That's one of the beauties of King. He weaves a story, builds up characters, starts to lead you down a path, and then kills some of them off.
The mood is cleverly developed. In fact, I had to read most of it in broad daylight! I don't know if I've been so unnerved by a story while simultaneously enjoying it so much.
“Alone. Yes, that’s the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn’t hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym…”
Fans of Dracula, the quintessential vampire story, will enjoy this; many of the same tropes appear in both. That isn't a negative.
“There is no group therapy or psychiatry or community social services for the child who must cope with the thing under the bed or in the cellar every night, the thing which leers and capers and threatens just beyond the point where vision will reach. The same lonely battle must be fought night after night and the only cure is the eventual ossification of the imaginary faculties, and this is called adulthood.”
'Salem's Lot was a perfect Halloween read, but it's a perfect read for any time of year. I highly recommend it.
And it has solidified my position as a Stephen King fan.
What's your favourite Stephen King story? Which one should I read next? I'd love to read your comments and suggestions, below. Or contact me via my website, here. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter when you do!