Why You Need To Read More Stephen King Novels
If you have Goodreads and follow Maude Garrett, Amanda Tass, or Manda Guarragi (me), you know the team has read several of Stephen King’s books. His bookography is extensive and has been sending chills down everyone’s spine for decades.
Stephen King has been dubbed the “Master of Horror” because of the way he pulls readers into the horrifying world he creates. King slowly brings you into the atmosphere in his novels and has you sit with each moment he describes. You can feel everything around you while you’re lost in the pages. No matter the location, King can craft a chilling atmosphere to have readers engrossed in the journey.
Manda’s First Time Reading A King Novel
I remember reading The Shining for a film literature course at University, and we had to compare the novel to the film adaptation. In case you didn’t know, director Stanley Kubrick did not honour the source material and came up with his version mocking writers like King. Naturally, as a film student, The Shining is one of my favourite horror films of all time, so when I finally read the book, I understood why King was given that title.
It was a cold October night when I read The Shining, and a thunderstorm was brewing outside my window. I was in the middle of the chapter where the ghosts of The Overlook creep out of the woodwork and speak to Jack Torrance. And in that moment, I felt the room get smaller, and I had tensed up while reading. My nose was in the book because I figured if I held the book closer, I wouldn’t be as scared. Once I finished the chapter, a strike of lightning lit up my room, and the booming sound of thunder rolled through, which snapped me back into the comfort of my bedroom.
To this day, that’s the memory I have of reading The Shining, and I will forever recommend King’s books for that reason, especially if you’re a horror junkie.
Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father’s family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine for good.
Stephen attended grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, The Maine Campus. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale (“The Glass Floor”) to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men’s magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
Themes in Stephen King’s Books
11/22/63: love, butterfly effect, life can change in an instant
Billy Summers: redemption, coming-of-age, questions of identity
Carrie: ostracism, revenge, curse of blood and original sin, coming-of-age
Christine: obsession, teenage rebellion, loyalty/respect, evolving roles of women in America
From a Buick 8: fascination with deadly things, acceptance, courage in the face of the unknown
Doctor Sleep: psychic abilities, monsters, alcoholism, childhood trauma
Gerald’s Game: rites of passage, sacrificial children, confronting pain and abuse, loss of innocence and faith
The Dark Tower Series: In Search for God, a journey of the self, searching for a home, order vs. chaos, good versus evil
Salem’s Lot: A Test of faith and Belief, good versus evil, devil worshipping, small-town mythology
The Dead Zone: The Power of believing, religious beliefs, moral actions
The Green Mile: death, prejudice, fighting the injustice of the system, love, compassion, healing
IT: childhood trauma, overcoming evil through mutual trust and sacrifice, friendship, the secrets in a small-town, revenge, coming-of-age
Insomnia: spousal abuse, feminism, free will versus what is predestined, mental health
Misery: addiction, entrapment, obsession, self-control versus lack thereof, reasonable madness
The Mist: man-made fears, religious fundamentalism, human development and change, mob violence
Pet Sematary: guilt, grief, trauma
The Shining: jealousy, childhood trauma, insanity, abuse, addiction, isolation, family bonds, fear, skeletons in the closet, versions of reality
The Stand: building a society, human nature, suffering during the Apocalypse, good versus evil
Thinner: greed, laziness, guilt and responsibility, friendship, childhood, body horror
Under the Dome: the incompetence of leadership, corruption and control, order and chaos, fear
Why You Should Pick Up One Of Stephen King’s Books
Over the years, Stephen King has made a name for himself as the horror writer to look out for. He is an insta-buy author for many. Now, Maude Garrett isn’t too keen on Spooky Season because she doesn’t do well with horror, but there are some Stephen King books that she has enjoyed. If you are a horror junkie, then any Stephen King novel as your starter to get into the genre is necessary. Some of his stories are obscure and it’s hard to believe that anyone’s imagination would go that far. Even though some concepts are beyond gruesome, King never fails to make you understand the logic behind them.
There’s also something for everyone in his bookography. If you want a story about clowns, he wrote Pennywise in IT. If you want a story about undead pets or cars that come alive, he wrote Pet Sematary and Christine. If you want a story about obsession and trauma, Gerald’s Game and Misery are must-reads. King has even tapped into horror fantasy with his newest release Fairytale, and even has a series with The Dark Tower, which is a favourite. The one thing about King is that he’s always writing new stories and has at least 1-2 releases per year. Most recently, his book Holly was published on September 5th and has done extremely well.
DO YOU LOVE HORROR?
Each month we choose a book (or two) to read with the MBC community. This October, we will be reading Fairy Tale by Stephen King!
Join our Patreon today to become a member to get access to many other cool perks before we get spooky in October!
Synopsis:
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, and a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself - and his dad.
Which Stephen King books have you read? Let us know in the comments below or join our discord today!
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