Horror fans are eagerly anticipating the release of King's new collection of short stories titled Just After Sunset, which will appear in bookstores this November. His novels usually tell the stories of ordinary people who get caught up in some of the most frightening situations imaginable.
Since 1974 when he published his first bestseller Carrie, a story about a troubled teen with telekinetic powers, with each new book he has played havoc with the collective psyche of horror/science fiction fans all over the U.S. and the world. Several of his books are set in the fictional towns of Derry and Castle Rock, Maine. These communities harbour evil underneath the charming beauty of New England. Here are some short descriptions of some of King's most successful books.
The Shining – Set in the mountains of Colorado, Jack Torrance is a writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a job as a winter caretaker in the posh Overlook Hotel. His wife and young son Danny accompany him but what they don't know is the hotel has a grisly past and Danny's psychic abilities are intensified by malevolent forces. Soon Jack is consumed by this same evil, and with nowhere to run or to hide, his family fights for their lives as he turns into a bloodthirsty madman.
Pet Sematary – "Sometimes, death is better." Those are the ominous words spoken by Jud Crandall, an elderly resident of Ludlow, Maine to newcomer Louis Creed. Dr. Creed and his family have just moved in to a house across the road from Crandall who warns them to approach the intersecting highway with caution since many large trucks frequently pass by.
One day Jud takes them for a walk into the forest and shows them a burial ground for dead pets, many of which were run over on the highway. Later, the two men travel further, over a difficult barrier of thick foliage to another cemetery once used by the Micmac Indians. It is here that the dead can come back to life, but when they do, they aren't quite the same. When Gage, their youngest son, is killed by a speeding truck and then buried in the Native American graveyard there are horrific consequences for the rest of the Creed family.
Misery – Author Paul Sheldon has just completed his new book which he hopes will be well received by his editor and fans. Driving back to New York along an icy Colorado highway, his car spins out of control and goes off the edge of a snowy embankment. Pulled out and taken back to a small house, his "number one fan" Annie Wilkes nurses Sheldon back to health. However, it isn't long before he discovers that Wilkes is dangerously crazy and will use any method at her disposal to get him to write the perfect book just for her. He frantically tries to escape before she kills him.
It – In the town of Derry something evil is living below the ground in the sewers and storm drains. It likes to kill children and then hibernate for twenty-seven years before awakening once again to satisfy it's appetite for human flesh. A group of young kids fight this monster in 1958 and must do so again as adults in 1985 after they find out "It" has come back, and is hungry. They must come to grips with their repressed memories of that fateful encounter long ago as well as destroy the creature once and for all.
Needful Things – A new shop has opened in Castle Rock, called Needful Things. The proprietor is a nice gentleman named Leland Gaunt who sells objects of great desire to the townsfolk. All he asks in return is for the local residents to do favors for him, usually nothing more than a harmless joke on another person. These "favors" appear to be normal but what they actually do is reignite old grudges and vendettas within Castle Rock, and pretty soon the town is engulfed in a murderous frenzy. Gaunt just sits back and enjoys the chaos until Sheriff Alan Pangborn forces him out of town.
If you haven't read these yet, enjoy! But, if you scare easily you might want to leave the lights on.
