(Billy Summers) It’s a little difficult to know exactly what to say about Billy Summers. If you read some of the reviews (and Twitter rants) when the book came out, you might think that it was just a massive anti-Trump screed. It’s not — characters in the book do mention Trump in passing, and they … Continue reading Did You Know You Could Sit In Front Of A Screen Or A Pad of Paper And Change The World?
(Mr. Mercedes) To me, Mr. Mercedes feels like the mark of a new era in King's books. That sounds grander than I actually mean it to, but I don’t know how else to put it. It differs from what came before, though, in some ways that seem important. Mr. Mercedes (taken alone — this is … Continue reading That’s All History Is, After All: Scar Tissue
(Doctor Sleep) Before this book came out, did you wonder a lot about what happened to Danny Torrance from The Shining? Because… I did not. Doctor Sleep is not a bad book and I don’t dislike it, but I do have to wonder why, of all the things, King chose to revisit this story so … Continue reading Life Was A Wheel, Its Only Job Was to Turn, And It Always Came Back Around to Where It Started
(Misery) Misery is fascinating to me on at least two levels — as a story, yes, but also as insight into the way both writing and reading for pleasure works. King will, of course, take his lumps for having so many writer protagonists in his pantheon. He really does do that a lot. Write what … Continue reading Art Consists of the Persistence of Memory
(The Shining) The Overlook may not be the most comfortable place to spend the winter, but after exiting ‘Salem’s Lot, I personally find the place a welcome relief. We may as well discuss the Kubrick movie right off bat. I don’t know the stats on who’s seen the movie vs. read the book, but a … Continue reading This Inhuman Place Makes Human Monsters
Uniquely Portable Magic 