Fantastic Writers - Stephen King

There may come a day when one can mention Stephen King's name and get a blank look in response, but that day hasn't come yet. The man's a giant in the field of Fantasy and deservedly so. Seems like any aspect of the field he sets his hands on he can handle if not with a master's touch, then with a sure feel than most of those who never leave their genre niche.

The very first Stephen King book I read was the collection Skeleton Crew, back when it was first published. At least I think it was. I seem to remember reading the book at my aunt's house at Christmas. Problem is I would have been twelve at the time , and I'm not sure that my parents would have allowed me to read King

No matter what the age, that wasn't my first exposure to King. That would be Cujo. I was curious about the book, being a big monster kid. That and Dad was a big King Fan. I remember reading one section, with the dog thinking about how he was going to Kill the BOY! Kill the WOMAN! and I about decided then and then I was never ever going to read King. Too scary.

Makes me smile just thinking about it.

I'm not as big a King fan as I was when I was a kid. A part of it is that I think he's lost a step in his novels. Too wordy for my tastes. Horror needs to be brisk and tight, two things King's novels seldom are. I think he needs to either switch genres for more than just a book or two, or focus completely on short stories. His stories are still kick ass.

Of course, despite these feelings, I haven't missed a King novel yet. Don't plan to, either.

Here is a list of King novels I think are most worthy. It's a top of the head type deal and limited to four entries. I like most of his stuff, but some are better than others:

• Carrie: Cinderella with telekinetic powers. His first and in many ways his best.
• The Shining: The second greatest haunted hotel story, ever. Except, of course, that it telegraphs it's end something fierce... Still, passages linger in the memory forever. And ever. And ever.
• Pet Semetary: A burial ground where the dead return to life... but not normalcy. Seriously one of the nastiest of his novels, and, I think, one of the most necessary. It help fashion one of my beliefs as a writer: that every novelist needs at least one novel that ends in darkness and despair. (I have a reason for this belief, but that's another essay...)
• The Dark Tower: Not the series, mind you, but the final novel in that series. It's the end of a brutal, dangerous man's quest to reach the center of existence. For the most part it's typical King excellence, but oh, do I love that coda. Nothing quite like that in the Fantasy genre.

And here is a list of King short stories I like and enjoy. Again, I'm limiting them to four, and I might site others as favorites. Whim is key...:

• "One for the Road": A semi sequel to 'Salem's Lot. A man takes a wrong turn while in the middle of a blizzard and needs the help of two old men to save his family. This is also one of my favorite Vampire stories.
• "The Monkey": A man must save his family from an evil from his childhood. Other stories might come and go on the list, but I think this one's a constant.
• "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away": I think this is an odd choice. The story of a traveling salesman contemplating suicide, it has no Fantastic elements at all in it. Yet when I was reviewing a list of King stories, it sort of leapt out at me. Of all of his non-fantastic works, this is the one I'll most likely read. Well, it and "In the Death Room"... But now I'm second guessing myself.
• "1408": One of the big disappointments for me with Stephen King's On Writing was that he started this story and didn't finished. It had all the earmarks of something special, and you know what? It is. As of this writing, I think this is King's best short story, bar none. If not, then it is the best haunted hotel story, ever. It is R'lyeh in a single room. Truly Lovecraftian.

UPDATE: Fergot to mention this. I am one of the ever so few people who actually likes Maximum Overdrive, King's one and only entry as a director. I won't say it's good, cause it ain't, but I'm fond of it.