My thoughts on Stephen King

My History with King

I grew up with Stephen King. My sister had two books of his (Dreamcatcher and Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales) and another sister had another book (The Stand). I grew up watching movies like Children of The Corn and Rose Red, and one time I watched Misery (which I found incredibly boring as a seven-year-old child). I remember when I was a kid, I thought that dust-jackets were just disposable covers that you could throw away, and when a book didn't have a picture under the dust-jacket, I'd draw one, replicating the original cover. My sister's books were both hardcovers, and I drew the covers of Everything's Eventual and Dreamcatcher in the places they belonged. I also attempted to read them, but they were really boring, so I'd stop. My sister was beyond furious after noticing the permanent marker on the binding. When I was a little older, around the time I was eleven, I was obsessed with horror movies. I watched everything from Psycho to Jaws. I also watched quite a bit of Stephen King movies. My favorite horror movie (and my favorite) is The Shining. I also watched the original Carrie and the 2013 remake. My childish mind perceived the remake as the greater film, dismissing the phenomenal acting and terror of the original and glorifying the jumpscares and gore of the remake. I also watched others, like It, Pet Semetary, Storm of The Century, and more recently, a few of his non-horror movies, like Stand by Me, The Green Mile, and 11.22.63. I never really linked all of those movies together except for the fact that they shared a common name in the credits.

I like making Christmas lists, and I still do to this day. I love writing out books or movies that I want, and giving it to the person who buys gifts for me. In my family, my family does a kind-of Secret Santa, only it isn't a secret. Everyone participates, draws names, and buys gifts for the person on the piece of paper for their birthdays and Christmas. My first draft of my Christmas list last year consisted entirely of horror movies. My mom took one look at it and insisted that I put something more "wholesome" on my list, so I went to Amazon and looked at the first scary book that popped up: The Shining. I was familiar with the film, and put it on my list. Later, upon reading the synopsis another time, I happened to look down at the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section, and saw a whole row of other familiar titles. Eventually, I had researched nearly his entire bibliography, mesmerized by his devilish ideas and amazed at his limitless imagination, and I wanted more. By Christmastime, my list that had five movies and one book, now had five books and one movie (The Shining). The list was sent to my godparents, who get me all of the things I ask for except for one, and they got me the books. I was thrilled, and read them all in a month. Beforehand, I was in a mega-reading slump before I discovered him, and I "practice read" a bunch of adult books, typically romance. I ended up reading some of my favorite books, and I loved all of the Stephen King books I had gotten. I was happy. I basically memorized his entire bibliography, watched almost every "Stephen King Book Collection" video on YouTube, read hundreds of Amazon reviews, and pumped myself full of Stephen King. I was obsessed.

On my Birthday, my mom got me two more Stephen King books (Doctor Sleep and 11/22/63), and I devoured them. 11/22/63 became my new favorite book, and I wanted even more. During the Summer and early Fall, I bought twelve more, from Barnes and Noble, Goodwill, and St. Vincent de Paul's thrift store. I have also read fourteen on my Kindle. Now, with Christmas approaching, I put a "Stephen King book lot" on my list. Book lots are the equivalent of going to a thrift store and getting a bunch of used books for a cheap price. They are on eBay, and the value of buying them is extraordinary!

Why do you like Stephen King?

I like his writing style. It's very matter-of-fact, doesn't have any complicated words or phrases that you must read several times in order to comprehend the meaning. It feels as if you're sitting down with a friend and he's telling you the story. He loves to ramble, and go into extreme detail, thus, it is required that you go into his works with an open mind and a lot of patience. He doesn't filter any language or leave out any sex or violence, and, because of that, it feels realer. It feels like it's actually happening.

I also love his ideas. I admit that he's starting to run out of them, and using a lot of the same tropes and characters over and over again, but each book is easily distinguished among the rest. You aren't going to confuse It with The Stand, or The Colorado Kid with Cujo. His ideas are creative, unique, and flawless. Even the worst of his books spawn off of a really good idea.

I also agree with a lot of his opinions. I don't worship him or anything, and defend every single thing that he does, but I do agree with him on many subjects, from political party, to religion. He's funny, philosophical, and, overall, a great guy.

What do you think about his adaptations?

Most of them are pretty mediocre, nearly crossing the line into bad movies, but there are a few gems. Stand By Me, Carrie, The Shining, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, It, the list goes on! They are not only memorable, but also thrilling, touching, and terrifying.

Not surprisingly, his stories are written for literature. They are lengthy, full of dialogue, and rather than feeling like good ol' cinema, they feel more realistic. The only good adaptations are ones that changed a bunch of stuff, whether it be most of the storyline (The Shining) or just the general mood and atmosphere (most of them). His stories are always good on the page, but put on the screen, there must be changes.

In conclusion

Stephen King is my favorite author. There are a few books that I like, and a few that I don't. I don't agree with everything he does, but his stories are unforgettable, and that's all that matters. I implore everyone to try reading at least one of his works someday. He has books in basically every genre, from romance to westerns, from his well-known horror, to essays. He has something for everyone. Try him out. :)