The King of Horror

Here we are at the end of October, and though he's been mentioned a few times this month, Stephen King deserves his own post, in my opinion.  As an author whose name has been synonymous with the horror genre, Mr. King is my go-to anytime I want to scare myself silly.  His work, however, is more than just scary.  There are also tales of adventure, of fantasy, of love, of perseverance.  Here are my picks from Stephen King's body of work, and trust me, there's something for everyone.

If you don't want to be scared...  Try The Eyes of the Dragon.  King originally wrote this fairy-tale-like adventure story for his children, who at the time were too young to read his horror stories.  While there are definitely a few suspenseful moments, and the occasional bit of gore, this is definitely among the most gentle of King's stories.  The plot, one of brotherly love and good vs. evil, is one that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

If you've never read one of his novels...  Try The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.  A young girl gets separated from her family on a hiking trip, and makes her way back to civilization despite scary mishaps, and stays calm in part due to listening to a baseball game on her Walkman.  For those new to King, this is a great place to start.  (Side note: My mom, who hates to be scared, read this and loved it.  True story.)

If you haven't read a King novel in a few years...  I can't tell you how many people take breaks from certain authors...and then forget to go back!  I know I've been guilty of it!  So, if King is one you haven't read in a few years, or longer, you might try Cell (which I found to be really intense!) or Under the Dome (which reminded me a bit of The Stand, in a way). 

If you prefer fantasy...  Try The Dark Tower series.  Or, if you're not up for a new series, you might try The Talisman, which King wrote with Peter Straub.  If you like The Talisman, the duo also wrote a follow-up called The Black House. 

And finally, if you like to be scared in small doses...  Consider reading one of King's short story collections.  My personal favorite is Nightmares and Dreamscapes, in which King writes in tones from wry humor to stark terror.  I'll let you in on a secret here, too.  If you're a fan of audiobooks, you can't beat the recordings of these stories, voiced by narrators like Whoopi Goldberg, Rob Lowe, Tim Curry, Matthew Broderick and Jerry Garcia (just to name a few), as well as the author and his wife, Tabitha. 

Thanks for sharing a month's worth of scares with me!  I'll be back next week with a few things to look forward to in the coming months!