Audio Book Author Spotlight: Stephen King

I have been reading Stephen King’s work since I was a teen. I remember the thrill of fear as I read Carrie, Salem’s Lot and The Stand.

I don’t know if I have ever been more frightened than when I read IT…

The luster of King’s writing wore off for me right around the time he released From a Buick 8, which I just couldn’t seem to get through.

After skipping his next two novels, which I simply was not interested in, I picked up Duma Key and discovered that the King I had loved was back. With Under the Dome at the top of the audiobook bestseller list, King is… well, king.

Stephen King is a master storyteller. Whether he is presenting tales of vampires or paranormal evil creatures, he creates an atmosphere of pure horror in his writing. I should tell you that I am not a big horror fan.

When I was a teen, I loved horror books and read quite a few authors. Stephen King and Dean Koontz are the only holdovers from those days.

While his tales of ghosts, ghouls, and evil were frightening, I think I was most scared by the stories of horror that could actually happen. Cujo, the novel featuring terrorism by rabid Saint Bernard, haunted me for weeks. Misery was the story of a true fan – “fanatic” – whose insanity was the stuff nightmares are made of.

Around 2002, I lost interest. From a Buick 8 seemed too much like Christine and I couldn’t get through it. Possessed cars… been there, done that. I read the first few pages of Cell and was still disillusioned. I didn’t even pick up Lisey’s Story after reading a synopsis online.

When Duma Key rolled around, I happened to be at the library looking for something new to read. It was on the new shelf, so I picked it up and read the first chapter. It seemed more like the King I had enjoyed in the past, so I gave it a try… and liked it.

Under the Dome, over 35 hours of audiobook was released mere weeks ago and is at the top of Audible’s bestseller list with good reason. Storytelling is King’s strength. Some of his phrasing may be stilted… some of his metaphors heavy-handed, but as many issues as you may find with the language, you cannot fault the story.

When the small town of Chester’s Mill is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world by a transparent dome, readers are taken on a journey into a small scale apocalypse. Other than the dome itself, there is little supernatural fodder in this novel. Watching how the townspeople react to their situation is pure King.

This book will grab you, shake you, and keep you up until you finish it.

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Tagged as: Audio Book Author, Stephen King