King Me: Overture

I have been a Stephen King fan ever since I began going to the library on my own. I'm not sure how I learned about him. Perhaps it was the movies that were popular around that time: Cujo. Christine. The Shining. Whatever it was, I was immediately intrigued by King and wanted to read him, not simply because I enjoyed being grossed out and getting the pants scared off me. Stephen King represented adulthood to me, and as such equaled freedom from the semi-miserable childhood I was having. (Only semi, especially compared to Carrie).

So...Stephen King. In the adult section of the library?
Check.
Cover art that ranged from lurid to terrifying?
Check.
Creative swearing?
Christ on his throne, yes. Check.
Un-put-down-able compulsive late night read under the covers?
Check. Check. Check.

What began as a toe into the water of adult reading eventually became a life-long relationship. I have read nearly every King book published, as they came out, with a few important exceptions: I have only read the first book of the Dark Tower series, which for many King fans is his best work.  Most other canonical King I've read multiple times (The Shining, Misery, Pet Sematary, Different Seasons)  and a lot of the non-canonical King too, like The Eyes of the Dragon (for kids...maybe), Rose Madder (surprisingly feminist) and all of the Bachman books--especially my favorite, Roadwork (more on that later).

King is not always consistently good--there are a few stinkers in his repertoire, and some (more critical than me) would say that excellent books like The Shining are the exception, rather than the rule. But yes, I have The Tommy Knockers, Cell, and From a Buick 8 in hardback, because I just couldn't wait until they came out in paperback or were available at the library. King IS however, surprising. Different Seasons contains two of the best stories I've ever read: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, and The Body, which were also made into two of my favorite movies: The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me. Neither is classic-spooky horror fare, though there is plenty of horror. Of a different sort. Moo-ah-ah-ah! And then there was On Writing, one of the best books on the craft of writing by anyone's measure. Except the haters. Did you know that there are King haters? Some of them are even related to me.

In any case, Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, someone I literally grew up reading, and for whom I retain boundless respect and affection. Yes, there are some stinkers, but when you're that prolific, there's going to be stinkers. Relax. It's all recreational reading anyway, right?

Recently, I've been reflecting on the books that made me who I am today, and realizing that they have titles like "Dolores Claiborne" and "It" rather than "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "Moby Dick." And because I'm always up for a series idea, and always up for reading Stephen King, I thought it would be fun to read his books in order, from Carrie to Finders Keepers, and do a little mash-up of literary criticism and memoir. I am, after all, a trained literary critic.

As I go through the books in the order they were published, I will hit the ones I missed (Dark Tower, yes yes) and revisit the ones I loved (Pet Sematary, Misery, Different Seasons). I'll also revisit the lesser canon of King (Gerald's Game, Hearts in Atlantis, Lisey's Story) and see how well they hold up. Yes, even Cell.

Join me! Comments welcome and encouraged, even if you are a King hater, but especially if these books meant something to you. At one point in my life, they meant nearly everything to me.

Up next: Carrie, or, You Thought YOUR first period was traumatic?