Happy Birthday, Mr. King
September 21, 2019 will mark Stephen King’s 72nd birthday. With forty-eight novels, eighty-four short stories, sixteen novellas, and over one hundred film, television, and stage adaptations, it is safe to say that many enjoy King’s work, and many more have at least experienced it - whether they know it or not. I would even wager that there are many reading this post who would consider themselves to be Stephen King aficionados. So why write about someone who is well known and has been covered time and time again? Because, besides reading Carrie in high school and seeing Pet Sematary on television once, I had no real experience with King’s work until this past year. What I have read has been a lot of fun, and acted as a reminder to appreciate the craft of the short story.
One thing that always dissuaded me from reading King’s so-called classics was their general size. Let’s look at some of the big titles: Salem’s Lot at 439 pages, The Shining with 447, Christine at 526 pages, and It with 1,138. I have been told by a number of people that The Stand is a great book, but at 1,152 pages it always got put on my to-do list. The same thing happened with some of his 21st century works like Under the Dome, which checks in at 1,074 pages.
The other reason I have been hesitant until lately is the immense amount that King has written. With well over one hundred publications, I always asked myself, “Where should I begin?” If I go with the award-winning titles and the classics, I find myself facing the original issue of King’s high page count.
Luckily, by starting near the beginning with a number of his short story collections, I managed to solve both of those problems and was able to start enjoying the work of Stephen King. Here’s what I have been reading so far:
Night Shift – King’s first collection of short stories was published in 1978 and contains twenty tales that were originally published in magazines like Penthouse, Cosmopolitan, and Cavalier or were previously unpublished. One of the first things I noticed while reading through Night Shift is King’s ability to write stories that are terrifying (Jerusalem’s Lot and Sometimes They Come Back), eerie and anxiety-inducing (Strawberry Spring and The Man Who Loved Flowers), or just plain bizarre, even touching on comical (Trucks and The Lawnmower Man). He can create a fully fleshed-out tale in ten pages or 110 pages. A number of these stories were later adapted for film, such as Children of the Corn, Maximum Overdrive, and The Lawnmower Man.
Skeleton Crew – Published in 1985, Skeleton Crew is King’s third collection of short stories and feels quite similar to Night Shift (even their titles seem to fit into a specific theme). Again, we have a number of truly scary stories (The Mist, The Monkey, and Gramma) along with the creepier, Twilight Zone-esque, stories (Survivor Type and The Reach). What felt new was the addition of stories that come off as science fiction, rather than simply horror (The Jaunt and Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut). There are even a couple of works of poetry (For Owen and Paranoid: A Chant), showing King’s range of literary talent.
Creepshow – This title is a graphic novella and contains the five stories written by King for a film by the same name, directed by George A. Romero and released in 1982. Thanks to the art of Bernie Wrightson, an American artist who has drawn for numerous horror comics, including Eerie, Creepy, and Weird Mystery Tales, these five stories are pure horror and not for the faint of heart. If you are a fan of King’s writing or older horror comics like Tales from the Crypt then you should definitely check this out.
The Bachman Books – Unlike the previously mentioned collections of short stories The Bachman Books are written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, a pen name used by King. These stories are pure King horror and weirdness, with plots ranging from terrifyingly real and close to home in today’s society (Rage) to bizarre and showing a possibly dystopian future (The Running Man).
This barely scratches the surface when it comes to King’s work, and I still have a number of his classics to tackle, but so far so good in my endeavor to get into Stephen King. But what about you? What are some of your favorite stories by him? What are some of your least favorite stories? Leave a comment and share your thoughts on or well wishes for Mr. King during his 72nd birthday this September.
One thing that always dissuaded me from reading King’s so-called classics was their general size. Let’s look at some of the big titles: Salem’s Lot at 439 pages, The Shining with 447, Christine at 526 pages, and It with 1,138. I have been told by a number of people that The Stand is a great book, but at 1,152 pages it always got put on my to-do list. The same thing happened with some of his 21st century works like Under the Dome, which checks in at 1,074 pages.
The other reason I have been hesitant until lately is the immense amount that King has written. With well over one hundred publications, I always asked myself, “Where should I begin?” If I go with the award-winning titles and the classics, I find myself facing the original issue of King’s high page count.
Luckily, by starting near the beginning with a number of his short story collections, I managed to solve both of those problems and was able to start enjoying the work of Stephen King. Here’s what I have been reading so far:
This barely scratches the surface when it comes to King’s work, and I still have a number of his classics to tackle, but so far so good in my endeavor to get into Stephen King. But what about you? What are some of your favorite stories by him? What are some of your least favorite stories? Leave a comment and share your thoughts on or well wishes for Mr. King during his 72nd birthday this September.
- Chrisopher Y., Twin Rivers Branch
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