Thursday, July 7, 2011

book review - Full Dark, No Stars



Stephen King is hands down my favorite author.  There's something about his characters, his style, and the way his stories can simultaneously be utterly unbelievable yet scarily possible that just gets me every time.  I read my first King book when I was 13.  It was Pet Semetary.  I recall devouring it in just 2 days.  Next was Christine, followed by It.  I was totally hooked.  Over the years, I discovered that he wrote more than just horror.  A lot of people don't know that he wrote the stories that some beloved movies came from, movies like Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and Green Mile.  King is a master storyteller, whether he's spinning tales of killer cars or proms gone wrong (Carrie).  His newest collection of stories is no exception.

Full Dark, No Stars has 4 tales with one thing in common.  Each story deals with the idea that there is a stranger in all of us.  Sometimes it's a stranger that gets pushed too far by an overbearing wife.  Or it's the stranger that fights not only for survival but for revenge.  Perhaps you've found yourself jealous of what someone else has while you suffer and wishing the tables were turned.  What if the stranger was your spouse of many years hiding deep dark secrets?  And what if you accidentally discovered those secrets and there was no turning back?

Each of these stories has an element of the fantastic yet they all possess very realistic aspects that make us question ourselves and our beliefs.  And that is why King will continue to succeed.  He has found the formula for keeping us on the edge of our seats and on the edge of our subconscious.

No comments:

Post a Comment