Stephen King: #14 – Black House

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#14 – Black House

Plot

Twenty years ago, a boy named Jack Sawyer traveled to a parallel universe called The Territories to save his mother and her Territories “twinner” from a premature and agonizing death that would have brought cataclysm to the other world. Now Jack is a retired Los Angeles homicide detective living in the nearly nonexistent hamlet of Tamarack, WI. He has no recollection of his adventures in the Territories and was compelled to leave the police force when an odd, happenstance event threatened to awaken those memories.

When a series of gruesome murders occur in western Wisconsin that are reminiscent of those committed several decades earlier by a real-life madman named Albert Fish, the killer is dubbed “The Fisherman” and Jack’s buddy, the local chief of police, begs Jack to help his inexperienced force find him. But is this merely the work of a disturbed individual, or has a mysterious and malignant force been unleashed in this quiet town?

Review

I purchased Black House in 2016 but didn’t read it until 2022.  The reasoning behind it sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust for six years is because it was precisely at this point working my way up King’s bibliography (newer to older), that I decided to stop and work my way down instead (older to newer).  

Black House is not universally praised amongst Constant Readers, although it does carry a solid 4.02 rating on Goodreads.  Despite my King-fandom, I had never even heard of Black House.  And yet, it’s one of my all-time favorites – a rare occurrence where I strongly prefer the sequel to the original.  

Black House is a perfect blend of reality with supernatural.  It involves a serial killer on the loose, but ties into the fantasy world built not only by The Talisman but other King novels (specifically, The Dark Tower series).

The character-building in Black House is peak King.  You have a blind disc-jockey.  A moral-less journalist.  A motorcycle gang almost exclusively of muscle-bound/beer-brewing scientists.  And the return of Jack Sawyer.  It’s a diverse and fully realized cast.  

I’d be remiss to write about Black House and not mention that Peter Straub passed away in early September.  A prolific author in his own right, Straub fit in beautifully in both collaborations with King.  RIP.  

Details

Pages: 640

Dates Read: May 23, 2022 – July 2, 2022

Quote: “Ka is a friend to evil as well as good. It embraces both.”

Best Part: Anything that involved Henry Leyden.

Hint for #13: In 2020, Jason Bateman starred in the HBO series based off this novel.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #15 – 11/22/63

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#15 – 11/22/63

Plot

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk. Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

Review

Immediately upon finishing 11/22/63 I called my mother and told her she should read this book.  In a novel that is centered around time travel, King is able to transport his Constant Readers back to the late 1950s and early 1960s.  Since my mother grew up in that period, I figured she would appreciate this set-piece even more than me.  Spoiler alert – she did.    

11/22/63 has a silly premise.  What if you found a time portal that sent you back to 1958?  And what if you tried to go back and stop the JFK assassination?  Would you do it?  However, because of how much King immerses you in that world with insane detail, it not only feels like a plausible plot line, it feels like an extremely important one.  But, as Jake Epping soon realizes, the universe doesn’t like people messing with Father Time.  

Joe Rogan doesn’t like people who say books are better than movies/shows because you can see what’s being written.  Apparently, Rogan doesn’t have a good imagination – or hasn’t read any decent books. 11/22/63 was turned into a Hulu TV-show starring James Franco, but after a couple of episodes I lost interest.  It just didn’t captivate the way King was able to in the book.  Sorry, not sorry Joe.  

Usually love stories thrown into plot-driven novels annoy me to no end, but I make the exception here in 11/22/63 because I completely bought in to the Jake-Sadie relationship.  This was likely due to Sadie’s back story, and how much time and care King put into developing their love.  

This is the fourth-highest rated Stephen King book on Goodreads with an average rating of 4.32.  The Green Mile was #1 and you’ll have to wait a while on this list to see #2 or #3.

Details

Pages: 849

Dates Read: Pre-2012

Quote: “We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.”

Best Part: The first experiment Jake runs with the portal.

Hint for #14: A sequel to a book that previously showed up on this list and whose main character shares his first name with my son.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #16 – Cujo

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#16 – Cujo

Plot

Cujo used to be a big friendly dog, lovable and loyal to his trinity (THE MAN, THE WOMAN, and THE BOY) and everyone around him, and always did his best to not be a BAD DOG. But that all ends on the day this nearly two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard makes the mistake of chasing a rabbit into a hidden underground cave, setting off a tragic chain of events.

Now Cujo is no longer himself as he is slowly overcome by a growing sickness, one that consumes his mind even as his once affable thoughts turn uncontrollably and inexorably to hatred and murder. Cujo is about to become the center of a horrifying vortex that will inescapably draw in everyone around him—a relentless reign of terror, fury, and madness from which no one in Castle Rock will truly be safe.

Review

On Sunday I discussed how Carrie would be a likely top Family Feud answer when naming Stephen King books.  Today we get another, as Cujo is another classic King tale.  Fortunately for this Constant Reader, it was just as captivating and compelling as Carrie – if not more so.  

An important note to keep in mind during these rankings is the perspective of the reader.  I would have had a completely different reaction to this book when I was 20 than I did in my 30s.  The young-single-childless Luke Florence would likely not have been as emotionally connected to Cujo as the older-married-father version.  

To what depths will a parent go to protect their child?  Would you be willing to lose your life if it meant your child kept theirs?  I imagine that we all think we would do the brave and honorable thing, but the reality is that’s just not the case. 

For example – I ran after my dog the other night to prevent her from chasing some animal in our backyard, only to completely abandon her when I saw a skunk coming right at me.  I can only hope I would respond better if I were in a situation like the one King presents in Cujo.

Could the writing in Cujo be a little crisper?  Yes.  Could the characters have been a little more developed?  Yes.  Does Cujo have flaws that some of the other top-20 books do not?  Yes.  King himself doesn’t even remember writing this novel as it was during his peak alcohol days.  And yet, I was hooked by the premise and completely bought in to the riveting final sequences.  

Details

Pages: 496

Dates Read: March – April 2020

Quote: “The world was full of monsters, and they were all allowed to bite the innocent and the unwary.”

Best Part: Anything written from the perspective of Cujo.

Hint for #15: Thanks to this book I am quick to tell you when JFK served as president – and the date he tragically stopped.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #17 – Pet Sematary

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#17 – Pet Sematary

Plot

When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic and rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Yet despite Ludlow’s tranquility, there’s an undercurrent of danger that exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift pet cemetery out back in the nearby woods. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. An ominous fate befalls anyone who dares tamper with this forbidden place, as Louis is about to discover for himself.

Review

During the introduction of this list, I mentioned how terrifying those Stephen King book novels appeared on my Aunt Jo’s bookshelf.  As I began to read them on my own that terror never reappeared … until I finished Pet Sematary.  I will never read this one ever again as it is one that genuinely scared me.  But it’s also a gripping and unbelievably well-told story.

Pet Sematary tackles headfirst into grief, obsession, death and saying goodbye.  It is – by far – the darkest novel Stephen King has ever penned.  It develops characters so well that we not only empathize with their emotions, but we also understand some of the crazy decisions they make.  

At one point during the novel, I actually had to immediately stop reading and ask myself if I could continue.  My son was three at the time and I wasn’t sure I could handle what was about to take place.  Turns out I could, but barely.  

Pet Sematary took me on an emotional journey I was completely and utterly unprepared for.  It was depressing at times, enlightening at others, and made for one of the more memorable reading experiences of my life.

Details

Pages: 542

Dates Read: June – July 2020

Quote: “Sometimes dead is better.”

Best Part: A horrific – and tragic – accident is followed by a horrific – and tragic – decision.

Hint for #16: Prior to reading this book, I associated Saint Bernard’s with the movie Beethoven.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #18 – Carrie

On By Luke FlorenceIn Books, Lists, Stephen King, Uncategorized, WritingLeave a comment

#18 – Carrie

Plot

Carrie knew she should not use the terrifying power she possessed. But one night at her senior prom, Carrie was scorned and humiliated just one time too many, and in a fit of uncontrollable fury she turned her clandestine game into a weapon of horror and destruction.

Review

If an episode of Family Feud was on and the question was, “Name a Stephen King book,” I would expect Carrie to be right near the top of the board.  It’s the first Stephen King novel ever published and has become synonymous with the master of horror.  I had never seen the movie but was completely aware of the iconic scene of Carrie getting doused with blood at her prom.  What I wasn’t aware of – and I doubt the public is either – is that the remainder of the story is absolutely riveting.  

We all have breaking points.  It’s inevitable.  It’s natural.  And King does an incredible job of building Carrie’s that not only do we empathize with, but we also actively root for the break to occur.  Carrie has a horrible home life with an overly religious and strict mother, she has an even worse social life due to her appearance, and she must fight off constant urges to unleash her telekinetic powers.  King takes us on this journey with impeccable pacing, especially when you consider he had previously never published a novel.

An important part of the story, and one I particularly enjoyed was how King told the story.  He throws in random excerpts from newspapers, court hearings, etc. to paint the entire picture from multiple sources.  

All told, this is an exceptional work of art and one that deserves to be thought of whenever Stephen King’s legacy is being discussed.  

Details

Pages: 290

Dates Read: January – February 2019

Quote: “People don’t get better, they just get smarter. When you get smarter you don’t stop pulling the wings off flies, you just think of better reasons for doing it.”

Best Part: The classic scene containing pig blood is what people remember from this book, but the immediate aftermath was enthralling.

Hint for #17: This novel has twice been adapted for films. The most recent was released in 2019 and featured John Lithgow.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.