Like a lot of people, I first discovered (and fell in love with) Stephen King’s fiction when I was around 12 years old. I’d read enough Goosebumps, and was ready to get outside of my kid-sized comfort zone. I devoured a bunch of his books back then, but somehow avoided reading any of The Ones You Must Read. In other words, I became a massive fan after reading stuff like The Green Mile, and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Wild, right?
Fast forward to Halloween of last year, when I read Pet Semetary. As a father of two small children, this book made me weep with pain and horror. Then, earlier this year (right around New Years, in fact), a friend lent me 11/22/63, and it was a rollicking good time, from an author too many people have dismissed as being past his prime. I was blown away.
So now, I’m going back and reading The Classics. I’ve finished Carrie, and ’Salem’s Lot, and am partway through The Shining now. They are as good as people say, despite being painfully dated in certain ways.
Let me tell you something: I’ve read a lot of authors in my life, both “literary” and “genre” (not that those distinctions mean much to me, personally), and if Stephen King isn’t one of the greatest fiction writers who’s ever lived, then I’ve seriously misjudged the human condition on some level.
So, I’m asking you insert credit folks: Anyone interested in talkin’ King with me? If not, that’s cool too, but it would be fun to share this enthusiasm with someone.