Copyright © 2020 by Meg Hafdahl & Kelly Florence
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.
Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.
Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Cover design by Daniel Brount
Cover photograph by gettyimages
Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5774-5
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5775-2
Printed in the United States of America
We dedicate this book to all the constant readers
who dare to journey into the darkness.
Contents
Introduction
Section One: The 1970s
Chapter One: Carrie
Chapter Two: The Shining
Chapter Three: Salem’s Lot
Chapter Four: Rage
Chapter Five: The Stand
Chapter Six: Nightshift
Section Two: The 1980s
Chapter Seven: Cujo
Chapter Eight: Pet Sematary
Chapter Nine: Thinner
Chapter Ten: It
Chapter Eleven: The Drawing of the Three
Chapter Twelve: Misery
Chapter Thirteen: The Tommyknockers
Chapter Fourteen: The Dark Half
Section Three: The 1990s
Chapter Fifteen: Needful Things
Chapter Sixteen: Insomnia
Chapter Seventeen: The Green Mile
Chapter Eighteen: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Chapter Nineteen: Gwendy’s Button Box
Section Four: The 2000s
Chapter Twenty: Dreamcatcher
Chapter Twenty-One: From a Buick 8
Chapter Twenty-Two: Cell
Chapter Twenty-Three: Lisey’s Story
Chapter Twenty-Four: Duma Key
Chapter Twenty-Five: Under the Dome
Section Five: The 2010s
Chapter Twenty-Six: 11/22/63
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Doctor Sleep
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Mr. Mercedes
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Outsider
Chapter Thirty: The Institute
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Endnotes
Index
Introduction
Every “constant reader” remembers the first time they delved into the delicious horror of Stephen King. For me (Meg), it was finding a paperback of Carrie in my parents’ stack of books. I asked my mom if she thought I should give it a try. She thought it would be the perfect introduction for me to Mr. King. And, as usual, my mom was right. I was on the cusp of adulthood at age fourteen and, like Carrie, I had a million worries. Unlike Carrie, I couldn’t move objects with my mind, or take murderous revenge on my classmates. After reading about the telekinetic teen girl, I was a lifelong constant reader, joining Stephen King on adventures of both unbelievable horror and surprisingly tender heartache. For Kelly, it was watching The Shining with her dad in first grade. Having been introduced to horror movies the year before, Stephen King became her new favorite fascination and she sought out his books as she got older.
When we began research for this book, it became clear that we were going to learn about science, folklore, and literary influences. Yet, we ended up coming to understand the author himself more than anything. Join us, fellow constant readers, on a journey into the creative, dynamic world of Stephen King. Leave behind reality for the modest towns of Derry, Castle Rock, and Salem’s Lot. Traverse the magical landscape of Mid-World. Because, as you well know, there are other worlds than these.
SECTION ONE
The 1970s
When you think of horror writers, it’s impossible not to think of Stephen King. He has scared us, thrilled us, grossed us out, and made us feel terror for nearly fifty years, but his writing breaks the boundaries that are sometimes placed on the genre. As film critic Aja Romano said, “the key to his popularity as a horror novelist, and as a novelist in general, resides not in the darkest moments of his writing, but in his basic belief in humanity’s innate goodness.”1 The plots within his works are sometimes otherworldly and sometimes rooted in truth. In this book, we will explore the scientific explanations behind his narratives and the fascinating and sometimes unbelievable horror that exists in our world.
CHAPTER ONE
Carrie
We can’t begin talking about the science behind Stephen King’s stories until we understand a bit about the man himself. King was born on September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine, and was raised by a single, working mother. His childhood would hold experiences and memories that inevitably wound their way into becoming parts of his novels, characters, and inspirations for dozens of stories over the years. No one else had as much effect on his writing career, though, as Tabitha.
Haakon Forwald, a Swedish electrical engineer, promoted the idea that a person could manipulate gravitational fields by mentally agitating the atoms and neutrons inside an object.2
Tabitha Spruce met Stephen King in the library of the University of Maine, where they were both students, in the 1960s. Both being writers, they attended each other’s poetry readings and read each other’s work. They married in 1971 and Tabitha encouraged King to write instead of taking a promotion that would leave less time for his craft. This fact led to King’s first novel, Carrie, being saved from the trash. He had begun writing a story from a woman’s perspective, something he took on as a personal challenge after feedback from a reader of his previous work accused him of being scared of women. The story was inspired by an article in LIFE magazine that touched on the power of telekinesis. If the power existed, the article purported, then the power would be strongest with adolescent girls. King’s first time being in a girl’s locker room as a custodian also left an impact on him. Seeing a pad and tampon dispenser seemed almost alien compared to what he was used to.