The Stephen King Companion
Four Decades of Fear from the Master of Horror
1 of 1 copy available
The Stephen King Companion is an authoritative look at Stephen King's personal life and professional career, from Carrie to The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.
King expert George Beahm, who has published extensively about Maine's world-famous author, is your seasoned guide to the imaginative world of Stephen King, covering his varied and prodigious output: juvenalia, short fiction, limited edition books, bestselling novels, and film adaptations. The book is also profusely illustrated with nearly 200 photos, color illustrations by celebrated "Dark Tower" artist Michael Whelan, and black-and-white drawings by Maine artist Glenn Chadbourne.
Supplemented with interviews with friends, colleagues, and mentors who knew King well, this book looks at his formative years in Durham, when he began writing fiction as a young teen, his college years in the turbulent sixties, his struggles with early poverty, working full-time as an English teacher while writing part-time, the long road to the publication of his first novel, Carrie, and the dozens of bestselling books and major screen adaptations that followed.
For Stephen King fans old and new, The Stephen King Companion is a comprehensive look at the #1 New York Times–bestselling author and King of Horror.
"This is for the Cujo-level rabid fan." —Booklist
"Extremely absorbing." —Library Journal, starred review
"A sure winner with King fans or those curious about the man behind the legend." —School Library Journal
"The Companion doesn't assume that everything King touches is perfect. This gives the whole effort credibility, which books of this type often don't have." —The Washington Post
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 1, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781466856684
- File size: 14465 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781466856684
- File size: 15024 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from October 1, 2015
This is the third edition (the first was published in 1989, the second in 1995) of Beahm's look at the life and work of seminal author Stephen King (b. 1947). Beahm (Steve Jobs' Life By Design; The Stephen King Story) is a prolific, best-selling author of literary companions, and his expertise and thoroughness are clearly displayed here. This book is not literary criticism but rather a chronological exploration of the experience and achievements of King. This approach allows the reader to get to know the subject as person, which leads to a better understanding of his fiction. For example, the section on the novel Cycle of the Werewolf is more about the events that point to its creation then about the book itself. VERDICT The completeness of Beahm's analysis coupled with his accessible writing style make this book extremely absorbing. Owing to its tone and format, this title will appeal most to fans of King, who will find that its insights lend a new light to their favorite tales.--Matthew Gallagher, Victoria, BC
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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September 15, 2015
If you own the 1989 edition of Beahm's textwho could forget the cover featuring King at his creepy wrought-iron fence?burn that sucker. More than 200 pages have been added to accommodate King's oeuvre of 50-plus books. The cursory handling throughout of King's alcohol and drug addictions is an indicator that strict biography isn't the goal here (though King's hardscrabble early years are vividly portrayed). So what is this? It's absolutely everything else, boned by looks at every single one of his works from background, artistic, and commercial perspectives, and fleshed by esoterica so esoteric King's Constant Reader will blow a gasket. To wit: excerpts from brother Dave's childhood newspaper; sidebars on obscure special editions; interviews with King's secretary and the guy who constructed the aforementioned fence (no kidding!); tips on how to speak like a Mainah; andtake this seriously, nowlots more. Generally organized by King's eras with certain publishers, this is for the Cujo-level rabid fan who is less interested in Firestarter and more interested in Sword in the Darkness. (Look it up.) The carnivalesque sketches, meanwhile, set the mood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
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