September is a special month for the King’s fans, because the 21st is his birthday! Besides that, this month, the publisher Suma de Letras released the newest collection of the author’s books, called “Com Sangue”.
Stephen King has more than 50 books in his career and some of them are part of pop culture, like “It”, “Carrie” and “The Shining”. For being such a prolific author, some of his work does not get the same recognition as others. Get to know some of the author’s most underrated books:
- Cujo
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The serial killer, Frank Dodd, from the town of Castle Rock, has been dead for a long time, and is considered a kind of urban legend. However, for Tad Trenton, who is only 4, he is much more than that. Dodd watches him through his closet’s door, which insists on being ajar, and each day he is closer to Tad.
Despite sounding like a supernatural story, there is nothing like that in Cujo.
King manages to create a claustrophobic atmosphere, incurring an increasing tension as the narrative unfolds. The author works intensively in the construction of the characters, including Cujo himself, and precisely for this reason we have the perception that the angry dog, that is Cujo, means different things for the characters. For the child, the dog is the serial killer that haunts him in the closet and for Donna, it is the punishment for having sinned. Finally, the book has a single chapter, making it have an electrifying rhythm.
- Doctor Sleep
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Doctor Sleep is an answer to the question “What happened to Danny Torrance?”. The book is a continuation of the events that occurred at the Hotel Overlook, the consequences, psychological and physical, for Danny, Wendy and Dick Halloran.
The book tells the story of Dan, 30 years after “The Shining”, who ended up inheriting the same addiction from his father: alcoholism. But after settling in New Hampshire, he joins Alcoholics Anonymous, beginning the long period of sobriety.
During this time, he learns to deal with his “shining”, which due to his age is no longer as latent. However, he manages to communicate with Abra Stone, a 12-year-old girl, through his power. Abra has the same gift as Danny, but she is much more powerful, drawing the attention of the True Knot, who at first looks like a harmless group of nomadic people. The stories of these characters are intertwined in a fight against good and evil.
If in “The Shinign” we have King with a slow writing and setting, in Doctor Sleep we have a dynamic narrative, which alternates between; Dan’s alcoholism and recovery; Abra’s powers; the monstrosities of the True Knot; and the trauma of the Overlook Hotel.
- Joyland
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In “Joyland” we have a book that cannot be sustained in a single category, because it works as suspense, drama, romance and the supernatural. Although the book has an uncompromised premise, “Joyland” is much more than that. It is about maturing, about intense feelings like losses, relationships, among other issues inherent to human beings.
The narrative is charged with nostalgia, as it takes place in the 70s, in addition to having a great soundtrack. Devin Jones is a college student who broke up with his first love, going through a turbulent period. In order to earn extra money, Jones goes to work at an amusement park during the summer holidays. There, he is faced with the murder of Linda Gray, that happened a few years ago but was left unsolved. According to rumors, Linda’s ghost haunts the ghost train, where she was killed. In “Joyland”, Devin also meets Mike, a child who has a special gift and a serious illness.
The protagonist and the secondary characters are charged with charisma, which makes you become attached to all of them. And when the book ends, it gives you a fuzzy feeling. In “Joyland”, we can see a new facet of the King of Terror, and that is precisely why it is a pleasant surprise.
- On Writing
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“On Writing” is a kind of autobiography together with tips on how to improve writing. Stephen’s writing in this book is kind of humorous, just like a relaxed conversation with the reader, being.
The book is divided into four parts, the first being the “Curriculum”, in which he recounts the memories of his life: the turbulent childhood, the countless no’s he received when he started to write, the marriage with Tabitha, among other things that shaped him today. In the second, King gives tips on how to improve writing techniques to produce a good text. In the third part, “On Writing”, he answers questions asked to writers. And finally, in the last part, “On Life: a Post Scriptum”, the King of Terror tells us about the car accident he was victim of while writing the first edition of the book and how writing, once again, saved him, being an escape valve.
The book in general can have several purposes because it is a nonfiction book. It can be useful for someone who is interested in biographies, for those who are already fans of the author and want to know more about him, or for those who aspire to be writers. And in the end, King even gives a series of book tips to read.
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This article was edited by Amanda Oestreich.
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