Stephen King: End of the world


Stephen King isn't afraid to end the world as we know it. It's one of the things that makes reading King such a treat.


I've been re-reading Cell this summer. King himself compared it to the stand -- in both books he took great pleasure in destroying the world. Of course in The Stand it takes 150 pages to really get society nice and dead -- in Cell the destruction begins in the first few lines.


It's also enjoyable because King doesn't destroy a world we don't understand. For instance, Tom Clancy keeps things at a military level. But King drops down to the everyday joe.


Quick notes, a few books King destroyed the world:


  • The Stand.

  • The Mist.

  • The Dark Tower (Rolands world has passed away)

  • Needful Things. (Destroyed Castle Rock)

  • Cell.

It's also nice that stories where the world is at stake, for the most part, the characters are simply part of the story. They don't have to save the planet! It's not Star Trek! King suggested that Under The Dome would have similiar storyline to the Stand


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