Why Stephen King? There are lots of good authors out there, so why do millions of people return to Stephen King? And how does one author develop such a loyal following? What makes him different than someone like Ken Follett?
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1. King knows how to tell a good story. Sometimes he's "hit or miss" -- but more often than not we get something wonderful (Duma Key) instead of a stinker. So, simply, readers come back to someone they know is good.
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2. Gross out! King isn't afraid of blood, worms, monsters, teeth, barf, and more. Illicit sex is generally a no-no in a King novel, but blood and guts are always in.
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3. No genre laws. How refreshing! King doesn't limit a story by saying: "Now, now, we just can't go there!" So readers are left asking: "Was that a horror novel or a sci-fi or a romance or. . . oh forget it, it wa a good read!"
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4. Interconnectedness. This is important. You have to keep reading because characters you liked in a previous novel might just appear again. Storylines weave together (Geralds Game / Dolores Claiborne. Desperation / The Regulators. Salem's Lot / The Dark Tower.) So King doesn't just write a single novel, he writes his own universe. Garrison Keillor might give us Lake Wobegon, but King gives us entire worlds remade. Can you beat that?
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5. Format. A lot of authors are "print only." Just try getting a CD edition of a Richard Lymon book -- can't do it! Or, you end up with lame abridgements. But King's stuff appears in many accessable formats always unedited. Hardcover, paperback, audio -- if you want the story, it's not hard to find. Every novel is in print. Prefer to listen? Prefer a comic book? Oh, so you don't read? How about a movie? It's all there! Even radio productions.
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6. Shock value. It's always nice to see peoples faces when they come over and see lots and lots and lots of Stephen King books on my gigantic book shelves. They have to ask the obvious, "YOU read Stephen King?" I want to reply, "No! I wouldn't read that trash if you paid me! My friend just brought his entire collection over and I'm keeping it for him."
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7. Volume. King writes faster than most of us read, so there's always more. Pity the poor guy waiting for his next John Grisham book because he's already read everything else Grisham has written. While I may be anxious for Under the Dome to hit a bookstore, I can wittle away time on stuff I haven't really touched yet. And if you get tired of reading King, you can always read about him!
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8. Personable. Typically a King book has an easy tone to it, as if the author is speaking directly to me as I sit in my jammies reading. The narration not only flows, it feels "warm and fuzzy." Sorry, but it is that simple sometimes. When I read Clancy I feel like I'm being spoken to by a teacher -- while King makes me feel like his friend -- Or at least his constant reader.
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This is really pretty simple: I read Stephen King because I like Stephen King -- and when he writes, he makes me feel like he likes me. Of couse, we are political opposites. Religous opposites. Definate economic opposites! But still, he remains likeable. I feel like I met King one day as a teenager while I read the introduction to The Stand Uncut, and then we became good friends while I read the introduction to Night Shift. We've been tight ever sense.
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9. Anticipation. After reading a few books, you come back to King thinking: "What more could this guy have possibly thought of? Can there be more?" And there always is! Oh -- a clown monster, I hadn't thought of that. Or, "gee, now we get a woman tied to a bed while something enters her house, I didn't expect that."
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10. Boldness. Look, Stephen King does stuff no one else would dare to do. People would say it was arrogant to write yourself into your own book (Song), but that didn't stop King! And King is bold enough to write the way he wants to write. When others write as freely as King they are told, "You're breaking the rules. You can't do that." But Mr. King dos that! I think it's bold to start Christine in first person, drop into third, and finish in first. Confusing -- oh yeah! But bold for sure. Rage was pretty bold. King admits that he likes to get under someone's skin.
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I don't finish every novel on the first try. Sorry, Lisey's Story lost me early, but I do come back again and again to Stephen King.
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