Stephen King is a well-known and talented horror/fiction author
who has published over eleven books in the last two decades. His
great stories of horror and fantasy have been enjoyed by kids and
adults starting from his first best-seller, Carrie. King's wit and
style of
writing has made him one of the most popular horror story authors
today.
Stephen King's life has not been an easy one. he was born on
September 21, 1947, in Portland Maine(Bleiler, 1038). His father left
when he was two and gave him only a collection of supernatural
fiction stories(Bleiler, 1038). By age twelve, he was submitting short
stories into different magazines such as "The Glass Floor", in
1967(Beacham, 747). After his graduation from the University of
Maine with a B.A. in English teaching(Bleiler, 1038), King published
many best sellers that won these awards: The British Fantasy
Award(1982), The World Fantasy Award(1982), and the Hugo
Award(1985)(Beacham, 748).
Stephen King written many great books throughout his writing
career. Carrie, King's first best seller, is about a teenager who is
ridiculed and harassed throughout high school(Bleiler, 1031). After
she is finally pushed to the limit, her true side is finally exposed.
Cujo, involves a ferocious dog that starts out so innocent and kind ,
and ends up a brutal man killer(Bleiler, 1031). The Shining, takes
place in a motel that is haunted(Beacham, 748). Jack Torrence is a
writer who is ridden by guilt and failure(Beacham, 749). After
Torrence, his wife, and his five year old son are snowed in for the
week, they finally realize the evil that the motel actually possesses.
In
Firestarter, a little girl possesses the power to start fires with her
mind.
These powers were givin to her as a test by the government(Bleiler,
1041). Pet Semetary is about a man name Louis Creed(Beacham,
754). After his cat and son die, he buries them in a nearby pet
cemetery, which is actually an Indian burial ground. After a certain
amount of time, the once dead become living(Beacham, 753). The
Eyes of the Dragon is a limited book published in 1986-
1987(Beacham, 747) , and
Thinner is a story about Billy Halleck, a man cursed "thinner" by a
gypsy for hitting his nephew Thadius Lemke with his car.
King believes that "A story must be paramount, because it
defies the entire work of fiction." and "Theme, mood, and language
are secondary."
King has written many enjoyable books throughout the years
and if he continues at the rate he is going , will be the most popular
horror/fiction author of kids and adults.