On Feb 16, 2:44 pm, Elko T  wrote:
>    And, of course, the annoying presence of the supernatural in almost all of
> his works (but it comes with the package, so has to lived with).
Actually, I've always been struck by how *few* of King's books are
actually horror.  His first published book, "Carrie" had no
supernatural elements at all.  Carrie White's abilities were the
result of a genetic mutation, not magic.  The book was arguably
science fiction.  (The movie was a different matter, but that wasn't
King.)  Before he sold "Carrie", King had written several other
novels, some of which were eventually revised and published under hsi
"Richard Bachman" pseudonym.  "Rage" was about a hostage-taking at a
suburban high school.  "The Long Walk" was another SF story set in a
dystopian future.
Of his first six published novels, only two, "Salem's 'Lot", a
concious reworking of the "Dracula" theme, and "The Shinging", King's
take on The Bad Place, involve either horror or the supernatural.  Of
the first eight or nine complete novels King wrote nearly half were
speculative fiction and two, "Rage" and "Cujo", were straight dramatic
novels.
I like King's stuff, by and large.  "Misery", "Gerald's Game" and
"Dolores Claiborne" are all good stories, well told, without a ghost
or a vampire or a speck of magic in any of them.   I really enjoyed
"Carrie", which reminded me of "The Andromeda Strain" with its
documentary interludes and twin timelines, one showing the unfolding
events, the other the retrospective investigation.  I think it is one
of the most impressive debut novels I've ever read.  King is a story
teller first and foremost, and he'll subordinate tone, style and other
literary elements to moving the story along when he thinks he needs
to, but he's created some very vivid characters and managed some great
lines, as well as passages of real beauty.
Early on in King's career, Harlan Ellison called his stuff the
literary equivalent of a buger and fries from McDonald's.  And he
didn't mean it as an insult.  That burger and fries can be pretty
tasty and filling, and sometimes it is just the thing you want,
instead of the filet mignon or the lobster tail. or that fancy French
dish at that new place down the street.  "Stephen writes a pretty good
stick", wrote Ellison.  You knew what you were going to get when you
picked up one of his books,  Like the Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, they
were consistent, and they rarely dropped below a given level of
quality,  Maybe nobody was going to mistake him for John Updike, but
he was a heck of a lot better than many of his contemproaries, and
certainly had a broader range.  (The author of "It" and "The Stand"
also gave us the stories and novellas that became "Stand by Me", "The
Green Miile" and "The Shawshank Redemption".  Let's see Updike beat
that.  )
Regards,
Joe
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