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). Maybe I
liked
> the ones I did, because its presence in them was less annoying. In any event,
> "The Stand" and "Insomnia" are powerful, even epic books.
Actually, surprisingly little of King's output is supernatural in
general or horror in particular.
"Carrie", his first published novel, was arguably SF.  It had not
supernatural elements at all.  Carrie White's powers were the result
of genetic mutation, and the novel's structure resembles that of "The
Andromeda Strain" more than a typical horror novel.  There is a "real
time" narrative of events as they unfold dramatically, interspersed
with documentary material like newspaper articles, hearing testimony
and excerpts from the autobiography of a survivor of "Prom Night".
Consider his first dozen published and unpublished novels:
"Blaze" - a crime novel. (Later rewritten and published under his
"Richard Bachman" pseudonym)
"Carrie" - SF about a girl with a destructive mutant power or "wild
talent"
"'Salem's Lot" - a vampire novel. (A bounce on "Dracula" which King
was teaching at the time.)
"The Shining" - King's haunted house novel
"Rage" - a student takes hostages at a high school.  (A pre-"Carrie"
manuscript published as a "Bachman" novel)
"The Stand" - epic fantasy with elements of both SF and horror
"The Long Walk" - SF (a brutal competition in a dystopian future.
King would revisit the theme in "The Running Man", also published as a
"Bachman" title.)
"The Dead Zone" - A brain injury leaves a man with the power to see
the future.  Unlike the TV series, the book does not explain Johnny
Smith's precognitive abilities in supernatural terms.  By all
indications they are a mysterious, but entirely natural by-product of
his brain injury, just as Carrie White and Charlie McGee's powers (see
next) are the natural result of genetic mutation.
"Firestarter" - SF.  King revisits some of the themes he explored in
"Carrie", telling the story of another pair of characters with "wild
talents"
"Roadwork" (by "Bachman") A "straight" novel, this one about a man's
violent breakdown and confrontation with authority.  In some ways it
anticipated the movie "Falling Down".
"Cujo" - Another "straight" novel.  A pet dog is infected by rabies
and turns on his family.
"The Running Man" - SF.  Another dystopian future with a vicious
contest at its heart.
Of the twelve books listed, only four have elements of the
supernatural in them, and only three of *them* can be classified as
horror.  ("The Stand" is in a category of its own.)  And this from the
alleged "Master of Horror".  Of the remaining eight, four are
unalloyed SF, and one ("The Dead Zone") is closer to SF than to any
other genre.  The other three are mainstream novels with strong crime
elements.
His later career was at least as varied.  There were "Christine" and
"It", but there were also "Misery", "Gerald's Game", "Dolores
Claiborne" (a suspense novel, a woman-in-jeopardy story with a twist
and a mystery.)  Then there are the novellas that reached the screen
as "Stand by Me" ("The Body", a coming-of-age story) and "The
Shawshank Redemption")  None of the latter had any supernatural
elements, they were just good stories.  (King unabashedly calls
himself a storyteller, and admits that he'll subordinate other
elements of the writer's art - mood, characterization, diction,
symbolism - to the primary purpose of telling a clear and interesting
story.  This was especially true early in his career, when Harlan
Ellison referred to his writing as the literary equivalent of a Big
Mac and fries.  Ellison didn't mean that as an insult.  Sometimes
you're in the mood for a Big Mac and fries, and when you are
McDonald's produces a consistent, satisfying product that you can get
anytime in outlets almost anywhere.  There are worse things to be
known for.  I've tossed aside novels by "better" writers who were off
their game after reading a few dozen pages (writers who approach
greatness when they're "on".)  But I don't think I've ever failed to
finish a King novel that I started.
(Damn.  Now I feel like having McDonald's for dinner and re-reading
"Carrie".  )
Regards,
Joe
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