'The Institute'

So far Stephen King has sold nearly 350 million books, which have been translated into almost every language. King's new novel titled 'The Institute' is set to premiere on September 10, 2019

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents —telekinesis and telepathy — who got to this place the same way Luke did.

Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute. 

'Creepshow'

In 1979, King met the director of 'Night of the Living Dead' - George A. Romero - and together they've decided to shoot a low budget movie titled 'Creepshow'. King himself debuted as a screenwriter. The flick consisted of five scary stories. An element connecting the stories was a comic book read by a little boy in his bed in the evening. King wanted the comic book owned by the boy to be really  published so that everyone could read it.

The comic book drawings based on the movie script were made by Bernie Wrightson. The 'Creepshow' comic book consists of the same five stories that were included in the film. Two stories were previously published by King in the form of short stories: 'The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill' telling the story of a farmer who found a meteorite in his field, and 'The Crate' about a monster living under the stairs of a university building. The other three stories are: 'Father's Day' about a man who rose from his grave and on his birthday went to visit his daughter, 'Something to Tide You Over' about a husband wreaking revenge on his wife and her lover, and 'They're Creeping Up on You!' about a ruthless rich man getting what he deserves.  

The comic book appeared originally in 1982, before the movie premiere of 'Creepshow'.

'Storm of the Century'

'Storm of the Century' is another novelty from Stephen King. After a comic book (Creepshow), a story published only on the Internet (The Plant), the writer released a film screenplay in 1999. More specifically, the screenplay of a three episode mini-series. It was supposed to be a novel, but as King wrote in the preface: '... the idea kept insisting that it was a movie'. 

The action takes place on the island of  Little Tall. A small island off the coast of Maine is getting ready for the arrival of a winter storm which gets heralded by meteorologists as a storm of the century that may cut off the island from the world.  With the first snow, Andre Linoge comes to the island and murders one of its oldest inhabitants, Martha Clarendon. Then he calmly sits in her chair, holding a bloodstained cane with a silver wolf's head... After the arrest of the madman, the horror continues—death consumes more victims; the prisoner controls it from his cell, playing a murderous pantomime. "Give me what I want, and I'll go away", he tells the community of Little Tall. However, he doesn't tell them what it is he wants, and the tragedies continue to occur on the island... 

'Sleeping Beauties'

'Sleeping Beauties' is a novel by Stephen King and his son, Owen King, released on September 26, 2017.

In a small town in Appalachia, women who fall asleep are tightly wrapped in an ethereal substance resembling a cocoon. When someone wakes them up, when the material that surrounds them is disturbed or broken, the sleeping women enter into a wild fury and become madly aggressive; asleep, they move to another world—a world in which harmony reigns and conflicts are rare. 

The only person resistant to the blessing, or curse, of the unusual coma is the mysterious Evie. Is she a medical anomaly that needs to be examined? Or maybe a demon that needs to be killed? The men, abandoned and all on their own, are giving in to their more primitive impulses and divide into hostile factions; some want to kill Evie, others to save her. Some use chaos to take revenge on old or new enemies. In a world suddenly dominated by men, everyone is resorting to violence.

The book was nominated for the Bram Stoker award. In April 2017, Anonymous Content bought the rights to the television adaptation of the novel.

'Black House'

The 'Black House' published in 2001 is the second novel written by Stephen King and Peter Straub.  It is the sequel to "The Talisman" from 1984

Twenty years ago, Jack Sawyer went to the Territories to save his mother and her Twinner from death. He is now a former Los Angeles homicide officer and leads a quiet life in a small town in Wisconsin. His peace doesn't last long; a series of cruel murders begins to plague the area.   The local chief of police, a friend of Jack's, asks him for help in solving the case. Nothing is known about the murderer-cannibal. They call him the Fisherman and it is very likely that he is imitating another serial killer from New York. Cruel letters sent to the victims' families only confirm this assumption.  Jack, along with the Hells Angels, starts to fight the stranger, whose power surpasses all expectations. The result of this test of strength will remain uncertain until the last moment... 

'The Talisman'

In 1984, Stephen King published a novel entitled 'The Talisman', co-written with American writer Peter Straub.

Jack Sawyer is a twelve-year-old boy, son of an actress with cancer. During a trip to a resort town in New Hampshire, he learns that he is the only person in the world who can save the queen of a parallel world. Some people from our world have equivalents, called twinners, in the parallel world.  The twinner for the boy's mother is the Queen of the Territories. To save both women, Jack has to embark on a long journey to a mysterious hotel brimming with evil, that houses a marvellous talisman which can cure any ailment. Jack embarks on a mysterious journey, jumping between the two worlds where many adventures, as well as dangers posed by his cunning uncle Morgan, are waiting for him. 

The main character's name is a reference to Mark Twain's book—The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; there are also many quotes from this book in King's novel.

'Four Past Midnight'

'Four Past Midnight' published in 1999. Four stories about seemingly ordinary people who are just like us. A fascinating journey into the world of the most terrifying nightmares.

'The Langoliers'

During a routine flight from Los Angeles to Boston, a group of passengers wake up from a nap and is horrified to discover that the crew and most travellers are missing. How did they disappear and why did they leave their watches, walkmans and other personal belongings?

'Sekret  Window, Secret Garden'

The life of a famous writer Morton Rainey turns into a nightmare when he is visited by a suspicious looking man named John Spluwa claiming that Mort plagiarized his story. The stranger gives him three days to prove he is wrong.

'The Library Policeman'

There is an unusual warning in the public library in Junction City: Beware of the Library Police! Good boys and girls return their books on time! And what happens to those who are late? Sam Peebles will find out for himself.

'The  Sun Dog'

On his fifteenth birthday, Kevin Delevan receives a gift he has been dreaming of from his parents - a Polaroid Sun 660. When it turns out that the camera only takes pictures of a big dog, the boy's surprise turns into fear, because the polaroid dog does not look like a friendly mongrel. 

'Hearts in Atlantis'

'Hearts in Atlantis' published in 1999. Stephen King offers his readers a journey back to the sixties and seventies. Five different stories which are closely related to one another. Despite the fact that each subsequent story takes us into another decade of the 20th century.

'Low Men in Yellow Coats' 

A story about 11-year-old Bobby and his friendship with the crazy Theodor. A story of a physical conflict between three boys from school and an emotional one - with Bobby's mother.  But above all, it is a book about enemies from another world.

'Hearts in Atlantis'

University of Maine, a depiction of the American youth, students' life in a dorm, falling into addictions and the most important - opposition to the Vietnam War ... 

'Blind Willie'

It refers to the first story, where Wille was a villain. However, it has its own personal story. Memories from Vietnam alternate with those from school. Then Wille commits a disgusting act which he is paying for with his own punishment.

'Why We're in Vietnam'

John Sullivan, Bobby's best friend, asks himself this question before mysterious Ted showes up. John gets seriously wounded in the bush. He returns back home, but not alone. An old Vietnamese woman killed by Ronniet Malenfant comes with him. 

'Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling'

A very short ending in which Bobby, after nearly forty years of absence, arrives to Harwich. 

'Full Dark, No Stars'

'Full Dark, No Stars' a collection of 4 stories published in 2010. Despite the fact that each of the stories included in this collection is different, the whole remains incredibly compact.  The collection is more like a mini-story. The author tries to prove that every person has a second person inside them.

'1922'

A farmer Wilfred James writes down his confession in a hotel room. In 1922, he persuaded his son to help him murder his wife who had inherited a piece of land and wanted to sell it.  James could not accept it. His act caused an avalanche of consequences.

 'Big Driver'

After an author's meeting, the crime writer decides to take a shortcut. While driving through deserted roads, she gets a flat tyre. The driver who wants to help her turns out to be a degenerate, but he did not foresee one thing ... The woman only pretends she is dead .

 

'Fair Extension'

A man suffering from cancer meets an elderly gentleman who offers him a great deal. But first, he has to tell a bit about himself and then point out a person he wishes harm. He points out his friend who has succeeded in whatever he did and everything changes since then .

'A Good Marriage'

Darcy discovers the secret, dark mystery of her husband. She finds something that indicates that her beloved husband is a serial killer. A confusion of thoughts, explanations and the finale .

'Different Seasons'

'Different Seasons' a collection of 4 novels published in 1982.  There are no ghosts, vampires or monsters here. Through a cruel prison life, through a forest with a group of teenagers or through a training carried out by an SS man, King serves up various types of fear, adventure, cruelty and friendship. 

1. 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption'

The action takes place in Shawshank, a high-security prison, where cruel guards have the power. Andy Dufresne is serving life sentence for a double murder he did not commit. He will spend the years in prison on preparing a surprising revenge plan. 

2. 'Apt Pupil'

Todd Bowden, fascinated by Nazi concentration camps, discovers that a former camp commanding officer hides in his neighbourhood. He starts blackmailing the old man and forces him to share his memories of the war. The stories have a massive impact on the boy's psyche. 

3. 'The Body'

Young boys set off on a long journey to see the body of their peer who has been run over by a train and his corpse is left where the accident happened. While wandering, they struggle with their problems and fears. 

4. 'The Breathing Method'

In a club, several men meet to share interesting stories. Emlyn talks about a former patient who he became friends with. The girl was expecting a child, and back then unmarried and pregnant women were considered a depravity. 

'The Green Mile'

'The Green Mile' a moving story about prisoners and guards on a death block.  It talks about the events taking place in the year 1932, in Block E of the Cold Mountain prison. An extraordinary prisoner, John Coffey, makes his way to the block and he has the gift of performing miracles of healing. He was wrongly convicted, but the sentence must be enforced.

The events are reported by Paul Edgecomb writing down his memories in a retirement home in the year 1996.  Edgecomb has worked on Block E as a guard. The guards called the block the Green Mile - same as the green linoleum with which the floor is lined.  The novel describes not only the events on the prison block, but also the fates of the guards and of the other heroes of the novel.

Wanting to refer to an old custom, Stephen King published this book in parts every month. The book consisted of 6 parts: 'Two Dead Girls', 'The Mouse on the Mile', 'Coffey's Hands', 'The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix', 'Night Journey', 'Coffey on the Mile'. It was issued as one entire volume in the year 1997. 

'Under The Dome'

'Under The Dome'

The novel published in 2009 tells the story of an American town of Chester's Mill, which got cut off from the rest of the world on one clear autumn day. The town is surrounded by an invisible force field. The dome tightly covers the boundaries of the town, the space above and  beneath the city. Only small amounts of water and air pass through the dome. The city is quickly surrounded by the army, and the inhabitants locked in the dome are left on their own. Dale Barbra a war veteran is to become the link between the outside world and the inhabitants. The field is adversely affecting the environment and people are slowly panicking. 

 

The plot of the book takes place in modern times. This is supported by the description of the president, who can be identified as Barack Obama. In the book, Jack Reacher, the hero of Lee Child's books, with whom King is friends with, is mentioned twice. One chapter of the novel is written from the perspective of a dog.

The book is a development of the ideas contained by King in an unfinished and unpublished book 'The Cannibals', on which the author has been working in the late '70s and early '80s. The novel was considered one of the best in 2009 according to New York Times. 

'Bastion'

'Bastion' Stephen King's longest novel, one which is often rated by the fans as the best book in the entire literary output of the Master of Horror. King proves here that he not only writes great horrors, but also works well as a post-apocalyptic novelist. The earth is ravaged by a deadly virus that was accidentally released from a secret military unit.  The virus spreads at an at an incredible rate. It starts innocently, with a common cold. The ultramodern, merciless biological weapon, the flu known as Captain Trips, carries the annihilation of almost all of humanity. 99.4% of the population are killed. The survivors have prophetic dreams in which they see the announcement of the arrival of the Messengers of Good and Evil. Everyone has to choose which side to take. Divided humanity forms two camps and sets off to build or destroy a new reality.

The first version of the book was published in 1978. In 1990, King decided to publish the book in full version which gave over 400 additional pages. In the new version, King added a new beginning, ending, new characters and developed some threads in more detail. 

'The Dark Tower'

King is not limited to one genre, an example is the 8-volume series of fantasy novels 'The Dark Tower'.

The Dark Tower series is by far the most popular work of the author, published in the years 1970-2012. He talks about Roland - the last member of the 'gunslingers' fraternity, whose life goal is to find the mythical Dark Tower, which is at the center of all worlds. In the 'Dark Tower' cycle, we can find many literary genres: elements of fantasy, horror, science fiction and western.

When creating The Dark Tower, Stephen King was inspired by the poems of Robert Browning 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came' and Stearns Eliot ' The Waste Land', as well as by J.R.R.Tolkien's trilogy   'The Lord of the Ring'. One of the inspirations for the creation of Roland's character was the character of the Man with No Name, played by Clint Eastwood in the film 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'.

The saga includes figures, worlds and references to other books by the author. One of the characters is Father Callahan, one of the heroes of 'Salem's Lot'.  Another is the Man in Black, a key figure in The Stand and also the main character of the 'Eyes of the Dragon' novel.  The Tower itself appears in books such as: 'Insomnia' , 'The Talisman' , 'Black House', 'Hearts in Atlantis'. 

'Regulators' and 'Blaze'

 'Regulators', published in 1996

Wentworth, Ohio - a typical American city, calm and dreamy, where everyone knows one another and each day is like the previous one. One afternoon the friendly atmosphere is distorted by the arrival of a van from which someone starts shooting. Mysterious psychopaths drive across the street of the community several times on their murderous route. The survivors hide at homes, waiting for rescue. Several hours later the police and ambulances still fail to show up, and the Poplar street seems to be entirely separated from the world. Can an autistic boy, his aunt and an aging writer face the Regulators and save Wentworth?

In 2006, during a press conference in London, King declared that he had found another novel by Bachman, entitled 'Blaze'. It was published on 12 June 2007 in Great Britain and in the USA. The typescript had been found at Maine University. King had changed the content of the book from 1973, adjusting it to contemporary world. 

A gloomy criminal novel which surprises with humor and melancholy. Over 2 meters tall and weighing 130 kg Clay Blaisdell is one not very bright bastard. His problems with thinking started in early childhood, when he was thrown down the stairs by his father. As a teenager, Blaze escapes from a child care home and meets George, who introduces him into hundreds of frauds and one master plan: kidnapping a child of rich parents. There is only one problem: George dies. But does he for sure? How then is he able to still assist his partner in completing his mad plan? Blaze is on the run in an incredible blizzard, and the police is right behind him. He holds the child hostage, and the crime of the century turns into a race against time in the white hell of the woods of Maine... 

'The Long Walk' and 'Roadwork'

'The Long Walk', published in 1979

A dark vision of the future of the USA. The most popular reality show nationwide is The Long Walk. A hundred boys are selected to participate, who are supposed to walk non-stop from the moment the walk begins. The finishing line is where the last boy falls. There is no sportsmanship, emotions or fair play rules in this game.  Each slowdown below 6 km/h ends with a reproach, and after three reproaches the perpetrator is shot by soldiers. The main character is Ray Garraty, from whose perspective we watch successive stages of the murderous competition. 

'The Long Walk' comprises everything that later became the hallmark of Stephen King. A single-story plot, short sentences, lack of excessive description, vivid dialogues and constant feeling of terrifying dread. 

'Radworok', published in 1981

Bart Dawes thinks he has lost his life. He reaches the conclusion that his faith has always been dependent on a series of unfortunate coincidence and bad choices. Day by day he has to put up with stupidity and hypocrisy of his boss, each new day proves that he also failed in marriage. That is why when, upon the decision of the officials, the last things he'd lived for - a small laundry and a house - have been taken from him, he decides not to give up. He buys a gun and starts fighting for what is most important in life. 

Incredible descriptions and events make us get to know Bart's psyche and we try to understand his madness and reasons for behaving in such an illogical manner. 

'Rage'

In the 1970s and 1980, after his great success as an author of horror novels, King decided to publish his earlier works.  They were published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, which refers to the pseudonym of American writer of Donald Westlake, Richard Stark, and to the name of his favorite band, Bachman - Turner Overdrive. Moreover, King wanted to see if he can be successful again. The fact that Bachman and King are the same person was disclosed in 1985. 

The first novel was 'Rage', published in 1977.

In the city of Placerville, Maine, a boy named Charles Decker - brings a gun to his high school, kills two teachers and holds the entire class hostage. He talk to them about their parents and several embarrassing situations from the past. In order to continue his story, he forces the students to make their own confessions. 

Many stories made up by fans are associated with this book. Supposedly it became and inspiration for several young people who brought to life events described in the novel. King decided to withdraw the book from sale and he claims that he regrets having ever published it.  In the USA 'Rage' has not been reprinted for several years.

'Christine' and 'Pet Sematary'

One of the most widely known examples of horror literature is the novel 'Christine' from 1983. It was put on the big screen almost immediately after the publishing of the book.

Arnie Cunningham, a  self-conscious 17 year old boy from an American high school.  He has no achievements in education, no success with the ladies and is targeted by a group of bullies. His life changes when he passes by Libertyville and notices a broken Plymouth fury from 1958 on the lawn.  Arnie becomes obsessed with it - he starts neglecting school, family and friends.  His parents, teachers and enemies learn what it means to cross paths with the vengeful and merciless Christine. All because Christine is an evil killer ghost car. 

'Christine' is not only a horror, but also a novel about maturing, friendship, love and the problems of the 1970s' teenagers. 

Another novel is 'Pet Sematary', which was written in 1983.  The book is about the Creed family that moves from Chicago to their new home in a small town called Ludlow, New England. It is an ideal place for the young doctor, his wife, two children and a cat. A beautiful house, nice neighbors, a road full of trucks and a forest cemetery full of tombstones erected by children. The gate to the cemetery has a sign PET SEMATARY -  not all children are good at orthography.  The new location becomes the beginning of the end of the Creed family. 

Stephen King worked on this book in a rented house in Orrington. There was an animal cemetery right behind the house. The novel appeared on the big screen in 1989, with King playing the role of the priest conducting a funeral.

'Salem LOT' and 'The Shining'

King is called the Master of Horror. I will present several positions from this genre.

One of the first novels by Stephen King, published in 1975, is 'Salem's Lot'. It's a shortened name of Jerusalem, a fictional town located in Maine.  After 25 years, Ben Mears comes back to his family town. He's looking for an inspiration to write a new novel. There are weird things starting to happen in the town. People and animals start disappearing in unexplained circumstances.  Soon it turns out that the town was overrun by vampires.  Salem’s Lot isn't just a story about vampires. It's also a portrait of small town's society, written with a great accuracy. This attention to detail and accuracy became King's trademarks.

One of the best of horrors, 'The Shining', published in 1997.  Action of the novel takes place in The Overlook hotel, located high in the mountains, where Jack Torrance with his wife and five years-old son Danny has to stay for a winter to supervise it. Sensitive, gifted with paranormal abilities child sees many gruesome scenes, which took place years ago in the abandoned hotel.  The atmosphere of terror and suspense raises with every minute. 

King never forgave Stanley Kubrick for the screen adaptation of The Shining. Because in cinema it turned out to be a story about a haunted hotel, and King wrote a book about an alcoholic. The haunted hotel was in the background in the novel. 

'IT'

The first one is "IT". It is considered to be one of the major works of this American master of horror books. It is his most frightening novel, which was published in 1986. The first adaptation of 'IT' appeared in 1990 and the second one in 2017. "IT" is full of tension, mysterious scenes, fantastic mood and magic. The story both catches your attention and scares you. The action keeps you in suspense until the very end.

Derry is a small town in Maine - a haunted city - where one day a group of children meet IT. A creature which feeds on human fear. It transforms into many different creatures, for example - a clown, a huge bird and a voice in the pipes. The children have to face evil themselves. They cannot find help among adults. Most of them are lucky, they survive and leave Derry. After twenty years, IT returns. Those who survived, now as adults, have to find child's faith and courage to face it effectively

"IT" was supposed to be King’s great farewell - not with his novel, not with his horror stories, but with a certain stage of creativity. As the author said, it was supposed to be the last novel about children and monsters. It may be difficult to believe, but it was "Bugs Bunny" that inspired the author to  write "TI" As King wrote himself, the idea for the novel came to his mind as he passed a wooden bridge over a dried stream. Then, he thought of that fairy tale and asked himself: what would happen if a troll called him under the bridge.