A.J. Maguire

Tag: Stephen King

  • Book Review – On Writing by Stephen King

    Let me start this review off by saying that I do not often read Stephen King. I started The Stand a long time ago but my son was all of three years old at the time and the dead children disturbed me so much I couldn’t move forward with the book.

    I’m sure I could read it now, but at the time I wasn’t ready for that sort of reality. I needed to keep my happy bubble of pretend-safety around my little boy. (C’mon, now, as safe as we try to keep our kids we all know there’s only so much we can do.)

    While I haven’t read much of his work, I know who Mr. King is and have great respect for him. I’m not sure why it took me so long to pick this book up – it looks like it was written during my senior year of high school – but I’m pleased that I finally did.

    This book is freeing.

    Yes, he reminds us about some of the mechanics of writing such as the dreaded adverb or adverbial clause, but he only touches on these for a moment. But for the most part, Mr. King’s “memoir of the craft” feels like a commiseration.

    He proves that reading and writing are magic. And he invites authors to embrace that magic, reminding us why we enjoy this craft in the first place. I recommend this book to any and all writers out there who haven’t already picked it up. It’s a worthy read.

     

  • Scary Stories

    Given that it is now October it seems appropriate to list my favorite ghost stories.  Or, well, the stories that creep me out the most.  There are many ghosts that populate literature, even if the stories are not necessarily “ghost” related.  Horror is not my favorite genre and I tend to stay far away from it, but I do enjoy Scott Sigler.  Of course, Mr. Sigler is mostly known for his alien football series, but I have read some of his other stuff and they do tend to get under my skin.

    That said, aside from Scott Sigler I don’t really read Horror.  But I have seen some movies so you’ll notice that my list is mostly of those.

    #5 – Edgar Allan Poe – The Pit and the Pendulum as well as The Raven.  Come on, who doesn’t get creeped out when reading “Nevermore.” 

    #4 — Wait Until Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn.  This book scared the crap out of me when I was kid.  Seriously.  I still have a fear of kelp. 

    #3 — Ancestor by Scott Sigler.  Congratulations, Mr. Sigler.  You have managed to make pregnant cows something to fear. 

    #2 — It by Stephen King.  Yep.  Clowns are suddenly horrifying.  This would be one of those that I watched rather than read.  I just can’t sit in a state of fear for the days it would take to read his work.

    #1 —  Rose Red by Stephen King.  This is another one that I watched rather than read.  It was shown in a two-part session a couple of years back and I remember I couldn’t sleep that first night.  I was seriously that terrified.  

    Those are my top five scary stories.  Rose Red sits there at the top of the list because of that horrible night I spent unable to sleep.  Anyone have a better story?