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Reading Stephen King's The Dark Half made me realize (yet again...) that I don't think I could ever write a horror story. Well...I guess I could write one, but it wouldn't be very good. I just don't think that way. My mind tends to shy away from all those things that make for a good horror story.
Fortunately for millions of readers (and himself...), Stephen King does not suffer from these handicaps. The man is very capable of formulating and writing grizzly horror stories, as well as fascinating drama, western, and even fantasy stories.
This week I finished The Dark Half, a book written in the late 1980s. It's the story of an author who decides to "kill" the pen name he's used for a few successful novels. It's interesting that King himself wrote under the name of Richard Bachman and I wonder how much his experiences influenced this story. I highly doubt, however, that King ever felt like Richard Bachman dug himself out of the grave and began killing people.
Then again, this is Stephen King we're talking about. Who knows what goes on in his mind?
The story is, at times gory, bloody, relentless. Sometimes I think King goes a bit too far in describing the carnage, but then again, fans of the genre probably can't get enough of that. Good thing he doesn't write specifically for me, huh?
King's written so many books that I have yet to read. I know I'll read more. Even though I liked the style of Bag of Bones, 11/22/63 and Insomnia, I know I'll probably read another of his horror novels. I just can't help myself.
* Photo used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11597.The_Dark_Half?ac=1
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