This was interesting from a couple of standpoints, the biggest of which was that King had literally only published seven novels, one anthology and one non-fic book by the time this was released. Cujo was his latest release, though there was some mention of his novella, The Mist. What was interesting was some of the predictions put forth by some of the authors. That King would never create anything that would have the impact of a Poe or a Lovecraft, for example.

The downside of this collection is that many of the works sound like the answer to a high school homework assignment along the lines of, Stephen King and his body of work. Horror, SF, Fantasy, or simply derivative works from greater authors. Discuss. Your answer must run at least 1000 words and quote from at least three of his works. Spelling and grammar count. Remember to cite your work. Due in five days.

But, having said that, there was also some really insightful drill downs into some of the scenes, dialogue, settings and various other elements of King's work.

So, if you're a King fanatic, this will be an enjoyable read. If you're only a casual fan, stay the hell away, you'll be bored to tears. ( )

This is precisely what makes Stephen King (and me) smile. These contributors range from science fiction writers to SK's college English teacher, George Romero and Fritz Lieber. I am willing to stipulatge that King is a genius and three times the writer I am, bujt I honestly do not hink he says to himself as he writes l"now i will stick in a vague referrence to Homer's Iliad and build on that for awhile before retgurning to a Faustian embroidery" et al. Literary criticism is good for thought and laughs.But how real is it? Not much I think. ( )

First edition