Rereading Stephen King
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 32: InsomniaA spiritual successor to It, and a Dark Tower novel in all but name, this meditation on time, ageing, free will and predestination is one of King’s true masterpieces
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 31: Dolores ClaibornePersonal, rather than supernatural demons give this vivid, first-person crime-confession novel its enduring power
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 30: Gerald's GameJames Smythe: Reading as an adult, this novel's appeal is in the psychological claustrophobia, not the rather perfunctory horror
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 29: Needful ThingsJames Smythe: His first book written after conquering his own addictions, this is a compelling story of how far people will go to satisfy their appetites
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 28: The Dark Tower III - The Waste Lands
James Smythe: King's high fantasy series comes into its own in the third volume, appropriating a wealth of literary references for its own designs
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 27: Four Past MidnightJames Smythe: These four novellas showcase the ghoulish range of King's compulsive techniques for terrifying his readers
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 26: The Dark Half
Plainly drawing on King's own demons, this story of a writer's worst imaginings coming to life is haunting in every sense
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 25: The Tommyknockers
James Smythe: Written when King's addictions were at their height, this novel is something of a mess – but the pain on the page is important
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 24: MiseryJames Smythe: This terrifying story of imprisonment by a demented fan is one of the greatest thrillers ever written
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 23: The Drawing of the ThreeThe second in King's Dark Tower series, you need to read the whole sequence to appreciate its glories
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 22: The Eyes of the DragonJames Smythe: I hated this fantasy yarn when I first read it – but now I know that genre-swapping can make great writers grow
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 21: It
At 1,400 pages, this is a massive novel – and a huge achievement by a writer showing off all of his storytelling skills
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 20: Skeleton CrewJames Smythe: Three stories in this collection of truly terrifying tales impressed me so much I stole the concepts for my own writing – and I'm not the only author to do so
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Rereading Stephen King, chapter 19: Thinner
The last time Richard Bachman and Stephen King were thought to be different writers, and King's signature is becoming ever clearer in its story
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Rereading Stephen King: week 18 – The TalismanFor this novel, King joined another master of the horror genre, Peter Straub, to create - a fantasy novel
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Rereading Stephen King: week 17 – Cycle of the WerewolfJames Smythe: Very well-made, and very well-illustrated by Bernie Wrighton, this is also a notably slight piece of work
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Rereading Stephen King: week 16 – Pet Sematary
James Smythe: King was reluctant to publish this book at first. He had a point: while other books are scary, this tale of loved ones brought back from the grave is a genuine horror
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Rereading Stephen King: week 15 – ChristineJames Smythe: This tale of a stereotypical nerd who buys a possessed car plays into the hands of those detractors who label Stephen King's work formulaic. I suspect it was the first time his fans felt cheated
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Rereading Stephen King: Different SeasonsThree of this book's four novellas are better known as films, and rightly so. But the fourth has an odd, unsettling power
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Rereading Stephen King week 13: The Gunslinger
James Smythe: The first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series is strange, scary and utterly gripping – the perfect start to an unforgettable journey
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Rereading Stephen King: week 12 – The Running ManNot to be confused with the inane adaptation starring Schwarzenegger, this dystopian tale has real pathos, and a point
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Rereading Stephen King: week 11 – CujoStephen King was in an alcoholic stupor while writing this unrelenting novel about a rabid dog – and in the process produced one of literature's bluntest metaphors for addiction
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Rereading Stephen King: week ten – RoadworkThe horror in this story of a man undone by grief is not supernatural, but still deeply unsettling
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Rereading Stephen King: week nine - FirestarterJames Smythe takes a long and painful road trip back to an early work that has lost its special powers
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Rereading Stephen King: Week eight - The Dead ZoneAn unusual novel for King, this is a slow-burn thriller that sees 'genre' getting very close to 'literary' fiction
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Rereading Stephen King: week seven – The Long WalkStephen King devotee James Smythe retakes The Long Walk in his survey of the horror master, and finds King's earliest book, written when he was just 18, as powerful today as it was in 1979
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Rereading Stephen King: week six – The Stand
James Smythe: With a deadly virus called Captain Trips and a villain who preys on the weak, Stephen King's The Stand isn't just about good versus evil – it's also about fate
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Rereading Stephen King: week five – Night Shift
Stephen King uber-fan James Smythe is rereading the works of the horror genius in chronological order. This week, he tackles Night Shift, King's first compilation of short stories, in which he laid the foundations for some of his greatest work
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Rereading Stephen King: week four – Rage
Stephen King enthusiast James Smythe is rereading the horror master's works in chronological order. This week, King's only book no longer in print, after apparently influencing a killer
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Rereading Stephen King: week three – The Shining
Stephen King aficionado James Smythe is rereading all the horror master's works in chronological order. This week, he checks into the Overlook Hotel
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Rereading Stephen King: week two – Salem's Lot
Stephen King connoisseur James Smythe is revisiting the horror master's oeuvre in chronological order. This week, he locks fangs with a slow-burning tale of vampires in small-town America
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Rereading Stephen King: week one – Carrie
James Smythe is revisiting each of Stephen King's novels in chronological order. First: a young girl with some dangerous powers
Rereading Stephen King chapter 33: Rose Madder