Stephen King. If you think this picture is creepy, wait until you read the books.
Just in time for Halloween, Stephen King is popping up everywhere in the lit-blog world. The master of horror has several projects in the works, including a vampire series told through serial comics and a 1,000+ page thriller. His stories are also being used in an anthology tracing American horror and our obsession with being scared. See below for a discussion of each project, including links to more information.
AMERICAN VAMPIRE by Stephen King and Scott Snyder
If you thought Stephen King’s words were scary, get ready for this illustrated collaboration with Scott Snyder. Due to release in March 2010 as a series of five books, American Vampire will discuss the first vampire of the New World, a Wild West bank robber with “rattlesnake fangs” who receives energy from the sun (not to be confused with those pale, European vampires). The Guardian has details about the arc of the series, and USA Today interviews Scott Snyder, who approached King with the idea.
UNDER THE DOME by Stephen King
King’s latest supernatural thriller has been 30 years in the making and is 1,072 pages long. We can only imagine how much twisted creepiness King came up with during those 30 years. The book tells the story of Chester’s Mill, Maine, which finds itself suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by “an invisible force-field.” Shelf Life has the exclusive trailer for the novel and will post an interview with Stephen King in time for Halloween.
AMERICAN FANTASTIC TALES: TERROR AND THE UNCANNY edited by Peter Straub
Some of King’s short stories play a part in this horror anthology by horror writer Peter Straub. From Poe to Stephen King, the book features 86 stories that demonstrate how the horror genre evolved in American literature. NPR’s Michael Schaub discusses the book and confesses, “Edward Lucas White’s ‘Lukundoo’ gave me nightmares (probably for life).” Unlike the books above, American Fantastic Tales is available now, so feel free to run to the bookstore to ensure a scary Halloween.
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