The True Stephen King

Stephen King writes nothing but horror books. What a hack writer.

Thats what some people think of Stephen King. And yes, King does put out a lot of horror novels, but he's also produced some really great, non-horror books.

The first non-horror King book that I read was the Green Mile. My father got it for me through a book club once. I had only vaguely heard of the story. It was the collected edition of King's Green Mile novel which orignally came out in pieces. I sat down to read it and just couldn't put it down! King creates some really wonderful and some really awful characters in this book. He also writes a story that is more of a drama, with an element of the supernatural invovled. The tale of  John Coffey is fantastic. I recommend it to older readers, even if your not a King fan; I think you may really like this book. Give it a try.

Another book that really stunned is King's first Dark Tower book. Well, actually, the whole series stunned me. With the Dark Tower, King created a fantasy with elements of horror, action, adventure, science fiction, drama, and also Western cowboy elements. The Dark Tower is unlike any other series of books that King has created. Its a fantastic journey through not just one universe really, but multiple universes. Its an epic series that fans of fantasy/sci-fi should check out for sure.

King has written other novels, such as the Stand, that had elements of horror, but also other genres too.

Oh and if you something thats not fantasy or supernatural at all from King, check out his short story Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption. That story is a flat out prison story with a bit of mystery to it. It was also turned into an excellent movie (so was the Green Mile). Also worth a mention is King's short story The Body. It was turned into the movie Stand By Me and is just as good as the movie (if not better).

So you see, despite what many say, King is more than just a horror writer. In fact, I would argue that the True Stephen King can only be seen in his Non-horror novels. With these novels, King really puts his writing to the test and proves once and for all that he is NOT a HACK.

If you haven't read a Stephen King book because your not into horror, well, maybe you should check out some of the above books if your into fantasy, sci-fi, a story about kids finding a body, or in for a good prison story (or two).

King, at his best, creates worlds that readers wouldn't want to live in, but we sure like visiting.