One of the most
prolific and popular contemporary novelists,
Stephen King has a devoted following of
captivated readers. This is the first
critical work on King to examine his most
recent novels, Dolores Claiborne, Insomnia,
and Rose Madder, and to analyze the many
threads of his fiction in a way that is
accessible to young adults and general
readers. It is designed to help the reader
understand the carefully organized narrative
structure of his novels, the relation of his
fiction to the horror and science fiction
genres and to each other, character
development, and stylistic and thematic
concerns that recur and evolve throughout
his work. Following a biographical chapter
that links his life to the development of
his fiction, Russell offers an overview
chapter on all his novels. Individual
chapters examine nine representative novels:
in addition to the three mentioned above,
Russell examines 'Salem's Lot, The Shining,
The Stand, The Dark Half, The Dark Tower
III: The Waste Lands, and Needful Things. A
complete bibliography of all Stephen King's
work, critical sources, and a listing of
reviews of the novels examined in depth
complete the work.
