News & Reviews

WORD: Stephen King’s latest novel ‘Lisey’s Story’ launches with Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and longtime horror novelist Stephen King has just the right fix for his readers. But don’t expect buckets of blood or flesh eating dogs in his latest novel Lisey’s Story, which publisher Scribner is launching this week to coincide with the holiday.

The author of such mayhem as Cujo and Pet Cemetary, where brutal animals come to terrorize humans, King this time chose the widow of a Pulitzer prize winning author as the protagonist. Lisey’s Story is set in rural Maine and populated not by man-eating animals but by memories of her dead husband and a trip to an alternate reality he calls "Boo'ya Moon."

While a lack of physical carnage may disappoint long-time King readers, reviews so far are mostly positive and the prose and subject matter are a bit more literary than usual King material. If you’re looking for a more eerie reading experience then Lisey’s Story seems to have enough haunt to qualify as solid Halloween fare.

In a move apparently timed with King’s launch of Lisey’s Story, the Mystery Writers of America this month granted him its Grand Master Award, the group’s most prestigious honor.

"I'm delighted to be getting the Grand Master Award and to be joining the company of some of my greatest idols and teachers -- people like John D. MacDonald, Ed McBain, and Donald E. Westlake," said King in a press release. "The award means a great deal to me personally, because it's an award from people who understand two things: the importance of good writing and the importance of telling stories."

Lisey’s Story officially launched on October 24 and is available in bookstores now. For more information on Stephen King check out his website.

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