End of Watch, by Stephen King

This is the last in the Mr. Mercedes series, which King started out as a project in noir crime fiction. I'd say he got pretty far away from that genre, especially in this latest novel. Nonetheless, it's a good story, with lovable characters -- and a tinge of horror and fantasy. Lots of suspense, of course. Definitely worth reading for entertainment.

Revival, by Stephen King

Involves an aging rock-and-roll guitar player and his longtime relationship with an ex-preacher who has lost his faith in God and has turned to experimenting with "secret electricity."  It's not the best book I've read by King, but it was nonetheless captivating. The hocus-pocus is mostly crap, and of a predictable type, but the underlying philosophy is rather disturbing. I won't reveal more in case you want to read the book some day.

King uses some elements of carnival culture in this novel, which reminds me of Joyland,  which I read not too long ago. It seems that he didn't waste any leftover research from that effort.

Finders Keepers, by Stephen King

A sequel to Mr. Mercedes.

This, like almost everything I've ever read by Mr. King, did not disappoint.

It's the story of a family that was affected by the tragedy central to the plot of Mr. Mercedes.  In particular, it's about a young man who literally finds buried treasure, and uses it to help his family. When the burier of the treasure is released from prison prematurely, the plot picks up speed.

Joyland, by Stephen King

A Hard Case Crime Novel.

This is another Stephen King novel that could be described more as a mystery, or noir-crime novel, than a typical King supernatural thriller. There is, however, an element of the supernatural (maybe he just can't help that) contained in the story, but nevertheless, this is a valid and very entertaining mystery novel.

Set mostly in the vicinity of Wilmington, NC,  this is the story of young Devin Jones, who takes a summer job with a carnival.  Jones, after losing his college girlfriend, finds himself at loose ends, and begins to focus more on his life as a carnival employee. He learns that there is an unsolved mystery associated with the carnival, and here we go. There is a lot of nostalgia and terrific carnival atmosphere. The book cover harkens back to the days of pulp fiction.

King is practically criticism-proof. He hands you a story like this, what are you going to do? If you don't feel like reading it, don't. It's not to be taken as great literature -- but what is it? Merely an entertainment? Somehow, while putting on a great show, King manages always to sneak in a little commentary, a little observation of the human condition, and maybe a little criticism of his own.

I'm a fan.

LA Times Review

Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King

Yep. Another Stephen King. This one is pretty much a pure detective-adventure novel. It features a retired detective named Bill Hodges, who had investigated a bizarre mass murder committed by an unknown person who drove a large Mercedes Benz 12-cylinder sedan into a crowd of people waiting in line to get into a job fair. The murder was unsolved at the time of Hodges' retirement.

When we meet Hodges, he has settled into an uneasy routine of mostly doing nothing, watching afternoon TV (a show is described that sounds a lot like Jerry Springer), and  contemplating suicide with his father's .38 calibre revolver.

Hodges receives a letter from someone who claims to be "Mr. Mercedes," the murderer in question, and seems to be goading Hodges toward suicide by taunting him with his failure to identify and apprehend the killer.

The investigation and subsequent action build up to speed quickly. Several interesting characters come into the plot, including one Olivia Trelawney, the owner of the car (it was stolen from her, there is no doubt, but there is some belief that she may have left the key in its ignition, thereby making the murderer's job a little easier). Trelawney's sister Janey comes on the scene as well, and is an important part of the story.

One remarkable thing about this book: it is a detective novel, no more, no less. There are no aliens, no supernatural beings, no other dimensions of reality. There is no time travel, no element of weirdness or horror other than those found in real human beings. There is plenty of evil in the character of Mr. Mercedes (we find out who he really is before long), but it is the evil of real life: he is a psychopath.

New York Times review

Lisey's Story, by Stephen King

Completely absorbing, entertaining, beautifully done, as only Mr. King can do it.

Lisey is Lisa Landon, widow of successful writer Scott Landon. We meet her about two years after Scott's death, as she begins the work of cleaning up his study and dealing with his books and papers. Quickly it becomes evident that the Landons have had both a singularly great marriage and an extremely unusual life -- as only Mr. King could imagine.

The story of their love and their closeness of mind and spirit is worth the trip. Yes, there's plenty of otherworldliness, alternative dimensions, fantastic beings, and the kind of reality that most of us don't experience when we're awake, but I don't think it takes away from what is a beautiful story about the love between an imaginative, creative man and his extraordinary wife.

No doubt there's a little autobiography in here. In the author's statement at the end of the book, King points out some similarities between the Landons and the Kings. Lisey's Story is, still, a work of fiction, and one of fantasy.'

New York Times Sunday Book Review

Dr. Sleep, by Stephen King

Wow. Just wow. This is the second book I've picked up lately that I nearly finished in one day. Sitting at home trying to recover from a cold, I read about 7/8 of this novel, the sequel to The Shining that has been fairly well publicized.

Yes, it's a fabulous bit of fantasy-horror, but I remain firm in my opinion that Mr. King's work will stand the test of time. His knack for portraying children, and the lives of children, if no other aspect of his work is worthy of admiration, is enough to make him great in my mind.

Cell, by Stephen King

This is more or less a zombie apocalypse story. The zombies get that way by using cell phones, and only people who were not using cell phones at the time of the "Pulse" remain normal. This becomes the story of a handful of "normies" (King likes to use AA slang) as they travel north, trying to find a way to survive and perhaps re-create civilization.

Cell wasn't as good as the last King that I read (Dr. Sleep), but it wasn't bad, and I love it for making cell phones the root of Evil.

Full Dark, No Stars, by Stephen King

This book contains four stories:

• 1922 -- Murder on the plains, and its consequences.
• Big Driver -- a writer returning from a public appearance has bad luck on the road.
• Fair Extension -- in which one of literature's more classic characters makes an appearance.
• A Good Marriage -- a wife finds out more than she would like to about her husband.

Stephen King is someday going to be known as a great writer of our time. Unfortunately, I think he's been given short shrift by the literary community, probably considered a "genre" writer, and isn't seriously considered to be among the current greats. No matter: I have spent some genuinely wonderful hours reading King's work, and this book was everything I could have hoped it to be. 

King has perhaps matured, or cooled down, or become a little less fantastic in his storytelling; but I wish to say that such great works of fantasy as "It," "The Stand,"  "Salem's Lot," or "The Shining" lose nothing by their inclusion of forces and beings from dimensions not normally experienced in reality. For that matter, "The Shining" was not driven by fantasy so much as alcoholism, and a terrible dementia no less real for having been vividly described. 

Full Dark, No Stars contains almost no ghosts. The gentleman in "Fair Extension" may be fantastic, but his existence has been fairly well accepted by human beings for many centuries. Instead, this book has, in King's own words, "ordinary people in extraordinary situations." (from the Afterword) 

I have tried my best in Full Dark, No Stars to record what people might do, and how they might behave, under certain dire circumstances. The people in these stories are not without hope, but they acknowledge that even our fondest hopes ... may sometimes be vain. ...nobility ... resides ... in trying to do the right thing ... when we fail ... hell follows. (ibid)

I know from other readings that King has a background of New England Protestant religion, and whether or not he personally believes in Hell, I know that its geography is familiar to him. King is a journeyman writer, who has literally written more books than I have been able to read, and I admire him beyond measure.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough. Go get it, and read it. Enjoy.