Danse Macabre

King, Stephen

ISBN 10: 1441831053 ISBN 13: 9781441831057

Publisher: Brilliance Audio, 2010

Synopsis

The author whose boundless imagination and storytelling powers have redefined the horror genre, from 1974€™s Carrie to his new epic Under the Dome, reflects on the very nature of terror€”what scares us and why€”in films (both cheesy and choice), television and radio, and, of course, the horror novel, past and present. Informal, engaging, tremendous fun, and tremendously informative, Danse Macabre is an essential tour with the master of horror as your guide; much like his spellbinding works of fiction, you won€™t be able to put it down.

About this title

Review:

In the fall of 1978 (between The Stand and The Dead Zone), Stephen King taught a course at the University of Maine on "Themes in Supernatural Literature." As he writes in the foreword to this book, he was nervous at the prospect of "spending a lot of time in front of a lot of people talking about a subject in which I had previously only felt my way instinctively, like a blind man." The course apparently went well, and as with most teaching experiences, it was as instructive, if not more so, to the teacher as it was to the students. Thanks to a suggestion from his former editor at Doubleday, King decided to write Danse Macabre as a personal record of the thoughts about horror that he developed and refined as a result of that course.

The outcome is an utterly charming book that reads as if King were sitting right there with you, shooting the breeze. He starts on October 4, 1957, when he was 10 years old, watching a Saturday matinee of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. Just as the saucers were mounting their attack on "Our Nation's Capital," the movie was suddenly turned off. The manager of the theater walked out onto the stage and announced, "The Russians have put a space satellite into orbit around the earth. They call it ... Spootnik."

That's how the whole book goes: one simple, yet surprisingly pertinent, anecdote or observation after another. King covers the gamut of horror as he'd experienced it at that point in 1978 (a period of about 30 years): folk tales, literature, radio, good movies, junk movies, and the "glass teat". It's colorful, funny, and nostalgic--and also strikingly intelligent. --Fiona Webster

About the Author:

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His most recent include Under the Dome, Just Past Sunset, and Lisey’s Story. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

About this edition

• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1441831053
• ISBN 13: 9781441831057
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 18