The Science of Stephen King: The Truth Behind Pennywise, Jack Torrance, Carrie, Cujo, and More Iconic Characters from the Master of Horror by Meg Hafdahl and Kelly Florence is a novel that delves into the mind of the famous author Stephen King. Throughout this book, readers who want to know more about the stories will discover the science behind the novels. The Science of Stephen King is riveting and will draw readers in as authors Hafdahl and Florence break down each story one at a time.
The Science of Stephen King catches the eye of readers with a cover that gives a nod to the “King” of horror with a grey cover. This gives the impression of a dreary, cloudy day. The title has author Stephen King’s name with splatters of blood, once again giving a nod to the horror aspect that he is renowned for. Below the title is a stone church with trees flanking it on either side. This cover nicely implies the sense of something sinister and horrific waiting to happen.
The Science of Stephen King unfolds with the two authors Hafdahl and Florence sharing with readers how they came to be introduced to Stephen King. The introduction of The Science of Stephen King helps to set the stage for readers that this novel is going to delve deeper into the imagination of Stephen King, the science, and even the folklore behind the stories that have gripped readers for years.
The Science of Stephen King is broken up into the various eras surrounding his writing. Authors Hafdahl and Florence take readers back to when Stephen King first began writing in the 1970s all the way to the 2010s with his latest novels. Each chapter throughout each section of this novel focuses specifically on a particular novel throughout that particular era of Stephen King’s career as a writer. The Science of Stephen King will reveal to readers little-known facts that will absolutely surprise readers.
One such surprising fact that is revealed in The Science of Stephen King? That one of his most famous stories, Carrie, almost was never “born”! What?! Well, according to authors Hafdahl and Florence, we have Stephen King’s wife, Tabitha King, to thank for the story being saved from the trash! It’s absolutely fascinating how that one particular novel was influenced by an article in a magazine that King picked up at the time.
Each chapter in The Science of Stephen King shows the depths that authors Hafdahl and Florence did their research. Each chapter throughout this book has images and interesting facts that tie into Stephen King’s novels. Just like Stephen King did his research concerning his novels and details, so too did Hafdahl and Florence do their own research to flesh out the knowledge that they have discovered.
Authors Hafdahl and Florence repeatedly showcase the various influences that Stephen King had throughout his life that led to the various stories and worlds that he created.
These influences range from Stephen King’s drug use to accidents that nearly took his life, to a variety of other situations that were either close calls for his family or something that he himself discovered. Readers who are fascinated with the thought process behind Stephen King’s works will absolutely devour this book. They might even jump to a particular chapter to delve into a favorite story before going back and exploring the rest of the chapters.
It’s fascinating how authors Hafdahl and Florence also interview a variety of individuals in various fields. Each person that they interview helps to bring new insight into some of the subjects and topics that Stephen King either struggled with himself or touched on in his books. Each of these interviewees brings unique information and knowledge to the book that will truly impress readers and push them to explore more.
Throughout The Science of Stephen King, readers will discover fascinating historical references. Some went on to play a major part in Stephen King’s novels, while others are just tidbits of information that authors Hafdahl and Florence felt that readers would enjoy discovering.
It is easy to say that it’s truly fascinating to be able to delve deeper into Stephen King’s mind through The Science of Stephen King. Readers get to gain insight into how he came up with more than a few of his ideas for his books. It would appear that even years ago author Stephen King was more than little of a visionary.
Authors Hafdahl and Florence showcase this by revealing how some of his ideas were before some of the advances in technology came along. Though it’s easy to say that Stephen King enjoys pointing out the dangers of technology and its potential impact on humanity.
Readers who enjoy horror, and Stephen King books, and want to better understand the thought process behind this specific author’s ideas will absolutely enjoy picking up this book. Authors Hafdahl and Florence will absolutely motivate readers to pick up his books by reading The Science of Stephen King. Each Stephen King book that they cover in the chapters will pique readers’ interest in either picking up that particular book again or for the first time.
The only downside to some of these chapters is that in some of them, authors Hafdahl and Florence drop spoilers as to how the story ends. It is probable that some readers won’t mind these spoilers. However, if you’re a reader who is looking to pick up a book that you’ve never read by Stephen King, you may want to watch out for the spoilers and try to skip them.
The Science of Stephen King is a highly informative book that delves deep into the science and folklore behind Stephen King’s novels. This book is broken down into the various eras throughout King’s career with each chapter giving readers insight into each specific story he’s written. Authors Hafdahl and Florence have written an engaging novel that will reignite interest in Stephen King’s story and remind them why he is indeed deemed the “King of Horror.”
Readers looking for a book to delve deeper into the psyche of Stephen King will want to grab a copy of The Science of Stephen King by authors Hafdahl and Florence. It is informative and will have readers reflecting on the stories that they have read and the impact that these stories have had on them. This book does have some spoilers for those who haven’t read the entire King catalog, but it is still worth checking out because there is much that you’ll discover!
Pros:
- Engaging
- Informative
- Page-turner
- Easy to follow and understand
- Has just the right amount of humor
Cons:
- Contains spoilers for some of Stephen King’s books
Scribble's Worth 
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