Revival is the first novel I've read by Stephen King (I was assured by my book club that it wasn't scary).
Jamie Morton meets a new minister, Reverend Charles Jacobs, when he is just six years old. The shadow of the minister falls over him as he is playing and that shadow follows him for the next fifty years. Jamie learns to play a guitar, joins a rock group and becomes addicted to heroin. It's the "cure" for his addiction that links him again to the Reverend who is dabbling with electricity that he feels can heal. But the "treatments" have many side effects that come to light many years later for not only Jamie, but many people whose paths have crossed with his.
Stephen King is an amazing writer and keeps the reader enthralled throughout his books.
Stephen King is a masterful story teller and writer. In A Memoir of the Craft on Writing he shares his childhood and road to becoming a published author (memoir). He also shares his brief time when writing was impossible for him after he was injured while walking when hit by a vehicle. (The driver was watching his dog in the back of the vehicle and not the road.). Even after a slew of convictions for driving under the influence and speeding, the driver only received probation and no jail time for the horrendous injuries Stephen King suffered.
In the second part of the book he gives the reader suggestions to improve writing and stay dedicated to the craft (he writes a minimum of 2,000 words a day). He also recommends keeping a copy of Elements of Style close at hand (PDF copy here). What I found most helpful was the The Hotel Story in first draft and then with added proofreader and editing notes.
He says when asked if he writes for the money his answer is always 'no'. He never has and never will. "I've made a great deal of dough from my fiction, but I never set a single word down on paper with the thought of being paid for it." He writes because of his love of writing and fulfillment from the written word.
For readers and writers alike, this is an interesting read.
Has anyone been watching Under the Dome on Monday nights?
Stephen King has an amazing imagination and his stories have so many plots, twists and mysteries it's difficult to keep up. Having said that, I've never actually read one of his books (I'm a whimp when it comes to horror stories). Under the Dome is another masterful mystery by him.
Any suggestions for his books that aren't scary and more like Under the Dome which I would put in the Sci-Fi/Mystery category?
