Stephen King is a literary phenomenon. He has sold more than 150 million books worldwide in a career that has spanned many genres, from horror and fantasy to psychological thriller and science fiction. In all he has written more than 500 original works and his best short stories are recognised as being among the best ever written in the English language. In this study of King's immense body of work, Heidi Strengell shows how King builds on the work of writers from Stoker and Shelley to Dickens and Melville. Ultimately she demonstrates how King shatters our illusions of safety and control by placing decent and good characters at the mercy of indifferent forces. King himself has described himself as 'the literary equivalent of a Big Mac', but, as Strengell shows, his work is informed both by the gothic tradition and by great naturalists. Without ever descending into idolatry, Strengell shows the deep sophistication that underpins King's popular success. There has never been a better explanation of the techniques that the world's most popular and critically acclaimed horror writer uses to create his masterpieces.
