Running Man by Stephen King

Running Man by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman

If you like action-oriented dystopian titles, this is the book for you!!!  King starts the plot rolling on the first page, and doesn’t let the readers breathe until they are done with the book.  Set in the near future, this book depicts a society when the rich and poor are even more disparate than they are today.  At twenty-eight, Ben Richards already feels like an old man.  He hasn’t worked steadily for years after protesting that the radiation shields used in the factory where he worked were basically useless; all the men were becoming sterile despite their use.  To his great sadness, his wife feels forced by their circumstances to support them through prostitution.  Add to this the fact that their baby is sick with the flu and may die because the poor have no healthcare.

The government keeps the poor placated with Free-Vee, television full of vicious reality games where the contestants may actually have a chance to win money.  The show “Treadmill to Bucks” only accepts terminally ill patients whose task it is to stay on the treadmill, earning $10 for each minute they are able to stay alive.  Bonus questions are involved that might win the contestant extra cash, or speed up  the treadmill up, depending on the player’s correct/wrong answer.  Needless to say, many contestants were carried off dead on a rubber stretcher.  Desperate to get enough money for a real doctor, Ben applies and is accepted for the biggest game show, “Running Man.”  The object of the contest is to remain free, even though an elite police force is hunting you down, and the public is paid to report sightings of you.

What I especially liked about this book is that even though it was written in 1982, it is still politically even more relevant today, with the gap between the super rich and the rest of us growing daily.  While King doesn’t harp on political ideology, Ben some of the other main characters make it clear that the Free-Vee Network and government in general are oppressing the general population severely, making it nearly impossible for them to survive.

I highly recommend this title to dysptopia and Stephen King fans, and anyone looking for an action-packed, gripping novel.  WARNING:  Do not read the prologue, as it gives away major plot points that will ruin to story for you!

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

This intriguing title weaves together the themes of romance, suspense, historical research and genetic studies into a surprisingly cohesive story. The main character is historian Diana Bishop, related to Bridget Bishop made famous by the Salem Witch Trials.  While doing research in one of the Oxford University libraries, she stumbles across an enchanted manuscript from the seventeen hundreds.  Since Diana has always avoiding learning to use her own magic, despite her very talented parents, she dismisses its quirks and has it returned to the stacks by the clerk at the end of the  day.  This simple discovery starts a series of events that will impact Diana, not just professionally but personally, too.  Suddenly, she has attracted the entree paranormal world f Great Britain, including witches, daemons and vampires.  A handsome, charming vampire named Matthew Clairmont has an interest in the manuscript, too, but seems to be just as interested in Diana, pursuing her until she finally agrees to dinner with him, even though her aunt who raised her taught her that witches (even non-practicing ones) and vampires cannot even be friends, much less date.  As you can imagine, more than dating soon develops.

Harkness’s debut novel has much to speak in its favor: it’s suspenseful, fast-paced, hard to put down and even has a forbidden romance story thrown in for good measure.  For my taste, it was a little heavy on the romance, but I’m sure that will be a positive for many readers.  I recommend this book to fans of paranormal romances, horror fans, and readers who liked the Twilight series before we all got tired of it.

Solitary: Escape From Furnace #2 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Solitary: Escape From Furnace #2 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Book one in this series ends with the cliffhanger of Alex trying to escape the Furnace Penitentiary by jumping into a raging river that he hopes flows to the surface.Unfortunately, it doesn’t and Alex and his surviving friend Zee are caught by the warden and his black-suited, demonic guards, and sentenced to 30 days in solitary confinement.  The real kicker is that no one has survived and kept his sanity for longer than seven days in these tiny, underground quarters.   To his shock, Alex finds out that he and Zee are not the only survivors beneath the prison.  In addition to the flesh-eating giant rats, three boys have also made their way into the subterranean caverns, and pin their hopes on Alex to help them escape.

If you can believe it, this book is even more graphic and gruesome than the first one and fans will be thrilled.  The pace is just as fast, jumping quickly from one harrowing escape to the next.  I recommend this book to fans of the first installment, Darren Shan addicts and all teen horror fans.  We also have multiple copies of the third and fourth titles in this series.

         

Hold Me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride

Hold Me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride

What I loved about this title is that it’s a book about demons, werewolves, etc. that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In fact, at times it downright funny! Sam flips burgers at Plumpy’s with his best friend Ramon, the new kid Frank and a hottie named Brooke. A college drop out, Sam’s a little frustrated with life, but can at least afford his own tiny apartment, even though his financial aid got cut off when he left school. Big changes happen for him and his friends when they’re playing an innocent hockey game on their break in the burger joint’s parking lot. They smash the taillight of a classic Mercedes, and when the driver returns, Sam realizes rather quickly that he is in for some serious trouble. Before the night is over, he’s had himself beat-up so badly he should have been put in the hospital, and discovered that the reason he’s never quite fit in is that he’s a Necromancer: he can raise the dead. That’s what the “crazy classic shiny car guy” was referring to with all those bizarre questions at Plumpy’s. Douglas Montgomery is evidently an extremely powerful necromancer, and is giving Sam a week to decide if the teenager wants to join him or be killed.

Before the week is even up, Sam finds himself kidnapped and imprisoned in a cell with the most beautiful girl (or perhaps a werewolf…) he has ever seen.  He, his family, the gorgeous Tia and her “pack,” and and his group of ragtag friends have to figure out how to escape, before Douglas runs out of patience and does away with both of the kids.

I enjoyed this book.  Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian) called it a SCARY funny for OR a FUNNY scary book and I completely agree.  I would encourage readers looking for something light or humorous to give this title a shot.

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Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

While not as amazing as the first book in this series, Incarceron, this follow-up title picks up right where readers left Finn and Claudia in thier quest to find Sapphique and somehow balance the dark, prison world of Incarceron with the opulent kingdom Outside ruled now by the merciless Queen.  Finn and Claudia continue to try to prove that he is the true heir to the throne, but suddenly an impostor appears, who seems much more suited to life Outside, so much so that even Claudia finds herself wondering.  Inside Incarceron, Finn’s oath brother Keiro and their friend Attia are trying to find Sapphique’s glove, claimed to be magical which will help them escape the prison.  Finn has promised to come back to rescue them, but it’s been months and they are beginning to believe he is enjoying a rich and carefree life outside and has abandoned his old friends.  Lots of fast-paced adventure ensues, but I found myself not being as engaged with this book as I was the first one.

I recommend this title to readers of the first book in the series, Science Fiction fans and dystopia fans.

Ashes

Ashes by Ilsa J. Blick

This gripping book will not allow you to set it down.  Really.  While trying to  run away from her incurable brain cancer, seventeen-year-old Alex survives a series of electromagnetic pulses that end up killing off most of humanity.  She’s gone off into a national park alone to spread the ashes of her dead parents, and try to make some sort of peace with herself about dying.  She ends up with two traveling companions who are also alone from different circumstances–a bratty eight-year-old girl called Ellie and a young soldier named Tom.  This makeshift family will have to face the “changed,” humans left alive after the Pulse but who have been transformed into flesh-eating zombies.

This was an amazing book.  It’s action-packed plot will keep readers up late at night trying to find out what happens next.  Bick ‘s twist on the usual zombie story makes the story unusual, but similar enough to other apocalyptic stories like The Walking Dead  and  Forest of Hands and Teeth to easily please horror fans.  I recommend this to readers looking for an exciting thriller, zombie fans and horror fans.

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Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

As the sequel to Rot & Ruin, this book picks up where that one left off.  Benny, Nix, Lilah, Morgie and Chong are training with Benny’s brother Tom as zombie hunters and survivalists for their trip into the ruin.  They are planning to go east to look for the jet they all saw during the destruction of Game Land the previous year.

“The jet, and all that it symbolized, was a big silent monster that had followed them around since they’d returned last September. The jet meant leaving, something that Nix and Benny were going to do, and Chong and Morgie were not.  Tom called it a ‘trip.’ suggesting that tyehy would eventually teurn, but Benny knew that Nix had no intention of ever returning to Mountainside…Once they left, though, he was pretty sure that their road trip was going to be permanent.”

While this book was not as satisfying as Rot & Ruin, it was a decent second novel in a series.  I was a little disappointed about the direction the plot took (no spoilers here!), but still enjoyed the story and can’t wait for the next book.  What  really appreciated was that Maberry gave enough exposition about the first book to help readers remember what had happened.  This also sets up readers who didn’t read Rot & Ruin, which is a great opportunity.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

World War Z by Max Brooks

Zombie fans will adore this book, as it’s an account of the recent fictitious  zombie war told through first-hand accounts of those who experienced it up close and personal.  Those who enjoyed Brooks’ tongue in cheek Zombie Survival Guide (2003) will find this volume a good companion to it.  The narrator works for a government commission and has collected accounts from various participants in the devastating zombie war.  Each “chapter” of the book is an interview with another person, some of whom are essential, like the Chinese doctor who treated “patient zero,” the first case of zombie infection.  Other chapter feature the stories of lesser-known people, but whose perspective fleshes (pardon the pun) out the whole picture for the readers.

Lockdown: Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

Lockdown: Escape From Furnace  by Alexander Gordon Smith

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, hang on to the edge of your seat, scary and exciting book,  Lockdown is the title for you!  In simple, straight-forward prose, Smith tells the story of Alex, who is framed for the murder of his best friend and sent to the Furnace Penitentiary on a life sentence without parole.  Ever since teenaged gangsters went on killing rampage over what it now known as Summer of Slaughter, there has been a zero tolerance policy on youth crime.  When they built the maximum security, underground Furnace prison, the television news shows were full of shocking and fear-inducing pictures.  Even though Alex was a petty thief, he never believed he could end up there.

It turns out the Furnace is so much worse than anyone could imagine.  The boys are fed slop that’s made out of blended garbage.  The black-suited, giant-sized guards are incomparably cruel, willing to kill an inmate rather than put up with defiant attitudes.  There are huge skinless dogs, who when let loose on the inmates act like rabid animals before they eat the boy for lunch.  And the gangs…let’s just say that what they can no longer do the people outside the  prison they do with gusto inside the the unaffiliated inmates.  Worst of all are the seemingly inhuman creature with gas masks sewn to their faces who come out every so often at night and point to cells to select prisoners for some type of unspeakable experiments.

Alex knows he won’t last long, but somehow devises an escape plan with two of his fellow inmates.  Little does he know that it may cost him everything to execute the plan and try to leave the Furnace behind.  This is a great choice for teen readers, especially those who claim to have never read a “good” book but love action movies and video games.

The writer will be visiting Berkeley High  in February.  We’ll be inviting classes to come hear him talk.  Watch here for more news!

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Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

In the dystopian future created by first time novelist DeStefano, scientists have used genetic engineering to cure all the world’s diseases.  The only problem is that after the first generation, all young men die at 25 years old and women die at 20.  Although most people live in poverty in what’s left of the large metropolises, the wealthy still exist in private guarded estates, secluded from everyone except the other affluent.  But they’re not exempt to the early death rate, so they hire “gatherers” to collect young women to marry to continue the human race.  Rhine, who lives in Manhattan with her twin brother Rowan, is kidnapped by the gatherers and finds herself a prisoner in a mansion, about to be married along with two other girls to  Linden Ashby, the weak twenty-year-old son of a  rich scientist.  But it is the father, Vaughn who really runs the family, intimidating the sister wives and servants, and lying to his son and the facts of their lives.  In the midst of all this, Rhine remains determined to escape, and enlists the help of the servant Gabriel, for whom she’s beginning to feel more than simple friendship.

I enjoyed this book, and wished it had focused more on the society, how it came about and what people were doing to fight against the oppression.  Since this is the first in the Chemical Garden Trilogy, I assume those aspects will be fleshed out in the next two volumes.  The book did keep me thoroughly engaged, and I especially appreciated the way the author took her time developing most of the characters.  I recommend this book to dystopia fans, Margaret Atwood fans, and science fiction readers.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

This is so different from most post-apocalyptic stories that I’ve read that I hesitate to put it in the same category.  Readers meet Benny Imura as the story begins, about to turn fifteen and desperately in need of a job so the community doesn’t cut his food rations.  After First Night, the zombie apocalypse, the world as we know it ended.  Benny’s mom and dad were both killed, and he now lives with his older brother Tom.  Although Tom is a zombie hunter, Benny considers him a coward because he doesn’t act like the two hunters that hang around the general store sharing “war stories” about their hunting adventures.  He also has an inkling of a memory about Tom abandoning their mom and dad during the First Night, but even though it’s fuzzy, he’s sure Tom could have done more to save them.  Benny and his close friend Chong apply for all the easy jobs they know about: locksmith apprentice, fence tester (for the fence that keeps the zombies out of Mountainside), fence technicians, and lots of more gruesome jobs having to do with completely dead zombie bodies. (Just imagine what  pit thrower might do, for example.)  Chong is able to find a job as a spotter (sort of like a forest ranger only watching for zom’s instead of fires)  but Benny can’t find anything he’s willing to do.  Out of desperation, he finally asks his brother Tom to take him on as an apprentice.  Can I just say that what he sees outside in the unprotected Rot & Ruin changes the way Benny looks at life, zombies and his brother Tom?  The last half of the book is an action-packed adventure that involves saving Benny’s possible girlfriend Nix, rescuing some kidnapped children, and perhaps even changing the course of humankind.

I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this book.  Even though I love zombie and horror books, this book offers readers so much more than that.  It made me think about the difference between life and afterlife, what constitutes a “good” person, what makes something heroic.  I highly recommend this to all readers, both teens and adults.

The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Long Walk by Stephen King

This book tells the story of what happens to Ray Garraty when he volunteers and is selected the the Long Walk, which takes place each May 1.  In this national sport in the United States of the near future, one hundred teenaged boys walk at at least four miles per hour until the only one left standing is declared the winner.  As they stop, collapse or drop below the minimum speed, they get three warnings then are shot dead through the head by the soldiers who ride along near them in all-terrain vehicles.  Naturally the event is televised, and crowds line the road when the walkers are near towns and cities.

Writing as Richard Bachman, Stephen King feels a lot darker and more bleak as a writer.  The repetitiveness of the walking and the jibes between the contestants became a little slow for me a s a reader, but the book was voted as one of the favorite teen novels by the American Library Association published between 1966 and 2000.  I recommend this to horror buffs and Stephen King fans.

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Bedbugs by Ben H. Winters

Bedbugs by Ben H. Winters

Reading this book will probably give you the creeps and make you start scratching yourself; it sure did with me.  The beginning of the story is pretty typical for a horror novel: a couple finds a great apartment that’s got everything they need, in a good neighborhood, and for rent that’s way less than it should be.  But, as it turns out, the brownstone apartment in Brooklyn IS too good to be true!  Susan, an artist and stay-at-home mom, becomes convinced that their apartment is infested with bedbugs, but neither the celebrity exterminator or her doctor can find any evidence of this.  As the book continues, readers, along with the husband Alex, begin to wonder if it’s all in Susan’s imagination,or if there really is a bug problem.  Just keep in mind that everyone may not really be the way they seem; as the saying goes: looks can be deceiving!

Despite the repulsive and disturbing  subject of bedbugs, this book kept me on the edge of my seat during the entire reading.  I really appreciated the ending, because it was not at all what I was expecting!  I highly recommend this to horror fans, aged fourteen and older.

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City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments  Book 4

While this may not the strongest title in Clare’s popular Mortal Instruments series, devoted fans will still be engaged in following the continuing adventures and emotional ups and downs of Clary Fray and her friends.  This story actually belongs to her best friend Simon Lewis, the recently turned vampire, more than any other character.   Called the Daylighter vampire for his ability to go out into the sunshine and function during the day like the Shadowhunters and some of the non-vampire Downworlders,  he quickly becomes the target of an ancient vampire and as well as others who try to get him to use his unique power to their advantage.

I would recommend this book to all Cassandra Clare fans and followers of the Mortal Instruments series.

                   

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

This disturbing, yet addictive story would not let me go until  I finished the book.  In one long sitting, yes.  It is the story of sixteen-year-old Jack, who is kidnapped and nearly raped by an insane man on the night before he is to leave for a vacation in Great Britain with his best friend Conner.  Although he narrowly escapes the next morning, when he and Conner (the only person Jack tells about the traumatic ordeal) accidentally run into the abuser, Conner encourages Jack to take back control of his life, leading to terrible consequences.

Later, when Jack is getting settled in to his London hotel, he meets a stranger in a pub who gives him a mysterious pair of glasses.  Looking through the glasses leads him to Marbury, an alternative world at war where Jack is responsible to two younger boys, Ben and Griffin.  It is a cold, heartless realm with the three boys on the constant run from cannibalistic creatures bent on finding and killing them.  Try as he might, Jack can’t stop himself from putting on the purple glasses and entering Marbury, where eventually he sees his best friend Connor, only he is one of the roving monsters trying to kill Jack, Ben and Griffin.

This book is raw, gritty, bloody and has strong language.  Although it might not be for all readers, I could not put it down I was so engrossed in Jack’s dilemmas.   I recommend it to readers who like alternative universes; gritty, relentless violence; and fans of dark horror like Stephen King and John Saul.

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Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

This creepy horror story will keep you on the edge of your seat until the startling conclusion.  Kendall lives in the tiny town of Cryer’s Cross, so small her high school is just one room with twenty-four students!  When a quiet, ninth grade girl disappears, the town is devastated, but when Kendall’s boyfriend Nico becomes the second missing person, she becomes drawn into the paralyzing fear overtaking the community.  Add to this the fact that Kendall has OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and the readers see her brain working overtime to stay on this side of sanity.  When Kendall starts hearing what sounds like voices of the two missing students coming out of the ancient, battered school desk they both used, she’s afraid she’s finally toppled over the edge.  Although it’s hard not to suspect that the handsome new student Jacian is involved, he and his sister eventually become Kendall’s allies in trying to uncover the secrets the town has been hiding for years.

I really enjoyed this story and found McMann’s writing compelling.  She tells it in the present tense, so the readers feel like they’re going through all the terror and drama right along with Kendall and her friends.  I even went and picked up McMann’s Wake trilogy (which we DO have) after finishing this edgy ghost story.  I recommend this to all horror fans, readers who liked the Wake series, and anyone looking for a quick read you won’t be able to set down.

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Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Those of you that know me know that I’ve adored Stephen King’s books forever.  I consider him one of my guilty pleasures, like eating late night snacks in bed.  This newest book did not disappoint me, although I have to admit the four novellas WERE pretty dark.  These stories are actually less horror, than bizarre twists of fate where people end up in completely unbelievable situations.  My favorite was “A Good Marriage,” where a woman discovers that her husband is a serial killer when she finds his box of “souvenirs” in a hidden section of their garage.  Upon his return home from a business trip, her husband of over twenty years realizes that she knows the truth.  He tells her the whole story seeming almost relieved to finally share it with her.  Then he works to convince her that he can stop killing, just like he did for the first sixteen years of their marriage.  Darcy wonders if she really has a choice; if he’ll kill her, too, if she refuses to go along with the ruse.  But, you know Stephen King; nothing is ever simple or even the way it seems at first glance.  I can promise you that this story will shock you more than once.

I highly recommend this book to all horror and Stephen King fans, and anyone who just wants to get lost in a captivating story.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

When Hanna hits her aunt in the head with a rolling pin and flees to Potrero, Texas, she has no idea if the mother she has no memory of will welcome her or call the police.  She’s just tired of being the crazy one, the strange one, the girl her aunt Ulla keeps putting in the asylum.  Not that Hanna doesn’t have issues–she is bipolar and is supposed to take medication for it, and also sees hallucinations on occasion, and hears her dead father talking to her all the time.  But despite all this, she doesn’t feel like she’s crazy, just misunderstood.  It turns out that Portrero is certainly not the typical small town she was expecting.  There are various types and paranormal beings that torment the population so much that they all wear black so as not to be “noticed” by the lures and other malevolent creatures.  The high school students even wear ear plugs so the lures can’t call them to the windows and turn the kids into glass statues.

Can you tell that this is not an ordinary story???  The readers definitely needs to let go of what we think of as normal, and just go with the flow of the story.  This being said, I loved this book!  Hanna is such an unusual, smart, sarcastic and funny character that it’s impossible not to adore her.  And when she gets a crush on the handsome charmer named Wyatt, who’s training to be one of the Mortmaine (a group with special powers that protects the people of Portrero from all the things the police can’t) we know that it’s going to get crazy.

I recommend this to fans of paranormal lit., like City of Bones (Casandra Clare), Fallen (Kate Lauren)and The Dark Divine (Bree Despain).

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie has always known he was an outsider in his small town of Gentry.  He’s tall, pale and creepy and his father has drummed into him to never draw attention to himself.  He’s fatally allergic to iron, made physically sick by blood, and cannot step onto “hallowed” church property without feeling like his feet are burning and blistering.  To top it off, he feels like he’s slowly dying.  His whole town seems superstitious, hanging horseshoes everywhere for good luck, and making special rock arrangements in the garden to keep away spirits.  Probably the children that mysteriously disappeared even seven years might have had something to do with that.  But ever since the disappearances started during the Depression, Genty has always fared better than the other local towns.  Not prosperous to the point of being obvious, but people tend to stay employed and able to pay their home mortgages, even during the economic downturns experienced in the last few years.

But now another toddler has disappeared, the little sister of Tate, who Mackie’s known forever.  And Tate’s not going to let it go.  “It wasn’t my sister in that box (casket), it was something else,” Tate tells Mackie.  “I know my sister, and whatever died in that crib, it wasn’t her.”  Secretly, Mackie knows what it was: a replacement for her real sister, just like he is a replacement for his parents’ real son.  Mackie becomes intent on solving the mystery his life has always been, as well as finding Tate’s real sister Emma.  Expect lots of plot twists and dark, underground journeys to visit some pretty creepy creatures.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to horror fans, people who like Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride) movies, and anyone looking for a late night read guaranteed to give you the shivers.

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The Strain by Guillermo del Toro

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

This book is a hybrid between a traditional vampire story and a CSI mystery, if you can imagine that! The story takes place in modern day New York City, and begins with a huge Boeing 777 landing at JFK Airport, full of dead people.  Of course, terrorism is suspected immediately, but after that is ruled out, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) sends in their crack New York team, headed by Dr. Eph Goodweather.  They are shocked to find four survivors, and quarantine them immediately for testing so the doctors can figure out what happened to the rest of the people on the plane.  As it turns out, that giant, ornate box Eph saw near the plane was a indication of something ominous–in fact, a vampiric virus has been let loose on New York City!  A Holocaust survivor named Abraham Setrakian seems to understand exaxtly what is happening, and insists on talking to Eph and joins him in the quest to fight the fledgling virus.  Along the way they pick up exterminator named Vasiley Fet, who’s very useful since newly made vampires have similar behaviors to rats and have chased the infamous New York City rats out of their underground hiding places.

This books spends the first half explaining how the vampires are like a virus–very like the complicated medical discussions if you watch any of the CSI shows.  Pretty interesting stuff, and the authors also include some of Eph’s complicated family issues (divorce and custody fight) to explain his reactions to various twist in their investigation.  The Fall, which is the second book in the trilogy, continues the story with as many cliff hangers as the first book.  I highly recommend both.

This book was co-written by Guillermo del Toro, who directed Blade II,  the Hellboy series, and wrote Pan’s Labyrinth as well as a number of horror movies.  I’m impressed by the story and am relieved that his vampires are busy sucking blood instead of romancing sweet young things.  I recommend this without reservation to vampire, horror, and Stephen King fans.